One of the biggest stories at this year’s NAMM Convention is the debut of Gen16, the new division of legendary cymbal manufacturer Avedis Zildjian Company. And one of the most impressive technologies being introduced by Gen16 is the AE (Acoustic Electric) Cymbal.
Out of all the new gear at the 2011 NAMM Show, these cymbals were by far the most impressive and innovative product Sick Drummer Magazine had the privilege of experiencing. The thousands of holes in each cymbal reduce the noise by about 70%, but do not seem to weaken the cymbal. We bashed these things with some pretty thick sticks and are comfortable in saying they are very durable. Perhaps the holes give the cymbal more flexibility and an even better threshold for punishment than a traditional, solid metal cymbal.
Zildjian has developed a dual-mic pickup that sits under the bell of the cymbal and from what we could tell, is very durable. The pickup captures the sounds from striking the cymbal and runs it through a new DSP module with tons of sound altering functionality.
The cymbals can be used on your acoustic set to practice quietly, as well as on your electric kit, where the magic behind the Gen16 line comes out to play. The cymbals can be mounted on any cymbal stand and are absolutely beautiful to look at. Unfortunately the audio was not working when we shot our video, but the sound these produce electronically is out of this world…
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From Zildjian:
While electronic drums and percussion have been around for years, the AE Cymbal is a completely new twist that uses established technology to create essentially a completely new instrument. “The Acoustic Electric Cymbal is capable of creating a wide range of sounds, from that of a classic Zildjian cymbal to some very non-traditional sounds,” explains Zildjian’s VP of New Business & Product Development, John Roderick. “For drummers, it will have an inspirational impact akin to what the acoustic electric guitar has done for guitarists.”
Unlike most existing electronic percussion systems, the AE Cymbal is not a sample trigger device. Instead, it’s an actual cymbal, and plays like one, but at reduced volume levels, utilizing a unique dual microphone and DSP engine to amplify and model the cymbal’s output.
“One of the most important things for us in creating the AE Cymbal was that it had to feel and play like a real cymbal,” says Paul Francis, Zildjian’s Director of R&D. “Most of what’s currently available for drummers are rubberized, cymbal-shaped trigger pads, and they typically lack the feel and responsiveness of a real cymbal. For us at Zildjian, we’ve always been about the real feel.”
As Francis explains, the original concept for a low-volume acoustic cymbal was proposed by Korg.
“They came up with the basic perforation pattern and approached us to perfect the design. We did
extensive testing to create a perforation pattern that would maintain the integrity of an actual cymbal. We also worked to develop the right alloy formula that could deliver the feel, sound and durability we needed, and could be manufactured in a wide range of sizes and shapes.”
Amplifying the cymbal was a challenge of a different magnitude. “We came up with a dual microphone system we liked, but there were other challenges,” says Product Specialist Chris Ryan. “One of the biggest was to determine how to best implement signal processing into the mix, as well as how to make the microphone work with most cymbal setups and hardware.”
The Gen16 team began a painstaking process of designing the pickup housing and refining the tone
modeling and signal processing system that would ultimately become the AE Cymbal System. After
many months of programming, the system was ready for the true “acid test.”
“Leon Chiappini, our master cymbal tester, and Paul Francis had to give their approvals of each of the sounds,” says Ryan. “Leon has been at Zildjian since the early 1960s, and learned his craft under Avedis and Armand Zildjian. And Paul’s been our head of R&D for years and has designed and tested more than his share of cymbals. Both of them are pretty much capable of identifying any type of cymbal blindfolded. When Leon and Paul gave their approval, we knew we’d done it. Then we knew we’d created something really special.”
Жгучая "Ринок картоплі та овочів"боль сжала мое сердце, из груди вырвался невольный крик, который "Ринок олійних культур"и дал повод к "Ринопластика у быка"этому вопросу.
Только дерзость и удача в праздничных состязаниях помогли Карлосу запастись "Ринок цукру"таким множеством товаров.
Пишу прелестную нежную эпическую "Ринопневмония лошадей"поэму о неблагодарности нерадивого "Ринотрахеит кошек"ученика по отношению к своему учителю.
Ни командир, ни его "Риски для сельского хозяйства от установления зоны свободной торговли с ЕС"подчиненные не должны об этом знать.
Я никому не стану "Ріст і продуктивність люцерни залежно від прийомів догляду в агрофірмі ‘Зоря’ Голованівського району Кіровоградської області"давать отчет в своих мыслях, так же как "Робочий проект впорядкування території багаторічних насаджень Плавнівської сільської ради Ренійського району Одеської області"и в поступках, до тех "Рожа свиней"пор, пока не встречу достойного человека.
Да нет, я, пожалуй, побуду здесь, ответил Римо.
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