I'm envious of people who can pick out a set of hi-hats and be happy with them. I'm super picky with cymbals, though I have managed to pick out rides, crashes and effects that I like. Hi-hats? Between standard sets and mix/match - I feel like I'm on a never ending quest to find a few sets that work for me.
I used to be this way. Thats why i have 7 pairs of 14 hats and 2 pairs of 15 hats. They are of all different weights, hammering and lathing. This way I can mix and match when I feel its needed and match to what feels right. In my 20 yrs drumming I have never been happy with 1 pair of hats.
@@deafhousedeafhouse its interesting that I think they had the basics nailed solid back in the day. Its so tempting these days to get something out of the ordinary to have a new sound, but when i come down to it medium weight/size A's never fail. I even have 13" sabian AA regular hats, when i got them "regular" really did not sound like an exciting purchase, but just like Zil A's then deliver that solid sound.
Really good insight. After nearly 40 yrs of playing, I'm getting somewhere with this! I have 3 sets. 15" Keropes - soft, low pitched, low volume ; 14" avedis - delicate, bright, articulate ; 14" New Beat top over a K Light Bottom - mid to bright, powerful, articulate & modern. They all have their place as you described. The Keropes don't project at all, so if the band is loud and rocky, they don't work. THE avedis have limited projection, while the A/Ks work for any setting (if I could only have 1 pair, it would be these). That said, the other 2 are fabulous for lower volume, textural settings - they are both gorgeous. It's great to have the choice, but I don't 'need' them, any more than I need more than one snare drum if it's the right one.
I feel like it was trendy for a brief period a few years ago to use 16"+ cymbals. The idea of experimenting with larger and larger hats sounds fun, border on comically large and see what happens!
Excellent video and good points being made. 👍🏻👍🏻 Two often overlooked aspects, at least from a recording studio perspective, are -the relationship between the snare wires high frequencies and the open hihat high ftreqiancies, which makes a HUGE difference on how manageable the dreaded bleed is and on how "in front" the snare sounds within the drum mix -the heavy basher factor, some drummers need to be tamed by the cymbal choice, as they aren't physically used to playing otherwise or managing their cymbal loudness. (15" or 16" quieter thin dark -but not rough or overly raw!- hihats often are the best choice for both these aspects)
I’ve landed on two sets, 14” (thin top medium bottom) and 16” dry hats (thin top, thick bottom). Everything Cody talks about rings true. I particularly love the 16” for small venues, quieter music and especially where vocals need space.
Here in Nashville, I default to 15's but I have a thinner darker pair for studio work and a heavier brighter, more articulate pair for live work. In addition, I have a pair of 14" Jazz hats, 14" medium's, and a pair of 16" Agop Siggies for other situations. I haven't yet brought the 16's out on a gig tho. I also have a pair of 16" Ion Trash hats and a 10" version of those as well. All of them are Istanbul Agop's. I might have a problem! I really wish you had addressed the idea of "barking" the HH's in this video, (a la Bernard Purdie, and others) as that is so important to which pair I might choose. How quickly they respond is a major factor. As well, my 15's are so much easier to open up and play 1/2 open or fully open than my 14's, especially at certain tempos, so that becomes a factor as well.
I'm lucky enough to own Paiste 12" Combo Crisps, Zildjian 13" New Beats, and Agop 15" Turks. Love to play them all, truly, and they each sound fantastic, but the 12" Combo Crisps represent everything I look for in great performing and sounding hats, for any style of music really. Great video. Cheers.
Ahh me and hats; they've been the bane of my cymbal shopping existence. There is practically nothing as far as music stores with any drum gear where I live, only Guitar Center; so I didn't have options for going and trying out hats. Research on the internet goes backwards because there are only 2.45 million hats out there and the acoustics and recording setup in every single video is going to be different. Plus, I had only ever played my drum set, and only in one room for 11 or so years, so I only knew the acoustics of that room. I had no experience with the effects of changes to acoustics, so when I went to GC to try out hats, I didn't get anywhere on a decision because everything else was so different that I had no idea what was acoustics and what was the hats. After all that, I decided to just screw it and buy a set of Zildjian A Customs, reasoning they're likely pretty versatile since I see them all over the place in professional context. Though it was a blind purchase, they _were_ a massive upgrade from the beginner grade hats I've always been stuck with though, and they feel much better to play. There are probably other hats that would fit me better, but they're good hats either way.
Honestly thats why I play PAISTE. I can listen to all sorts of videos and play them in stores and then buy them used elsewhere and the cymbals sound exactly the same as videos and in store. Try that with any other cymbal manufacturer..........
a quick beat zildjian bottom 14" inch with a new beat hi hat top 14" inch works pretty nice ..another nice hi hat combination that works out real nice is a sabian hi hat top 14 " inch of the X20 series line with zildian k series 14 " inch hi hat bottom cymbal
I love hi hats. 15" my go to. I like the sound but also more real estate to hit. Just ordered a Sabian Legacy for over my 2002 SE...the experiment continues...gear geek here 😁. Great channel here!
I loved this one! If I had the funds, I would probably have several sets of hats. I've always plays 14" hi-hats, and they've always suited my needs as well as I could hope, but it would be interesting to try other sizes. At my local drum shop recently, I tried a set of 14" Zildjian Ks that rocked my world. $700 was more than I was prepared to pay for a set of hi-hat cymbals. They would have been worth every penny, though... Thanks, as always, Ben and Cody, for making these superb videos, and for releasing this Patreon content!
I've been using a Paiste Formula 602 14" Heavy hi-hat top as a bottom hi-hat cymbal with a 602 medium hi-hat top as a top hi-hat cymbal; it sounds darker and quieter to stay out of the singer's way, but if i need more volume and projection, i use a 14" Paiste 2002 Heavy hi-hat bottom with the 602 medium hi-hat top, which is my go-to combination right now
Dude same here!!! My go to hats for recording are twenty custom 14 bottom and 2002 heavy bottom for the top. Insane clarity and not too washy or too long of decay. I love it!
I like them all - they can be used in different situations for the song. I've played 13's since the mid-90's (thanks Dave Abbruzzese). I recently got a set of 16" Istanbul Agops. I love how different they are - can cover lots of bases between the two sets.
I really like 13's. I have a set of 13" Paiste Signature Sound Edge Hi Hats, and I'm discovering a world of sounds while playing the bow of the top cymbal more than the edge. They can deliver a ton of wash, some good volume potential, but above all, some nice articulation. I've played Sound Edge cymbals going as far back as my 14" 3000 RUDE's in 1994 to 13" 2002's in the early 2000's. I also love 13" Heavy Hi Hats. I do use 14's, but usually they're in auxiliary hat position on my right side.
I use a pair of k series 16 inch light hats. It’s honestly perfect for the rock band I play in, it’s the equivalent of having a crash cymbal that also is not a crash cymbal haha. They have a surprisingly phenomenal percussive value to them for quick open/close stuff also but I also run my bottom cymbal as a top.
I often play just hi hats as cymbals, to stay out to the way of the singer. I currently use Agop Jazz ones, which also don’t have any bright “tzing” sound. For same singers, only short barks, not open. Cheap hi hats : I own a pair of 13 inch Planet Z (brass) that on their own sound weak and plastic, and in the band mix - they sit perfectly. Plus a pair of 13s weigh a little bit less. 🎉
The first hi-hats I loved were Sabian HHX Evolutions. In addition to the signature waveform hammering, they have a dramatically heavy bottom hat compared to top. I learned later this was the old "K on top, Z on bottom" trick. To this day, having a very heavy bottom hat is what my ear craves for a hi hat. I also personally favor 15"s over everything else for heavy music.
I"m currently on a 15" set of masterwork Verves. Pretty sloshy/washy and a bit thin, but I like it. You can almost swell them and I love that as an extra thing in the toolbox.
In general, I think I like to hedge my bet on tone, as well as attack. I personally have played 14" New Beats. I feel I can achieve the most versatility to cover up and down cut with natural feel on strike variance.
I have a set of 12" Zildjian SR (special recording) which I really like for lighter playing and articulation work well in jazz situation and nice with brushes.The set I use the most are 14" K Z from the late 80s but with a Sabian HH thin crash on top.Still have AZ 14" flat hats from the 70s but find them too bright for the music I play now (mostly unmiked acoustic volume).It is fun to mix and match.When I was at jazz school there was some Sabian 13" HH that were real nice but have not found any quite as good.
As a person who’s literally broken almost every cymbal I’ve ever owned including hi hats, I’m still playing my intro beginner cymbals I bought with my first kit 30 years ago cause they can take a beating and is the only cymbal other than an entry level ride I haven’t broken (Pro beats?). I tend to use one of those as a top which is a fairly heavy 14 and a lighter bottom of something else to open up some of the brightness. Like the story in this video, they don’t sound all that amazing in the room, but recorded sound pretty great for all kinds of music that I play which leans rock and more high energy stuff which is ironic for how ass they look and no name brand they are. I’m about to upgrade and buy some Meinl dark 15s which should be fun to change it up.
Where can I get those prototypes?? 😁 Definitely comes down to situations for choices. When playing live there's just a mic on my snare (low in the mix) and overheads so I prefer a "louder" hit-hat sound that cuts through heavy rock. Would be great to see/hear how adding accessories or different sticks can help with sound choices as well. I see drummers using two different sticks in quieter situations to get the desired effect and sound they want.
I’m not that good buddy of yours who has camber hats, but I do have a pair, and they get used on probably 30% of the tracks coming out of my studio. They only cost me $50
My favorite hats are my 16“ „Frankenstein“ hats … made out of a Meinl Byzance traditional heavy crash as the bottom and a dual crash as top, they are very versatile, from jazz to blues and Rock, a bit in the Steve Jordan range. No2 are my 14“ dual hats, wich I love to combine with a 14“ multi Trash … I also used to have a pair of Sabian 10 AA mini hats, but they got stolen
I'm envious of people who can pick out a set of hi-hats and be happy with them. I'm super picky with cymbals, though I have managed to pick out rides, crashes and effects that I like. Hi-hats? Between standard sets and mix/match - I feel like I'm on a never ending quest to find a few sets that work for me.
I tried many combinations until I stumbled upon 14" Impression Illuminati, best hats I've ever had
I used to be this way. Thats why i have 7 pairs of 14 hats and 2 pairs of 15 hats. They are of all different weights, hammering and lathing. This way I can mix and match when I feel its needed and match to what feels right. In my 20 yrs drumming I have never been happy with 1 pair of hats.
14" zildian avedis new beats. So versatile. Can't go wrong
Still not for everyone...
@@deafhousedeafhouse its interesting that I think they had the basics nailed solid back in the day. Its so tempting these days to get something out of the ordinary to have a new sound, but when i come down to it medium weight/size A's never fail. I even have 13" sabian AA regular hats, when i got them "regular" really did not sound like an exciting purchase, but just like Zil A's then deliver that solid sound.
Really good insight. After nearly 40 yrs of playing, I'm getting somewhere with this! I have 3 sets. 15" Keropes - soft, low pitched, low volume ; 14" avedis - delicate, bright, articulate ; 14" New Beat top over a K Light Bottom - mid to bright, powerful, articulate & modern. They all have their place as you described. The Keropes don't project at all, so if the band is loud and rocky, they don't work. THE avedis have limited projection, while the A/Ks work for any setting (if I could only have 1 pair, it would be these). That said, the other 2 are fabulous for lower volume, textural settings - they are both gorgeous. It's great to have the choice, but I don't 'need' them, any more than I need more than one snare drum if it's the right one.
I feel like it was trendy for a brief period a few years ago to use 16"+ cymbals. The idea of experimenting with larger and larger hats sounds fun, border on comically large and see what happens!
What a relief! Now I’m justified in having 4 sets of hats! 14, 15, 16 & 17s.
There's a reason why New Beats were and are probably the most versatile hi-hats of all time
Excellent video and good points being made.
👍🏻👍🏻
Two often overlooked aspects, at least from a recording studio perspective, are
-the relationship between the snare wires high frequencies and the open hihat high ftreqiancies, which makes a HUGE difference on how manageable the dreaded bleed is and on how "in front" the snare sounds within the drum mix
-the heavy basher factor, some drummers need to be tamed by the cymbal choice, as they aren't physically used to playing otherwise or managing their cymbal loudness.
(15" or 16" quieter thin dark -but not rough or overly raw!- hihats often are the best choice for both these aspects)
I’ve landed on two sets, 14” (thin top medium bottom) and 16” dry hats (thin top, thick bottom). Everything Cody talks about rings true.
I particularly love the 16” for small venues, quieter music and especially where vocals need space.
Here in Nashville, I default to 15's but I have a thinner darker pair for studio work and a heavier brighter, more articulate pair for live work. In addition, I have a pair of 14" Jazz hats, 14" medium's, and a pair of 16" Agop Siggies for other situations. I haven't yet brought the 16's out on a gig tho. I also have a pair of 16" Ion Trash hats and a 10" version of those as well. All of them are Istanbul Agop's. I might have a problem!
I really wish you had addressed the idea of "barking" the HH's in this video, (a la Bernard Purdie, and others) as that is so important to which pair I might choose. How quickly they respond is a major factor. As well, my 15's are so much easier to open up and play 1/2 open or fully open than my 14's, especially at certain tempos, so that becomes a factor as well.
I'm lucky enough to own Paiste 12" Combo Crisps, Zildjian 13" New Beats, and Agop 15" Turks. Love to play them all, truly, and they each sound fantastic, but the 12" Combo Crisps represent everything I look for in great performing and sounding hats, for any style of music really. Great video. Cheers.
Ahh me and hats; they've been the bane of my cymbal shopping existence. There is practically nothing as far as music stores with any drum gear where I live, only Guitar Center; so I didn't have options for going and trying out hats. Research on the internet goes backwards because there are only 2.45 million hats out there and the acoustics and recording setup in every single video is going to be different.
Plus, I had only ever played my drum set, and only in one room for 11 or so years, so I only knew the acoustics of that room. I had no experience with the effects of changes to acoustics, so when I went to GC to try out hats, I didn't get anywhere on a decision because everything else was so different that I had no idea what was acoustics and what was the hats.
After all that, I decided to just screw it and buy a set of Zildjian A Customs, reasoning they're likely pretty versatile since I see them all over the place in professional context.
Though it was a blind purchase, they _were_ a massive upgrade from the beginner grade hats I've always been stuck with though, and they feel much better to play. There are probably other hats that would fit me better, but they're good hats either way.
Honestly thats why I play PAISTE. I can listen to all sorts of videos and play them in stores and then buy them used elsewhere and the cymbals sound exactly the same as videos and in store. Try that with any other cymbal manufacturer..........
a quick beat zildjian bottom 14" inch with a new beat hi hat top 14" inch works pretty nice ..another nice hi hat combination that works out real nice is a sabian hi hat top 14 " inch of the X20 series line with zildian k series 14 " inch hi hat bottom cymbal
I love hi hats. 15" my go to. I like the sound but also more real estate to hit. Just ordered a Sabian Legacy for over my 2002 SE...the experiment continues...gear geek here 😁. Great channel here!
I loved this one! If I had the funds, I would probably have several sets of hats. I've always plays 14" hi-hats, and they've always suited my needs as well as I could hope, but it would be interesting to try other sizes. At my local drum shop recently, I tried a set of 14" Zildjian Ks that rocked my world. $700 was more than I was prepared to pay for a set of hi-hat cymbals. They would have been worth every penny, though...
Thanks, as always, Ben and Cody, for making these superb videos, and for releasing this Patreon content!
I've been using a Paiste Formula 602 14" Heavy hi-hat top as a bottom hi-hat cymbal with a 602 medium hi-hat top as a top hi-hat cymbal; it sounds darker and quieter to stay out of the singer's way, but if i need more volume and projection, i use a 14" Paiste 2002 Heavy hi-hat bottom with the 602 medium hi-hat top, which is my go-to combination right now
Dude same here!!! My go to hats for recording are twenty custom 14 bottom and 2002 heavy bottom for the top. Insane clarity and not too washy or too long of decay. I love it!
I like them all - they can be used in different situations for the song. I've played 13's since the mid-90's (thanks Dave Abbruzzese). I recently got a set of 16" Istanbul Agops. I love how different they are - can cover lots of bases between the two sets.
I really like 13's.
I have a set of 13" Paiste Signature Sound Edge Hi Hats, and I'm discovering a world of sounds while playing the bow of the top cymbal more than the edge. They can deliver a ton of wash, some good volume potential, but above all, some nice articulation.
I've played Sound Edge cymbals going as far back as my 14" 3000 RUDE's in 1994 to 13" 2002's in the early 2000's.
I also love 13" Heavy Hi Hats.
I do use 14's, but usually they're in auxiliary hat position on my right side.
I use a pair of k series 16 inch light hats. It’s honestly perfect for the rock band I play in, it’s the equivalent of having a crash cymbal that also is not a crash cymbal haha. They have a surprisingly phenomenal percussive value to them for quick open/close stuff also but I also run my bottom cymbal as a top.
I often play just hi hats as cymbals, to stay out to the way of the singer. I currently use Agop Jazz ones, which also don’t have any bright “tzing” sound. For same singers, only short barks, not open. Cheap hi hats : I own a pair of 13 inch Planet Z (brass) that on their own sound weak and plastic, and in the band mix - they sit perfectly. Plus a pair of 13s weigh a little bit less. 🎉
The first hi-hats I loved were Sabian HHX Evolutions. In addition to the signature waveform hammering, they have a dramatically heavy bottom hat compared to top. I learned later this was the old "K on top, Z on bottom" trick. To this day, having a very heavy bottom hat is what my ear craves for a hi hat. I also personally favor 15"s over everything else for heavy music.
newbeats are heavy on the bottom and normal top, they were out way before the K/Z
I"m currently on a 15" set of masterwork Verves. Pretty sloshy/washy and a bit thin, but I like it. You can almost swell them and I love that as an extra thing in the toolbox.
love my 17 inch istanbul agop dry darks! they're surprisingly versatile
I love the 14" hi hats and bright
For any style that I'm gonna be playing "half-open" or sloshy, I actually like using my hi-hat top as a bottom, and a 14" crash as the top.
that's i think how most "light hats" would spec out.
In general, I think I like to hedge my bet on tone, as well as attack. I personally have played 14" New Beats. I feel I can achieve the most versatility to cover up and down cut with natural feel on strike variance.
I have a set of 12" Zildjian SR (special recording) which I really like for lighter playing and articulation work well in jazz situation and nice with brushes.The set I use the most are 14" K Z from the late 80s but with a Sabian HH thin crash on top.Still have AZ 14" flat hats from the 70s but find them too bright for the music I play now (mostly unmiked acoustic volume).It is fun to mix and match.When I was at jazz school there was some Sabian 13" HH that were real nice but have not found any quite as good.
I just made myslef a pair of 16" K/Z's by doing a K Med Thin Crash on top and a Z Med crash on botom. I'm really in love with it.
As a person who’s literally broken almost every cymbal I’ve ever owned including hi hats, I’m still playing my intro beginner cymbals I bought with my first kit 30 years ago cause they can take a beating and is the only cymbal other than an entry level ride I haven’t broken (Pro beats?). I tend to use one of those as a top which is a fairly heavy 14 and a lighter bottom of something else to open up some of the brightness. Like the story in this video, they don’t sound all that amazing in the room, but recorded sound pretty great for all kinds of music that I play which leans rock and more high energy stuff which is ironic for how ass they look and no name brand they are. I’m about to upgrade and buy some Meinl dark 15s which should be fun to change it up.
13” Manhattan Jazz HHX. They’re signature to my sound at this point haha
Where can I get those prototypes?? 😁
Definitely comes down to situations for choices.
When playing live there's just a mic on my snare (low in the mix) and overheads so I prefer a "louder" hit-hat sound that cuts through heavy rock.
Would be great to see/hear how adding accessories or different sticks can help with sound choices as well.
I see drummers using two different sticks in quieter situations to get the desired effect and sound they want.
I’m curious how each size and style works against a brighter snare wire / tuning to see how it would act in a crisp treblier mix.
I’m not that good buddy of yours who has camber hats, but I do have a pair, and they get used on probably 30% of the tracks coming out of my studio. They only cost me $50
Sounds like a cymbal!
i lost track of what size you were playing - gonna have to stop and start again - screen cues would be nice.
I usually play 12in New Beats
My favorite hats are my 16“ „Frankenstein“ hats …
made out of a Meinl Byzance traditional heavy crash as the bottom and a dual crash as top, they are very versatile, from jazz to blues and Rock, a bit in the Steve Jordan range.
No2 are my 14“ dual hats, wich I love to combine with a 14“ multi Trash … I also used to have a pair of Sabian 10 AA mini hats, but they got stolen
Zzss zsss zsss zsss ,▶️ ACDC, Back in Black! 😸👍
Exactly my thought