Zildjian L80 Low-Volume Cymbals & Remo Silentstroke Drumheads REVIEW | (See Description)
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- Опубліковано 5 січ 2017
- GRAB THE 14/16/18" L80 PACK HERE: amzn.to/2OwKah6
This is my brutally honest attempt at reviewing the Zildjian L80 Low Volume Cymbals and the Remo Silentstroke setup.
UPDATE: Zildjian finally released more size options for the cymbals and have started selling them individually instead of just as packs. I did an update video on the matter shortly after the products released.
#Zildjian #Drums #Review
Of course you hear the sticks, they’re low volume cymbals
“I want cymbals that are quiet.”
“Wtf these cymbals are so quiet I hear more of the stick this is dumb.”
Yo, this video is exactly what I wanted in a review of these heads and cymbals. You did pretty much cover everything I wanted to know about the exact volume and sound of the cymbals. I also saw another video in which the person placed 3 inch wide painters tape near the rims of the heads to give the silent strokes a more defined tone. Awesome video. Thanks.
Adrian Sekaquaptewa feedback like this makes me want to continue doing product reviews! Thank you for the kind words.
Would Gafa work as well instead of painters tape? Or would it ruin the heads on the long run?
Best video I've watched on this setup! You're honnest, explain your thoughts clearly and you have a smart analysis of the different pros and cons.
Hey man, if you want to get more tone out of the silent stroke heads, put some 3 inch wide painters tape on the head. You will be AMAZED at the amount of tone it adds while still keeping the volume down.
Does it work only with the painters tape??? How about ductape ??
@@JahidulIslam-dl9bo sorry, missed this comment. If you're still wondering about duct tape, it works the same but will definitely ruin the head. Painters tape is easier to go back on lol
Tbh one of the best reviews I've seen on anything
KinkyDrums I'd love to do more reviews in the future! If you have a product in mind, let me know.
I've been thinking of buying these cymbals and heads for practise and this is the best review I've watched, great work.
It's particularly helpful hearing you talking while still playing to give context, you've not had to raise your voice while doing so.
Looking forward to getting a set. (Although I'd like a Paiste set!)
Cheers.
kingbeastie thanks for the feedback! Enjoy the set! Yeah I'd personally like a Meinl setup but hey, maybe one day! Have a good day!
Awesome critique. I learn so much from this video and gave a better expectation of them
Thanks man! Finally a sound that compares to my practice room. I could finally hear the Silent stroke tone.
THAT's the review I wanted to see! Thanks for being so honest, dude! :)
this is a very good review. thank you very much for creating this
Elvin Mitra that is very flattering to hear! Thanks for the positivity dude.
Great Review. Very Comprehensive. Thanks
Thanks mate. Great and usefull review. You cover lots of aspects that weren't cover by others. Cheers.
Thank you! Cheers
I wish more product reviews were like this. Keep it up man!!
I appreciate that!
@@JerrysTalks Bruh why don't you just buy some silent sticks?
@@trapmafia4716 Silent sticks? Is this a real product lmao? If you see something interesting, I'll check it out!
I really got good info from this, thanks bro
I'm a fellow townhouse dweller but I have a basement that I'm set up in. Until I get some serious soundproofing going on I gotta look at getting these heads and cymbals. Thanks for the review. And thank you zildgian!
2 years later:
I have a setup with a 5 piece Tama Rockstar and Silent strokes and the L80s.
My thoughts:
Stick sound on the cymbals is still annoyingly loud ... really, rubber practice tips on your sticks is probably going to be your best bet. But then that feels a little different than not using them, so there are tradeoffs no matter what.
I have a 13/16/18 setup with the 20" Ride that they now make, and while the ride is a little ringy and pingy for my tastes, it's not bad. They also offer a CHina and spalsh, and you can now get the 16" crash as a single, which leaves a lot more options for a larger cymbal setup. If you want even more options you can go to the Gen16 line and add some of those in, although they are a little louder and definitely more expensive if money is actually an object for you.
There is a hack for getting more tone out of the silent strokes, which is to apply duct tape to the underside, or alternately use a sound ring, and it works well without getting too much louder.
The other thing that will help your volume is a tennis ball platform, since the physical energy transfer through the walls/floors is still present without it.
Also, using this with the Yamaha EAD10 is a GAME CHANGER for low volume practice with much better sounds than just the acoustic setup alone can give you.
Also, now Sabian makes some as well. I think they don't sound nearly as good - more pingy and B8Pro like. Maybe that's just my bias as a ZIldjian player, although I started out on a set of Sabian Pros until I could afford to drop $1500+ on cymbals. But theL80s, possibly excepting the 20" Ride, are really the best sounding cymbals that are actually quiet. There are some other boutique brands that sound better, but they are louder, and cost like pro level cymbals. There's a natural tradeoff between tone and lowered volulme that is simply a rule of physics that you have to deal with here.
"If you look at the seatbelt..." Love it! Great analogy! These heads could save lives! (Or ears, anyway.)
Thank you for posting this video, it certainly lives up to the title. It's nice not to be advertised to. I'm at my wits end trying to find a product that allows me to drum comfortably without making everyone around me hate me. It seems a little louder than I would have thought, but that was with you being upstairs and with your door open, which makes quite a difference. Hopefully being in a basement with a little soundproofing would make it bearable for everyone. Anyway great work on the video thanks gain for going through the effort of providing a balanced review.
If you are in a basement, I can guarantee the sound will be greatly diminished, especially with a little soundproofing. The two reasons that it was so loud in my case was the fact that my door was open and the fact that the second floor is very hollow so things like closing the hihat stand and hitting the bass drum pedal are greatly amplified by the hollow floor. You should have nothing to worry about in a basement with a little soundproofing. No one will even hear them probably! Thanks for the kind words by the way!
Fantastic review! Love this! I recently decided to get the Silent Stroke and L80s. I have not tried it but would be curious how the Vic Firth Universal Practice Tips would sound on the L80s.
Ryan Brown appreciate the kind words! Haven't tried them either.
Great review mate nice one!
Damn you can drum and talk at the same time thats true talent
Thanks Mr. Poopy Butthole. Knew I could always count on you!
That screen name is a set up
I have Pearl MFH Muffel mesh heads with my Zildjian L80s and like them. I just ordered Remo Silent Strokes for variety; Pearl's are black and Remo's are white.
Thanks for the review. I'm actually moving into a townhome and looking into these cymbals for noise reduction. I did want to let you know since I've converted an acoustic set to electronic (with Yamaha cymbals), there are other options to the Remo silent stroke heads. I use 682drums and BillyBlast heads. I originally ordered one of each to compare. I liked the Billy Blast best but they were 3 ply and there was some issue with a Roland patent which made them unavailable so I went with the 682drums on the remaining. However, I don't know what's different but now I see the Billy Blast 3 ply available again. Like the Remo, you do get more bounce than typical mylar heads. Also, I do use the heads with triggers and no resonant head (and no snare wires on the snare) but I'm sure they would give the same amount of volume if used as your using the Remo heads.
I appreciate the comment! The reason I don't go for the options such as the one you demonstrated, is the fact that I'd prefer an acoustic feel over an electric feel. It's also a bit more expensive to go the electric route and I'd just prefer the classic feel. I'd bet the 682drums is great though!
Sorry if I was a little confusing. What I meant to say was 682drums, Billy Blast, and a couple of others (Pearl, drum-tec) offer similar heads to the Remo silent strokes and you don't need to use them for electronic.
Oh okay! Makes sense! I'll look into those. Thank you!
I think that the stick sound is just inherent in this solution, exactly because the cymbal sound is reduced. When you play normal cymbals there is also a bit of wood sound which I think is actually something wanted, but mostly covered by the sound of the cymbal. But here, the purpose of the heads and cymbals is to let you be quiet with your practice. I keep my drums in my appartment and I do have a problem with the neighbours. I wonder if that would be the solution. The other thing is that we need two kits, one for practice at home, and one for the gigs. With one kit you will have to change the heads so often, on and off, and I am not sure if that is healthy for the drums, changing the tension on the bearing edges frequently.
Yeah it would certainly be tedious and unhealthy for the kit to continuously switch between silent heads and regular heads for a gig. I'd strongly advise to have two drum kits. I bought the Sonor Martini Kit for $399 to strictly use with the silentstrokes and L80's. Though this could be a bit pricey, it just made sense for me, as the drums themselves are small and perfect for practicing as a whole. I'd highly recommend the low volume if you are in an appartment.
Thank you Shia!
Holly shit, thank you! The comparasion between the sound made by the two sticks together vs the one made by the snare or the cymbals themselves is all I needed. I was planning on getting a cheap ass 350 euros Millenium edrum set, but I might actually look into getting a cheap drumset and pairing it with these, that way I can have the best of both worlds! Even tho I am pretty convinced after the video, do you think that getting this is a good Idea if I live in a second floor appartment? (neighbours up and down) Thanks again!
Just got the Remo silent stroke heads, I installed them on everything but the bass and snare so far, will be doing bass and snare tomorrow, I also have to tune them. I got turned on to them in my drum class, I was seriously considering an electric set due to the loud acoustic set my husband had to have.😂
I may not need an electric set now, I love the quieter sound.
"Electric kits are cool I like them!....."Electric kits are small your tense, I don't like them".....Errrrrrrrrr, make your mind up mate!! X-D
dukeofpearl hahahahahaha I did this video in one take! I meant to say I respect them but I don't personally like them. Everytime I watch this video back that part makes me crack up!
over criticize much mate ? Nice work Opinionation !!!!
cancelled0ut for having more sounds and taking up less room and being quieter, they're nice, but after playing on an acoustic once there's nothing like it, much more fun than hitting plastic and rubber
This is so damn true.
Black Holes and L80s. Work pretty well together for ultra quiet, and quickest to swap over to your regular kit ...
The only thing I really dislike about the Remo Silent stroke heads, I hear my bass pedal more than the bass.
I'm thinking about getting these for my apartment. do you think the person below or above me would hear the bass strokes?
THETamaDrummer yes definitely. As long as you work on foot technique, you can suppress the sound a bit.
h3mp1 yes, but you can put foam pads (like what you would find in a gym to pad the floor) under your pedals and it will reduce the sound going through the floor
The tone is going to come from the resonant head, try tuning up or down the resonants heads to get a better sound
This is one of the best UA-cam videos I’ve ever seen..no joke
3:08 fret noise. Lol
Great review as well as the follow up.
I actually really like the swish you said was a con, it will help with persission
WHD, Chang, Sabian are all on board with low volume cymbals. You can buy WHD as a set or individual. And you can now buy Ziljian in a 20 inch crash. There are a few more companies out there you can check out, but they will cost twice as much.
This review has saved me all my trouble and answered all my questions.
There will be tradeoffs/cons but hey, better than nothing so thanks so much for this review man.
I'm a meinl guy too, maybe paiste if im feeling it. And do you have a video on that small sonor set?
Thanks!
Dat Marc thanks for the kind words! I don't have a video on the kit but I can do one... Honestly I haven't used it with real heads yet
I don't know about when the video was released but there are now low volume cymbals made by Sabian and other companies.
I used a sheet of 10mm ply cut into circles to fit snare and toms....then covererd with shaped camping mat.....much better than mesh heads and dead quiet but with tone.
hello !!! very interressant video! i'm french, and i dont understand at all, so, can u write the most avantage and inconveneants for me please ? is that remo silent stroke is obliged to do a cool sound ?
Good review. I have these cymbals too and live in an apartment but I hate the stick sound the most. I also feel that the hitting comes all the way up to my forearm? The have a very hard touch to them. After a while of hitting these cymbals my forearms feel like they're throbbing, and of course I don't have the same issue with normal cymbals. 😒
Really nice review ! Where did you get your hoodie from :D ?
I wanted to buy the roland TD-17KVX, which is AWESOME. But this bundle looks great.
I plan on buying some
What do you think of the RTOM black hole system? Is that better than SilentStroke?
Anirudh S can't say I've tried them. Id have to see more about them
@opinionation Thank you for this great review! On the bass drum, did you use a normal 14" silent stroke drum head? Does it fit? I'm asking this because I was not able to find a 14" bass drum silent stroke head. Thank you!
Simone Gallarini yes it's a Remo Silentstroke 14" drumhead. They are all over the internet! Thanks for the kind words.
2:40 Homeboy is putting Tom Morello to shame. 🤘
I can understand the whole hating the stick hitting the cymbals but at the same time it's probably the same with normal cymbals but since they're so loud they drown out the stick hitting it, just my thought tho I could be wrong, hopefully they make better cymbals in the future
Thank you for your video. Yo mention the Equarian Super-Pads. I am looking for a low volume solution and am wondering what you think of the Aquarian Super-Pads, vs. Silentstroke. Also, at my local Guitar Center they have a drum kit with Silentstroke heads. Over there their snare sounds like a tom and the bass drum is almost inaudible. You did not mention any problems with your bass drum. Have you had trouble getting it to sound good?
You just made me want to pick up the Aquarian heads to make a video comparing the two! I just might do that soon... As far as the bass drum, I truthfully had no complaints. My bass drum is actually probably my favorite part of the kit! Anyway, thanks for the comment. Stay tuned, because I just might do a comparison of the two heads!
Thanks for your reply. I hope I'm not going to put you through an expense, just to answer my question. I have a feeling my local Guitar Center has their kit set up incorrectly, so the bass and snare don't work properly. They have a return policy, so I'll just pick up a set of Silentstroke heads and see if it works for me. If not I'll return and consider Super-Pads. Thanks, again.
In my country we have a 2 ply silent head (Made by Dudu Portes)
They are closer (the feel) to the feel of normal drum heads
They may be less bouncier
I'm looking for something exactly like that. How much did this set up cost you.
I'm with you on zildjian just doing them I'm a sabian guy I love the hhx hh aax aa they are just so nice but I would love to have the L80 for practice
The L80's are definitely good to have and I'd highly recommend them. I'm a Meinl guy but I got these because they were the only ones of their kind. Definitely a good investment for the money and for the value.
Opinionation I'm with you on that man they seem to be really nice for the price you know I do wish though that other companies would do this maybe get some different kinds going so you could actually use them for other things I think that would be a good idea
I found cymbomute was a better way to control cymbal sound as the weight and response of the actual cymbals you play wasn't changed. Cymbomute comes in a large variety of sizes and is cheaper than buying a full set of these Zildjian practice cymbals. I also found the silentstroke heads did not have a similar response and feel to a real head so I ended up sticking with drum mutes as it's so easy to take these off. I mean, for a practicing/touring drummer, taking the heads off the kit for practice at a studio and then putting them back on is a hassle especially considering they don't sound good!
Yeah that makes sense and yes the Silentstroke definitely doesnt have the same feel as a drum head. Thanks for the comment!
Hey Opinionation how are you??
Im writting this comment cause i a have a little issue. I live in a rental apartment, so i wont make the soundproof room or a practice room for my kit, cause its a rental space, any time they could ask me to leave and would have to do it. So i found this pads and the Remo Silentstrokes and im debating which one its better for this situation.
For my own good i looke for an apartment that was in the 1st floor, so they are not angry neighbors complaining about the noise that my feet make when playing, and doesnt have the low freq also bothering them; so thats a plus for me, but as said before, i have no "home studio" or "soundproof room" so i wanted to know, without all the mics and stuff you record your videos, how do they sound to your ears, and which one its better?? Remo o RTOM??
Thanks for your time and help!!!
I like the sound of that 16 inch crash, can't wait to add it to my l80s. I have the 14 inch crash, and don't notice the stick sound so much, perhaps a lighter stick may help?? good review too, thanks.
I have yet to use the 14" crash! I wonder what that sounds like. Thanks for the comment!
I almst wanted to get these i still might but i live up stairs also. But some 1 said my floor is like six inch Concrete so being above is maybe ok. But u said it dnt mute ? So dnt know if i should or just rent loft and be loud and proud. Great video thow
decent review. however, the reason you aren't noticing much of a difference in tone when tuning the silent strokes up or down is because when you're using the silent stroke like 95% of all the tone you get is off your bottom head so if you want to change the tone thats where you need to make adjustment. pretty much the only thing you can do when tuning the silent strokes is get whatever tension you prefer but for tone change you gotta work off the bottom
What about nylon sticks, would that make any difference in the sound you get off the cymbals in your estimation? have you tried soft mallets? just wondering. nice video
So I would imagine that nylon sticks are actually worse for the stick definition (or technically better and more defined). Nylon sticks tend to create a louder definition by their nature, but no I have not tried them, mallets, or rods. This is something I wish to explore in the future. Thanks for the kind words!
I wonder if a thin rubber coating or tape wrap on the shaft of the stick where you would strike the cymbal as a crash would help. You want definition from the tip on the ride, but a coating of some sort on the shaft of the stick might lower the transient sound of the stick strike. Anyone tried this?
Have you tried the agean natural jazz cymbals
Best review ever
Can you loosen the heads to feel more like a regular skin?
Do you have an actual 14" mesh bass drum head on that kick?
Not even kidding, first 10 seconds and I have to ask: what part of Philly are you from?
I’d imagine that if you tune them down you would get less spring from your stick. The mesh is kinda like a little trampoline and your tension should affect it.
Hi, I am often in the position of putting together low-volume rhythm sections for pit bands, choir accompaniment, and chamber pop/rock ensembles. Would these be a good solution for that? Could you hear unamplified singing over these?
Luke Hannington you could have a full blown conversation over these
A Dollarama duct tape on the Remo heads solves the tone and bounciness issue.. it is not as sticky so it wont hurt the mesh..
you can change the tonality. Just add a wide tape on the side of the tom tom you will feel the tone of the drums. believe me.
Great review man. A few things 1. The different brand is a funny thing. Could it be more psychological more than preferring a certain brand. Because they might sound exactly the same. Every brand have there own sound and that's fantastic but with products like this they might not. Don't see Sabian or Evans sounding and different or have them sounding like them. 2. The coating on the L80 were put on to make them look more like cymbals. With the Gen16 they are bronze coloured. Plus the L80 came from a realisation that the Gen16 were much quite than real cymbals. 3. The scratching on the head is just the result of the mesh. Not much can be done. We shall see what happens I the future it looks good 😊
Have you tried using rods to get rid of the stick noise on the cymbals?
So I have not tried the rods but have received a lot of suggestions to do so. Thanks for the tip and I will be trying them when I buy some rods!
The most important drawback for me is the rimshot.you mostly hear the rim and not the drum itself.
Neat trick, you can put a strip of duct tape on the toms and you'll get more tone
Renegade Hipster definitely gotta try that...
Opinionation It may also work on the kick and snare but I'm not sure
Renegade Hipster ew duct tape on drums! Can you use other tape? (I say this because I worked in a drum shop and I have lots of experience cleaning up and playing used drum sets with duct tape and it sounds bad and is literally the worst to clean up)
Mark Aaronson use Gaffer Tape as it doesn't leave any sticky residue when you pull them off
use nylon tips to make the scratching noise less noisier
Would you say these will work for low volume band practice with practice amps?
Ernest Jimenez I'll try and answer this as honestly as possible. I'm a college student living in an apartment off-campus. A group of my friends play instruments and when we get together we usually play with a Spider amplifier and a fender squire. It works rather well. I'm a loud speaker but I can maintain a full conversation while still playing this set up and haven't had a problem. We often have pregames for parties in our apartment and I occasionally play drums to certain songs coming from a Beats Pill portable speaker and can hear perfectly fine. I think for your play style you should be perfectly fine!
Opinionation thanks man! That helps a ton! I think we will give it a shot!
I tried this. Heads felt too bouncy and cymbals felt mushy. Too much give. And didnt like the overall sound. Ended up buying a Roland td10. Really fun. But I just converted my acoustic set to electronic and now have the best feeling set up yet.
Oh wow! What cymbals do you have for the covert? Gen16 or something else? Also are you using those Aquarian hybrid heads on your acoustic? Please lmk!
Honestly I dont care about the stick noise as I only have an electronic kit and I just want the feel of real cymbals as i'll be playing to music in headphones anyway. :)
Redbone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great song.
Damn it's actually pretty loud downstairs... i live in aparment and i'm trying to find a way how to play drums and don't be annoying neighbour....
6:41 there is a huge pitch difference there!
You should try Black Holes by RTom.
Tuning the batter heads won't ever change the pitch much if the heads just let air travel right through them. That's just physics.
Do these come with reso heads or do you just use normal resos?
Jj Jaja i just use regular heads
I have always wondered as I don't think I've seen resos for these. I wonder if some people use another silent stroke as a reso.
Thanks for this man! I almost dropped 3K on an electric kit due to living in an apartment. Instead I'm spending half of that on a full kit plus buying this cymbal/head combo.
I had both. Imo the electronic set is waaay funner.
Volvo made the seat belt but fantastic review either way
Thank you!
The heads and cymbals sound very thin and as you said, there is way too much stick noise generated. Maybe good for practice but certainly not for recording or live work.
Maybe Easton Ahead drum sticks resolve the issue of the wood sound
Have not tried them! Certainly something I should look into.
great review, but I just think this kit would be too loud to use in a apartment building, my electric kit is for sure more quite then this kit, but it would be nice to use my own drums.
you do realise that they are just "practice heads" for keeping your chops up. They arent really meant to "have a tone" or be recorded with. the scratching occurs because they are a metal mesh.
versloe1 yes I realize this. Some people prefer acoustic kits when they are living in an area that required silent playing though, like me, so it was basically wishful thinking that these heads would have more tone
I agree....the whole idea is practising on your kit (with a less than ideal sound) is FAR better than not practising.
This is amazing for kids who can't disturb anyone. Practising is the key to greatness.
Is it just me or is this dude awesome!
Chedderr Hey man thank you! I really really really appreciate that
this is new to me, it may work for me in the small room i have, the stick sound in crash is very audible, maybe a nylon tip will be different??.. sure hope that new innovations come from bothe items, I'll be looking hard at getting both cymbals and heads...
For your information, the seat belt was invented by someone at Volvo.
Thanks for the in depht review though.
mess is great but they have a little too much bounce
wish i had these as a kid I was never allowed to practise
and don't think you can ever patent drilling holes in metal
Dude, try putting some electrical tape on your sticks to help lessen the wooden percussive sound hitting the cymbals. Also, hi hats do NOT only come in 13 and 14" sizes. You can use a pair of 16" as well, nothing is stopping anyone from doing that. Also, you could take a pair of 16" and shave off 1/2" all the way around the circumference to make a pair of 15" hi hats.
I didnt care much for the sound. The idea is great and so is the tech. The best part was the cymbals. But the worst part was the kick drums, they sounded really bad. I know it was made to be quiet but still.
BlueOmega I don’t disagree with you on that
Can these be used with triggers?
PapaG Cortellino yes they can. I saw a guy use this set up as an electronic drum kit
U literally said "I like electric kits" and "I don't like electric kits" in the same sentence
Callum Williams I did this whole video in one take with no cue cards or scripts or direct plan of what to say. What I meant to say was I have nothing wrong with them, I just personally don’t like them for my taste and feel.
actually if you go on musician's friend they have these zildjian cymbals not in a box set they even had a 10in splash but you just cant get different sizes its just a 10in splash and an 18in crash and all you can get in a ride is a 20in they don't sell the hi hat by itself though that the only one
Yeah I recently learned about this and actually made an entirely separate video just on this. Zildjian replied to this video a week after I posted it and informed me.
Opinionation I was so tempted to get them to when I saw them I need some new hardware first though some stands and maybe even a new kit I would really like to do a rack for my practice one
Sabian DOES make a low volume cymbal. They're called Sabian Quiet Tone. A company named Chang also makes them
Billie Shoemate yes I know. This video was made before the release of Quiet Tone.
close your eyes and you can kinda hear jonah hill lol
I heavily fuck with this comment
I would time the drums low so they dont have as much rebound
Regarding electric kits: 0:57 "I like them", then at 1:14 "I don't like them". He seems to have changed his mind in 17 seconds.
David James why is this that important? You are the 3rd to comment on that
why is this that important?, because it shows a contradiction, and that this person can't even seem to remember what he said 17 seconds ago. "This that" is the problem.