Cymbal Alloys 101 - Sound Pure Gear Tip

Рет қаралды 12,154

Күн бұрын

This video is part-two of our educational series on cymbals (check out the the previous one, Cast vs Sheet Cymbals • Cast vs Sheet Cymbals:... ).
This time, our drums specialist Paul Spencer is talking about the actual metals that go into making your cymbals, and how different metals and mixtures of metals-alloys- affect your sound. Cymbals are composed of some sort of copper alloy, the most popular and most sonorous of these alloys being bronze. Bronze alloy is composed of copper and tin, and different copper-to-tin ratios have a major impact on the tone a cymbal has. The most popular ratio that cymbal makers use is 80% bronze, and 20% tin; this is where the designation “B20” bronze comes from. The other commonly used bronze alloy is 92% copper and 8% tin, and is called B8 bronze. B8 bronze is typically used in beginner and intermediate-level cymbals, but this isn’t always the case.
Check out the video to learn more!
Timecode Links:
B8 Example: 3:41
B20 Example: 3:54
Gear used:
www.soundpure.com/p/sabian-aa...
www.soundpure.com/p/meinl-pur...
Check out the other parts of our cymbal series:
Part 1: Cast vs Sheet Cymbals: • Cast vs Sheet Cymbals:...
Part 2: Cymbal Alloys 101: • Cymbal Alloys 101 - S...
Part 3: Cymbal Anatomy 101: • Cymbal Anatomy 101 - S...
Part 4: Effects of Hammering and Lathing Cymbals: • Effects of Hammering a...
Is there a topic that you would like to learn more about? Give us a call at (919) 682-5552, email us at drums(at)soundpure.com, or simply let us know in the comments!
Sound Pure is an instrument and pro audio shop specializing in high-end and boutique gear. Check out our gear demos, how to videos, and gear comparisons, and then reach out to our experts to help you make an informed purchase. We're here to help you find the perfect gear for your needs.

Пікірлер: 19

@timkerwin6886 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video; it helped me figure out what type of alloy I want to have for my next set of cymbals

@stevenfisher2700 Жыл бұрын

Great videos and education! Thank you!

@SeanLaMontagne 4 жыл бұрын

Wow what a helpful video!

@lov1another Жыл бұрын

Thanks! 👍

@wewennomagic6784 3 жыл бұрын

Me as a brass cymbal user 👁👄👁

@ratamadiddle 8 ай бұрын

Nice video…but to be a “fair fight” I think you should have used a higher quality B8 cymbal such as a Paiste Giant Beat or 2002 instead of an entry level one.

@daronjohnson9095 Ай бұрын

I love how people bring up paiste 2002 but the starter pack is $1200 lmao like for that money you can get handmade high quality Turkish b20 cymbal pack so why would anyone even buy those?

@alanissexy99 Ай бұрын

Go off yall. 🧐

@boredasfckxx 4 жыл бұрын

Can you go B25? B30? Is that a thing?

@Fiskaal 3 жыл бұрын

Zultan has the CS line of cymbals made of B25 bronze, quite a full and rich sound.

@scottyb1300 2 жыл бұрын

Murat Diril uses B27

@dennisyoung4631 Жыл бұрын

Too much tin, and bronze becomes fragile - brittle.

@ChickenPermissionOG 4 жыл бұрын

b20 seems to ring and carry more and b8 sound muted.

@SeanLaMontagne 4 жыл бұрын

B8 cymbals like Zildjian ZBTs, Sabian B8s, Meinl HCS, all sound and feel clunky. You can make it work with a hi-hat, ride, or even an effect cymbal. But a ZBT/HCS/B8 Crash sounds like garbage. The 16" Meinl HCS is one of the worst name brand crash cymbal I have ever heard (excluding cymbals made my companies like Pearl to send with their starter drumsets). But even then, I think a Pearl CX-whatever sounds better than a 16" HCS.

@jekcons6182 3 жыл бұрын

Meinl HCS is brass not b8

@goesjem 11 ай бұрын

You should hear black label Paiste 2002's. I have them, both standards and mediums sets. They sustain forever. A beautiful glassy shimmery tone that is not too bright, really.

@pitinhabitant 9 ай бұрын

@@jekcons6182"HCSB" (HCS Bronze) or the discontinued MCS are B8 Bronze tho, and and much better beginner cymbals than standard HCS Brass.

@ratamadiddle 8 ай бұрын

Because so many kids grew up playing clangy B8 entry level cymbals they became biased against the high end B8 cymbals Paiste has made for decades. I suggest everyone keep an open mind about B8, B12, and especially B15 (Paiste Signature Traditionals etc.) They may not be your cup of tea, but there are some beautiful sounding cymbals out there that aren't B20. @@SeanLaMontagne

@mikegarwood8680 2 жыл бұрын

One thing you don't want in cymbals is zinc. It is the reason brass cymbals sound like crap; 30+% is zinc. If you want your cymbals to sound like cheap drawer knobs, go ahead. Also, one needs to be careful about the "other" bronze alloys besides B20. All of these alloy formulations, such as B8 or B12, are actually company trade secrets and the only element they're admitting to is the percentage of tin in the alloy. The remaining percentage isn't going to necessarily be all copper (e.g., there is likely zinc or else mixed in). Legend even says that the original B20 cymbal bronze had a trace amount of silver in it, due to copper ore being in close proximity to silver deposits...as well as arsenic. The other critical thing is that high quality cymbals come individually cast blanks, not from wrought sheet copper (e.g., blanks punched from sheet metal). Using stamped sheet bronze is a much cheaper to make cymbals, since it will require less additional forming to get to the end product; some very cheap cymbals have the tonal grooves stamped on (not hammered and lathed). Cymbals from cast blanks require much work to get them to their final form--hot rolling and annealing/tempering, hammering, lathing, more hammering...all labor intensive processes, but these impart the "soul" and uniqueness to each of these cymbals--something lacking from the cheaply made ones. Some things just don't really benefit from automation; skipping or changing whole processes results in inferior products, one only needs to hear the results to know.