The year is 1618. Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire. In the race to create gold from base metals, a young Armenian alchemist named Avedis inadvertently creates an alloy with unique sound properties. Avedis hammers the alloy into cymbals, and so extraordinary is the sound that they produce, the Sultan insists that Avedis create these cymbals for his own military musicians. Avedis is awarded the title ‘Zildjian’, or ‘son of a cymbal maker’, and in 1623 a company and a brand is born. ? The company is passed down through generations of the Zildjian family, along with the secret alloy formula. Fast-forward three centuries, and Avedis Zildjian III relocates from the Turkish capital Istanbul to Massachusetts, USA. The rest, as they say, is history. Zildjian is the oldest cymbal brand in the world.
Currently owned by Craigie and Debbie Zildjian, the 14th generation of the Zildjian family, the Gen 16 brand has been created to honour their grandchildren, the 16th generation of the Zildjian family. More than that, these unique Acoustic Electric (AE) cymbals are a statement of intent. A statement that Zildjian are moving forward. In actual fact, the Gen 16 brand goes way beyond just the AE cymbals, but these are our focus today. Are we drummers ready for the next generation of our beloved cymbals? There’s only one way to find out!
THE AE CYMBAL CONCEPT
Gen 16 AE cymbals are real acoustic cymbals. They make a real cymbal noise, but thanks to thousands of holes drilled into the surface of the cymbal, it’s very quiet. Each Gen 16 cymbal sits on top of an acoustic pickup which captures the sound of the cymbal and sends it to a digital sound processing module (the DSP).
This signal is amplifi ed within the DSP and a preset sound shape is applied which alters the tonal properties that you hear. Gen 16 AE cymbals can be used as a stand-alone instrument, amplifi ed onstage or in the studio with acoustic drums, or can be used in conjunction with e-drums (we’ll come on to that later). Simplicity itself!
IN DETAIL
We have the Gen 16 AE 368 Boxed System here. This is acymbal pack which contains 13” hi-hats, 16” crash, 18” ride cymbals (different-size cymbals packs are available), three acoustic pickups (note that these are pickups and not triggers) with cymbal stand mountings, the digital sound processing module complete with mounting kit, wiring loom/cable and a hi-hat clutch. ?The cymbals themselves are made of a unique sheet alloy and plated in nickel for the bright silver look. ? e acoustic Gen 16 cymbals). Each channel has a pan and volume control, so you can create your own mix. There are up to 20 different preset sound shapes for each channel, so you can alter the sound of each cymbal. Your e-drums are linked into the DSP, and a blend control between drums and cymbals lets you get the balance right. Reverb can be added (applied to both drums and cymbals) and there are independent phones and master volume controls which allow you to monitor what you’re playing as well as send it to the desk. ? ere’s also a mix-in, so you can blast away to your iPod. Finally, the DSP can be connected to your PC/Mac by USB so that it can be updated.
IN USE
These cymbals look 21st century, all right. Each acoustic pickup has a bright-blue ‘mood’ light which shines through the holes in the cymbal’s surface and reflects off of the nickel finish (the lights can be switched off ). Wiring up the system is simple enough thanks to the colourcoded wiring loom. Because the pickups are microphonic, it is possible to get feedback if the cymbals or pickups are near a speaker, but this doesn’t present any real issues. Getting the right mix between hats, ride and crash was quick and easy, and having volume up and the overall sound is bright, open and shimmery with a high-pitch metallic overtone. A studio or live sound engineer will be able to EQ the cymbals to get them just right for the gig. It would be great if you could EQ the cymbals within the DSP yourself, however the preset tone models do allow you to adjust each cymbal’s pitch, decay and more, and there is a good variety of tone available, from very bright to darker, and fast to slow decay and more. ? e hi-hats and the crash are nicely balanced. ?The ride with this set is very light, washy and shimmery, which is great for dance, electronic, jazz and similar genres. But if you like stick defi nition in your ride there’s no solid ‘ping’. Overall, the experience of using the Gen 16s is not alien to an acoustic player because you are hitting real cymbals. To me, Gen 16s sound just like when you listen to your cymbals through studio headphones: mic’d up, just brighter with shimmering overtones.
CONCLUSION
This is new technology and a ?rst in the cymbal world. You have to respect Zildjian for looking to the future and bringing AE cymbals to the mass market. When you think about it, it’s obvious: Zildjian - make acoustic cymbals, e-kits and ‘virtual’ cymbals are widely used nowadays. So combine the two technologies and you have the best of both worlds. Any Gen 16 patron will spend much more time than we were able to, ?ne-tuning and getting the set- up as close to ‘regular’ acoustic cymbals as possible. It is possible to get a satisfying sound with the Gen 16s. Updates, further tone shapes for the DSP and more will come, and as time goes by, this technology will grow and improve as well. Zildjian will never expect drummer to give up their prized cast acoustic cymbals. But that’s not what Gen 16s are about. Gen 16s do provide a more realistic dimension to the electronic- percussion experience, and that’s something a lot of drummers will happily embrace.
THE INSIDER
Derek Zimmerman is business manager for the Gen 16 brand.
“The Gen 16 brand came about when Craigie Zildjian had a vision for setting the company up for the next 400 years. Music is changing. Although Zildjian will always be the world’s largest manufacturer of cymbals, Zildjian has to move forward with the music to grow their business. What Gen 16 does for Zildjian is create new customers for us. The Gen 16 Digital Vault, AE cymbals, Groove Player, Gen 16 Grooves allow us into the electronic-drum market that otherwise might not buy Zildjian
cymbals. The AE cymbals have been in development for around two years. The perforated-cymbal design came to Zildjian and we had it for around three years. John Roderick, vice- president of Product Development, came up with the idea of applying microphone technology to there duced-volume cymbal to make the AE cymbal and we developed it from there. This is a big ?rst step, and the AE cymbals are going to go to places that even we don’t know yet.”Visit Gen-16.com for full information on the full range of Zildjian’s Gen 16 products.
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