Here’s the latest video from the Drummer’s Review Live Room featuring a selection of Zildjian Z Custom cymbals
Featuring…
- 14″ & 15″ Hi-Hats
- 16″, 17″, 18″, 19″ & 20″ Crashes
- 18″ & 20″ Chinas
- 21″ Mega Bell Ride
- 22″ Ride
Filmed September 2024 at Paul Caboche Studios, Cornwall, UK. (scroll down for recording & equipment details)
Zildjian Says…“After a 15-year hiatus, the coveted Z Custom cymbal series has returned to the Zildjian portfolio. Z Custom addresses Metal’s growing worldwide popularity, delivering explosive, bright and loud sounds that drummers have been requesting for years, with reimagined durability. Z Custom is built for the stage or studio, allowing for limitless musical expression.“
Zildjian Z Custom Cymbals – UK RRP’s:
14″ HiHats – Pair £519.00
15″ HiHats – Pair £569.00
16″ Crash £309.00
17″ Crash £339.00
18″ Crash £359.00
19″ Crash £389.00
20″ Crash £409.00
18″ China £379.00
20″ China £419.00
21″ Mega Bell Ride £449.00
22″ Ride £489.00
Pro’s:
- Fantastic ‘Glassy’ tone
- Fast stick response and good definition
- A welcome return to a highly popular cymbal range
Con’s:
- Slightly expensive for a relatively niche cymbal range
For more details on the Zildjian Z Custom range, head to: https://zildjian.com/collections/z-custom-cymbals
Drummer’s Review, based in North Devon, England would like to thank Guy Harrop Photography.
Recording Details:
Filmed at Paul Caboche Studios (Cornwall UK).
Microphone List:
Kick Rear: Audix D6
Kick Front: Electrovoice RE27ND
Snare Top: Electrovoice PL80
Snare Bottom: Electrovoice PL80
Hi Hat: Oktava MK-012-01 Cardio
Over Head wide: AKG C414B (pair)
Centre Over Heads: AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Front Centre Room : AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Wide Room Mic’s: sE2200T Tube Mic’s (pair)
Recording Process:
Microphone Pre amps: 16x Rupert Neve Designs 5052
Pre amp outs to Avid HD analog to digital converters connected to Avid HDX card
Recorded into Pro Tools Ultimate latest version running HDX cards mounted in an Apple Mac Pro 2019 16core.
Audio Template Details:
Basic EQ:
Basic EQ setting using the EQ section of the Neve 5052 mic Pre-Amps. No post recoded EQ or processing applied.
A Note From Paul…
“The microphones were set up with the overheads and room mic’s measured to the centre of the snare drum to keep the phase of any stereo pair in phase. The AEA R88 MK2 mic’s being stereo mic’s had no issue with phase but the front centre room mic and centre overhead where aligned with each other to keep the same stereo image. The phase reverse switch on the front kick mic was used to correct the phase between the two bass drum mic’s. The phase reverse switch was engaged on the bottom snare mic to correct the phase between the two snare mic’s. Hi pass filters only used on the hi hat mic, Ride mic and overheads. The live room of the studio has been treated to provide a neutral sound close to the drums & cymbals with the room mic’s then giving a true representation of what the instruments sound like in the room. Using 16 identical Mic Pre amps also helps with electrical phase so there is no difference between tone and phase of the Mic Pre amps. The brief for the recoding was to give as true a representation as possible of what the instruments actually sound like.”
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