ddAug2011v2_Layout 1 13/07/11 8:20 AM Page 8
--gear-FIRST LOOK
Gen16 AE cymbals
It was the talk of the NAMM show when it made its debut in January. It’s been hyped, anticipated, pre-ordered and delayed, but Allan Leibowitz got his hands on a test set ahead of the first batch of retail shipments. CYMBALS HAVE LONG been identified as the weakest link in the electronic percussion arsenal, so there’s been enormous interest in the first e-offering from a traditional cymbal maker. Even more so since the new kid in town is one of the iconic names in the cymbal craft. So does the Gen16 range live up to its Zildjian heritage? The starter pack comes in three versions: the AE 368 (13” hi-hats, 16” crash, 18” ride), AE 480 (14” hihats, 18” crash and 20” ride) and the AE 38 (13” hats and 18” ride) – all supplied with pickups, a fivechannel processor, a cable snake and a mount. I had hoped to try the big boy, but pre-production was limited to the smaller kits, so I was able to get hold of the 368 set which retails for $1,249 (the others have a recommended price of $1,099 for the 38 and $1,349 for the 480).
What’s in the box The 9 kg box contains two smaller boxes – one with the four gleaming silvery disks: the low-volume 8
cymbals are made of nickel-plated sheet metal alloy, perforated with hundreds (maybe thousands) of holes. They look and feel substantial, with a buffed shiny finish. The other box has a compact controller about the size of a Pearl r.e.d.box module, three pickup units, a five-strand, colour-coded cable snake ending in 3.5 mm stereo jacks, a few bags of mounting bits including a hi-hat clutch, and some set-up instructions. The compact, stylish pickups contain two condenser microphone heads, and are designed for use specifically with the AE cymbals. They are real mics, and, as we’ll discuss later, are subject to feedback and extraneous noises, although Zildjian stresses that noise gates are applied to each in the controller.
Getting started Set-up was reasonably easy, with sleeves positioned onto regular cymbal stands, the pickups placed on them, followed by the cymbals and neoprene stoppers. If you’re using Roland cymbal www.digitaldrummermag.com