ddAug2011v2_Layout 1 13/07/11 8:20 AM Page 9
Out of the box: the DCP and some of the Gen16 cymbal range stands, make sure you use the short sleeve, or else you won’t be able to attach the top nut fitting. There’s a bit more fiddling around with the hi-hat, but it’s certainly no more difficult to set up than any other two-piece electronic hi-hat rig. Then everything is plugged into the controller. If you follow the colour-coding, you’re forced to place the controller in what I term “traditional position”, on the left-hand side, because the hi-hat cable is the shortest. I’d prefer the controller on the right, but that’s not a big deal. Of course, you can ignore the colour-coding, but that can create some confusion as the controller is similarly coded. Once everything is plugged in, it’s a matter of firing up the controller and playing with settings.
In action The first thing you’ll notice, especially if you’re used to rubber-covered e-cymbals, is that these guys are not quiet. A strike that registered 65 dB on a Roland CY-13R notched up 89 dB on the 18” AE ride. The difference on the crash was even more pronounced, with the AE registering 94 dB, compared to 71 dB on a Roland CY-12C – and it continued to resonate like a regular acoustic cymbal – in contrast to the CY12’s deadened hit. A hi-hat chick that measured 79 digitalDRUMMER, AUGUST 2011
dB on a VH-12 elicited 96 dB from the 13” AE hats. But there’s no doubt that the ring of the Zildjians is far more pleasing than the thwack of the Rolands. The bottom line is that despite Zildjian’s claim of a 75% reduction in sound, quiet practice is not practical with the AEs – so much so that Ms DigitalDrummer Jnr declared: “You’re not going to play those at home!” So the home audience verdict is that these may be fine for gigs, but not acceptable in our unsoundproofed practice room.
Plugged in There’s been lots of speculation about “the controller”, not helped by the fact that Gen16 also recently released its first VST products, with many people assuming the AE cymbals are triggers that generate the Digital Vault sounds. Wrong! Think instead of a semi-acoustic guitar with a pickup and you’ll start to understand the AE system. Each cymbal has a stereo microphone under the bell, picking up the actual sounds of the metal cymbal. These are then processed and shaped by the Digital Cymbal Processor (DCP), just like an amp is used to shape and add effects to the guitar’s sound. But there are no samples, merely electronic processing of the real cymbal sounds. And not just 9