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The Visulite crash is an entirely different beast. A plastic composite similar to Kit-Toys’, it’s far thicker and heavier than that cymbal and obviously the lightweight PC line. Pintech also recommends mounting them on Aquarian springs and the play of the cymbal was almost as good as the Harts. The strike area “sweet spot” is not as broad or as uniform as the PC-14 and is also less than Harts’ but wider than Surges’. The edge has hard rubber trim akin to the Hart’s rubber strike pad. This contrasts with the bow strike area which uses the same soft foam as the PC-14. The dual-zone separation is a bit odd in that the physical edge and bow produce the same sound but the actual edge sound is, like the PC-14, “further up” on the edge. You have to lessen the angle of the hit and lay the stick somewhat flatter on the edge/bow in order to get the edge sound. Again, different from all the other cymbals, but once I figured it out, it wasn’t hard to do. Bow sensitivity set to 10, so you had to adjust your playing style since the physical edge was somewhat “hot” because the bow’s sensitivity was adjusted upward. Again, not bad, just different. The soft strike pad totally absorbs light to medium hits which made it harder for me to do rapid two-stick flams than on any of the other cymbals. This could be mitigated by adjusting sensitivity and threshold settings, but then you run the risk of making the cymbal too hot and thus, ruining soft edge hits and swells. Therefore, expect to spend a little more time than usual tweaking. Unlike the PC-14, the response wasn’t as uniform over the entire strike area; it tapered off toward either side. However, those two areas (left and right sides of the strike pad) are where you would flatten the stick hit to get edge sounds and once I figured that out, the Visulite suddenly became a very reliable trigger. The choke requires a slightly different technique from the usual “squeeze the very edge”. Here you have to make sure your thumb hits the bow/edge border. Once you figure it out, it has a very gentle choke that works well.
Roland Cymbals reviewed were the CY-5, 8, 12 and 14. The CY-5/8 are similar in that they’re not all-rubber; the 12/14s are very much alike in layout, with the obvious exception that the 12 is smaller and can also double as a three-zone ride. Many comparisons will be drawn not just to other brands but also within the entire CY line since there were some surprising differences. CY-5 Although the CY-5 is targeted mostly for static hi-hat rigs, it’s a two-zone cymbal that chokes, making it versatile in any role and the temptation is always to use anything to fill a niche. One of the first things we examined was the relative firmness (or hardness) of the edge and the CY-5 was surprisingly firm. Edge strikes also differed from the CY12/14 in that you had to flatten the angle of the stick and hit it right above the edge, just like with the Pintech PC and Visulites. Edge sensitivity was consistent across the strike area as was the bow. There was virtually no drop-off in response across the rubber strike area; it’s very much like the Kit-Toy 10” splash in that regard. Using Roland’s standard wedge-shaped plug, the CY-5 doesn’t rotate. 26
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