Cymbals are known for their ability to make an impact. However, there may be times that this big impact can create a little trouble, for example with other musicians, sound engineers, audiences and even neighbors. In those situations, you may want to look for ways to reduce the volume of your cymbals. Reducing cymbal volume can be a necessity in some places, such as practice sessions or at smaller venues. But it may also be desirable to reduce the volume during recording sessions and live shows on bigger stages.
Of course, one solution is for the drummer play with a dynamic control. When the music is in its full flow, passion and adrenaline may cause drummers to lose track and start playing harder. For these situations, here are some suggestions on how to reduce cymbal volume.
When and Why Should You Reduce Cymbal Volume?
Bright, powerful, full-volume cymbals do wonders in a live music event organized in a huge stadium or an open space. Even darker, traditional cymbals can sometimes be “too loud for the room” during practice sessions, live shows and recordings.
Practicing at Home:
Cymbals (as well as drums) can cause problems with your neighbors, who may come running to knock on your door and ask you to stop playing. So, if you wish to practice or rehearse at home, you may need to consider reducing the volume of your cymbals.
Performance at Smaller Venues:
The volume of a cymbal may overwhelm the vocals and other instruments or overpower the audience when you are performing at a smaller venue.
Drum Lessons:
Students can better understand drum instruction and learn faster when the cymbal volume is kept low.
Recording Sessions and Live Performances:
In recording studios and on stage, the volume of the cymbals can overpower other instruments. Also, cymbals can often bleed into the vocal mics. Controlling the cymbal volume offers a way to maintain a more appropriate balance.
So, because there are so many situations where you cannot play the cymbals at their full volume, drummers should be aware that of how they can effectively, efficiently and musically reduce their cymbal volume.
How to Effectively and Efficiently Reduce Cymbal Volume
There are several options to reduce cymbal volume. However, choosing the right one depends on finding the most effective, efficient, easiest and most flexible method to suit you, your budget and your drumming as well as the music you’re playing.
Cymbal Tape
One of the most common and inexpensive methods drummers use to dampen their cymbals is to apply tape and gels on the top or bottom of the cymbals. Now, not all tapes work equally well for this purpose. The most commonly used type is duct or gaffers tape. However, the strong adhesive of the duct tape leaves a residue that can damage the cymbal surface. A better option is to use painter’s tape or a type of tape that is easier to apply and remove and does not leave any residue behind.
Cymbal Mutes
To reduce the cymbal volume even further, you can consider purchasing commercially available cymbal mutes. The products are usually made of rubber and cover a portion of the cymbal and, like rubber practice pads, are highly recommended for the teaching studio and practice room.
Low-Volume Cymbals
Low volume cymbals offer the same aesthetics and feel of traditional cymbals; however, they produce a much quieter tone. Often made from the same types of metal used for traditional cymbals, low-volume cymbals have a pattern of small holes punched in them and can be used to replace full-volume cymbals.
Owning a relatively inexpensive set of low-volume cymbals provides the additional option of having one set of cymbals for practice and small venues and a regular set for rehearsals, live performances and recording.
Plexiglass Sound Baffles and Enclosures
In recent years, clear plexiglass shields or baffles along with full enclosures have been developed to restrict the transmission of cymbal sound on stage and in studios and churches. The baffles are placed in front of the cymbals and control the sound while allowing drummers to play normally on their regular cymbals. This type of tone control can be expensive, however.
Cymbal Pads
Cymbal pads are made from cloth, cellular foam and other materials. Often available in different sizes, larger pads will reduce volume more than the smaller ones.
High-quality cymbal pads, such as Cympad Moderators, are available in a variety of sizes and are recommended for controlling cymbal volume in virtually any situation— practice rooms, rehearsals, live venues or recording studios.
Moreover, Moderators not only reduce the volume of cymbals, these impressive accessories help refine and balance the tone. They can be used to control cymbal volume and decay while also increasing articulation and reducing unwanted overtones.
In addition, Moderators are available from 50 to 100 millimeters in diameter to provide an efficient system for incrementally dampening (or “tuning”) and controlling the volume and resonance of cymbals without modifying their tone.
So, as you can see, there are many options available when you need to practice quietly or control your cymbal volume in live and studio performances. While homemade drum options like tape and cloth pads are acceptable for students and beginners, employing other options such as cymbal mutes or low-volume cymbals— as well as investing in a set of Cympad Moderators are among the best drum volume control tips when you are performing professionally.
