Thank you for the video.... this is one of the most down to earth and easily understandable reviews for the product I’ve seen. You took the time to break down and specifically talk about all of the features etc... without sounding like a recording of the writing you see on the “product description” section. Definitely Subscribed, nice work
I find these to be a great option for low-volume playing! I have a set of REMO SilentStroke heads on my PDP LX Maple drums, and they sound great! The L80's would complete that configuration for me and allow me to play well, sound good, yet quietly in low volume situations. The L80's are still in their infancy as a product line. They were born out of the Gen16 Acoustic/electric cymbal line (which is also in its infancy as a whole new market in the world of percussion)! I wouldn't be surprised to see all sorts of sizes and configurations of these babies! They really are not flimsy at all. They are made from a unique proprietary alloy unlike any other cymbal they make. The folks at Zildjian have made many improvements since the original Gen16 Nickel cymbals. They learned that the nickel was too rigid, and did not flex like bronze does, so they came out with the buffed bronze series. Out of the buffed bronze series came the L80's. They also learned that with the original pickups on the first generation Gen16's, that there was a lot of cross-talk between them. So the direct-source pick-ups became the solution to that issue. I am fortunate enough to live within 10 miles of the Zildjian factory in Norwell, MA, so I stopped by one day last summer. When I was there, I was looking into the Gen16 Buffed Bronze series of acoustic/electric cymbals, and they were experimenting with all sorts of different configurations of how to use the direct source pick-ups for the central processing unit. I thinks there are some great things yet to come from Zildjian in the near future! Check out some videos from NAMM 2017 for some insight on the latest gear!
The Decibel scale is logarithmic. For every increase of 3dB the sound pressure level has doubled (technically twice as loud by measurement), however, the average listener tends to report/estimate that a sound source is twice as loud when the SPL has increased by around 6dB. 83dB is twice as loud as 80dB, but we would probably hear 86dB as "sounding twice as loud" as 80dB. The reverse of this is also true, a decrease of 3dB represents the sound pressure level being halved.
This is a good video. Here are a few ways you can optimize the feel of the cymbals. If you feel it has low mass Meinl cymbal magnets could be of some help, also based on the mounting location you can actually tune your cymbals for nice feel.
Ok I have them... and I usually exclusively use sabian lmao. I play regular gigs but I live in an apartment so to practice I use them. Never had any complaints about noise and I maintain my sticking. That being said my apartments are newer, it's not SUPER quiet in context of a kit even with silent strokes i can play over the other four guys during practice fine.
Hmmmmm About 5 years ago I was in Germany and saw a "cymbal muting kit" Yeah not the coolest of branding but these were just a clear flexible 1/8 thick transparent polymer. Very flexible , very clear. As a circle it was the standard cymbal sizes but you could wet them by pieces and stick to the back of a VERY clean cymbal . With the transparent rubber thoroughly wet you'd patch certain areas of the cymbals or ALL of is since the size was precize for standard cymbals. Once the Adhesion (or is it Cohesion) clung to the cymbal and it dried . the cymbals were MORE muted that the swiss cheese solution . if you wanted a little more "ring" you'd tear off a strip from around the edge. I recall the actual bounce and response was as that of any other cymbal it just did not have the attack and the volume crest. To go back to your regular cymbals just peel an edge and once up the whole rubberized material would peel right off. It was by no means an easy or fast configuration but they felt a lot more natural that the honeycomb and since they were graduable (I doubt you can increase/decrease amplitude or change tone on the Swiss Cheese design. I wish I remembered the name .. but They were NOT made in Germany They seem to be from a middle east country. Anyone else has seen and played with these ?
What would be interesting to me is to hear an L80 cymbal withOUT the holes so we could make an assessment of how much difference the holes actually make.
Db's measure in logarithmic scales... so 10 units is not ten units... just a little brief sample 1 is one in logarithm but two is tree four is six. Five is 6.9 and continue in crechendo. 10 Db's is great!
Unfortunately I have no first hand experience with the Gen 16's. The Gen16s claim a 60% sound reduction, whereas the L80's have an 80% reduction. I think that has mostly to do with the different finish. The big difference is that the L80's do not have the pick ups and brain that go with the Gen 16s. There are some videos out there where people have used L80s with the Gen 16 system and it seems to work out well.
The L80's fall under Zildjian's standard 2 year warranty, though unless you're keeping them really tight on your cymbal stands I can't imagine you'd break one. The cymbals are so light that they move really easy. It's kind of like how if you have a really thin cymbal instead of breaking it might bend and get trashier but not develop a crack, while a heavy cymbal has nowhere to offload the force being put on it and it cracks.
Great video and good observations - thank you. Would you compare these to Sabian’s Quiet Tone Practice cymbals? They’re made of stainless steel, and are heavier than the Zildjians - would love to know if the way they move is closer to real cymbals. Cheers!
The mutes I was using on the regular cymbals were made by Cymgard, and they're great for that style of mute. They're like the old DW Cymbal Socks, bu they don't wear out. www.cymgard.com/
The big difference is that the L80s sound and feel like cymbals. It has been a long time since I've played on a plastic cymbals, but I would venture to say that the volume would be fairly comparable, and that the L80s may even be quieter.
Taking science aside for a moment and speaking about practicing at home (not teaching), I felt watching the video that the muffled cymbals would disturb people around you less than the L80s. In spite of generating higher decibels, it looks like muffled cymbals block the sound projection of the cymbal. Was it what you (who played them live) have felt too? Out of curiosity, which mufflers are you using on the video? Great channel, btw! =)
It depends on what bothers those around you. The muffled cymbal gives that percussive attack sound, which in my experience has been the thing that bothers people. For the most part though, I have not bothered the people I am living with, more those around me. The percussive attack sound is the one that goes more readily through walls so if your situation is one where you are in an apartment or townhouse, the L80's might better suit this situation. If it's someone within your house, well then you'll need to talk to them to figure it out.
Your shouldn't really call the 13s and 14s hit hats since they are the exact same cymbal (no distinction between bottom and top hats). They can equally well be used as crashes. In fact on my set, I have three 13" L80s, 2 are used as hi hats and the other is just a crash. If I tap all 3 of them in succession, they sound virtually identical.
The L80's sound like regular live cymbals but much quieter. In terms of triggering them, the L80's are an offshoot of the Zildjian Gen16 line, which are designed as hybrid live/triggered cymbals, akin to what you are planning on trying. If you haven't yet, it would be worth your time to check those out if not to purchase then to use as a high end proof-of-concept for what you want to attempt.
Since Zildjian claims between 50% and 80% reduction in sound vs. "normal" cymbals, they should have called them L65s since 65% reduction is a more accurate "average". 80% might be the "max" but it is inaccurate to imply all of the L80s are 80% reduction in sound.
The L80's are significantly quieter (at least 50%, probably more. Up to 80% as determined by Zildjian) than regular cymbals. Muffled regular cymbals were topping out at the same volume levels as they did unmuffled, though the sound drop off is instantaneous, so they don't feel as loud as a sustained, ringing cymbal.
You are absolutely right, and I did not mean to imply that they were brass. Brass is essentially and copper and zinc alloy, whereas bronze pulls all but a trace of the zinc and replaces it with tin. I only meant to imply that they were a higher quality bronze, which would bring them closer to being brass, than the standard bronze used in their ZBT and similar lines.
Except that high end cymbal bronze does not ever have zinc in it. Cymbal makers like Zildjian start with copper and tin ingots that they melt together to create a bronze alloy (traces of silver are mentioned as well.) Zinc is not pulled from the alloy, I don't even know how you would do that. Being a higher bronze quality does not bring anything closer to brass. Brass is not a very suitable metal for crafting cymbals, which is why you only see them in very inexpensive student models. Brass is too soft and doesn't have the right properties to hold the kind of tension a cymbal needs to sound good. Therefore, brass is at the low end of quality for cymbal alloys. B20 is often considered the high end, and B8 is more often used for student level and semi pro level instruments, although it can be found in some high end models. B8 sounds very suitable for L80 cymbals for many reasons. Sorry for the diatribe, but it irks me to hear people say cymbals are made of brass. That's like someone casually saying that a Les Paul guitar is made of pine (I think they use hardwoods like maple.)
Zildjian and this whole low-volume trend with drums is corporate load of crap - ride the tiger or get the Fing off the throne - world needs janitors and burger flippers too
I think you may have missed the point. I don't feel any indication that there is a movement to quiet down drummers. For instance, the most recent issue of Tom Tom Magazine is all about playing loudly. However, in certain situations, like teaching as this video focuses on, having the ability to pull the volume down is incredibly beneficial. While Zildjian has said that the L80's are usable for "quiet gigs" they have focused their marketing on teachers and people that need a quiet rehearsal and practice option.
This is by far the best video if you are looking for a real review by a drummer. Seriously... thank you for taking the time to post this.
I have the L 80s and Remo's Silentstrokes. I can now play ANYTIME of the day or night. I'm a Happy Camper (drummer). :-)
Have some questions about the silent strokes... do you need both sides to have the silent strokes to be silent or do you need them only on one side?
Each 3dB drop correspond to a volume divided by 2, then :
-3dB = 1/2 = -50%
-6dB = 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/4 = -75%
-9dB = 1/2 * 1/2 *1/2 = 1/8 = -87.5%
energy difference drop is halved by each -3dB, but loudness is halved by each -10dB.
Thank you for the video.... this is one of the most down to earth and easily understandable reviews for the product I’ve seen. You took the time to break down and specifically talk about all of the features etc... without sounding like a recording of the writing you see on the “product description” section. Definitely Subscribed, nice work
Thank you for including decibels, that was helpful.
I find these to be a great option for low-volume playing! I have a set of REMO SilentStroke heads on my PDP LX Maple drums, and they sound great! The L80's would complete that configuration for me and allow me to play well, sound good, yet quietly in low volume situations.
The L80's are still in their infancy as a product line. They were born out of the Gen16 Acoustic/electric cymbal line (which is also in its infancy as a whole new market in the world of percussion)! I wouldn't be surprised to see all sorts of sizes and configurations of these babies!
They really are not flimsy at all. They are made from a unique proprietary alloy unlike any other cymbal they make. The folks at Zildjian have made many improvements since the original Gen16 Nickel cymbals. They learned that the nickel was too rigid, and did not flex like bronze does, so they came out with the buffed bronze series. Out of the buffed bronze series came the L80's.
They also learned that with the original pickups on the first generation Gen16's, that there was a lot of cross-talk between them. So the direct-source pick-ups became the solution to that issue.
I am fortunate enough to live within 10 miles of the Zildjian factory in Norwell, MA, so I stopped by one day last summer. When I was there, I was looking into the Gen16 Buffed Bronze series of acoustic/electric cymbals, and they were experimenting with all sorts of different configurations of how to use the direct source pick-ups for the central processing unit. I thinks there are some great things yet to come from Zildjian in the near future!
Check out some videos from NAMM 2017 for some insight on the latest gear!
The Decibel scale is logarithmic.
For every increase of 3dB the sound pressure level has doubled (technically twice as loud by measurement), however, the average listener tends to report/estimate that a sound source is twice as loud when the SPL has increased by around 6dB.
83dB is twice as loud as 80dB, but we would probably hear 86dB as "sounding twice as loud" as 80dB.
The reverse of this is also true, a decrease of 3dB represents the sound pressure level being halved.
This is a good video. Here are a few ways you can optimize the feel of the cymbals. If you feel it has low mass Meinl cymbal magnets could be of some help, also based on the mounting location you can actually tune your cymbals for nice feel.
Best review of these I’ve seen. Thanks for the the useful video
Ok I have them... and I usually exclusively use sabian lmao. I play regular gigs but I live in an apartment so to practice I use them. Never had any complaints about noise and I maintain my sticking. That being said my apartments are newer, it's not SUPER quiet in context of a kit even with silent strokes i can play over the other four guys during practice fine.
i need these in my life now
great info tks, as far i know they have a 20"' ride now,
great review, thanks
Great vid..i have tinnitus and this was big for me...protect those ears guys..T sux
Hmmmmm About 5 years ago I was in Germany and saw a "cymbal muting kit" Yeah not the coolest of branding but these were just a clear flexible 1/8 thick transparent polymer. Very flexible , very clear.
As a circle it was the standard cymbal sizes but you could wet them by pieces and stick to the back of a VERY clean cymbal . With the transparent rubber thoroughly wet you'd patch certain areas of the cymbals or ALL of is since the size was precize for standard cymbals. Once the Adhesion (or is it Cohesion) clung to the cymbal and it dried . the cymbals were MORE muted that the swiss cheese solution . if you wanted a little more "ring" you'd tear off a strip from around the edge. I recall the actual bounce and response was as that of any other cymbal it just did not have the attack and the volume crest. To go back to your regular cymbals just peel an edge and once up the whole rubberized material would peel right off. It was by no means an easy or fast configuration but they felt a lot more natural that the honeycomb and since they were graduable (I doubt you can increase/decrease amplitude or change tone on the Swiss Cheese design.
I wish I remembered the name .. but
They were NOT made in Germany
They seem to be from a middle east country.
Anyone else has seen and played with these ?
Interesting. We'll have to look into them.
What would be interesting to me is to hear an L80 cymbal withOUT the holes so we could make an assessment of how much difference the holes actually make.
Getting closer to a sound source, including a cymbal, is no guarantee it will be louder.
Db's measure in logarithmic scales...
so 10 units is not ten units... just a little brief sample
1 is one in logarithm but two is tree four is six.
Five is 6.9
and continue in crechendo.
10 Db's is great!
Great video, thank you. Are you familiar with the gen16's? If so, how do these compare?
Unfortunately I have no first hand experience with the Gen 16's. The Gen16s claim a 60% sound reduction, whereas the L80's have an 80% reduction. I think that has mostly to do with the different finish. The big difference is that the L80's do not have the pick ups and brain that go with the Gen 16s. There are some videos out there where people have used L80s with the Gen 16 system and it seems to work out well.
Those cymbal mutes you were using, what are they called? (Not then l80
Great job..is there a warranty..I hit hard..playing for 35 yrs so I know how to hit..but I do still hit hard
The L80's fall under Zildjian's standard 2 year warranty, though unless you're keeping them really tight on your cymbal stands I can't imagine you'd break one. The cymbals are so light that they move really easy. It's kind of like how if you have a really thin cymbal instead of breaking it might bend and get trashier but not develop a crack, while a heavy cymbal has nowhere to offload the force being put on it and it cracks.
Great video and good observations - thank you. Would you compare these to Sabian’s Quiet Tone Practice cymbals? They’re made of stainless steel, and are heavier than the Zildjians - would love to know if the way they move is closer to real cymbals. Cheers!
Yeah, those look pretty cool. They just came out. I'm going to see if I can get my hands on some to test out and compare. Thanks for the suggestion!
How about an L80 china.
Trevor yes that would be amazing
I talked to zildjian yesterday and they said they will make more sizes in l80. Possibly a China.
@@Deatheater900 and now its out there ....
How come the muffled crash and ride are louder than the non muffled ones? Something's wrong in your meassurement.
What kind of mutes are you using on your cymbals?
The mutes I was using on the regular cymbals were made by Cymgard, and they're great for that style of mute. They're like the old DW Cymbal Socks, bu they don't wear out. www.cymgard.com/
Thank you man
How do these compare to plastic cymbals like the ones from Stagg and Pintech?
The big difference is that the L80s sound and feel like cymbals. It has been a long time since I've played on a plastic cymbals, but I would venture to say that the volume would be fairly comparable, and that the L80s may even be quieter.
what kind of mutes were you using for the drum heads?
I believe I had a Sabian Quiet Tone pad on the snare and HQ Real Feel pads on everything else
For you testing purpose choose an average of 10 sec recording to improve consistency for all the test iterations performed.
These quiet enough for practicing in apartment?
Taking science aside for a moment and speaking about practicing at home (not teaching), I felt watching the video that the muffled cymbals would disturb people around you less than the L80s. In spite of generating higher decibels, it looks like muffled cymbals block the sound projection of the cymbal. Was it what you (who played them live) have felt too?
Out of curiosity, which mufflers are you using on the video?
Great channel, btw! =)
It depends on what bothers those around you. The muffled cymbal gives that percussive attack sound, which in my experience has been the thing that bothers people. For the most part though, I have not bothered the people I am living with, more those around me. The percussive attack sound is the one that goes more readily through walls so if your situation is one where you are in an apartment or townhouse, the L80's might better suit this situation. If it's someone within your house, well then you'll need to talk to them to figure it out.
@@OttoPercussionStudio What did you muffle the cymbals with in this video? Thanks
Your shouldn't really call the 13s and 14s hit hats since they are the exact same cymbal (no distinction between bottom and top hats). They can equally well be used as crashes. In fact on my set, I have three 13" L80s, 2 are used as hi hats and the other is just a crash. If I tap all 3 of them in succession, they sound virtually identical.
Possibly if you had a solid bell it would increase the volume, defeating the purpose??
i am considering buying l80 and place a trigger on them. if you compare this to regular electronic cymbals how is the sound?
The L80's sound like regular live cymbals but much quieter. In terms of triggering them, the L80's are an offshoot of the Zildjian Gen16 line, which are designed as hybrid live/triggered cymbals, akin to what you are planning on trying. If you haven't yet, it would be worth your time to check those out if not to purchase then to use as a high end proof-of-concept for what you want to attempt.
They look fragile ?
Since Zildjian claims between 50% and 80% reduction in sound vs. "normal" cymbals, they should have called them L65s since 65% reduction is a more accurate "average". 80% might be the "max" but it is inaccurate to imply all of the L80s are 80% reduction in sound.
Also L80 cymbals are NOT full of holes. They could accommodate more holes but it appears Zildjian chose not to do that.
Interesting design. Still louder than pads even when muffled?
The L80's are significantly quieter (at least 50%, probably more. Up to 80% as determined by Zildjian) than regular cymbals. Muffled regular cymbals were topping out at the same volume levels as they did unmuffled, though the sound drop off is instantaneous, so they don't feel as loud as a sustained, ringing cymbal.
I also like the fact they can be actually recorded with mics... and probably they are useful in the kitchen as well haha :D
4:24 sounds huge
About 10 dB reduction.
Muffel them 2
I did and my entire basement became an anechoic chamber!
They look very flimsy ,like they would break in a week or less.
That is not the case at all. I've used them consistently with my students for a year now and have had no issues. No cracks, no bends.
SMH. These are NOT brass, they are bronze.
You are absolutely right, and I did not mean to imply that they were brass. Brass is essentially and copper and zinc alloy, whereas bronze pulls all but a trace of the zinc and replaces it with tin. I only meant to imply that they were a higher quality bronze, which would bring them closer to being brass, than the standard bronze used in their ZBT and similar lines.
Except that high end cymbal bronze does not ever have zinc in it. Cymbal makers like Zildjian start with copper and tin ingots that they melt together to create a bronze alloy (traces of silver are mentioned as well.) Zinc is not pulled from the alloy, I don't even know how you would do that. Being a higher bronze quality does not bring anything closer to brass. Brass is not a very suitable metal for crafting cymbals, which is why you only see them in very inexpensive student models. Brass is too soft and doesn't have the right properties to hold the kind of tension a cymbal needs to sound good. Therefore, brass is at the low end of quality for cymbal alloys. B20 is often considered the high end, and B8 is more often used for student level and semi pro level instruments, although it can be found in some high end models. B8 sounds very suitable for L80 cymbals for many reasons.
Sorry for the diatribe, but it irks me to hear people say cymbals are made of brass. That's like someone casually saying that a Les Paul guitar is made of pine (I think they use hardwoods like maple.)
You are correct. I definitely made a mistake there. Thanks for letting me know!
Just use rods ffs
Zildjian and this whole low-volume trend with drums is corporate load of crap - ride the tiger or get the Fing off the throne - world needs janitors and burger flippers too
I think you may have missed the point. I don't feel any indication that there is a movement to quiet down drummers. For instance, the most recent issue of Tom Tom Magazine is all about playing loudly. However, in certain situations, like teaching as this video focuses on, having the ability to pull the volume down is incredibly beneficial. While Zildjian has said that the L80's are usable for "quiet gigs" they have focused their marketing on teachers and people that need a quiet rehearsal and practice option.