Zildjian Gen 16

[Evy]

My 2Cents

Zildjian Gen16 Hybrids...I got a chance to try them out today at my local music store.  Played around with the settings and actually got to really try them out with all sorts of rolls etc.
From what I can tell, it's a really cool idea.  In my opinion these still have a long way to go to make me want to spend a thousand dollars on them.  I didn't have to love them, I just wanted to like them...but alas I'm not sure I can.

Firstly the cymbals are made from what appears to be a rather light alloy.  Not to suggest they are flimsy but they certainly don't have the weight of real cymbals.  Why would they, they're full of holes.  (I digress, some thins may compare)  Do they feel better than what we're all used to in terms of e-kits? You bet, and if that's the most important thing to you then buy them(i you can...the set I was playing was a demo only)  The hats felt too thin, but useable.  At the end of the day I would be worried about breaking them all the time.
After talking with the salesman there seems to be some hardware issues.  I should not base my perception on one set, but right out of the box one of the mics didn't work and a cable broke right away...the salesman was not impressed.  One of the other things about this set is the 'brain' is mounted on a magnet on the top of a stand!!  And not a strong magnet at that.  A light breeze could blow it off.  In fact every time the salesman walked by, it fell off.  I found this very bizarre.  Who thought this would be a good idea?

Ok, the sound capability.  Meh.  Again, I wanted to like them.  If you're thinking about sitting down and bashing away on these to hear a relatively normal, nay, even slightly acoustic cymbal sound you'd be disappointed.  You really have to sit back and tell yourself "This is a new instrument and should not be compared to traditional cymbals."  It's tough to get my head around the sounds, and I went in with an open mind.  Some were sort of passable, other presets sounded like hitting bashed up garbage can lids.  REALLY tinny.  I only kind of liked one preset for the ride and one for the hats.,..(all you really need?)  It was almost impossible to get a good punchy crash sound, this I believe is because the cymbal simply needs more metal to make that happen. 
The bell on the ride cymbal was all but non-exsitant, no 'ping' at all.  Oh and stick noise...lots of stick noise coming through the headphones.  After playing an e-kit for a while perhaps that's just something I need to remember!

The up side to these is they do behave like traditional cymbals, no worries about crosstalk/tracking/or anything else e-cymbal.  If you get can used to the sound you might like them. 

The bottom line to me is Zildjian will have to canabalize this product and I hate saying that.  E-kits and they're cymbals are getting so good at replicating sounds and nuances that I can't help but wonder if there really is a market for these.  Would I replace my 2Box sounds for these?  Not in a million years.  The sounds just aren't good enough yet.
Would I like to try them again for a week with my 2Box kit then see how I feel...yuuup.

[digitalDrummer]

Thanks for the review, Evy. It reflects some of what was noted in the digitalDrummer review. I assume you auditioned the cymbals through headphones, where they are thin and weak. They really need amplification to sound good and with good amplification, they can sound good.
On the mount issue, you must have tested a pre-production sample as the magnet has been significantly beefed up after a test run showed them to be too weak. I lost my module a few times during a gig while testing!
and I don't agree with the view on the weight of the cymbals, nor the bell sensitivity. A lot of the bell response has to do with how the pickups are positioned and set, and it could be the shop just hadn't taken enough care.
Anyone interested in a full review with lots of pictures, please check out the August issue of digitalDrummer - online and free.

[Evy]

Ya, what you say is, I'm sure, true.  It's not like I gave it the full work out!  First impressions can be misleading...I wasn't sold on 2Box when I first tried it;)

[Berk]

I've owned the Gen 16s for about a month now and have nothing bad to say about them.  I agree the sounds are nowhere near as good as the sampled sounds in the 2box, but lets face it, the appeal of the Gen 16s isn't their sound, it's their playability..it plays EXACTLY like a real cymbal because it is!  The sounds are not that bad..a bit tinny, but it does sound way better through an amp than through headphones.  I would never record anything other than a demo with them..but then again, if I were recording something that was going to actually be a serious release I probably wouldn't be using the 2box either..I'd drag my acoustics into a real studio to track it.
Just my $0.02 

[Evy]

Glad you like them.  If I had extra cash lying around I might incorporate them as well and get used to the sounds.  But I'm not gonna go out of my way to save for them or anything.  They certainly look spiffy!  Any idea how sales are going?

[BURNIN AMBITION]

the diy stability trick for the kick, is all the money

[Berk]

There is no problem in this world that can't be solved with gaffer

[digitalDrummer]

The Gen16s look very elegant on the 2box cymbal stands.