There are tons of myths surrounding cymbals. Before I was a maker, I played professionally and I constantly bought and sold cymbals looking for "my sound". However, I had little understanding of what to look for (see the post "cymbal basics" to get my take on the foundation knowledge needed). [...]

One of my biggest frustrations about being a professional musician is the gear you have to use when using your own isn’t an option. Many times they are outright designed to be as loud as possible. Why, you may ask?

Can we get any sound out of any cymbal? The short answer is “no”. Cymbals have been worked into the shape, tension, and size that was intended by the manufacturer. However, we find ways to work within the limits of the cymbal to bring out the best it has to offer…

Most modern cymbal manufacturers crank out hundreds if not thousands of cymbals at a given time. Some also use large machines to press and hammer each cymbal blank the exact same way. This means that they can’t spend the time fine tuning a cymbal to ensure it sounds its best. [...]

A cymbal is typically made out of a combination of metals that make up an alloy that is then shaped using heat, pressure, and stress. Different cymbal materials include brass, steel, b8 bronze, and b20 bronze to name a few. However, b20 bronze is the most common cymbal alloy for mid to high-end cymbals.

At Stack Ring Percussion, we spend our time thinking about various ways to utilize recycled materials to create interesting and unique instruments. This is all based on a trend in the last decade or so where drummers are looking to emulate electronic sounds acoustically. Many drummers and percussionists prefer the [...]