Electronic cymbals aren't discussed in great detail when it comes to electronic drums. Yet the role they the task they accomplish is amazing. Think about how metal cymbals can yield a vast number of tones. How is this copied by a non-metallic object?
That's what we're here to learn about!
Sound Transfer
The first thing to consider is HOW the stick attack (or strike) is relayed to the drum module.
A small electrical device called a trigger is placed within or underneath the cymbal to pick up vibrations of the attack. The most common device used today is called a piezo.
A piezo has a small circular plate with positive and negative wiring. This guy transforms energy waves into electrical impulses for transfer to the drum module.
Electronic drum companies will place from one to three piezos in a cymbal to get the affect of sound change at different parts of the cymbal (i.e. edge, center, bell).
Why can't you just put triggers on a metal cymbal? The tone of acoustic cymbals is created by vibration of the metal. If you have that much energy coming at the piezo that fast, #1 - you will get an awful sound #2 - it could ruin the piezo, and #3 - it's bad for the module.
To solve this problem, companies have had to find other materials that respond like metal but doesn't vibrate the same. Let's look at some of the materials used in electronic cymbals today...
Cymbal Materials
Gum Rubber
Gum rubber is the most common material used for electronic cymbals...but WHY?
To begin with, it absorbs a lot of the vibration created by stick attack so that only ONE solid impulse is picked up by the trigger. It is generally applied as a coating over a stiffer material like plastic. We don't want droopy cymbals do we?! Another great quality of gum rubber is how quite it is when hit.
As you can see in the picture to the left, gum rubber cymbals can be molded into the many sizes and shapes of acoustic cymbals.
These 
Hart Dynamics' ECymbals are offered on many of their kits. They even have a bronze colored style that is used on Hart's high end sets (shown here).
Pintech offers a similar "traditional" shaped cymbal of their entry level Spirit USA kit, but the Pintech "Zenbal" electronic cybmal offers the best performance. This 14"
cymbals is chokeable and comes in either a single or double triggered version.
Although we could talk about gum rubber cymbals all day, we must be moving on...
Plastic is a great material since it can be easily molded. It has an "anti-vibration" nature and is hard, sort of like metal cymbals. The only draw back is the loud sound when hit.
The silent playing benefit is lost, BUT that is easily fixed with a piece of foam rubber or gum rubber in the area you play.
Plastic cymbals are mostly seen on entry level electronic drum sets or do-it-yourself electric kits.
For example: Pintech makes a set of
plastic "practice" cymbals that look a lot like the ones used on their Spirit USA kit. The sizes come in 14", 16", and 20" to use to a hi hat, crash, and ride.
A plastic encased piezo can be fixed to the underside of the cymbal (with double-sided foam tape) and then add a rubber-type material on the playing surface to reduce noise. Cheap, easy to make, and works great!
We're not talking about acrylic paint here, this is actually another form of plastic. Here are a few points about acrylic and why it's a nice choice for making electronic cymbals:
- It can be made in almost any color, even semi-clear (translucent).
Acrylic is used by drummers who seek an electronic cymbal that looks and behaves almost exactly like a metal one (without the vibration of course!)
A company called Visu-Lite pioneered acrylic cymbals for electronic drums in 1986. Visu-Lite was purchased by Pintech in May 2004. This is big stuff. You'll start seeing these eye catching cymbals on Pintech's electronic sets more and more. Check out some of the colors these cymbals come in:
Metal
Metal? Huh!? Yep, I'd like to introduce you to Smartrigger Cymbals. Smartrigger offers electronic cymbals featuring quiet brass-alloy playing surfaces, authentic cymbal playability, feel, swing, and responsiveness along with superior triggering.
Smartrigger has a patent-pending design that takes real metal cymbals and laminates them to a special clear acoustic dampening layer. The result is an electronic cymbal that looks and feels like a real acoustic cymbal without the acoustic cymbal sound.
As shown in the picture above, Smartrigger cymbals are made in all of the necessary sizes. The hi hat even comes with TWO cymbals. Speaking of hi hats, let's take a quick look at some of the offerings.
Electronic Hi Hats
Just like an acoustic hi hat setup, the electronic hi hat plays a crucial part in the drum set. In fact it, creating an electronic hat has been one of the biggest obstcales facing designers.
DrumJunction.com's reivew of several electronic drum companies (found here) showed how the entry to mid-level sets used some type of gum rubber pad or single 10" cymbal for the hi hat. A remote foot trigger simulates opening and closing of the hat.
However, the higher level kits have devices that feel and look a bit more like their acoustic cousins. Roland and Pintech should be commended on their success in creating a very realistic hi hat design.
Current prices for many of the electronic cymbals discussed on this pages are given Here. If you're intersted in the Smartrigger "metal" hi hat and how versatile it can be, get more details.
