Zildjian’s Gen16 releases Acoustic Electric Cymbal
(mtebaldi | Posted 2011-01-16)
At NAMM 2011, Zildjian, one of, if not the most recognizable cymbal brands in the world, has shown that it has embarked for good onto the electronic path with the release of their very first line of Electro-Acoustic cymbals under their new jurisdiction department for cymbal development, the Gen16. The Gen16 was created last year at the Zildjian headquarters and attributed (with the help of many Zildjian customers) with shaping this new breakthrough line. Last November, Gen 16 released their very first software, the Digital Vault, containing samples of many of the most widely known and used Zildjian cymbals. Now, they’ve come out with a mechanism through which one can usufruct these virtual technologies in a performing way. The Gen16 is clearly reshaping Zildjian character in the music making market.
You might ask yourself what makes this new release stand out from many other electronic cymbal pads out there. The answer can be found in the words from Zildjian’s Director of R&D Paul Fracis, “For us at Zildjian, we've always been about the real feel. Most of what's currently available for drummers are rubberized, cymbal-shaped trigger pads, and they typically lack the feel and responsiveness of a real cymbal. One of the most important things for us in creating the AE Cymbal was that it had to feel and play like a real cymbal”
Zildjian reached its goal by making the Gen16 Acoustic Electric cymbal a low-volume acoustic cymbal that utilizes a unique dual microphone and DSP engine to amplify and model the cymbal’s output. The Acoustic Electric cymbal was designed to work with most cymbal setups and hardware. This one of kind technology will enable drummers to not only play with classic Zildjian cymbals sounds but also create an array of non-traditional sonic textures.
For more information about Zildjian please visit www.zildjian.com. More information about the Gen16 can be found at www.gen-16.com
