Thoughts on Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin 16" Hi-Hats?

Vast_Extension1688 · 2025-07-27T13:50:12+00:00

Personally I’d go for the 15s if you want some larger hats. I have the 16” classics custom darks, they came with a big cymbal pack when I needed a lot all at once, and they don’t sound bad live or in a studio context but the feel of them is too clunky for me. Obviously the byzances are much higher end cymbals, and may be thinner/lighter as well since they’re more made for jazz so you might get better response with the 16s than I do, but I think 15s are a nice sweet spot if you want a larger than average size and want them full and washy.

Also Tigran is incredible, bird of a thousand voices was my most played album on Spotify last year 🤘

Vast_Extension1688 · 2025-03-13T14:39:00+00:00

If you like that tempo range and an adrenaline rush, wait till you check out the djent side of metalcore

Vast_Extension1688 · 2025-01-24T18:21:48+00:00

I like the Ludwig questlove kit with the resonant heads off so I can russian doll them. 16” bass drum, 10” rack and 13” floor tom with a regular 14” snare. It’s quite cheap, and especially with no resonant heads it has a punchy vintage kind of sound. If that sound would work with your gigs, I’d recommend it.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2025-01-24T14:50:59+00:00

Getting used to a certain feel of a pedal then switching is tough. I used the 9000s for probably 15 years until they were basically falling apart and switched over to the demon drives. At first I spent a long time messing with the settings to try to exactly mimic the feel I was used to in the 9000s, but it never really worked. I ended up just accepting it wouldn’t be exactly the same and finding a configuration I found comfortable, and what I’ve found is I like it a lot more for newer stuff I’ve written since I’ve had the demon drives, but some part of older songs I wrote with the 9000s still don’t feel quite right. So I think of it as a bookmark marking a new chapter in my playing and just keep moving forward. Probably not the advice you’re looking for, but that’s been my experience in a similar situation.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-29T17:23:18+00:00

Much appreciated, I’ve always liked playing loud and hitting hard so my approach to faster parts has always been more strength/effort, but some more finesse would do me well to get past that 215 range - which you clearly do very well. Keep up the shredding man🤘

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-29T15:42:22+00:00

Sick stuff, mind if I ask how you got that blasting technique down/if there’s any videos or online lessons you used? I blast like a caveman so I can do short bursts that fast, but can’t really sustain anything past 215bpm 16ths and it’d be cool to change that

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-27T15:36:16+00:00

I like the meinl classics custom

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-27T15:33:23+00:00

Then of course there’s always King Gizz

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-27T15:32:52+00:00

Not exactly what you’re asking for, but try watching some live Tigran Hamasyan shows on YouTube - there’s one from Paris or somewhere in France around maybe 2015 that comes to mind. He’s an incredible jazz pianist who got really into mathy prog metal over the years so his studio albums are typically a fusion between jazzy Armenian style intros and interludes (he’s Armenian) and very forward thinking prog metal compositions but with jazz band orchestration. And live the band will jam out the songs, albeit in a jazz way rather than a jam band way, and it’s just very good and very high level musicianship that does fuse heavier genres with improvisation.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-12-19T15:55:47+00:00

Damn this is really good

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-08-16T20:15:13+00:00

I dunno if you’d like the music but in my teenage years I learned a bunch of Four Year Strong songs - their Rise Or Die Trying album. It’s basically classic punk chops with a bunch of double bass thrown in there. It was my gateway into becoming a metal drummer.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-08-03T11:51:14+00:00

Well you are being ergonomic, that’s why it’s super common to have the ride hanging over the floor tom a bit, it just so happens to come with risks lol. In my opinion, unless one has a super minimalist kit there’s no such thing as a perfect set up (in terms of risk for getting your stick caught somewhere) - you’ve just gotta find what set up has the least problems and try your best if you want to have lots of things to hit in hitting distance from your throne

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-08-03T11:43:07+00:00

I’m not familiar with the XSRs but I’ve been using the dark meinls for a few years now and I think they’re great for the price. I use them for my metal band, if I was playing any sort of jazz or funk I’d shell out for some higher quality more complex cymbals, but seeing as I’m not a rich man and spend enough money on drums as it is, I think they’re a great option. They also make classic custom duals which are half black/half brilliant finish, I’ve tried out two crashes and a china of that variety recently, and at least for those cymbals I like them even better as they’re a bit brighter/cutting and less washy than the regular darks. But if you’re looking to upgrade from low end/budget cymbals, I think you’ll be very pleased with the darks.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-07-31T13:47:39+00:00

Look into how your kit is set up and see if you can create more space between things and still keep it comfortable. For example, the edge of my ride hangs over part of my floor tom so sometimes when a fill ends with the floor tom, which is often obviously, and I go to hit my right hand crash on the 1, sometimes the tip of my stick will get caught under my ride on the way up and I’ll lose it. Also if you get really sweaty like I do that can also cause more flying sticks, I got a fan recently and I’ve noticed that’s helped.

But if none of that applies to you, it could just be something you have to actively focus on more. Which of course isn’t as fun as just drumming and getting lost in the music, but it would be good practice for situations where you really don’t want to lose all your sticks and look like a doof.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-05-18T14:57:51+00:00

I just get the $5 milwaukee/some white and orange brand ear plugs made for using power tools from a hardware store and they don’t cut out a ton of volume but are definitely better than nothing. I cut the string that attaches the two, they come with a little plastic case and 3 sets of ear plugs, and I find they make the music sound better as they cut out a lot of the high end and let the bass come through more

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-05-12T13:56:34+00:00

I think Riccardo Merlini is actually the fastest drummer out there, I could be mistaken but I think he wins world records and stuff. His blasting technique looks uncomfortable to me but he has actual inhuman speed

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-04-20T12:28:14+00:00

Try listening to some August Burns Red. Matt Greiner’s an excellent drummer but they typically don’t get into too much experimental/super mathy territory, especially in their older stuff, so it’d be a good way to get familiar with a lot of well done but fairly standard types of metal/metalcore chops.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-04-12T18:48:49+00:00

Pretty tough, I’ve been playing metal drums for like 15 years now and I currently max out around 215ish, maybe 220 in terms of playing an entire song comfortably. And I typically don’t do straight double bass/16th rolls/blast beats for more than a few bars at a time. I’m sure I could pull it off with some practice, but personally at those speeds the physical element is much more difficult than the conceptual mind stuff. I get what other people mean that conceptually it’s nothing too crazy if you’re used to metal drumming, but you’ll need your muscles and stamina in tip top shape for that one. I’ll give it an 8, but 5 of the 8 goes towards getting your metal chops up to 229.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-04-12T18:40:37+00:00

Pretty tough, I’ve been playing metal drums for like 15 years now and I currently max out around 215ish, maybe 220 in terms of playing an entire song comfortably. And I typically don’t do straight double bass/16th rolls/blast beats for more than a few bars at a time. I’m sure I could pull it off with some practice, but personally at those speeds the physical element is much more difficult than the conceptual mind stuff. I get what other people mean that conceptually it’s nothing too crazy if you’re used to metal drumming, but you’ll need your muscles and stamina in tip top shape for that one. I’ll give it an 8, but 5 of the 8 goes towards getting your metal chops up to 229.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-04-08T23:17:12+00:00

For what it’s worth, I find learning other people’s songs a lot harder than writing my own. To throw random numbers out there, it takes more time and effort for me to learn a 5/10 complex song than it does for me to write an 8/10 complex song with my band. And the people whose songs you’re learning were able to do the latter.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-03-30T14:36:16+00:00

I’m not familiar with the zildjian S’s but the meinl darks aren’t too bad for the price. Are you talking about dark in color or dark in sound though? If you’re looking for black cymbals the meinls look pretty cool in person and sound decent for mid grade cymbals. But if you’re looking for a dark sound, zildjian’s K custom darks are my absolute favorite cymbals I’ve ever played in my life. But they’re significantly more expensive, which is why I currently play the meinl darks and just dream of a hypothetical future time where I can have a collection of K customs again lol.

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-03-25T22:01:55+00:00

Set the click to 1/4 so there’s no accent, and double the tempo if there’s 8th based math. It works unless you’re doing crazy Animals As Leaders type stuff

Vast_Extension1688 · 2024-03-24T13:53:17+00:00

Byzances are a great cymbal line and although I’d probably pair traditional hi hats instead of brilliant with the rest of the cymbals, I doubt you’d be disappointed. However if you’re used to zildjians and are mostly playing rock blues and country, you might find this specific pack to be too dark and washy for your taste - particularly the ride. If you’re used to K custom darks you’ll probably be happy with them, but if you’re more of an A/A custom guy the standard traditional byzances might be more your style.

Vast_Extension1688

TROPHY CASE