There are very few musical instruments left that I want to own. But when I saw these Zildjian Raw Crashes a year or so ago, I was intrigued. I love the way they look-to me, they are pieces of art. But when I heard them in person in a drum store, I wasn’t completely convinced I liked the sound, so I hesitated.
Recently I decided to go for it and buy one. And as it turns out, I really like it. They are sold as “crashes,” but for me they are rides that you can crash. The ride articulation is amazing-extremely dry, not at all pingy. I guess it’s kind of like a flat ride, but it’s probably more like the Zildjian Earth Ride, but a bit mellower.
Unlike flat rides, there’s a distinct (and nice) bell sound. A little clangy, but that’s alright.
Underneath that articulation is a much lower-volume and lower-pitched trashy sound. When you crash it, you get that trashy sound, but it shuts down immediately.
One more thing I really like about it: You can totally dig into it without the sound getting washy or too loud. It’s tight and controlled.
Only one negative I think of: Because it’s oddly shaped and it moves around a bit on the stand, I find myself missing the cymbal sometimes. There’s no cymbal where I expect it to be. I also have to chase around the meaty section when I want to crash it, though if I wanted to use it primarily as a crash, I’d probably position it a little more flat, and I’d have less of a problem.
Equipment:
-Zildjian Raw Crash (large bell version)
-DW drums
-AKG D112 kick mic
-Blue Hummingbird overhead mics
-Apogee Element 88 A/D converter
-Logic Pro
-Final Cut Pro
-Fujifilm X100V camera