Crash cymbals (orchestral pair)
- Peaks up close
- up to 137 dB SPL
- Sources
- 55 independent: not from a mic maker
Frequency bands
| low ring | 300 Hz – 600 Hz | peaks near 490-530 Hz |
|---|---|---|
| crash | 800 Hz – 11 kHz | broadband; loudest 1.5-5 kHz |
| air | 11 kHz – 20 kHz | falls to -37 dB at 20 kHz |
Own analysis: 1/3-octave band levels of the first second after the hit (dB re loudest band), plus a 12 ms attack window and spectral peak picking. A band is listed where the level stays within about 10-15 dB of the loudest band (weaker bands are given with their level). "tone" = clear spectral peaks; "noise" = dense or broadband energy. Measured from: VSCO 2 CE cymbal-crash1_mf_rr1 (also ff).
Sounds it makes
| Crash (let ring) | full, long |
|---|---|
| Secco | damped on the chest: short, dry |
| Roll | plates shaken or rapidly clashed |
| Strisciato | plates slid: hissing |
The sound
Two plates clashed together excite hundreds of closely spaced modes, which merge into noise above a few hundred Hz.
Playing techniques
- Crash: struck and separated, rings on
- Secco: damped against the chest, very dry
- Strisciato: plates slid, a hissing sound7
How loud
Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.
| Peaks | |
|---|---|
| 137 dB or more(C) | at the player (exposure context); UK Sound Advice guidance text: peak noise from percussion, e.g. snare drum or cymbal clash, may exceed the 137 dB upper exposure action value secondary6 |
Recording it
- Where: from a distance and above; very loud peaks and a fast attack; keep close mics out of the air blast
Mics
- 13 setups from 5 sources, 5 of them independent of any mic maker.
- On top: the mics more than one source names for this instrument, in any role, the most named first. That is a count of sources, not our verdict.
- In the full list, each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those come from a mic maker.
No mic is named by more than one source yet: each names its own.
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (0)
Studio
Main pair or array
Decca tree
Close
Stereo pair
Room
Stereo pair
The 13 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Main pair or array main microphones (type not named)main, mics where the conductor would normally stand, so the hall acoustic is heard (piatti among the instruments)
The mics were positioned where the conductor would normally stand, which means the hall's acoustic is discernible
1 - Main pair or array 3 × Decca tree (two trees)main, two Decca trees, plus mid and ambient positions (piatti 21, 19 and 17 in)
The mic positions include close, mid and ambient, two Decca Trees, vintage ribbon and valve mics
2 - Close close microphones (vintage ribbon and valve mics among the positions)close, close position among the library's mic positions
The mic positions include close, mid and ambient, two Decca Trees, vintage ribbon and valve mics
2 - Main pair or array 3 × Decca treemain, Decca tree at the front of the room and high above (Cymbal Pairs folder)
at the front of the room and high above (using a Decca tree)
3 - Close 2 × stereo close pairpair, stereo mics directly in front of the section
the Close microphones. These samples were recorded with the stereo mics directly in front of each instrumental section.
3 - Room 2 × room pairroom, mics away from the players for the room's natural ambience
away from the instrumentalists (to capture the room's natural ambience)
3 - Main pair or array 3 × Decca tree (valve omnis)main, Decca tree of classic valve omnis, plus outriggers (piatti x3)
A decca tree formed of Abbey Road's finest trio of classic valve omnidirectional microphones
4 - Overhead large-diaphragm condensers (section overhead)overhead, set of LDCs above the percussion section
A set of large diaphragm condenser microphones above the orchestral section
4 - Close 2 × close ribbon pairpair, close ribbon pair
A pair of close ribbon mics capturing a rounded and detailed image.
4 - Room 2 × small-diaphragm omni pair (ambients)room, pair at the rear of the room
A pristine pair of small diaphragm omnidirectional microphones to the rear of the room
4 - Close close microphoneclose, mono close mic
Close Mic - Mono
5 - Close 2 × mid-layer pairpair, stereo mid-layer mic
Mid Layer Mic - Stereo (L/R)
5 - Main pair or array 3 × Decca treemain, Decca tree as main/room mic (12 mics in all in the full library)
Main/Room Mic - Decca Tree Stereo (L/R) ... Decca Tree Mono (Center)
5
Sources
- Sound On Sound: London Orchestral Percussion review (Dave Stewart, Oct 2002)
- Sound On Sound: Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra: Metal Percussion review (Dave Stewart, Oct 2023)
- EastWest: Hollywood Orchestral Percussion Diamond Edition user manual (engineer Shawn Murphy), mic positions pp. 34, 40
- Spitfire Audio: Abbey Road Orchestra: Metal Percussion (engineer Simon Rhodes, Abbey Road Studio One), mics and mixes
- Vienna Symphonic Library: Synchron Cymbals & Gongs III (piatti, Sabian 20 in, Synchron Stage A)
- Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Cymbals (pair)