Sensitivity issues

[Mraverty]

Hey all

So I started putting my cymbals together this weekend (I'm using Pintech practice cymbals), and I ran into a small problem. My first attempt was a single-zone ride. I'm using these:http://beta.allelectronics.com/make-...EMENT/-/1.html and I just left the piezos right in their cases and wired them in parallel. It worked GREAT... until I put the foam padding on the top of the cymbal.

I've tried messing with the sensitivity settings on my D4, but still no luck. The cymbal triggers great when it is just stick-to-plastic contact, but as soon as I put any dampening on top of the ride, it doesn't pick up anything unless I really whap it.

So how 'bout it, gurus? Part of me thinks I need to either get larger piezos or take the ones I've got out of their cases. The only reason I haven't done this yet is because I tried it with one and ended up breaking the whole thing into one zillion pieces. Any and all help is appreciated!

[bogiesbad]

Well you could get bare piezos with leads... 27 or 35mm are the sizes most use...the plastic cymbals are very flexible and don't transmit vibration well so the mute really hurts...try a more rigid substitute or a real cymbal if you use shelled piezos.

[stickinthemud]

I agree that shucking the piezos is in order here. Also keep in mind that piezo discs are sensitive to pressure, so sandwiching them between the cymbal and some other solid material might be helpful as well.