A2E cymbal stick noise reduction

[ignotus]

Hi folks, today I came up with something that might be of use to those who have A2E cymbals but want to cut down on noise without covering the whole top surface with dampening material, ruining the look (what I did and am about to reverse).

Material needed: a couple of dummies (or pacifiers), the ones that have a round tip, not the anatomical ones; preferably of the 0-6 month size. I have about two dozen of them at home - as they got used for some reason they went into a box instead of into the bin, but now I've found a use for them. These are the ones:


Just cut the end off including the "shaft". Slip over the tip of your stick (err, yes... it really is the same procedure...). Done.

I gave it a try and thought it might feel strange on the mesh heads but I could hardly notice a difference - I used it on just one stick to compare the feel while playing and I was surprised how little a difference it made. But the real difference is with the cymbals - it kills the tapping noise altogether, allowing you to keep the acoustic look without the noise. You still need something for the edge, but it's hardly comparable to covering the whole thing.

Here's what it looks like:



It doesn't wrap tightly around the tip, there's a little bit of air space in there, but you can't tell while playing.

Tama sells rubber tips and I read that some people use them with their e-kits - that's what got me thinking. If anyone has a toddler at home they'll be able to try it out for free - baby stuff does tend to be a bit pricey.

[KennyinDundee]

A novel idea which might help those with those noisier a2e cymbals. Well done!

[Tommy_D]

Don't a lot of the A2E cymbal people want the acoustic stick feel? Wouldn't putting rubber on the tips of your stick basically be like playing a rubber cymbal?

[ignotus]

I suppose that's what most of us want, the acoustic feel. And yes, the feel this gives is that of playing a rubber surface, but some of us have to keep the noise down. I like the look of acoustic cymbals with my e-kit but had covered them with thin EVA foam to get rid of the stick noise - they weren't overly ugly but weren't pretty either, apart from the fact that the sensitivity went down. I could have bought rubber cymbals (well, I couldn't really) but as I already had the acoustics lying around unused I figured I'd save myself a few hundred euros and convert them, even if I had to cover them with dampening material. Now, with this simple attachment I can restore the acoustic look to my cymbals AND keep the noise down. That's all it does.

Maybe there are people who can make noise by day but want to keep it down at night - they're easy to put on and remove.

[hemiboy]

Great fix! I like the look of real cymbals too but I found out quickly that my dampened metal cymbals were tons louder than my Roland's. Sometimes , my lack of common sense, is scary! Let's see. What would be quieter rubber or metal, hmmmmm....Anyway, I own the metals ala Jman and they trigger perfectly. Love 'em! But guess what ? Metal is louder than rubber! Duh! So I I bought cymbal mutes and goosed all my cymbal settings . My crashes are fine, but the ride suffers even tweaked because of the mutes. So I bought the Tama silent tips and they are quieter on the cymbals but for those who haven't used them, they are louder on the drum pads and bouncy as all hell! Me, being a sucker for gimmicks , will be buying " nippies" at my earliest convenience. And then when that doesn't work maybe I will finally admit to myself that I should have bought rubber cymbals! Not easy being me !

[ignotus]

They do add a slight bit of bounce, though I thought it would be a lot worse. That said, mesh heads already tend to be bouncier than regular mylar heads, so this might put some people off. I just think of As and Es as similar instruments with their differences and play them with that in mind. From what I've read the Tama rubber tips are quite thick and even add noticeable weight to the stick - not the case with these.

[hemiboy]

Yeah they look lighter which is what interested me . I think you came up with a great idea here. By the way, because my kids are in their twenties ? I haven't bought pacifiers on many years . I know you found these in a box but what brand are they, do you know?

[ignotus]

The ones I used are "Super Baby", made in Italy, but I reckon any brand will do provided the teat is the right shape (spherical, not the anatomical "squashed" shape ones). I'd just get the cheapest you can find.

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

Cool idea. The only thing I've heard about rubber tips in general was that they tend to "grab" the surface a bit more which may inhibit your feel and technique...that said...I guess that's basically what some folks don't like rubber cymbals in general. Nice DIY alternate...good thinking.

[ignotus]

Yes, you're right, I might have been a bit quick to say there was no difference to playing with no rubber tips - if your technique involves sometimes dragging the stick it certainly tends to "grab" the surface; it's more noticeable with the mesh head surfaces though than with the cymbals, which are smooth. Maybe a strip of electrical tape around the rubber tip would improve that. In any case I think the best application for this is when you need to be that extra bit silent - at night or when the young 'uns are sleeping, otherwise there's no arguing that the feel is more natural without them.