Zildjian and Alesis team up to bring real cymbal sounds to e-kits

Now you can have it all – real cymbal sounds without your neighbour complaining. Zildjian has teamed up with Alesis Drums to bring its cymbal sounds to electronic kits, with a run of sound packs sampled straight from the cymbal maker’s Artist Vault.

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The Artist Vault is the collection Zildjian normally keeps for its signature artists to choose their cymbals from, and for these packs the team at BFD Drums went in and recorded a selection in close detail. The first, Zildjian Session Mix Vol. 1, is out now, with more expansions due from late August and rolling out across the rest of the year, drawn from both classic cymbal families and newer favourites.

The packs run across BFD Player, BFD 3.5 and Alesis Strata modules, so anyone on an Alesis kit or working in BFD can load authentic Zildjian samples in place of a generic cymbal sound.

“The Artist Vault is sacred ground – for decades this is where the world’s greatest drummers have come to choose their cymbals and find inspiration,” says Michael Weber, director of marketing at Alesis Drums. “Capturing them with the BFD team’s meticulous sampling process means that when an Alesis player strikes a cymbal, they’re experiencing the nuanced sound of those cymbals, with all the depth and character that makes a Zildjian a Zildjian.”

Founded in 1623, Zildjian has been making cymbals for four centuries, while Alesis has been building electronic percussion since the ’80s, so the tie-up brings a very old name into a very current format. “We’re opening our vault, quite literally, because drummers deserve nothing less than our very best,” says Zildjian CEO John Stephans. Both brands say more is coming across Alesis, BFD and other inMusic gear.

For electronic drummers who’ve wanted the real thing under the pads, the first pack is available now, with the rest arriving over the coming months.

For more information, visit www.alesisdrums.com and www.zildjian.com.