Best Low Volume Cymbals (Updated Dec 2024)

In the world of drumming, there are a few pieces that every drummer needs. One of those items is cymbals.  Cymbals can be thought of as the musical equivalent to a painter’s palette. The color and tone they produce can make or break your sound, but many people struggle with choosing which cymbal to buy first. This article will help you decide what type of cymbal works best for you by breaking down some different styles and outlining their pros and cons. In it, we’ll also explore how to find good deals on used products if you’re looking for something more affordable!

Best Low Volume Cymbals
Reviewed and Compared

Zildjian L80 18-inches China Cymbal

Zildjian L80 18-inches China Cymbal
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Pros
  • L80 is the part of Zildjian's cymbal range that has the most bell-like sound
  • It is made up of an alloy of metal
  • It is traditionally handcrafted in pairs, with only one pair being manufactured at a time
  • It is used for accents in orchestral music
  • It can be used with other percussion instruments or even on their own to create musical effects using sounds that they make when played individually or together
Cons
  • It is currently sold out
  • Easily bendable
  • The coating becomes easily dirty

Zildjian is an excellent brand for this instrument. The L80 has a relatively quick attack and balance between the high frequency and low-frequency areas, which offers clear articulation on both ends of the frequency spectrum. The L80 cymbals are made from 80% copper and 20% tin alloy steel, with a medium weight of under 2 pounds, making them perfect for moderately heavy playing requirements.

A China Cymbal also benefits from good articulation and focuses more on the lower frequencies to produce a thick-and-earthy tone. In contrast, their higher frequencies have slight overtones that give them an edge in livelier settings but not in recording sessions.

Sabian Quiet Tone Practice Cymba

Sabian Quiet Tone Practice Cymba
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Pros
  • Most accurate at reproducing the quieter, softer nuances of any instrument
  • Those with limited space or those performing in less than ideal listening conditions will find Quiet Tone Cymbals very useful
  • It also provides a more precise articulation of the quieter components of a drum's sound
  • It has a genuine sound
  • It has a suitable material thickness
Cons
  • Louder than a typical quiet cymbal
  • It is too shrill
  • Some find the coating too bright

Sabian Quiet Tone Practice Cymbals is a cymbal technique. The technique allows the hammer to strike the cymbal head without being dampened with hands, fingers, or other objects.

This effect is a lessening of volume and allows for meditative purposes or as part of a music practice session that does not rely on sound volume as its primary creative element. It also helps reduce fatigue from repetitive hammering techniques.

Agean Cymbals

Agean Cymbals
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Pros
  • It has warmth
  • It has focused on projection
  • It has crisp articulation
  • So if you play in a small theater or music hall, the AGEANs offer unsurpassed clarity with no loss of projection or power
  • It is designed for versatility
Cons
  • Not durable
  • Volume quality
  • You may need to buy a separate cymbal stand

Cymbals of the Agean style are often made of bronze and can be found throughout Europe and Turkey. It was common for Turkish artisans to bring European-style equipment with them when they migrated from one country to another. As a result, there is also a great deal of "agean cymbal" use in North Africa.

Musoo Low Volume Quiet Cymbals

Musoo Low Volume Quiet Cymbals
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Pros
  • They're low volume
  • It enhances a drummer's ability to listen simultaneously
  • They also allow a drummer to play at a louder volume without his drums being too loud for everyone else on stage
  • It is ideal for touring, rehearsals, and recording studios because it allows musicians to adjust their drum kit until it has the right balance of high notes and low notes of their preference
  • It is more resistant to chipping from sticks or mallets
Cons
  • It is not for professionals who play complex patterns
  • Lacks durability
  • Lacks sensitivity

Musoo Low Volume Quiet Cymbals are cymbals that are used in music because of their excellent sound quality.

Musoo's low volume, quiet cymbal has a good sound quality. Many percussionists use these for sensitive location recordings or playing outside without drawing too much attention to themselves. What makes them silent is the design on the cymbal's surface, muting it more than any other type on the market. However, they're not just used by percussionists; some musicians also use this type of cymbal while mixing because it doesn't overpower other instruments when recorded more quietly than usual.

Arborea mute cymbal Low Volume Cymbal

Arborea mute cymbal Low Volume Cymbal
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Pros
  • These cymbals are not loud; they can be played during choral accompaniment without drowning out the singers
  • These cymbals can be heard in situations that demand quiet or unobtrusive sounds
  • They are convenient for accompanying silent movies since they make no sound to disturb the viewer's enjoyment
  • It is an excellent choice for church use and many secular applications where silence may be needed throughout a performance
  • Affordable
Cons
  • These cymbals might not be up to the task for a small recording studio
  • Improper tuning could ring at dissonant intervals when struck together
  • Increases potential dissonance

The Arborea Mute Cymbal is a low-volume cymbal, which allows for quiet practice and playing in living spaces. It provides the same experience of using a high-quality cymbal without disturbing nearby people or pets. The surface of this cymbal is only weighted at the edges, making it feel lighter and quieter than traditional metal drums when hit.

6 - Meinl Cymbal Set

Meinl Cymbal Set
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Pros
  • It has a sonic design that provides a superior response for many musical styles, including Jazz, Rock, Country, and Heavy Metal
  • This versatile line of cymbals is excellent for drummers looking to expand their sound horizons or practice new techniques
  • It is made with the finest quality metal alloys
  • It produces clear 10" cutting edge crackles with an aggressive attack
  • They include thinner weighting, which makes them lightweight and easier to play fast without effort
Cons
  • They can break more quickly than others,
  • There is less trademark sound to them when played at higher speeds or with a hard felt mallet
  • It is not recommended to use in large open spaces

Meinl Cymbal sets are a collection of cymbals created by hand by Hans Meinl, and they're an integral part of the ever-growing family of percussion products.

With over 100 years combined experience building metal alloy cymbals, we've made an impressive catalog: from recycled cymbals to special order projects and everything in between. The company was started in 1978 and is still privately held with an almost 50-50 distribution worldwide

7 - UFO Low Volume Cymbal Pack

UFO Low Volume Cymbal Pack
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Pros
  • It has a deliberately quieter "wiggle" to them
  • It is more sensitive
  • It is more expressive
  • They're also really well fitted together for coordination between hand and wrist movements that come from living, breathing drumming approaches like Jazz or R&B/ Funk styles of playing
  • The perfect choice if you're looking for low volume, but high impact sounds to accompany your experimental rhythms
  • These cymbals will work great on quieter tracks where you want to hit hard without getting too loud
Cons
  • They are less durable than traditionally-produced cymbals
  • They stop making sounds after a few months
  • The metal appears to be thinner
  • Develops hairline cracks which make them unusable

The UFO Low Volume Cymbal Pack is a cymbal pack by Zildjian, specifically targeted at people playing in places where their cymbals are challenging to hear. These lightweight bronze-plated cymbals offer an unprecedented level of power, beauty, and strength while being optimized for use in settings with limited sound reinforcement.

Priced affordably, the UFO Low Volume Cymbal Pack delivers more than just volume reduction with its clear warm tone. It's developed specifically to meet the demands of some players who may be using it in noisy environments or on percussion-heavy stages without enough acoustic treatment or sound reinforcement.

8 - Batking low volume cymbals

Batking low volume cymbals
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Pros
  • Batking substantially lowers the volume of a cymbal
  • It also enables cymbals to impact other drums with less energy
  • It is recommended that you should use a bat-rack or rafter mount system that provides an isolation pad for the first row before adding further rows below if possible
  • It has a unique design
  • It is stainless steel
Cons
  • They can be too muted in sound
  • They can have a lot of sustain when hit thicker
  • Using a thinner cymbal to compensate may result in a lack of attack and natural decay in sound

Batking Cymbals are engineered to produce a clear, pure, and balanced tone, with a more compatible din with music. Discovered by accident in an abandoned church basement near Cambridge, MA, they were later trademarked as BATKING cymbals. The uniqueness of the cymbals originates from an original special alloy BatKing uses, which also yields a finish that exceeds any traditional or standard cymbal coloring process currently on the market today! Early prototypes of BATKING Cymbal were made from discarded steel plates found on-site during construction work. They took these dirty, rusted steel plates and shaped them into sound-producing instruments which resembled old dustbin lids!

We’ve covered a lot of information about cymbals. Comment below what is your take on quiet or low-volume cymbals.

Will They Feel Different to Normal Cymbals?

The feel of a lower volume cymbal is similar to that of any thinner cymbal. There’s not a lot of resistance on the stick because the cymbal is thin and light, so when you’re laying into the ride especially, you’ll lose some of that bright ‘pingy’ stick definition.

Though thin cymbals can be played quietly, they tend to lose high frequencies quickly. If you prefer this kind of sound, you’ll have to get used to it.

Why Purchase Low Volume Cymbals?

Guitar is a very loud instrument. If you want to be able to practice in your bedroom, for example, you’ll need to get headphones.

For a budding drummer, the basement or garage is standard practice space. You need to have a place to practice. If you live in a remote area or have soundproof your home, your home could be a great place for recording.

Cymbals are the most noisy instrument in the drum kit. They can be really annoying to others around you. More importantly, they can damage your ears. Many of us were guilty of ignoring this problem in the early days of rock, but it’s important to consider ear safety.

What Volume are Low Volume Cymbals?

The Zildjian L80s are extremely quiet, which is perfect for practicing. They’re 80% quieter than regular cymbals, and come in at a whopping 83dB.

Standard cymbals are extremely loud, reaching as high as 120dB. This is the start of the pain threshold, and is extremely dangerous for your ears over time.

If you listen to the cymbals played by hand compared to the standard cymbals, you’ll hear the difference.

How Do You Make Cymbals Quieter?

Cymbals are loud. Really loud. They are so loud that they sound even louder when you listen to them.

You can always use these rubber pads that are placed on cymbals. Even though they do dampen the sound a lot, they also take away from the cymbal’s sound quality. What they really do is hinder the drummer’s ability to play on the cymbal. So, unless it’s their only option, drummers don’t tend to like playing on them.

If you want to play the drums but can’t afford $100 cymbals, you can buy cheaper ones. They’ll have a poorer sound quality, but they’re still useful and can work for some situations.

Low Volume Cymbal Sizes

Cymbals are specifically designed for a given role. They’re also available in different sizes, and each gives out its own sound. The following is a guide to the respective sizes of cymbals.

Hi-hats are two cymbals of the same size played together. The bottom one is often heavier and thicker than the top. They come in sizes ranging from 13 to 15 inches in diameter.

Ride cymbals are the most important. They come in a variety of sizes ranging from 19 to 24 inches. Crash cymbals are often used for accents. They come in a variety of sizes ranging from 14 to 20 inches. Chinese cymbals come in two sizes: crash and splash. Both are curved in a bow shape.

Splash cymbals are like crash cymbals. They’re small and come in both 6-12 inches.

A basic cymbal set includes a hi-hat, ride and crash. Once you’ve mastered these three, you may wish to advance and add splashes, crashes or china to your collection.

What’s the Definition of a Low Volume Cymbal?

Low Volume Cymbals are designed to feel like normal ones, while drastically reducing the volume. That makes them perfect for practicing. They’re great for teaching rooms, acoustic shows, and reducing noise pollution. The most important thing is that they protect your hearing!

When you use mesh drum heads with low volume cymbals, you don’t need to use expensive isolation headphones or insulate your practice room walls. Whether you’re on a budget or have money to spend, there are plenty of good options for cymbals that are quiet. In this article, I’ll talk about the best ones and why they’re so effective.

Additionally, I will also talk about my personal experience with low volume cymbals. I will share my thoughts on how they sound and how well they work in a drum kit. Here are my top picks for the best low volume cymbals: Sound: (up to) 80% Quieter Material: Brass Finish: Matte

Cymbals are available in three different packs: 13″/14″/16″ Low Volume Hi-Hat Pack, 14″/16″/18″ Low Volume Crash Pack, and 18″/16″/18″ Low Volume Crash/Ride Pack. Cymbals are very useful, but you can always add a splash or a china to your set.

These were the first low-volume cymbals I tried. They are so light, I thought they would feel like toys. But they don’t. They are still cymbals in sound and feel. I love them because they sound crisp and respond to all my playing techniques. I practice with sticks, brushes, and mallets on these, so I never miss a beat.

The Hi-hats are the biggest winner here. You can really tell the difference between them open, closed, and half-open, which is way more than I was expecting. They are also way faster than regular Hats, considering the lower weight. This shouldn’t bother you too much.

The crashes are super distinct. They have a higher pitch, which adds color to your cymbal set, and amazing low sustained sounds, perfect for low volume scenarios. The ride is decent, besides the bell.

A shortcoming of low-volume bikes is that they don’t have the same “impact” as a louder, more aggressive bike. This is one reason why higher-end bikes with higher volume tires are preferred.

The volume of the china cymbal is indeed lower than that of the regular ones. I would not say that it is 80% as loud, but more like 50-70%.

Why Should You Buy Low Volume Cymbals?

The obvious answer is that you will be able to practice your instrument at lower volumes. Consider that drums are one of the loudest instruments to learn. If you are a budding drummer, your basement or garage becomes standard as far as practice locations are concerned. In this case, silent cymbals are necessary.


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