Science
What it is.
After testing different materials, thicknesses, shapes, and sizes, what we came up with was a 24"x18"x1/8" Solution. Every Solution is made from high quality Made In The USA Acrylic. Our Solutions are laser cut with a CNC machine to ensure pristine cuts every time; making that "glass" edge possible. Another benefit of laser CNC is the ability to engrave the Cymbal Solution™ logo with perfection onto every Solution. Don't worry, the logo is so small, no one in the audience will see it.
What it does.
We love cymbals, but cymbals at times can make the listening experience uncomfortable for musicians and vocalists on stage as well as the audience. Sonically, our Solutions are quite impressive. We have found up to a 14dB reduction between 3-5k and up to a 12db reduction between 10-17k with an overall 5-6dB reduction across the entire frequency spectrum. Hello clearer and warmer vocal mics! Why are vocal mics the focus you ask? Vocal mics are usually the culprit when it comes to cymbal bleed. Having multiple open vocal mics on stage more often than not amplify cymbal bleed...usually the harsh piercing 3-5k frequencies. You'd be surprised how much of your overhead mix is actually coming from the vocal mics. When placed correctly, our Solutions are a great tool for controlling harsh cymbal bleed. For maximum functionality, be sure to place your Solution as close as possible to the cymbal without the cymbal hitting the Solution or mounting hardware. Combine our Solutions with correct microphone choice, microphone placement, and cymbal choice for a much more pleasant listening experience.
The image below is a visual representation (White without a Solution and Orange with a Solution) of the results when properly placing a Solution between a cymbal and a vocal mic. In this case a vocal mic was set about 10 feet away from the drum kit to simulate a common setup on a live stage.
Why it disappears so well.
Why are the Solutions rectangle? A couple of reasons why. With the rectangular design and thickness choice, our Solutions compliment what is already happening visually with a drum kit. When looking at a drum kit from an audience perspective, you see a lot of horizontal and vertical lines. With a circular design, the constant curvature of the circle will always be intersecting and competing with the natural horizontal and vertical lines of a drum kit. Lastly, the rectangular shape of our Solutions allows for multiple Solutions to be placed next to each with a clean seam to create more coverage without unsightly overlapping. The vertical connection seams of our Solutions disappear into the drum kits vertical lines. So in this case, it's hip to be a square...or rectangle.