In the Studio (as opposed to live) I tend to stick with the thinnest / smaller cymbals. They seem to record cleaner. You don't have as much overtone builup especially in a closer miced situation.
I have 13" zildjian A Mastersound hihats (really crisp sizzle)
17" Zildjian thin crash
16" Sabian B8 pro light crash
18" Sabian B8 pro light ride
16" Zildjian dry light crash
6" sabian thin splash
I mainly record Jazz / Funk and Folk so for heavier Rock you may need some darker sounding stuff but these work fabulous for me!

Thanks, Tom. This is just what I'm looking for.

I've got some heavy (dark sounding) cymbals right now, but they just don't sound right to me. I'm not doing any really heavy music, though. So, yea, I'll check those out.

Thanks!
Mitchell

I have a set of 14" Zildjian hats
16 & 17" Paiste 2002 crashes
18" Paiste 2002 Ride and a
20" Sabian AA Ride

Plus a box full of old crappy things that can be useful for a variety of effects.

Mark

Smaller sizes in lighter weights certainly do seem more manageable to record. God help the poor buggers who have to deal with getting battered old 19" Rock Crashes to tape!

I've posted this link elsewhere, and believe that it's a pretty useful reference.

http://

The Sabian website lists pretty much every cymbal they make as MP3's, and the samples sound pretty accurate through decent monitors. Spending a little time perusing the catalog provides the unique perspective of evaluating how different weight, size and design affect cymbal sound; that's the fundamental info that'll make cymbal selection in ANY context a lot more effective.

Great link. Thanks for that :c: