Zildjian, the iconic cymbal brand, and Alesis Drums have announced a strategic partnership that they hope will deliver “greater realism, nuance, and inspiration to drummers in all areas of music performance and production.”
All very good, but what do those fine words mean in practice? Well, essentially, it brings the sound of Zildjian into Alesis’s electronic kits. Announcing the partnership, Michael Weber, Director of Marketing at Alesis, said:
"Zildjian cymbals have shaped the sound of modern drumming for generations, making them a perfect partner as we continue to raise the bar for electronic drums. We're excited to put these sounds into the hands of drummers of all skill levels and see what they’re inspired to create."
Part of this means that Alesis will have access to Zildjian’s ‘artist vault’, which is reserved for official Zildjian artists to shape their signature cymbal sound. "The Artist Vault is sacred ground,” said Weber.
“For decades this is where the world's greatest drummers have come to choose their cymbals and find inspiration. Capturing them with the BFD team's (BFD being a sister brand in the InMusic group) 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."
So drummers who already use Alesis or BFD will now be able to gain access to a new collection of Zildjian sound expansion packs. The first of these – Zildjian Session Mix Volume 1 – is available now, and others will arrive in late August and throughout the rest of the year.
According to Alesis, they “will be available across BFD Player, BFD3.5, and Alesis Strata modules, giving users a seamless way to expand their sonic palette with authentic Zildjian sounds.”
The two brands have said that today’s announcement is “only the beginning” and both Zildjian and Alesis are “already at work on the next wave of innovation that will continue to expand across Alesis Drums, BFD, and other InMusic brands.”
More will doubtless be revealed in due course. In the meantime head over to their respective websites at www.alesisdrums.com and www.zildjian.com for more information.
