Cympad

What is Cympad?

Cympad is a Swiss company which has specialized in making substitutions to cymbal felt from a kind of foam called cellular foam.

The clever thing about using this type of foam rather than felt is that the foam lasts longer. Moreover, it also improves the cymbal's freedom to move, which improves the sound, and then they are actually nice to look at. Last but not least, you get a number of styling options with Cympad with the different colors on the discs.

How many Cympad-products are there?

Cympad produces three different types of products for cymbals from their foam material.

Cympad Optimizers

Optimizers are the actual cymbal felt-replacements. This is a product which gives the cymbals more freedom to move and ensures a better sound than felt would.

In addition, Optimizers last longer than traditional felt and are a cosmetic boost to your cymbals.

Optimizers have a diameter of 15 mm, and they are available with 8mm, 12mm, and 15mm. Beware not to buy one so thick that it leaves no space to bolt the wingnut used for fastening the cymbal. Visually, Cympads work great with the closing mechanism CymLok. 

Aside from the traditional products for crash cymbals, you can also buy a special edition for hi-hat, a special edition for ride, and a complete starter pack of Optimizers for hi-hat, ride, and crash.

Cympad Chromatics

Chromatics is a colored (and slightly faster) edition of Cympad Optimizers. If you want to style your drum kit with red, blue, white, yellow, or other colors from the series, this is the right choice. Notice that these are a little harder than Optimizers, which is why they are best lend to sit above the cymbal. 

Cympad Moderators

Moderators look similar to Optimizers, but they are bigger and are for another purpose.

Actually, Moderators are meant to tone your cymbal down. It is not a "silencer", which will remove all the sound, but rather a product for toning your cymbals down a notch if you think, they make too much noise or fade too slowly.

You can buy Moderators in pairs consisting of two of the same size, or you can buy a complete Moderator super set consisting of two of different sizes.