Now shipping, the Gen16 Digital Vault series features authentic, high-resolution acoustic samples of some of Zildjian's most coveted, exclusive master "reference" cymbals, many of which are rare and have never before been released to the public. Gen16 is a new division of the cymbal manufacturer, The Avedis Zildjian Company.

Described as "Intelligent Percussion by Zildjian," the new Digital Vault collections offer cymbals that were hand-selected by Zildjian's Master Cymbal Tester Paul Francis from the "cymbal vault" at the company's workshop in Norwell, Massachusetts, and recorded by percussion sampling master, John Emrich.

Current Digital Vault products include the Z-Pack, a selection of A-Series and A-Custom Crashes, Rides, and Hi-Hats; the S-Pack Volume 1, which offers K-Series Crashes, Rides, Hi-Hats, and Prototypes; and the S-Pack Volume 2, featuring Gong Sheets, Chinas, Rides, Hi-Hats, and Trashformers.

A custom version of FXpansion BFD Eco is what powers the Gen16 Digital Vault libraries, lending the cymbal collections an easy-to-use drum playback and production environment based on BFD2 technology. The BFD Eco engine allows you to change pitch, mix or add effects to the Zildjian samples, and create your own original sounds.

The new Digital Vaults also include full libraries of drum and percussion groove tracks from top drummers, such as Michael White, Dave DiCenso, and Peter Michael Escovedo. For your convenience, each performance is available in various audio and General MIDI formats.

Gen16 Digital Vaults:

• The Z-Pack: a selection of A-Series and A-Custom Crashes, Rides, and Hi-Hats
• The S-Pack Volume 1: a set of K-Series Crashes, Rides, Hi-Hats, and Prototypes
• The S-Pack Volume 2: a collection of Gong Sheets, Chinas, Rides, Hi-Hats, and Trashformers

The Z-Pack and two S-Pack volumes are now shipping. To learn more about Gen16 and the Digital Vault, please visit the Gen16 Web site at gen-16.com.