Dry, soft, distinctive, vintage, experimental...I could go on and on about how I experienced this hydraulic skin, but you can find it all out on YT.
It's a looker no doubt. It's very forgiving, very easy to tune, and will give a decent sound in the worst of conditions (or on the worst of drums).
The sound is not open. It's tight, short. Of course there is sustain, but that's from the kettle. The skin itself dampens more than any other skin.
The plus side is that this skin will never need any tape, gel or any other form of damping material on it.
Also not as voluminous as a regular skin due to the oil, so you have to hit harder for the same volume.
Attack is good, it also gives a good tone when hit soft.
I noticed it sounds more pure in the middle, but hit on the edges it will let you hear when the resonance skin is not tuned according to the tuning of the hydraulic.
It's not a universal sound this gives, it's a specific sound, with whom you can experiment with all the tuning possibilities of course.
And that's why I bought it: to experiment.
And last but not least: these skins are incredibly tough and durable.
The cosmetic aspect also last. I played it for months with 5a/5b 7a sticks and hot rods, but it hardly damages the skin, they keep looking good.
I would use this for a more short poppy sound, in situations where durability is a big factor, disco-like playing, vintage 70's reggea fills suddenly become recognizable also.
It invites for a lot of experimenting, it's easier tuning than normal skins, it's a wonderdoctor for difficult to tune kettles, and it's very cool looking when making content for viewing.
