Best Hi-Hats for Djent 2026 | MetalForge Expert Guide
What hi-hats are used in djent? Discover what Tomas Haake (Sabian Signature Compression), Matt Halpern (Meinl Pure Alloy Medium), and Travis Orbin (Meinl Byzance Extra Dry) actually play — tight, choked hi-hats built for palm-muted polyrhythmic riffing, from budget to pro.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hi-hats are used in djent?
Tomas Haake of Meshuggah uses his own signature Sabian Compression Hi-Hats for near-instant, controlled decay. Matt Halpern of Periphery uses 15" Meinl Pure Alloy Medium Hi-Hats. Travis Orbin, also of Periphery, uses 14" Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Hi-Hats. All three prioritize tight, choked voicing over natural wash.
What hi-hats does Tomas Haake use?
Tomas Haake of Meshuggah plays his own signature Compression Hi-Hats from Sabian, part of his broader HHX and AAX cymbal setup — engineered for near-zero bleed between the top and bottom cymbal even under hard, mathematically complex, accented playing.
What size hi-hats for djent?
14" is the standard djent hi-hat size, used by Tomas Haake and Travis Orbin. Matt Halpern prefers 15" for extra surface area and control on tightly muted, odd-time riffing.
Why do djent drummers need such tight hi-hats?
Djent's palm-muted, chugging guitar tone creates a dense, mid-heavy wall of sound with no room for a washy hi-hat. Combined with odd-time polyrhythms and precisely placed accents, even a slightly open hi-hat can blur the tight, mathematically precise attack the genre depends on — so djent drummers favor near-instant, choked decay above almost anything else.
Compression or Extra Dry hi-hats for djent?
Both work at the highest level. Sabian Compression (Tomas Haake's choice) delivers the tightest possible choke, purpose-built for extreme polyrhythmic riffing. Meinl Pure Alloy (Matt Halpern's choice) and Byzance Extra Dry (Travis Orbin's choice) offer dry control with a touch more natural voice, suited to dense, progressive-leaning djent.