Bow, bell and edge
A ride cymbal makes three sounds. Hitting the bow, the wide flat area, gives a defined “ping” with a wash underneath. The bell, the raised dome in the middle, gives a cutting, almost metallic tone that pokes through loud mixes. Hitting the edge makes it behave more like a crash. Good free ride samples label which one you are getting; if not, the bell is the short, bright one.
Programming a ride pattern
Jazz rides swing: the familiar “ding, ding-a ding” pattern with the middle note pushed late. In house and techno the ride usually plays straight quarters or eighths, often a 909 sample with its pitch nudged up or down to sit with the hats. Vary the velocity of every other hit so the pattern breathes, and keep an ear on the low end of acoustic rides, which can build up when they ring continuously.