This paper presents simulations of nonlinear plate vibrations in relation to sound synthesis of gongs and cymbals. The von Kármán equations are shown and then solved in terms of the modes of the associated linear system. The modal equations obtained constitute a system of nonlinearly coupled Ordinary Differential Equations which are completely general as long as the modes of the system are known. A simple second-order time-stepping integration scheme yields an explicit resolution algorithm with a natural parallel structure. Examples are provided and the results discussed.