Too Loud

[J_Hawk]

First, I'll say hi. I'm new the forum and I've been playing drums for near 3 years now..hi

Second, I wouldn't doubt this topic has already been posted, but i figure it is worth bringing up again, in case of new ideas, new people. etc.

And Finally, to my question-- basically, i recently moved my set down to the basement and noise is really beginning to become a factor to the people living with and around me. I have filled my bass with blankets and i covered all other drums with rags/towels. Of course, it is still extremely loud. Sound-proofing is almost completely out of the question, i just assume its super expensive. How could i dampen the sound drastically in the room? My biggest problem is the very thin ceiling . I have little experience with studio foam, and i assume it wouldn't quite do the job. Any ideas? I am willing to spend money on this but probably no more than 500$
Thanks for the help!

[Church Punk]

welcome to the drum chat

to go directly to your question, here is what i do:

get the cheapest sticks you have (or those you never use) and cover the tip with some kind of textile, i use one that is used to clean windows here in germany, costs about 2€ i dont know how to describe it but its like soft/smooth paper that doesnt fold easily.

cut rings from the textile with the size of your cymbals and cover them. use the rest of the textile to cover the drum heads

this should decrease your sound to 30%
maybe i can post some pics of how mine looks like

for the base drum, i have no ideas so far

meanwhile you may consider to learn how to play good without hitting the drums so hard, good drumers can do this, why not you?

hope this helps

[holycow77]

One of my drum teachers used to have the walls and ceiling of he studio covered with egg cartons... Did a great job of soundproofing it. Looked funny though.

[kay-gee]

egg cartons provide cheap and effective soundproofing. Look for the ones that wholesale eggs come in (like big squares) Simply tile the walls and ceilings with them.
all the best...

[pastor_bob]

For less than $500 you can also buy a set of drum mutes, although CP's suggestion keeps a bit more green in your pocket.

[coke_can]

welcome to drumchat, and i have seen this before with our fellow drumchatter lafirin.

what you can do is buy drum mutes or if you have mattresses or thick pads like that to surround your set and on the walls.

i wouldnt go with egg cartons though because they are highly flammable

[2slow]

Get a used roland kit for practice and forget about the noise problem ! There are used td6 kits for $500/$600 and I know where new ones can be had for alot less than most know. I can tell you I am a better player when I have a roland kit to practice on anytime I want and not just when convenient for any who may not want to hear it.

[livewire80]

All great suggestions so far.

Make sure you got carpet underneath the kit. Thats my two cents. If you can get carpet and secure that to the ceiling also.

[drummer]

You can also practice quieter. That's what I do. After 8:30, when people in the neighborhood are putting the kids to bed, I pull out the hot rods and practice quietly. It still enables you to work on four way independence but just at a lower volume.

[J_Hawk]

Thanks for all the help, I'll consider everything said and possibly let you all know how it works out.
Thanks, (still open for more suggestions)..

-I'd also like to add that I'm more focused on the room, instead of the drum set itself, there's occasionally loud guitars and bass and such during jam sessions. though i still like all these ideas,

egg cartons..just regular old cardboard 12 packs?

[kay-gee]

No the dividers that wholesale eggs come in to restaurants. Roughly 12" square. Early recording studios used them for years.

all the best...

[Drummerbock]

you said sound-proofing the room is out of the question, which if you do it like a studio, yes it is out of the question. but all you need are a couple dollar store rugs, put them up on the walls and on the floor, and they will absorb alot of the sound.

Try getting cymbal mufflers to (i have no idea what to call them or how much they are) but they are very good at muffling the cymbals.

[drummerdad]

I was just about to ask the same question. My daughter’s instructor told me about these little gel things that you put on the drums that dampen the sound and they’re only about 5 or 6 bucks. Have any of you guys heard of these? I thought I might try these out.

By the way, I’m not looking into this because I don’t like the sound of her drums, I’m just concerned about the effect on her ears (and I don’t want neighbors complaining) It gets really loud in her practice room when she’s jamming with the stereo.

[A.C.]

I was just about to ask the same question. My daughter’s instructor told me about these little gel things that you put on the drums that dampen the sound and they’re only about 5 or 6 bucks. Have any of you guys heard of these? I thought I might try these out.

By the way, I’m not looking into this because I don’t like the sound of her drums, I’m just concerned about the effect on her ears (and I don’t want neighbors complaining) It gets really loud in her practice room when she’s jamming with the stereo.

Drummerdad,

Those gels, I'm not too excited over them when I see/use them. To me, I don't see a significant difference in the sound/volume.

If she is jamming to the stereo, then I strongly recommend that you "invest" in the Vic First Isolation Headphones. Do a quick search for them on Google and you should find them. Black isolation headphones.

They work very well, and the sound quality is great. It's perfect for jamming to music, listening, and even just using them as plain isolation. It's a great product.

As far as damping the noise, you really can't do a whole lot, unless the room is re-designed with isolation pads on the wall etc...

You can also get something called "Sound Off Drum Muffler". By searching that on Google, you should be able to find it. Those aren't ideal if she is jamming to music, hence the fact that they almost kill the sound on your drums. But they are good for practicing at later times and/or practicing without wanting to make too much noise.

But again, if you are concerned for her ears, then the isolation headphones are an ideal purchase.

All the best,
-AC.

[J_Hawk]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I think i will just buy some mutes for now and then apply some egg cartons or rugs to walls and ceiling hopefully in the future.

This should help, thanks much

[STICKSWIZZARDDRAGON]

You can also practice quieter. That's what I do. After 8:30, when people in the neighborhood are putting the kids to bed, I pull out the hot rods and practice quietly. It still enables you to work on four way independence but just at a lower volume.

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[drummerdad]

I just pt on some of those gels and they do dampen the sound a bit. I'll have to wait till she jams again to really know if it's enough. I will get those head phones you suggested. I found some on line and they're not all that expensive. Thanks for the suggestion.

[BWard08]

You can pick up carpet remnants at any carpet store or if you know an installer. hang it on the walls and ceiling. I've done this before and works really well, also cheap....

[Church Drummer]

I was just about to ask the same question. My daughter’s instructor told me about these little gel things that you put on the drums that dampen the sound and they’re only about 5 or 6 bucks. Have any of you guys heard of these? I thought I might try these out.

By the way, I’m not looking into this because I don’t like the sound of her drums, I’m just concerned about the effect on her ears (and I don’t want neighbors complaining) It gets really loud in her practice room when she’s jamming with the stereo.

The jell things are called Moon Jell, they won't make the drums substancially quieter. they are to reduce some of the overtones and ringing. If you really want to protect her hearing, she should be wearing ear plugs, or Isolation headphones. If you are worriend about the neigbors then you will need to try mute pads on the drums, and turning the stereo down, or better soundproofing the room. First thing I would suggest though is getting her some hearing protection I use a relatively inexpensive ear plug designed for musicians called Hear-os that you can get in any music store.

[bongobro]

By all means get hearing protectors! Headphones (especially if she's listening to music through them), coupled with drums, is a major double whammy to her hearing...

[Kjbakke2]

auralux studio foam kitsw can be had for about 150 bucks
they are great
not only will they take alot of the harshness out of the sound
but they will also tune the room and make it much more pleasant