Drum Attic

[Armistice]

Just glad I don't live next to either of you...

[WhiskeyJack]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Kxoa5 ... ephenClark[/BBvideo]

[Greg_L]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Kxoa5 ... ephenClark[/BBvideo]

I remember about ten years ago, drum floors on tennis balls was a thing. I didn't think anyone actually did it.

[vomitHatSteve]

Huh... that dude also has a video called "do earplugs hurt more than they help" That... seems dubious

[Greg_L]

Huh... that dude also has a video called "do earplugs hurt more than they help" That... seems dubious

I've been drumming for a loooong time. The only reason I can still hear at all is because of earplugs.

[WhiskeyJack]

Huh... that dude also has a video called "do earplugs hurt more than they help" That... seems dubious

I've been drumming for a loooong time. The only reason I can still hear at all is because of earplugs.

The last two bands i was in i started using earplugs for all practices. I left them out for shows though. We didn't gig much. A show or two every 6 months.

[Tadpui]

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Kxoa5 ... ephenClark[/BBvideo]

Ha, you beat me to it! I was about to dig up that same video with the tennis ball suspended drum riser. I think that'd be worth a try!

I always go back to the 3 factors of sound proofing when I think about situations like these:

- mass - it takes more energy to get a massive object moving, so a massive wall/floor/ceiling/whatever will transmit less sound through it

- airtight - this is more for high frequencies, but if you add up all of the little air gaps around your whole room, it'd add up to a pretty good-sized hole in the wall

- flanking paths - give vibrations somewhere to go to be absorbed, rather than allowing them to reach the structure where they'll transmit and shake everything

Sound proofing is tough. But since you've got a room that can/will be taken down to the studs/joists, you've got some good opportunity to make decisions along the way that'll help cut down sound transmission considerably. I only have experience with that one studio room I had built several years ago, and it was "good but not great" for reducing sound transmission through the house. It was pretty much the room-within-a-room approach, but the low ceilings prevented me from going all the way with that. Still, just decoupling anything you can from those shared floor joists would go a long way towards keeping the peace with your neighbor. I don't know if there's a practical way to do that though.

[Greg_L]

The last two bands i was in i started using earplugs for all practices. I left them out for shows though. We didn't gig much. A show or two every 6 months.

On the drums, I always gig with ear plugs. Always. It sounds better to me too. The ear plugs cut out all the harsh white noise of cymbals. I can actually hear better with the ear plugs and that makes for playing better. And the snare crack...oh my God. That is an ear killer for sure. An hour of a snare bashing three feet from your ears will kill you.

I don't use ear plugs at guitar gigs though. Not necessary. Even though I'm pretty loud I can escape the sonic death beam from my cabs. If it's a small stage and I'm close to the drummer I'll sometimes wear earplugs to shut him up.

[vomitHatSteve]

I ended up watching the ear plugs video. It was a little more nuanced ("bad ear plugs create problems that good earplugs don't; therefore, wear good earplugs")
Cheap earplugs are kind of nice when you're a vocalist. Since they block out everything outside your head, the "poor-vocalist's monitor" effect can be pretty useful. Until I lost my good plugs, I used to use one cheap earplug in whatever ear faced the drum kit, and a fitted one in whichever ear faced the monitors.

- airtight - this is more for high frequencies, but if you add up all of the little air gaps around your whole room, it'd add up to a pretty good-sized hole in the wall

So you're saying he should suspend his kit in a vacuum so no sound can escape?

[Tadpui]

So you're saying he should suspend his kit in a vacuum so no sound can escape?

The only logical conclusion is that we will all eventually be playing drums in space, as not to upset our neighbors. SPACE DRUMS!

[Armistice]

Silent sticks

These popped up in my FB feed... might keep the neighbour a bit happier...

[vomitHatSteve]

"How quiet can you play" is a slogan that was definitely chosen to appeal to white dudes with acoustic guitars and the little old ladies in their congregations.

[Greg_L]

white dudes with acoustic guitars

This one's called Wonderwall

[vomitHatSteve]

white dudes with acoustic guitars

This one's called Wonderwall

This one's called "Wonderwall, but the second line of the chorus says Jesus is gonna be the one that saves me"

[Armistice]

G sus

[JD01]

Stage 1 - I'm getting a shit load of floor boards delivered on Saturday.

[vomitHatSteve]

Stage 1 - I'm getting a shit load of floor boards delivered on Saturday.

Stage 2 is the shit load of tennis balls?

[Greg_L]

Stage 3 is a a court appearance for disturbing the peace

[JD01]

Stage 1 - I'm getting a shit load of floor boards delivered on Saturday.

Stage 2 is the shit load of tennis balls?

Nah, that's insulating the roof.

[JD01]

Stage 3 is a a court appearance for disturbing the peace

That's at least stage 5 at the moment... we call it an ASBO in the UK.