Guy downstairs goes mental when practicing e-drums

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David Floegel

Silver Member
Hello world!

So. here's the situation:
I bought a roland td30 e-drumkit to be able to practice at home. It's awesome!

To reduce impact noise, I bought this suuuuper expensive roland td20 drum matt which had really good feedback and ratings and is supposed to be really good.

Well, as it turned out.. it isn't.

I live in a shared flat with 3 other musicians and downstairs is a shop that sells stuff for dogs..
Today after I practiced that guy went mental. he was hitting his ceiling with something really hard - everything in my room was shaking, haha!

So... I wouldn't care but this kinda takes all the fun away..


My question is:

What is THE best solution to REALLY reduce impact noise?
I've read a bit and saw some tennisball plattforms that seem to be really good, although this will cost me some money to build...

Any ideas are welcome!

DAvid
 
The only answer is to isolate. Drum rugs may muffle things a bit, but they don't significantly reduce vibrations transferring to the floor. Something like a rigid platform floating on multiple tennis balls is likely to work well.

Have you tried these http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/digit...ghoWl7sMCFUcTwwodw5UAzA#main-product-overview

Together with these? http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/digit...010911374532&gclid=CLSY3Yem7sMCFUbKtAodVUgARA

They seem expensive, & I have no idea if they work, but Roland claim a 75% reduction in transferred noise.
 
The simple answer would be to practice after 5, when the shop closes for business. Unless the guy lives in the shop, of course.
 
The reality is there is very little you can do to reduce or eliminate noise or vibrations enough to make a downstairs neighbor happy. Can you practice when the downstairs shop is closed?
 
Sound is one thing, vibration another. Depending on the construction of the building there may be nothing you can do.
 
Andy: Yeah I've seen these - and if I could sh*t money, I would definitely buy and try them..


Practicing after 5 is no solution:
1. The shop closes at 7 (stupid guy tho..)
2. We have somebody living downstairs as well - we're basically over a shop AND a small flat. The girl living downstairs comes home at this time.

@Gruntersdad: The building obviously is constructed really badly...
I think a tennisball plattform might help tho, as there are ways to decouple the podest from the floor. This might get rather expensive I think as several layers and isolation material will be needed.

Another thing we thought about was, me switching rooms with my flatmate who lives 1 floor higher..
 
David Floegel said:
Hello world!

So. here's the situation:
I bought a roland td30 e-drumkit to be able to practice at home. It's awesome!

To reduce impact noise, I bought this suuuuper expensive roland td20 drum matt which had really good feedback and ratings and is supposed to be really good.

Well, as it turned out.. it isn't.

I live in a shared flat with 3 other musicians and downstairs is a shop that sells stuff for dogs..
Today after I practiced that guy went mental. he was hitting his ceiling with something really hard - everything in my room was shaking, haha!

So... I wouldn't care but this kinda takes all the fun away..


My question is:

What is THE best solution to REALLY reduce impact noise?
I've read a bit and saw some tennisball plattforms that seem to be really good, although this will cost me some money to build...

Any ideas are welcome!

DAvid
Click to expand...

You're gonna need to install a pad for them to sit on; something with some sort of foam insulation and a piece of plywood over the top. It's the vibration from the impact and the pedals that are driving him crazy.
 
How loud are you playing?

I play edrums and I doubt that my neighbors are even aware that I own them.
 
No Way Jose said:
How loud are you playing?

I play edrums and I doubt that my neighbors are even aware that I own them.
Click to expand...

It depends on the construction.

If someone is directly underneath you and it is an old style, simple wood framed joist floor, the slap of the kick pads will vibrate straight through and actually amplify.

If they are trusses with some insulation in there, it would greatly reduce the transfer.


Get some all thread and hang the drum platform from the ceiling, an inch off the floor :)

Get a crapload of towels or blankets and put a 2" layer under a sheet of plywood.
 
You made an informed choice to use the e-kit so you wouldn't disturb the neighbors, right? As far as I can tell, you're living up to your decision and nobody has the right to ask/demand more of you.

If you're running the e-kit through an amplifier, then the other guy has a right to complain.
 
mmulcahy1 said:
You made an informed choice to use the e-kit so you wouldn't disturb the neighbors, right? As far as I can tell, you're living up to your decision and nobody has the right to ask/demand more of you.

If you're running the e-kit through an amplifier, then the other guy has a right to complain.
Click to expand...

Well that's no attitude to keep! "I feel that I've done enough so there's nothing more that I can do so suck it up".

I live at the beach in a high density zone so I understand full well the dynamics of "good neighbors". If someone's atop my home and I have to listen to what amounts to a dance studio and I can't sleep or it's just outright annoying then I would expect for that behavior to change or the issue be handled better. I would go so far as to help the person fix the problem and even chip in if it were some sort of outlay of cash. "Do your thing" as long as it's not too annoying!

But the guy coming on as a full-lunatic is a bit much. I only go full-frontal when someone's got a fire in the neighboring complex and it wakes me up out of a dead sleep thinking the house is ablaze. ;)
 
I have had great luck with Pearl mesh heads on regular drums, with ddrum triggers. The main issue for you is probably the bass drum. You can get the mesh head and put it on and trigger with that. Whisper quiet. Takes a little investment.


http://www.guitarcenter.com/Pearl-Mesh-Head-Pack-107251936-i2162274.gc?country=us&currency=usd&source=4WWRWXGP&gclid=CjwKEAiAsJanBRCgnpfa0orvyz4SJAAbxEq-6uiiVEXt_FGewCzPGkKi3FkUOs0rPvpNX1Z3tjPv1RoCI3Lw_wcB&kwid=productads-plaid^85464819882-sku^107251936@ADL4GC-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^44639487282
 
I'm going to recommend something a little different. Move.

You need to put yourself in a position to succeed at what you're attempting to accomplish. If external forces are constantly working against you, you either need to conquer those issues or change your environment to something more nurturing of your ambition. Play unencumbered, uninhibited. Get free.

It might be as simple as putting a finder out on craigslist. Finding someone with similar ambitions and collaborating on a space. It may take a year to get to where you want to be, but at least you'll be there.
 
BillRayDrums said:
Well that's no attitude to keep! "I feel that I've done enough so there's nothing more that I can do so suck it up".
Click to expand...

So, if I am doing my part to stay quiet, i.e. the e-kit, and you still think I'm being too loud (which is subjective, by the way), it is my responsibility to get even quieter??

You're nuts!

David Floegel should break out an acoustic kit so the guy downstairs can have a real auditory experience and do a compare & contrast exercise:
Which kit is loud and which kit is quiet?
 
I used to have a modified Tennisball riser.

- Tennisballs on the floor
- Plywood on top of the Tennisballs
- Paving slabs on top of the Plywood
- Carpet on top of the slabs
- E-Kit on the Carpet

The Tennisballs decouples the kit from the ground; like a turntable.
The Paving slabs increase the mass so the bass frequencies get damped.
So in essence we got a preloaded spring acting as a shock absorber.
This will decrease the energy traveling through the floor.
 
mmulcahy1 said:
So, if I am doing my part to stay quiet, i.e. the e-kit, and you still think I'm being too loud (which is subjective, by the way), it is my responsibility to get even quieter??

You're nuts!

David Floegel should break out an acoustic kit so the guy downstairs can have a real auditory experience and do a compare & contrast exercise:
Which kit is loud and which kit is quiet?
Click to expand...

"I'm nuts"... yep! You nailed it!
 
I kind of like NewTricks idea to suspend it from the ceiling joists. Imagine screwing heavy duty hooks in, then very short bungie straps (as many as you need to hold the weight) to decouple from the ceiling, then regular chain to a platform that is not touching the floor in any way, even after sitting down at the kit. It would have to be stabilized somehow, maybe tennis balls underneath the platform just to create friction on the carpeted floor, but not taking any weight.

A sheet of 3/4" plywood, 4 hooks, tennis balls, chain, bungie straps maybe. Pretty cheap.
 
Awww Gee...

Do we HAVE to revisit this tired old thread? Although not as bad as, "I'm building a home studio in the loo at my Mom's house and want to sound-proof it," it comes close.

Here's the definitive answer, just resurrected:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq7kqo_S40I

Sorry - couldn't help it! ;-)
 
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