I have had the same crappy drumkit since I was in 6th grade, and really should buy a new one. But I really don't want to settle for anything "in the middle". I would rather wait, save up, and get exactly what I want. They will last for a long long time, so its really more of an investment. I want a 7pc DW kit with 9000 hardware with a decent two-tone fade lacquer finish (they have a specialty called like tabacco burst or something that looks beautiful). Apparently, I break a lot of sticks; they are the crappy "practice sticks" so half of them break immediately after first use!
Along with cleaning and reconfiguring everything (adding the rack back in, adding some other cymbals that haven't been setup, etc.) I also wanted to try some things to suppress the sound a bit. My neighbor on that side of the house has complained before, and it is really load outside that window. So I don't have a ton of money so I bought some rolls of r-13 insulation to cover the way (and an additional layer over the window). Also, I bought some carpet pad (foam) to hang, and a carpet remnant to hang as well (absorption). So I was thinking this: staple the insulation to the wall. Mount a 2x4 to the ceiling with the pad hanging from one side and the remnant hanging from the other. I want to mount it so that there is 4" of air between the remnant and the pad (since they are hanging on either side of the 2x4), and also a 4" gap between the pad and the insulation. I have heard that having the additional air space is important. However, obviously I really don't know what Im doing, so this is probably worthless and just wasting money. It will cover the entire wall, but won't be airtight, so I don't know if that makes a difference. Also, I am not sure if maybe I should've just used sheet rock instead of carpet pad. Its cheaper and seems like it may be denser.
Anyone have any experience in this?
Steve
6 comments:
Have you considered getting those rubber (?) dampening things to put on the drumheads so they're not so loud?
I think those rubber thingies are called practice pads. I have a friend who is a drummer and he has to use them or the neighbors will cut his head off, which is not a good thing to have happen usually.
I do own those, but they really change the entire experience of playing drums- the stick response, sound, etc. Also I don't have one for the bass drum, which is the worst offender.
I took back all of the rug stuff after reading more up on this online. I instead bought 2x4s and sheet rock, which is much more dense. Apparently, two layers of sheetrock with silicon beads between the layers for better sound wave dissipation is the way to go. Or they make something called "mass loaded vinyl" that works really well. I guess for sound suppression density is what matters. Carpet is good for sound "absorption" which is totally different (from what I see online).
I really wish I understood all of this :-(
Steve
windows are the worst offenders, because of the thickness (or rather lack of thickness)of the glass and the flexibility. the carpet/pad/insulation treatment would work if they were complaining about cymbals or snare, because those produce relatively short wavelengths, and the combination of those items would effectively prevent the highs from getting through. kick drum and toms are another story. unless you have a huge room and can put in slat absorbers or bass traps, you have to either reflect the sound back into the room, or cause it to disperse. the sheetrock is better at stopping sound than something like plywood, because plywood, while dense, tends to resonate, and can actually make matters worse. the sheetrock treatment will make your room awfully live, although probably not much worse than it is now. if that is a problem, carpet over the sheetrock should eliminate some of the hf noise. i would be careful about using padding, simply because it's flammable. also, i would suggest leaving an air gap between the new 2x4 wall and the existing wall, so the sound does not mechanically couple through the studs, and cross brace between the studs with short horizonal pieces of 2x4. they don't necessarily have to be all the same height above the floor, but they help break up any resonant tendencies that the unsupported sheetrock may have. good luck then.
victor! my hero! Thanks for the advice. My question is this: I am screwing in 2x4s to the pre-existing sheetrock and studs and then mounting new sheet rock (two layers with silicon beads in between). Should I put insulation (like r-13) in this space or better to leave just air. I already have the insulation and was planning on putting it in. I read about the sheetrock resonating through the 2x4s which is why I got the silicone--will that be good enough or should I do something else?
Thanks a million!
Steve
ok, if you haven't already started, ideally you should leave an air gap between the existing sheetrock and the new studs. this will keep the low frequency from coupling through to the outside walls. if you've already got it going, don't worry about that. i would definitely put the insulation in between the walls. anything you can do like that will help. another thing you might consider is using a piece of the black fiberboard sheathing between the sheetrock pieces. of course, this will cause you to have to use hugely long screws to attach to the studs. if the sheetrock is already glued together, you could mount it on either side, mounting it on the back will decouple the sheetrock from the studs, mounting it on the front will kill some of the high frequencies. ok, good luck. i'll send you an email justin case.
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