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Soundproofing suggestions?
Spoom182
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I play drums. Too loud, it seems. My neighbors up the hill, down the hill and 5 or 6 houses in each direction complain. So our plan is to move the drums into the garage, and we need it soundproofed. As I understand it, theres no cheap soundproofing, you can't just tack something onto a wall and call it done. So I need some help knowing how much it would cost to do, what are some good materials and all that. Basically give me a crash course on soundproofing, please. Thanks.
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Google a company called Auralex. They might have something for you. Also try to look for "acoustics 101." Problem is, even if you do a decent job of foaming up your walls, you won't be able to foam up the garage door and sound will just pass through there.
The best way is to actually build a room within a room. Like a sound capsule.
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Failing that, yes, the garage door is going to always be a source for sound leakage. You can hang heavy curtains in front of it and that'll help, but there's only so much you can do about it.
Where are you practicing right now that you have neighbours on different properties complaining? Outdoors?
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Also to the op, egg crate foam. That stuff works wonders.
Heavy curtains and big, thick comforters draped on the walls should dampen the noise a good amount. To dampen the actual drums, put feminine napkins on them. They're fantastic - already sticky on one side, and they reduce the vibration of the skin a good bit. If that's not enough, perhaps you should consider only playing during the day?
As for the soundproofing part, the garage wont work (door plus ceiling is too problematic, theres no real flat roof), the basement wont work (too small) and the inside the house won't work because we'd have to tear down the walls to effectively soundproof or it or drape foam and shit on the walls, which my parents are not down for. We built a shed out back and that looks like our best bet, so I'll check out that auralex foam stuff.
Also, I'm assuming all the people closer than 5-6 houses away are complaining as well?
where are the drums now? If they're in your room/living room, Something that may work, which I've seen used in recording studios are movable "walls" made of blankets, or something like that. nothing fancy, just a 2x4 frame with a blanket in the middle, but anything that reduces the sound vibration will help. It won't help a whole lot, but it's pretty cheap, and non-permanent.
As for the question about the A/C vent, the first thing that comes to mind is baffles of some sort. Nothing immediately up against it so air flow can continue, but one/several hanging blankets/whatever loosely over the vent should help somewhat.
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Yes, but what about the cymbals?
Personally, OP, this is why I invested in a Roland TD-20 V-Drum set. It is expensive as fuck, but honestly, it is probably the closest an electric set is ever going to get to acoustic. I won't be in a house for years, so I can take my electric drums wherever I go, granted I pack some headphones. Also, recording is a fucking cinch.
But back to Auralex, it is expensive stuff. It is arguably the best, but expensive. What will help you is the www.acoustics101.com. I believe they cover stuff about rooms in there that might prove useful.
The good thing about building a shed is that it is damn easy - drywalling is a piece of cake. Just don't forget to try and get some sort of ventilation in there, because if you get as sweaty as I do when I play, you're in for a world of hurt in a sealed room.
Yeah, my music teachers always told me egg cartons were the way to go... however, I believe egg trays would be more manageable (basically big dimpled sheets made of the same stuff as the cartons). You could stack a few on top of each other to increase the thickness, and it wouldn't be too hard to tile them around a room. You'd probably have to investigate how many trays thick you should have them, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
These don't work because of the thickness, they work because they break and reflect the soundwaves. They're not a 100% measure either, but a sheet of them on top of acoustic foam, or even insulating foam, or even a heavy, heavy drape or comforter will vastly improve your sound dampening. Doubling them up won't make much difference at all.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
All depends on your budget. If you have enough cash, you could create an isolated room in your garage using some of the techniques described. But if you want to go the cheaper route, find a small preferably windowless room, put up lots of iso-foam (or egg cartons) and bass traps (whether you make them or buy them), and get a big heavy door. That should help.
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Soundproof_a_Room
when it is getting too late to play your kit, set up a practice kit. Get a few practice pads, a kick pedal against a flat surface and use some plastic discs and shit for your cymbals (my old drummer used to use frisbees). It ain't the same, but it's as close as you can get without spending a shitload of cash, and it's practically silent from the next room over.
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/q_what_are_some_cheap_ways_to_soundproof_my_basement_theater/