If You're a Drummer Stuck Living in an Apartment, Try This.
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- Опубликовано: 14 июл 2017
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Most of us drummers, even if we don’t necessarily live in an apartment, have to practice quietly from time to time. Seeing as how it’s essential that we’re able to PRACTICE, it can be very beneficial to have a quiet practice drum kit set up and ready to go. I’ve lived in an apartment for almost 2 years now, and a few “practice kits” later I’ve landed on one that works really well for me. Aquarian Super Pads combined with Zildjian L80 Low Volume cymbals create an extraordinarily quiet drum set that has never disturbed my neighbors. I hope I can help YOU play drums in an apartment and successfully practice quietly and regularly.
Check out my more DIY practice kit from last fall…
• What Your Practice Kit...
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• The Funnest Practice D...
Part 3:
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One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" it actually Block outside Noise coming from Windows. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/
@@laurabrown5394 are you adverting this lmao
My neighbours tell me to make more noise when I have parties late at night and the guy sometimes comes and drinks with us even though he's like 20 years older than us. He also doesn't mind me drumming in the day or guitar amps or singing. I really never want to move
Haha that's hilarious. Sounds like you've got a pretty workable situation there!
That's crazy awesome
What an awesome situation, wished it would always be that way 😢
You're so lucky.
That's very lucky!
Watching this after my neighbor hit the ceiling 5 times
bro literally me
I play clarinet. What am I doing here?
Charlie Inksetter watching the video
I play acoustic guitar, and even that feels too loud sometimes. This video could have some good tips for any loud instrument
Is Mayonnaise an instrument?
But u wanna be a drummer
🤣
My neighbors are cool with my drumming as long as i dont do it before noon or after 8pm. So i've got an ez time
Sweet! Not a bad situation at all.
That's pretty cool. My neighbors are not cool with me even living there let alone playing drums. So.. my only choice would be to hire a garage/storage space. Unfortunately, those are hard to find and expensive.
@[The] White Rabbit if your live next to someone who is experienced at drums it's better than someone then not because it will just sound like random noises.
I live in an apartment and I use the Pearl Rhythm Traveler with the muffle heads, they are extremely quiet (even the kick drum) and for the cymbals I use neoprene material to cover them. With this combination I have never had problems with my neighbours. By the way the feeling of the the muffle heads are very similar to a real head!
Christian, I bet you're doing the exact setup I used to use! I bought the rhythm traveler about 5 years ago and used it for a while, combined with foam mutes over cymbals. I think I just got tired of switching heads all the time. I totally agree - those mesh heads are super quiet! Almost so quiet you can't hear what you're playing!
Great tip. Where do you get the neoprene material? Do you have a link or brand?
@@sccdrum93 do you have a link or brand for the foam mutes / mesh heads? Thanks for the video
I use my stools and pillows to make a drum kit.
The list as goes:
2 normal pillows (Hi-Tom, Mid-Tom)
A body pillow w/a box to keep it up (Floor Tom)
The small stool w/pad & duct tape (Snare)
The tall stool w/ pad (With an egg shaker inside) (Hi-Hat)
Pencil Box (bass pedal/bass drum)
All at the end of my bed
My two hi tom and mid tom “drums” also double as either a crash or a ride if i hit it on top, but that’s depending if I’m in the mood to even set up the cymbal pillows which is hardly ever.
That’s how I practice drums because I don’t even have any drums.
same dude
I've just recently moved into an apartment within the last few days and it's such a switch up from my normal life. I'm so used to blasting music. Luckily, I'm a guitarist and it's easy to practice quietly. I couldn't imagine how a drummer could practice in an apartment. I hear if my neighbors sneeze, so I guess my walls are just especially thin. I'm looking up ways to make drums as quiet as possible because my drummer friend wants to move in.
Thank god for your video man, I’m glad someone finally showing us how to practice in our apartments. This is elegant and very informative. Very well put together and explained. Thank you so much bro 😊 🙏
Really great video! 100% honest and informative. Thanks for the upload! Cheers!
Thanks so much, Branko! Take care.
I can't thank you enough for this information. I've been trying to figure out how to set up a band practice space in the duplex I live in, and the major obstacle was the drums. Now, I think with some double wall systems, solid core doors, green glue, and these drum augmentations you listed I might actually get to make music again without the fear of my neighbour shooting me in the face.
Moving into an apartment this summer and really didn't want to leave my drums behind, thanks man! I'm gonna give this a shot!
This provides some piece of mind for the future, cheers!
Damn, this has such a new meaning in 2020. This man is a prophet!
Nice one Stephen. Wish this video existed when I was learning at home 16 years ago.
I live in an upstairs apartment, but I recently got some Remo Silentstroke drum heads and Zildjian L80 cymbals. I put a heavy rug underneath the kit and it's absolutely quiet. I can play acoustically and not damage my hearing or bother my neighbors. Definitely recommend it!
Awesome! I bet you don't have any low-end troubles with the silent strokes, which helps I'm sure. Those low volume cymbals are so cool 👍
Great video man, been looking for this. Thanks so much
Thanks! I hope it helped you out 👍
Great tips, thanx for posting. 🤘
I play on an electronic drum kit but I hate it so I'm getting a shed to soundproof in order to play an acoustic kit
There you go! That's a great way to do it.
I route my electronic drumkit to a audio interface and then through a surround sound in my office.
the GREATEST decision I ever made was paying $250 for a Roland SPD-6 (think: large laptop, with 6 partitions). i only play with two sticks (no feet) and had to teach myself to cover all the drums with just 2 limbs, but it's 90% superior to a Real Drum Kit, in almost every application. (I've toured the world with it, for ten years!) (To have a super-drumkit in your shoulder bag, and it takes 30 seconds to set up, and you can always play at ANY volume, is insane.) And I can practice silently on it while watching tv, etc.
ALSO, it really is true that Drummers Are GODS Of Inefficiency. (On a Roland drumpad [size of thick laptop] I can do 80% of what other drummers do... in LESS space. [And I can do zillions of things they CAN'T do.] EVERYTHING about a Normal Trap Set is hyper-unintelligent.
(Imagine having a piano with just 5 keys... and each is
the size of a microwave oven! NO INSTRUMENT is less efficient than Conventional Drums.)
(I love trap sets, but that's not SMART. i'd rather have a trap kit that's just a few drumpads and a kick / hhat.) (And how much WASTE in hitting things the size of large plates? I practice on tiny drumpad and corks sticking out of wine bottles --- far more efficient!)
Omg same!
Your videos are on pretty great quality level, u deserve much more than 1k subs. Keep up the good work man.
Thanks so much, man! I hope to keep growing the channel 👍
This video is great man. Keep it up.
I live in the same situation, with very sensitive neighbors below.. it never crossed my mind to try the foam workout pads under my drum rug.
Thanks!
Thanks, man! Yeah the workout foam pads seem to work fairly well. I noticed that the only sound I hear from MY upstairs neighbors are their footsteps, so if I eliminate the direct contact with the floor I can at least reduce some stomping. Not perfect, but it does help!
Much better than what I used to do. I would stuff my drums full of pillows and cover the cymbals with towels and play them with chopsticks LOL. Sometimes I would travel 10 miles north out of the city and setup on a flat spot. An area rug and a small 3 piece set. Commuters always honked at me giving me the thumbs up, as I played my drums in the Francis Marion National Forest on the side of Highway 17
This was really informative and I honestly was feeling really low because I don’t have anywhere to play really and I was feeling like slowing down on drums but I’m going to use this method for my Apartmemts 🙏🏽
Thank you. Some stuff for me to consider that I wasn't aware of.
Need more videoes like this, it's really helpful man.
Thanks!!
I have a Dw practice kit with moongel pads for all the pads. It’s the best practice kit I’ve ever played for feel and noise but especially for feel and technique nothing compares, I’ve owned everything including a few td30s, Gibraltar practice kit, a few Dw practice kits. Ps I can play mine in the middle of the night and it’s all good 😉👍👌
Finnally someone made a video on this! Ever since i moved out of my parents place ive missed it so much! I haven't hopped behind a kit in 3 long years! Tired of my steering wheel being my primary drum kit! Haha Time to get back to it. Thank you!
Steering wheels are great, but sometimes they just don't quite feel like real drums haha! I was in the exact same predicament when I moved out of my parents'. I knew I HAD to practice, so that led me to get pretty creative before landing on the setup I'm using now. Glad this could help you, man! Thanks for watching.
Also I was wondering how many Db do you reach/average with the setup you have?
Thanx for the idea of the foam padding under the kit. I use L80 cymbals with remo silent stroke heads on a dedicated practice kit. I also ended up putting the old neoprene dampening pads inside the snare and toms on top of the reso head to dampen even further. Also put a big couch pillow inside the kick. Using hotrods and good dynamics, I can practice almost any time.
Nice! Sounds like a solid practice kit.
tennis ball drum riser definitely!
Most definitely my next step :)
addthisto
Made that, was cheap and easy, works nicely!
That's awesome!! I'd like to try this out just to further increase my isolation. That's great when your DOWNSTAIRS neighbor has no clue you play drums.
I built one, have an electric kit, which makes it the only thing I really need. One of the best things I have ever done with my time.
@@oioDerricKoio same thing as mine
Really digging this series already!
Thanks Randy! Lot's of fun stuff to come.
Great video! Very helpful. Just looked up the Aquarian Super Pads, and they would run about $300, and the Zildjians about $300 as well.
I've seen several videos of people building a portable "studio" out of moving blankets and pvc piping. I've been thinking of using that basic concept to create a faux inner wall for soundproofing a room. I think I will need to use more than just moving blankets and am currently researching what materials to use. But this will also need to be cost effective to build.
Excellent video Stephen!
Thanks!
Thanks for the helpful video!
So glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
I don't play drums and I don't live in an apartment. Why am I watching this lmao
Subscribed anywayskek
haha! Well if you ever find yourself becoming a drummer and living in an apartment....you'll be off to a great start :) Thanks for subbing!
That's true lmao
I play on electronic kit. The pedals thumb loudly on my thin carpet. The houses here in San Francisco are butted up pretty close together. I stop by 10pm. But, I’m definitely gonna need some foam pads for walls and floor. Because I can’t really let loose like I want to.
What I first saw- "If your drummer is stuck in their apartment again, do this"
With a photograph depicting the drummer sliding a key under the door out to someone.
... lordy 😂😂😂 i need my eye glasses more these days.
I’ve never played the drums in my life but I still watched the video through
4.10 i didnt know you could rap
Best comment EVER on RUclips.
😅😅😅😅
I have an Alesis DM-10 with a mesh conversion and a 14 inch mesh snare. It's pretty quiet. My room mate above me said "You can play for real, you don't have to gently tap your drums." and I informed her that I was playing normal and my drums are electric.
Haha that's great! That's the part of the story where you bring in some acoustic drums and cymbals, start playing, and let her decide whether she actually wants you to play for real :) - That's awesome though, having a setup so quiet that your neighbor encourages you to actually play it louder.
Same setup. Works really well!
Awesome! I've really liked my setup. I'm always working to improve it too 👍
Very good job on creating an acoustic kit that still sounds like a kit. I live in an apartment and use Roland V-Drums that are situated on a wooden platform thereby creating a "false floor" and also use Roland silencer rubber feet on the hi-hat stand and kick drum which deaden impact vibrations from those kit components. I don't play after 8pm and start as early as 9am.
That's awesome! I like the "false floor" idea. I'm thinking about building a basic "tennis ball" platform just to isolate things a bit more.
Stephen Clark
Yes I've seen the video on the tennis ball buffer and that is the idea behind Roland's rubber feet silencers.
I made a raised practice pad out of two layers of wood topped with carpet and that foam mat stuff then I put tennis balls in between as I have an electric kit the vibration was more a problem than noise and this seemed to solve it
Awesome! I've been looking into the tennis ball riser idea. Seems to work very well, so if I get one built soon there is sure to be a video :) It's amazing how something as DIY as that works so well to reduce sound transmission through floors and walls. Did you use regular plywood for yours?
i use a pork pie lil squealer 12 inch snare with a crappy 150 dollar kit from craigslist that i refinished that sounds and looks phenomenal now and all i do to keep it quiet is drape a t shirt on each tom and the snare and cymbals. sounds like it wouldn't work that well but it actually works rather nicely. i also have the kick stuffed super full with blankets so it doesn't really make much sound other than a click. just what i do, thought it might help others.
ha cool wish I'd of seen that since before 2010 when I lived in apartments for years now I'm in a house with a wicked basement so I'm free to go crazy ha
Haha! Back in 2010 I was still playing loudly at my parents. That's awesome having that basement though. I bet you earned it :)
Good idea
I pay a climate control storage unit for $70 a month and I practice in there after business hours, usually until midnight. Have never had a problem.
Not bad! That sounds like a good situation. A lot of times actual "practice/rehearsal" facilities charge more in the $200-$400 per month range, so a climate controlled storage facility is a great deal!
Renny Villarroel do you practice acoustic or electric drums there ?
benjovi55 💀 😂 you might be joking but all kinds of things happen on those storage units, apparently at my facility a guy turned his unit into a motel room with a stripper pole in the middle 😂
Broooo. That is genius. Im getting me a unit right away
Thanks for the idea!! Just a reminder that there's always way were there is will
ya, don't do audio demos with camera and phone audio. I really like the low volume cymbals and heads! That is dope! Thumbs UP bro!
Hello Stephen, just a quick question. Do you think combining these cymbals with mesh heads on all drums and maybe the tennis ball riser you tested would be the best solution for a practice drumkit for an apartment? Seems like combining these three solutions would be ideal?
Im having an e-drum kit and still having noise complaints - i believe kick is probably the culprit. Saw your video on tennis ball solution, might try that
i just practice to play quite.. you know that stuff
What do I do to keep my practicing quiet? Well, I'm poor, so I use a lot of cardboard and towels to muffle the sound. I also do a lot of air drumming.
Very helpful video, Stephen. Thanks! Btw could you add the links of the tools you have use so we can purchase it?
I am practicing with DW drum pad set one ride with one towel on it, and one hi hat with towel too..
This is good advice for anyone not just people in apartments. Saves annoying other people in a detached house, neighbours across the street - it is also good for your own ears, too...
Oh absolutely! The "quiet practice" thing allows you to just sit at the kit and play through something without needing ear protection / in-ears / all that stuff. (and could keep a neighbor across the street from even knowing you're a drummer.)
Why do these 4th world over privlidged nations neighbors annoy living beings by them worshipping demons an pedophilia an being ignorant an crackhead beggars an sloths an glutton ? Do we whine they look an act like jabba the hut? No. Whining is a personality trait the game attaches sometimes when it randomly generates humans. It's pretty generic an only has like 7 personality mixes it generates humans with so whining is pretty common (7 goes into 14 billion a whole bunch of times).
Other people don't respect living beings. It's not about respecting them. They don't respect you. It's just one of those accepted things in failed nations to whine. Like pedophila an their religions kinda. It's one of those things that 99% of people love an are involved in. it's so widely accepted that you can't stop it easily due to being out numbered. An like religion an their other favorite things you can see their personality traits an the generic output in conversations it programs clones with is to attack you first an call you evil for what you do.
The earth sim/ game is super over simplified so when you see it for what it is you know it's really happening that way because we see the same exact thing in 100 other things they do.
Should be a way to ban people who whine about musicians from listening to music. These same people whine when someone is building a house an road an then want to live in a house an use roads
i personly would recomend getting an electric kit with mesh heads
if you need to kill off your foot thump vibration, there are DIY anti vibration boards you can make with tennis balls, few rubber stoppers for foot, 2 thick wooden boards and hole driller.
I live with roommates and my room is a huge finished room in the basement. I'll be running low volume cymbals and pads for a while but eventually I'll be building a small isolation booth on one side of the basement lol
Hey, what do you think about a practice drum set? (DW “go anywhere” practice kit)
The SilentStroke heads are great. I use a set of the Meinl Safari cymbals, and an old Zildjian ride with strips of packing blanket on it. I'd love some L80 cymbals though.
Cool! I'd be really interested to side-by-side compare the super pads with the silent strokes. I hear good things about silent strokes as well, which are less pricey than super pads. Sounds like you're making the cymbals work though! I used to do some of that...strips of cloth, blankets, etc. whatever it takes!
DON'T PLAY THE DRUMS AT 3AM
Because if you do, your neighbors will really hate you.
Yeah I'd have to agree with that :)
I do not miss living in an apartment. My roommates and I have very different schedules so I get to practice while they're at work. But honestly as long as they aren't asleep I can play unpadded drums and they don't mind too much.
We have a shed that I want to turn into my practice area but I have to clean it of leaks first.
Acoustic or edrum?
My quiet practice kit: Remo type pads for hi-hat, snare and toms. All covered with Evans sound off pads (I glue them on). On the "hi-hat" I put several lays of sound off material covered in duct tape for a different/feel sound. For bass drum(s) I used to use my regular pedals with Pearl BD10 practice pads. But now I use Hansenfutz's with the extra spring - the feel is different in that there's no free rebound to take advantage of. So in a way you can't cheat! And I added a 3rd Hansenfutz without the extra spring and use that as my pretend hi-hat pedal. Tucked away in the nook in my basement keeps things pretty damn quiet and I'm able to practice early AM before I go to work while everyone, including the nosy dog, are asleep!
Very nice! I guess covering in duct tape probably increases durability as well. I remember doing that also on some cymbal mutes I used to use. I had never heard of the HansenFutz! That's a neat product. Doesn't cost too much either.
Stephen Clark > Cool! I forgot to mention I also have one of those small plastc pintech cymbals with a layer of Sound Off glued on. Btw the Sound Off does eventually wear down and you'll need to vacuum up the little black rubble from time to time. I'm cheap replacing it so I just cut out the worn pieces and cut in the new.
great video!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I have a DIY tennis ball riser and my mum is so happy about it. As I am a metal drummer she got annoyed with the double kick pretty fast
Watching this after my neighbour claimed that I play a lot, even though I just got the kit and played for less than an hour in the middle of the day
Well it takes a bit of practice to be able to play an talk at the same time, though.... ;)
Great job on that!
Thanks bro bro!!!!!!
Thanks for watching, man!
The new black hole heads look cool. They keep more tone.
I just had to look those up - never heard of them! Those look very cool...like a mix of remo silentstrokes and aquarian super pads. More great practice options I'd be really interested in comparing and testing out. I guess the "tone" would result from a little bit of sympathetic head vibration?
I have a remote pratice kit and you can tune it so I got a sliencer and tuned it down
Rock on
I used to just play in my shed, however I got a few complaints, so I built a soundproofed room within my garage. I haven't got any complaints yet as sound does still get out a little bit when i'm playing louder.
Nice, Alex! I'd love to have a separate space to fully soundproof. If only I could build a room-within-a-room inside my apartment.
Stephen Clark aha, that's what I was thinking.
I've joked with people about buying a full-on drum enclosure to put in my apartment. Which would actually get the job done....but would be expensive and a HUGE pain to get in there then move out later haha.
Very, very interesting.
You could try the foams sticking them together to absorb more of the mids and lows too.
I've heard that ideally you start with the lows/mids by putting bass traps in the corners. Apparently if you do those well, you may not actually need the lighter foam that I used. But I went cheap and bought just the lightweight foam haha. Yeah I wonder what combining them might do...you need density to absorb low end, but it does seem like stacking a couple of them would help to absorb lower mids maybe.
I have the same setup except, instead of the aquarian super pads, I have the Remo silent stroke drum heads and they work great!
Awesome! I'd like to get some of the silent strokes just to compare with my super pads. They're so much cheaper, and everyone's saying they're great.
Great video! Do you think you could possibly record a next video from one of your's neighbors apartment while you play? That would be insane for this serie!
I would love to be able to do that :) That'd definitely be cool. I'm thinking about building an isolation platform to put the kit on, which will further soundproof things. Maybe I can set it up in a house somewhere where I can do a comparison from the floor below....we'll see. Thanks for watching! 👍
So, What is the stuff on that plastic practice kit?
What about those sticky parts which sometimes come with the drums, dampening the vibration?
Just to give suggestion, if you kick drum is against the wall, try getting like a square sofa thick pillow and put it infront of your kick drum. It doesn’t resonate much however it still sound nice
Does that kids mat and the rug help with the stomping? I am a pianist and play an electric piano at night with headphones, but my neighboor downstairs still hears the stomping by the piano keys (its a wood floor and I have a thin rug)
Thanks for helping because i thought it was rude to play drums in an apartment so thanks
As long as the drums are quiet, you make an effort not to hit super hard, and it's not the middle of the night...I would definitely not consider playing drums in an apartment to be rude :) Glad I could help!
Do you play live? If you do do you have a video on what all you need you play live?(mics, interface, etc)
Those cymbals look cool
They are pretty cool :) They really messed with my head when I first played on them - "How am I hitting this and barely hearing anything??" haha 😄
Stephen Clark they look reallllly fragile
good info.
Thanks!
I have a Roland electric kit and even though it's electric, my downstairs neighbors have complained that the set is loud and it causes their lights to flicker. Should I invest in padding to minimize the vibration?
Subbing! Great video! 👍
Thanks! I appreciate your subscription 👍
I really like how the remo silentstrokes look, feel, and sound like real drums just nice and quiet. Downside is they have to replace your head. So i own a separate cheap kit that i keep SS on so my main kit i dont have to keep switching heads
Right - the decision maker for me was the fact that the super pads could be thrown on top of the heads. Otherwise I was afraid I'd never practice lol. I have a second kit I could have used with silent stroke heads, but didn't really have a space to put it. I'd like to get some silent strokes to compare with the super pads. I keep saying that...just need to order them :)
Stephen Clark but hows the feel on the pads? I used dw pads for awhile but they had too much rebound. Not a bad thing until you get too used to that feel then struggle when u return to real heads
The super pads are actually fairly soft, falling somewhere in between an old "sound-off" style mute and a hard rubber pad. They're literally like a halfway in between...the floor tom isn't too bouncy, yet the snare isn't too dead. I haven't noticed any challenges going back and forth between these and a real kit. There definitely are subtle differences, but I think I play on a regular, unmuffled kit often enough that I don't get too "used to" the super pads.
Hi Stephen, my name is Rocky. I just found your video here and checked out youro ther videos too. I wanted to know if you might b e in or around the NYC area? If so, i would like to talk more with you about possibly playing drums on a record i will be making soon. the full album actually. possibly.. please let me know .. Thank you
You should put links for where to get some of these items you use. I can totally understand if not an affiliate but still would be cool.
I have the same problem but not with an electric drum but with a keyboard.
my keyboard key are semi weighted & make an awful loud plastic sound when pressed & the sound travels from the keyboard down the table & onto the floors.
you think the foam mat will solve my issue?
Everyone having this problem, check out the Remo Silentstroke heads, and the Zildjian low volume cymbals. They are a must for acoustic kits in an apartment!
I'll second that 👍 - I haven't tried out the silent strokes yet, but I'd like to get some just to compare to the super pads.
Shirts on the cymbals, blankets/towels in the drums
I use cymbalmutes for my cymbals. Then some remo silent strokes that are on all my toms and snare except my bass drum (which is a TD20 kick) and then triggers on the snare and toms that feed directly into the TD-20 Module. I have a couple electronic cymbals used as splashes and stacks. Makes practice feel incredibly real and I get the benefit of jamming along to my music, lessons and metronome that are inside the TD-20 Module. Great vid man! I wanna try out those aquarian heads sometime!
That's awesome! So you've basically built your practice kit into an electric kit. I keep thinking about getting one or two of the silent stroke heads to compare with my super pads. I'm curious as to how those compare. I bet the silent strokes work better for triggering though.
They really do work well for triggering but from what I understand, larger ply mesh heads work best. I think the silent strokes are only 10 ply where as others are 20-30. I also need some better triggers but the roland ones are so expensive ha. Cheers mate! Great content!
Nice little tip. I had to get a electronic drum set to be even to play again. I went from a house to a townhouse home. I have a garage and I've been tempted to play, but afraid of the neighbors being so damn close.
Yeah... I know of a guy who plays full-on acoustic drums in a town home, but his is an end unit (and his neighbor goes to work 9-5). I wonder how thick the dividing walls are in most units... If you're going to be there for a while, soundproofing could be worthwhile! (floating the floor or building a drum riser, adding sound absorption on the walls, etc.)
Yeah, I have an end unit as he does. I am lucky to have a garage where I could play them in. I was actually thinking about doing that. Almost making it look like a tent in a way. I was looking at these tarp like material curtains, like a while ago for a house I was sharing with my best friend. The sound of the drums were quite muffled throughout the house for playing in a small room upstairs facing the main street. On the hand, they were quite loud out of the house. But anyway, I have been itching again. I play on my electronic kit, but obviously it is not the same. And I wanted to combine them both in a way.
Excellent video! I'm in the process of trying to solve this problem on a budget. Do Evans soundoff pads do the job? I would love to be able to record the set But practicing is my main priority right now. Any suggestions on doing this on a budget??
Thanks!!
I used to use those a while back. I think my only complaint was just that they weren't durable enough. I ended up duct taping them on both sides to get them to hold up longer, which deadened the rebound even more. I never could practice "snare stuff" on the snare because of that. The toms felt ok though. Now I know there are some different brands of dampening pads like that on the market, and some could be better than others. And this was a few years ago, so maybe the quality's gotten better :) I also hear great things about Remo silent stroke heads (mesh heads), which are much more durable and don't cost much more than a regular drum head. I'm thinking about buying a few and comparing with my super pads. Those might be a solid start to practicing quietly on a budget, then getting the Zildjian L80's when you're ready. Those are the best "practice cymbals" I've ever played!
Really interested in this Im in the same predcament.
It's a predicament MANY of us find ourselves in. You're definitely not alone. I hope you're able to find a setup that works for you! (even if it's more DIY like my old setup).
Soundproofing
Soundproofing is a good thing - if you can do it! I joke with people about building a room within a room inside my apartment...but not such a great investment for a rented space :)
i use brushes and a very soft beater. sometimes when i just want to whack my toms or work on rolling the toms i use those soundoff pads and take off the snare wires. i also decrease the distance of my hihats to like 1/4-1/2 inch.
That can definitely help. You could also throw a towel between your hats as well. I used to use some sound-off type pads, and they definitely brought levels down to a quieter thumping. Snare wires are a big thing when it comes to higher frequencies, so that feels huge too - just getting those off. Do you ever try using rods or some sort of hotrod/brush hybrid instead of pure brushes?
no, i haven't tried anything else besides brushes and wood tip sticks. have you tried them? i'm curious if mallets would quiet things a bit.
You could try mallets, but the weight imbalance might make it weird switching back to normal sticks (heavier ends instead of light tips). Hotrods could be a best of both worlds...quieter, good feel, plus you can still play doubles if you want to. I haven't tried that practicing, but I use hotrods all the time on quieter gigs in place of sticks.
I don't live in an apartment or anything, just a normal suburban street, but I am always super worried about bothering neighbours. I've never had anyone complain, though. I generally try to play for an hour or less at most each day, and only play between 11am and 5pm.
I'm sure I could probably play more than that, but I feel like any more than that could be annoying to the people living around me.
Great video. I'm lucky enough to have them set up at my parents house, so I have no need to play quietly 😜
Haha nice! I guess in your situation you could use a setup like this to practice at 3am if you wanted to 😜
You've definitely opened my eyes to this type of setup.
My neighbor plays drums we live in a condo complex. He plays loud but it works I play guitar and can jam to him through the walls. So I get the benefit of playing to live drums at home. I have only played my drums once. I am scared they are so dam loud and I suck at drums I don't think the neighbors would like me playing my drums. Great video now I have an idea
Well that sounds like fun! You know though...I have to wonder if most neighbors can even tell whether or not the muffled drums they're hearing through the wall are sounding good or bad. If you can get things muffled down and quieter, don't worry about whether your neighbors think you're a good drummer or not. We all need to "practice like we're the worst" so we can "perform like we're the best"...There have been plenty of times I've been practicing and messing something up and thinking "I hope my neighbors didn't hear that, because that sounded dumb." Haha! But the goal is always to practice what we're NOT GOOD AT anyways so that we get better. So who cares how you sound practicing :)