Downstairs neighbor complaining even when I am using headphone! How do I muffle kick.

[steven7]

I live in an apartment. Downstairs neighbor can hear tapping or pounding noise from kick trigger. I guess she can hear the tapping from the peddle. Must sound like I'm stomping on the floor.

Does anyone know how I can reduce the pounding noise that she is hearing. My drum kit is on a hardwood floor.

Thanks

[bwherry]

Originally posted by steven7:
I live in an apartment. Downstairs neighbor can hear tapping or pounding noise from kick trigger. I guess she can hear the tapping from the peddle. Must sound like I'm stomping on the floor.

Does anyone know how I can reduce the pounding noise that she is hearing. My drum kit is on a hardwood floor.

Thanks

Hey steven7,

I'm in a similar situation -- my kit is
upstairs, right above our bedroom, hardwood
floors, and originally my wife said the
pounding was really bad. First, make sure
you're using a "regular" style kick trigger
-- ie not one of the inverted beater style
ones. You want the impact going parallel
to the floor, not down into it.

Also, you might want to try what I did:
get a 4x6' (or 4'x8', whatever) sheet of
3/4" plywood and two rolls of "large bubble"
bubble packing wrap from Staples. Tape
a layer of bubble wrap along the bottom of
the plywood sheet, cover the top of the
plywood with some extra carpeting (if you
have it, or get a little area rug from Home
Depot) and set up your kit on there. You'll
be on a little "air cushion" and I doubt your
downstairs neighbor will be able to hear you
anymore. My wife says it's much, much better
this way.

There has also been a bit of discussion on
this topic before, and people have done a
variety of things.... Try the search
feature....

Good luck!

Brian

[Kosmic Kat]

I had to build a drum platform to stop the vibrations from going to the downstairs apartment...For about $100, or so I managed to stop the "noise" from traveling...I made it from 2 layers of 1/2" plywood,with a 2x4 base,lifted off the ground with 2" rubber wheels on each corner and in the middle(6 in all) resting on carpet and 2"foam under each wheel.on the top of the platform I used two layers of carpet..make sure to use screws rather than nails.also I used acoustic installation(basically house home installation) packed underneath between the 2x4..It worked great for the time I was at my apartment

[This message has been edited by Kosmic Kat (edited August 28, 2000).]

[puttenvr]

When I was young (long time ago) also bass pedal beaters with soft felt (even a piece of lambs wool) were available. Perhaps an option.

[rherhuth]

Quote:
Am I the only one who is thinking of driving a nail into each of her eardrums? That will quickly reduce the pounding noise SHE is hearing.

Good idea but you might not get your security deposit back.

[jdsail]

I live in a condo and have had the same problem for years. My ceiling/floor must be especially thin because whatever methods I use to dampen the noise (or is it the vibration?) the neighbors below pound on the ceiling. I should note that it's usually when I'm playing past 10 pm.

My latest setup to muffle the noise is a large Coleman air mattress underneath the Vdrums covered with carpet. I put as much air as I could in the mattress to keep it stable, but it's still a little shakey. Maybe I just shouldn't play past 10 p.m. Or buy a house for my Vdrums...

Jeff

[Marc.]

jdsail:
... Or buy a house for my Vdrums...

Jeff

Wow! They thought I belonged in Bedlam for dedicating an entire room. Jeff, you are the ultimate VDrum guardian angel.

Buy On,
-Marc.

[CaptainBeefheart]

I had a similar problem with my v-drums in an apartment. As a matter of fact, when I used to hit the cymbal pads the floor would also vibrate...I guess from the vibration of the rack.

So what I did to eliminate the problem was use a set of SoundOff practice pads. (Those rubber pads you put over real drums to dampen the sound). I put one pad under each foot of the rack, one under the snare stand, and one under each foot pedal. I haven't had a single complaint since then!

And a set of those pads can be bought for under $50. A great investment.

[RonBon]

Originally posted by CaptainBeefheart:
I had a similar problem with my v-drums in an apartment. As a matter of fact, when I used to hit the cymbal pads the floor would also vibrate...I guess from the vibration of the rack.

So what I did to eliminate the problem was use a set of SoundOff practice pads. (Those rubber pads you put over real drums to dampen the sound). I put one pad under each foot of the rack, one under the snare stand, and one under each foot pedal. I haven't had a single complaint since then!

And a set of those pads can be bought for under $50. A great investment.

I plan on using some of these products in my new home I'm having built.

http://www.owenscorning.com/around/sound/soundhome.asp



------------------
RonBon

[BtnkBndt]

Hey Beefheart,

Did you fit the whole Magic Band in that apartment?

[Boingo]

Originally posted by BtnkBndt:
Hey Beefheart,

Did you fit the whole Magic Band in that apartment?

Wow man! Where have you been? I caught one of your shows, like almost 30 years ago. You opened for Jethro Tull in Philly. (Sorry about booing you guys off the stage.) As I recall, you weren't playing drums back then. Welcome aboard.

[cproctor]

How about switching apartments?!

Originally posted by steven7:
I live in an apartment. Downstairs neighbor can hear tapping or pounding noise from kick trigger. I guess she can hear the tapping from the peddle. Must sound like I'm stomping on the floor.

Does anyone know how I can reduce the pounding noise that she is hearing. My drum kit is on a hardwood floor.

Thanks

[AllenLook]

Place your V-kit on a 4x8 sheet of plywood or MDF, as thick as you can afford. Under the sheet, place enough rubber laboratory stoppers (small end down) to support your weight without warping the wood. Place carpet with padding beneath it on top of the sheet.

[JoeKool]

You could try Homasote. You can buy Homasote in 4x8 sheets, and Home Depot now sells it. It has excellent noise dampening properties, it cuts easily (although it makes a lot of dust when you saw it), it is light weight, and best of all, it is cheap. You can get a sheet of this stuff for under $20.

JoeKool

[gingerbaker]

originally posted by Feefer:


"Am I the only one who is thinking of driving a nail into each of her eardrums? That will quickly reduce the pounding noise that SHE is hearing. (On 2nd thought, probably not a good idea.)"


Ans: No, you're not the only one with thoughts like that, but you are one of the few with enough guts to post some thing so heinously politically incorrect!

Thank Jeff Porcaro we still live in a free country. My heart soars like an eagle!

The Gland Inquisitor