Drums...softer?

I

iverson763

New member
Hey! Ok, i dun play the drums, but got a question.

Have a drum set at home belonging to my sis who's learning. Wanna jam at home with it but the drums are too loud. i've done the pillow in the bass drum thing, plus the snare toms, all masking tape with a tissue to absorb sound. but still quite loud.

any ways to make it... even softer? except for completely muting it la...

thanks!
 
dun use drumstick. use those that look like satay sticks. sure can reduce volume by 50%.
 
those satay sticks don't really bring down the volume that much.. IF im correct, those satay sticks soft or Mr james (is that right) said is hot rods...

alternatively, u can use Whips.. i've used vater whips to play around 9 pm in the night... but the bass drum might be a lil bit of a problem..
 
marcdadrummer, can try the satay sticks. just get like 10 sticks and bunch them together. experiment a bit. see which end to hit the drums will produce a more desirable sound. also how much tape to use to bound it. bound where ...
 
sounds interesting, hot rods/whips whatever all bring down the volume pretty much, it all boils down to your technique, how loud you play and if you can control the volume.
 
if all does'nt goes well, you can still DIY to make it from a to e's...

but its gonna cost a bummer but u can still play em 3 am in the morning with no satay sticks, just ur plain ol drumsticks and whack em as hard as u like and not even ur dog can hear a sound.:D
 
Mesh heads would work I suppose, you'll still get a tone out of all the drums, plus stick rebound isn't lost. Pretty soft no matter how hard you whack them.

Since your sis is learning, it's gonna be tough for her to play lightly. Stick control might not be that refined yet. It'll take time...

I second the Vater Whips option, they're great stuff.
 
woa... haha, ok, i dun think we'll be playing at 9pm at night, let alone 3am.

James, Marcdadrummer, wrecklx, joshie: Thanks for the options! think the vater whips and hot rods are good options. But of course, the bunch-up-satay-stick option is the most appealing ($$ saving) :lol:
 
hmm.. that's got to takequite a bit of work rite? one thing... if you throw in a cushion, will the cushion start to bounce around the bottom drum skin?
 
ah the way i see it, there's not problem unless you're trying to say that your neighbours are complaining that the noise is too loud for them, and they're planning to complain to the rc/police. if that happens.... LLST lor. mesh heads are the only way out.

but if what you meant was its too loud for your liking when you jam, then its not a problem at all. the pillow in your bass drum doesn't make the bass drum softer... it just muffles it so it won't ring that much, and gives the bass sound the very er... thumpy sound (ran out of words dunno how to describe, but i hope u know what sound i mean la). as for the tissue paper on drumheads, it just deadens your head and removes all ring from it - you're better off playing on a piece of cardboard.

hot rods are a good alternative, but bear in mind that when you crash or play on open hihats, it's still loud.
 
Nah, it doesn't take alot of work. Just gotta remove top skins, put stuff in and put skins back.....and nope, pillows won't bounce about.

Also, stuffing your bass drum wilth pillows not only reduces the resonance....it DOES also reduce volume. I teach in enough music schools and worked in enough studios to know that for sure. To further reduce sound transfer, you can get a contractor to built your a small stage for about $200-$300. That'll include stuffing the stage up with RockWool and rubber stud legs. This will prevent floor and wall vibration.....

If you really don't want to loose all your touch, mesh skins is a no, no then. This method still allows you to hit on actual skins. Look, we know ater this treatment your drums are not gonna sound nice...but sound is the not the concern here....volume is.
 
alvin: yup... volume is the big issue. dun think my drummer will mind if it means free jamming tho... =) And mesh skins is definitely a no-no. $$ issues

alvyn: ermm... that's my main problem man. i dun want mata to come knocking on my door. o/w i dun really care if the drums are loud.
hmm.. the tissue on the head, point was to remove the ring and unwanted reverberation... i'm playing indoors. i'm not an expert in drums, but me ears prefer the tone of the drumheads (esp. the snare) with the tissue absorbing the ring... no? :lol:
 
instead of pillow, you all can try stuff your drums with old newspapers. I've tried it and it does reduce volume of the drums when u play it. But.... it feels like u are hitting boxes. I tried it once but the 'feel' isnt there. The advantages of stuffing newspapers over pillow is the newspaper will stay at their place and it cost very very much cheaper.
 
alvinthedrummer

I'm interested in this solution. Which contractors do the stage+RockWool thing? I haven't been able to play for a few weeks because my neighbours complained, even though I'm using the HQ muting pads. How much volume/vibrations will this treatment reduce (by which I mean the stage and the pillows)? I don't want to spend money and find that it still doesn't work and I have to get mesh heads anyway.
 
hey there, if your neighbours are complaining even when you have HQ pads on....then I'm guessing they're from downstairs? only the bass drum can create this problem. Now, I can't guarantee anything....but I am very sure the platform reduces a significant amount of vibration, which is the number 1 cause of noise issue....

I had mine built by the contractor that built Boon Studio....PM me and I'll give you his contact.
 
Yeah the raised platform thing is very interesting indeed... if possible maybe we can do a mass "order" for the platform, maybe it'll be cheaper!
 
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