I have some doubts for u guys to clear...

[knvt]

hmmmm, as all of us know, majority of singaporeans stays in HDB flats, so i'm wondering those people who owns an acoustic drum kit/set plays normally at home? without wad u called "mutes"? and wad are mutes? how do they look like? do u guys actually receieve any complains from ur neighbour while practising and stuff? and is it necessary to soundproof my room if i wanna get an acoustic drumset? and which set do u guys recommend? budget less then $600 :roll:

Ps : need to know these stuffs, cause i wanna get a set too..gettin expensive to go studio for practices. and from wad i noe, e sound produce my an acoustic drum set is not really at an acceptable range for many people..coz even in e studio e sound is soo "killer".

thanks in advance!

 

[weckl-x]

Do check out these threads:

Different Kits for Home practice (Poll)
http://soft.com.sg/web/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=22994

Mesh-heads vs Muffe pads vs Alternative methods
http://soft.com.sg/web/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=25451

A quick rundown of my situation: HDB living room (9th floor in a 16 storey block)| Pearl RT + lotsa cymbals | No muffling at all, regular heads | Prac using sticks/rutes/brushes | No complaints from neighbours | No sound-proofing | Bottom line: Lots of common sense and self-control works for me. Cheers, all the best :wink:

 

[knvt]

i've seen e links u gave me. i see more people voting for an electric drumset which personally i think electric drumset really suck coz it'd take away alot of "feel" and i hate e feeling of hitting that darn rubber jus so un-natural!

and for info..wad are slip-on mufflers, rubber mutes and mesh heads?

so sorry i've been into drumming for quite some time already but still dunoe these stuff coz i haven got my own drumset..so now i feel that its time i shld get one..so i think its good for me to know these drum related stuff..im only hitting at sound-proof studio so i've totally no idea of wad are those muffers, mutes and mesh heads..anywhere to get them? so i i can take or look at them..or briefly describe them? thanks! :roll:

 

[weckl-x]

Hey, I agree with you on the feel of an e-kit. I'd only get one if I really really really really really really really really really really really had no other choice. (My personal opinion. I know there are some ekit advocates here, I respect their choice and opinion as well.)

Slip-on mufflers & rubber mutes usually refer to the same product:
A pad that's made out of foam or rubber, cut to size and placed on the batter side of the drum.

Something like this:

http://www.vicfirth.com/products/pads_mutes.html

HQ Real Feel Pad: This is a practice pad that can either be used alone, or placed on top of a snare drum. It'll mute the resonance, but you'll still get adequate snare response. It's usually rubber or foam on top of a woodblock.

http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=1180

Mesh Heads: Made of a very fine nylon mesh. Imagine getting a very fine net and tying it over your drums.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--TAMSPP518

At night, I actually use something usually referred to as a Gladstone style rubber practice pad on my 14" snare. It fits like a normal foam/rubber pad, but the middle circle is much more solid and it's about 1" thick.

Looks like that:

You just have to make a trip down to SweeLee and you can generally find all these things.

No worries, I only got my modest little kit after 4-5 years.

 

[knvt]

yeah man..so generally u own ur kit for 4-5yrs already playin it with mutes and mesh heads all along? wad if u play without it? is it really really damn loud? advisable to play with mutes? if at night no choice la..gotta play with e mutes..but something i'll like to ask abt e rubber mutes on e cymbals. how would it sound like? no sound at all? or it will greatly reduce e crashes' sounds? so mesh-heads are e ones for on snare and toms i suppose? how'd that sound too? toms generally if u hit soft it will be soft, but for snare its jus as loud..if hit softly then it wouldnt be as nice..

and and..last question..how much do they cost? roughly..for the all e mesh-heads and rubber mutes needed.

real big thanks for these infos and e pictures!!

 

[gambatak]

hey knvt, i think placement of ur kit greatly affects the need to 'mute' or not. i stay on the 6th floor, but corner unit. my kit is placed like on the innermost side of the house, furthest away from the closest neighbour.

when i just got my kit, the nighbours all asked me whether i had a drumset and they were all fine with it. the only one who complained is the one living downstairs. had hdb coming voer my place before. so what i did was self erect a mini wood stage for myself with some spare wood from my old bed. and yes, had "self control" over the stepping on the bass pedal. other than that, sound travelling to next door is not really bad la. i tested b4. my friend came over i asked him to play really loud, only when directly outside the door den can hear. or esle u play controlled volume, its even softer than a piano sound cutting through to the nighbours. if u ahve to muffle anything, i think its only the bass drum.

 

[kahuna]

hi i hav a tama swingstar at home and my frens know that i m a very hard hitter so for like the first month after i got my drumset i got complaints from the management...so the management made a deal for me to play from 4 till 8 btw i live on the fourth floor of a four story blk i tink by makin a deal wit ur management or neighbours that can help solve the problem

 

[marcdadrummer]

To threadstarter:

You might have a BIG misconception about E-kits. NOT all the pads are made from rubber! The cheapest and most affordable one would definately be the Pintech E-gig... (ask alvin or head over ezimusic.com for more info)

They use the Mesh heads for their heads.. and FYI, they would sound like what a streched synthetic fibre would... with a slight tone and definately very very quiet..

For feel wise, yes e-kits really loses it but if you have the money, here's your option:

1) Get urself a beat up old crappy drumset with at least the shells and rims are in good condition.

2) Invest on a really good module such as the TD-20 from Roland. OR If your in the budget range, go for lower end modules such as the Alesis Dm5.

3) DIY your own triggers... More info can be found at www.vdrums.com under forums (diy section) or u can google it.. There's lotsa links...

4) All you need now is necessary cables, MESH HEADS and all your time and effort to create your DIY'ed toms.

5) PLug and PLay.. Now no one can stop you from playing... they won't even disturb you playing 3 am in the morning!



There are lots of people who had done their "cheap" conversion for A to Z but there are also High end's stuff..

Here's a dude, a crazy dude i must say...

He's conversions can be found here:
http://www.letsjamonline.com/bandsite/jman/


Even the PDP LXE he made into a A to EZ!




IMHO, the silent pads, silent mesh and dampening methods for a drums is really not that good..

1) silent pads - takes away the bounce, Drums sound really nasty.

2) Mesh heads, you wont hear anything.

3) Dampening methods such as stuffing foam or newspapers or whatnot in ur drums, really spoils the sound lah...

I've made a heck lot of research and i've decided to go for electronic conversions, but overwhelmed by it's time commitment and such, i think an acoustic kits better off for me.

Think of ur time commitments that u can commit to drumming... If ur a professional drummer, might as well get them A to Ez conversions...

From Jman's site, you can save all the hassle and just BUY the triggers themselves... all u need is just a module and some beat old drums to house the triggers...

Disclaimer: Im not in affiliations or in any signed endorsements with those mentioned brands but it's what i would recommend! - haha i wished i was..


So all that being said, u have lots of choices in your hand, so make the right one...

 

[mejonz]

For me..nothing beats the real kit... i don't have really tolerent neighbours...and i don't want to go there...but we've still managed to come out with some kind of agreement. And you really need to practise some common sense and consideration la... don't play at night and stuff... so i think neighbours are a real important factor..if you have nice neighbours...it shouldn't be a problem. and yea...the low frequencies(kick drum) are the bigest problem as they may cause ceilings and floors to shake...

however... if the agreement thing doesn't work out...there's still all the other options the others have posted...mesh heads, mutes, e kits etc...

 

[joshie]

if your just practicing rudiments and coordination exercises i suggest you spare your neighbours the pain. ekits are good in a sense that you can practice these 'non-melodic' exercises at a low volume. practise grooves and such on acoustics, else just buy mufflers if you insist on getting an acoustic.

mufflers derive their names from muffling. there's no loud or soft parts of the kit. toms are high in low frequencies and the snare/cymbals high in high frequencies. and hitting the snare drum soft doesnt necessarily mean it wont sound as nice. it's harder to play soft than loud.

 

[knvt]

hmmmm thanks for these replies..gathering of knowledge! hahhaa..i think gambatak made a great point about e placing of drum set..but well i think i'm luckier then u guys..im staying on e 2nd floor..so i think i wont have any prob abt stepping on e base drum pedal..lol. 8) but well..of couse be considerate! i wont go and practice in e middle of e night! hahaa..

and abt e-kits, coz mostly i only see those rubber ones selling outside..hvn seen something different from tt..i've once thought mayb jus get an e-kit since im staying at HDB, but i went to yamaha for test..e feeling of hitting rubber jus turns me off..Lol.so i think an acoustic set will still be my ultimate choice. and of course i think its necessary to get e mutes, well in case u know.....when i get my kit i'll try out e sounding first. perhaps i'll jus have to control a lil then theres no need for mutes or mesh heads? hahaha..my sis plays piano, and my closest neighbour jus oppsite me (few steps away only) plays piano too..so actually sometimes its quite irritating to hear e piano in e morning u know..but well, tts so minor.

i'd like to thank u guys for these info and sites recommended. i've seen crazy people who DIY-ed their drum set and u know..i suck at such stuff..and im totally not interested to noe how it must be done..coz its quite difficult if im not wrong..i don have much materials, real hell lotsa research as well..i guess i dont have time for tt too..

actually marcdadrummer, i dont really know what u are talkin abt =x other then meaning to DIY ur kit that can have a volume control? is that wad u mean? but i guess i dont have enough knowledge to make them myself too..and my target is to get an acoustic set! well thanks for ur infos too!! i'll check them out. in fact its quite cool to DIY a kit..haha

yeah! agree with joshie. it harder to hit soft then hard..when i always have jamming sessions with my friends, one of them will say i hit damn hard..and to me its like..(!@#$%) how to hit soft on a fast tempo? -__- or say hit soft for e song..its like can also say its naturally loud? lol.

and can i ask, mesh-heads are for snare, and e toms? e rubbers are for e cymbals? 8O

 

[gambatak]

and can i ask, mesh-heads are for snare, and e toms? e rubbers are for e cymbals?

actually no. there all rubber/mesh for any of those. if im not wrong u can get one whole pack of mesh for kits like RT and some tama kits. they also sell a 5 pack box of rubber pads to be placed on top of the snare/toms.

dont buy mesh la, cos have to take out skin to use the mesh head, like that how to season the skin. furthermore, mesh is an unnecessary cost.

if u do intend to purchase the box of mufflers be it rubber or mesh, make sure u get the right sizes.
=D

 

[knvt]

oh real thanks! if i believe those mesh-heads are e ones above in e centre? (in e picture above) kinda wired look? so from wad u say we mus replace e skins to mesh-heads right? hmmm, if tts e case i think e rubber onces are better? and again wad are e mufflers? =xx

and and, can u guys recommen sites that provide hell lotsa drum scores? like say by bands for eg. lifehouse, greenday, MCR, RHCP..basically rock bands. if dunoe wad i'm talkin abt then lemmi give u an eg. like say guitar..they have guitar tabs from like ultimate-guitar.com, those tabs site..so wad im asking is if theres any such sites for drum scores i only noe one site which provide quite little, very small library. www.drumscore.com
u guys can check it out tooo.

 

[marcdadrummer]

like what i said, it's not DIY your Own kit, but DIY your own triggers...

The concept is really basic..

EG: You sing through a microphone and the electric signal goes through the cable straight to the mixer where volume is controlled and than out to the speakers.

It's same with Triggers.

You hit the trigger(microphone installed in the drum), an electric signal sent to the Module and the Module would play the Sound through a loudspeaker or the headphone. As simple as that.

All you need is Housing for the triggers aka you beat old drums... Mesh heads for silent practise and your module.

the website i gave you offers READY MADE PLUG AND PLAY Triggers for you to install, Be it a chokeable cymbal or a 3 zone ride or a 2 zone snare, it's all there. You buy the trigger, you install em, you buy the module, you plug em.

Mufflers are what you call something that muffle. That deaden the sound, or minimise it.

Mesh heads is something like a real head, only made of woven materials.. There are single and double ply. Pearl MESH HEADS are the worst out there.

Many concensus from american forums had their share so don't go for pearl mesh heads. Tama is also the same, don't go for it.

If you want LIFE LONG MESH HEADS, than you can buy em from service centre at swee lee sims drive. Not sure if they have em but it's called ROLAND REPLACEMENT MESH HEADS. only available in sizes 14"<.

Another mesh head brand is HART Magnum made by aquarian. These are good too.

But do bare this in mind, if ur gonna get an acoustic set and slap em up with mesh heads, might as well buy a practise pad from PEACE or REMO.. Coz mesh heads won't emit any sound that's even close to a drum frankly speaking.


Other mufflers such as those rubber pads weckl mentioned and i must emphasize and exxagerate this again... Those are rubber pads and when u yourself said that you hated rubber pads from the e kit from yamaha.

By slapping ur kit with the pads, you're getting the same feeling, same response, same bounce. Once again the feeling and sound wise is lost and compromised if u want to cut out the sound...

I suggest u just buy an acoustic kit, make an agreement with your neighbours and set timings where u can play out loud.. That's all there is to it since ur living in 2nd story.. you can't try anything to reduce the noise level going up... play with rutes, brushes, rods or something, those aren't so loud...

so good luck in picking ur choices.... i myself own a kit and plays usually around from 6 to 7.15... and have them since 2002, no complaints whatsoever... coz i play usually on appropriate times.... the bad thing about having acoustic kit is to compromise time where u can practise limited hours on it...

like johsie, he bought an acoustic and electronic kit... so there's the combi of two, you won't lose the feeling as much...

happy choosing mate.

 

[knvt]

geee thanks..my friend jus told me if i play from 8am to 8pm there cant be any complaints from e neighbour..as in, in this 12hrs of time is only e valid time available for practice..so basically those rubbers and mesh-heads or mufflers will end up playin like those rubber pad drum..i think i get a rough idea..already.

 

[gambatak]

hello im thinking of getting a practice pad. not the e-pad kind, i wanna train strokes before strength, u know the kind weckl and other drummers use in their videos?

need reconnmendations....

 

[knvt]

how many pads are u getting? are u getting all to represent each drum or jus one? different ppl different way of practising. for myself i still prefer e normal acoustic drum set for practice..coz i dont really like e whacking of practice pad(rubber) feeling..

 

[gambatak]

haha knvt bro i have acoustic too. jus looking for a pad to rpactice rudiments when i move over to my rental apartment. yup

 

[knvt]

oh..so u are not moving ur acoustic set over to ur rented apartment? if not using sell me bah.. lol..

 

[gambatak]

using both. anyway one guy wants to sell me his remo 10' practice pad. anyone know if they are good? and more importantly are they the ones that simulate a drum sound? cos i want silence. HOO