Mesh-heads vs Muffe pads vs Alternative methods

[lazybum]

I just got a 2nd hand Pearl Forum kit and i live in a damn HDB]/b] so i guess you all know the drill. Its too noisy. And the biggest complainer aren't my neighbours, its my dad. Cuz he works nightshift and sleeps in the afternoon. However, i am weary of my neighbour downstairs cuz he has a baby at home and has complained to me before abt me stamping my feet on the floor (before i got drums) and complained to the neighbour above my house (they own a kit as well).

Anyways i'm a night-guy. I practise a lot at night. So i really need to silence my kit. Please dun go with the "but its an acoustic set, it shld ring out". Screw tt. I live in a HDB. I would be pissed too if my neighbour on top played his drums without any muffling at night.

People have told me mesh-heads are really quiet but take away a lot of feel.
I've also been told slip-on mufflers are not as quiet and kill more feel! But they're more convenient when changing back to normal skins (which i probably wun be doing regularly). There's also stuffing your toms with clothes and stuff which i'm not too keen on. I only did that with the bass drum (pillows,comforters blah blah).

I really need something that can really keep it quiet so i can jam at night into mornings as well. I was also considering selling the kit and getting a the comprehensive practice pads (not electronic kit).

I do realise all this kills a good amount of the drum feel but i'm not primarily a drummer. I enjoy drumming as a side instrument. Guitar is my main passion. But i do want to learn proper drumming technique as well. So some suggestions as to how i can achieve a quieter kit without heavily comrpomising feel (a degree of compromise is ok) would be great since this is the place with many knowledgeable ppl!

Thankx a bunch!
So to summarise, mesh-heads, slip-on muffle pads or alternative methods?
And how on God's green earth do i shut the cymbals and hi-hats up?

 

[weckl-x]

In my opinion, mesh-heads are the best method to 'Silence' an acoustic kit.

+It doesn't take away the feel as much as purists would like you to believe
+Mesh heads, at the moment, replicate the feel of mylar heads the closest, compared to using muffle pads or rubber practice pads.

When I had my mesh heads on, I had all night practice sessions. You can control the feel to a certain extent by adjusting the tension like you would on a normal head. Most people crank them tight then complain they're too bouncy.

Have fun!

 

[kari_convention]

u alrdy said the disadvantage of mesh heads and stuffing things..
i alrdy done the stuffing things... i stuffed my drums with newspaper and its like hitting boxes and its still have some 'feel' but the level of noise is also high.

btw, i do have an alternative way. go and buy few practice pad like the vic firth one... buy the 6" and stick it on top of your drum head. in the end you got the feel of real drum and remove the noise like totally! but this cant be applied to kick drums.

happy trying. :wink:

 

[paper_box]

to silence my acoustic set, i actually bought a set of rubber mutes from ranking, it totally takes away the sound, but in exchange it replaces the feel like hitting on a slipper.

for cymbals, they're the same thing, just a different shape.

personally i dont really enjoy playing with the mutes on, and i wanna sell them! theyre about a week old. i got x2 12", x2 14", 1 bass drum mute and a set of used sabian cymbal mutes.

pm me if you're keen la. im thinking of other noise reducing methods like sponging, carpeting and eggtraying my room.

 

[weckl-x]

personally i dont really enjoy playing with the mutes on, and i wanna sell them! theyre about a week old. i got x2 12", x2 14", 1 bass drum mute and a set of used sabian cymbal mutes.

Hey I think Danial would be interested, unless he already got a set of mutes.

This is another way to approach drums without annoying your neighbors. Be aware that as this approach gets more successful, it gets more expensive. You can hang sleeping bags or mattresses on the walls, which can cut down the midrange and high frequencies a good bit, but does almost nothing to stop the bass (which is the biggest problem for your neighbors). Bass frequencies can couple to the walls and floors of the room, so that the room (and the whole house) can actually amplify the bass from the drum kit.

You can build floating rooms with double-studded walls, and that can work excellently, but that is very cost prohibitive and beyond the scope of this FAQ. To truly build an isolation chamber can easily cost more than an electronic kit, so unless you have the budget, it really isn't very feasible.

http://www.drumdojo.com/tech/volume.htm

 

[lazybum]

looks like i think i'll get mesh-heads. I wanted to get an electronic kit but a good kit easily costs a lot. This kit i got was super steal (with iron cobras) and i think replacing the heads with mesh-heads will be ultimately cheaper than an e-kit.

Would ranking sports and swee lee bras besah be the best places to check the mesh-heads out? Or Music Theatre at Exclesior (spell?)

Can the bass drum be muted effectively? and can cymbals and hi-hats be muted with rubber pads that i can buy? Also, can i mute the hi-hat in both the open and close positions?

Thanx a lot guys!

 

[paper_box]

hi hats and bass drums can be muted. my sabian cymbal mutes does the tricks for the metals and a piece of sponge sandwiched between to layers of rubber blocks off most of the impact and sound for the bassssss