Play Drums Without Bothering Anyone – From Silence to Soundproofing

One of the biggest problems we face as drummers is finding a space to practice without bothering anyone. We’re loud and we don’t have a volume knob...well sort of.

I’m going to give you every option you have to make practice possible at almost any time of day. Some options are expensive, some are not. Some are a quick fix, some are not. You need to decide what will work for you.

Location, Location, Location

First of all, there are some natural options you should consider when you are selecting which room to practice in. Select a room that is in the basement or partially underground and located as far away from the “irritated party”. The sound will carry a lot more from a land level or upstairs room. If it is the neighbors you are concerned with, choose the side of your house that is further from your neighbors house OR the side where your neighbors garage might be located. Hopefully they don’t hang out in their garage as much and wouldn’t be as bothered as if you were practicing next to their living room. Also, a room with less windows will conceal the sound better too.

Disclaimer

I would like to explain that some of these options might provide an opportunity to practice at the expense of feel, convenience, or normalcy. You have to recognize that and not let it change you playing for the worse.

I mentioned that we, as drummers, don’t have a volume knob. However, we can learn to play with quiet dynamics. It’s actually very important but also difficult...especially when your just starting out. Learning to play everything loud AND quiet will help your playing immensely. Remember that. Some of these options give a volume knob or remove the volume of your drums prohibiting you from practicing dynamics.

Some of these options will change the feel and/or rebound of the drums. If your playing on rubber or mesh pads, the bounce may feel considerably different than real drums. This can help or hinder you.

Being aware of these differences will help you adjust when your back in a full volume situation.

Simple Solutions

I’m going to start with the easiest and/or least expensive options and go on from there.

Acoustic Drum and Cymbal Pads

If you don’t have the room for a separate pad kit, you might just want to put pads on your acoustic kit to mute them. These may seem convenient but they can drastically change the rebound of the drum. They make them for any size drum and even cymbals. These are more ideal for working coordination or new beats rather that intricate nuances or feels.

There are two options for drum pad sets. You can get the quality drum pads from Vic Firth or this really inexpensive off-brand.

DW Practice Pad kit

This little kit got me through years of practicing while living with roommates. It’s a simple one pole setup with widely adjustable rubber pads and a bass drum pedal attachment at the bottom. There were a few adjustments I did to make this feel as normal as possible. 

There’s no hi-hat pedal so you need to use a double-kick pedal to mock as the hi-hat pedal or just add a hi-hat stand without a cymbal. I also found the rubber bass drum pad was too bouncy so i took it off and wrapped a cloth on it.

You can adjust the pads to almost any angle and height but you do have to be imaginative as to which pad represents which drum. I added a separate pad with a straight stand to sit in as my snare drum between my legs and used the other pads for cymbals and a tom.

Remo Silentstroke

The Black Hole Practice System is a newer product similar to the Remo Silent Strokes but they easily clamp onto the rim of your drum without having to remove your drumhead. They claim to bring down the volume by 80% and boast that the feel is better than any other option. They are a bit more spendy but the simple setup can outweigh the cost! They offer this entire kit or single pads. I have not used these but I have gotten numerous suggestions to add this to this article!

Zildjian Low Volume Cymbals

These cymbals are probably the best option out there because they feel amazing. Switching these cymbals out isn’t that bad either. Using the Zildjian Low Volume Cymbals in combination with the Remo Silent Stroke is my favorite option. For quick swapping, use the Zildjian Low Volume Cymbals along with the Vic Firth Drum Mutes.

Electronic Drum Kits

Obviously E-drum kits are a great option but they can be expensive. They play just like rubber or mesh pads but, with headphones or speakers, sound like a professionally mixed drum kit. Some can also have built in metronomes and songs to practice with. There are so many out there so I will break down some of the best ones in different price ranges.

As with my disclaimer earlier, e-drums can also feel a bit different than real kits. They will create a beautiful sounding drum kit when you hit the drum regardless of whether you are using good technique. When switching to a real kit, it might take some adjustment to create a good sound on an acoustic drum (ie. good rebound, clean strokes, etc.). Keep that in mind. 

The drum heads are usually made of rubber or mesh with a sensor inside to sense the hits. You can tune the mesh heads to have a tighter feel giving you an easier bounce. The rubber pads tend to have a harder surface than regular drum heads. This will prove difficult when you switch to a real drum set where the nicely tuned drum doesn’t have the same rebound you were used on the mesh or rubber pad. Another thing to note!

Note: Roland and Yamaha hi-hat pedals are not interchangeable! Without getting technical, the technologies basically work in opposite ways. Something to note when adding on to your kits or piecing together used pieces of equipment!

Roland

Best

Roland TD-25K

This monster literally has everything. Of course, it’s really expensive, but it’s the best. It has every feature of the TD-25KV and even a bit more. The hardware is better. Some of the drum and cymbal pads are better. The hi-hat cymbals are less clunky. The drums look like real drums despite the fact that they are e-drums. The module contains all kinds of extra sounds of which you can tweak. Again, this one does not contain the "personal" items such as the kick pedal, hi-hat stand, snare drum stand, throne, sticks, and headphones. Every e-drum loving drummer would love to have this kit but it is a bit too expensive. I would personally rather build a soundproof room (look below!) and use an acoustic kit!

Not Too Expensive But Worth It

TD-17KL-S

I found the price point on this kit to be the most intriguing. Their higher end kits just don’t compare to the Roland or Yamaha kits. For a kit at this price coming with all mesh heads, it’s quite a deal! One thing to note: it does not come with a throne! The pads feel really nice and the sounds are great. But, it always seems a little more difficult to dial in the right response settings on these Alesis kits. You can tell the pads aren’t the same high quality as the Rolands or Yamahas.

Other Beginner Option

Carlsbro CSD120

Another helpful technique is hanging some foamed frames directly above your cymbals. This will really settle the cymbals down and help drastically inside the room as well. They have to be at least 2’ x 4’ (24 inches x 48 inches) to cover the entire length of the drum set.

I hung up some homemade frames stuffed with foam and wrapped with cloth. These can also be mounted on the wall as well and they look a bit more attractive than the foam pieces glued to plywood or cardboard. You can build them or buy ones like these online for around $50 a piece. These particular panels comes in 3 different colors.

Here’s some instructions on how to build your own panels:

•How to Build Your Own Acoustic Panels at AcousticFreq.com

Soundproofing Windows

Windows can be the main culprit in letting sound escape. I would suggest hanging a vinyl cover or soundproofing blanket like these here. Trademark Soundproofing make some really nice window soundproofing products but they are very expensive—like $300! These here are more in the $100 range.

So what would it cost?

If you hire out the work, drywalling a typical 12’x12’ room without the sound proofing products would cost about $600-$800. You would want to make sure you do the ceiling or floor as well depending if you are in a basement or an upstairs room. You could estimate by adding the cost of the green glue compound at about $400 and the sealant at $200 plus the added labor equalling about $800. If you want the soundproofing drywall, you would add another $600. So a very rough estimate would be about $2500-3000 for a thoroughly soundproofed 12’x12’ practice room. That’s still cheaper than some of the high end e-drum kits!

You can definitely save anywhere from $1000-$1200 in labor if you want to do it yourself. I am handy and like to do a lot of these DIY projects myself but I don’t feel comfortable giving my own directions on how to do this. Here are some resources that I would use for this DIY project.

•Soundproofing at TheSpruce.com

•Hanging Drywall at Homeadvisor.com

•Green Glue Installation at GreenGlueCompany.com

Soundproof a Ceiling