A drumset in a townhouse (solution)

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88keys

88keys

Golden Member
Aug 24, 2012
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I'm currently losing weight and when I reach my goal, I want to find something to pre occupy myself that is also physical to help keep my mind off of cravings for junk food.

So considering that I already play instruments, it seems like drums would be a good choice. You rarely ever see a fat drummer (at least in the hard rock/metal scene). So last week I was at a friends house trying out his drums for the first time. It was harder than what I thought it would be, but it was still enjoyable. He says he has another set to sell me for about $200.


My concern is that I live in a Townhouse, but only one side of my house in connected to the other. They seem to have pretty good sound proofing in here as I never ever hear my neighbors. I crank my amplifier up pretty loud at times and nobody ever complains. and I know there is about a 12" gap between each building. That's 26" between each door on the outside and 6" depth from the door frame to the interior wall.
The construction is new (2004). I can even put my ear up to the wall and hear nothing. I'm thinking that it's probably a concrete firewall of some kind.


As for electric drums, I know that the newer high end ones are said to be just as good as acoustic drums in terms of sound and feel. But the thing for me is, I want to know with certainty that this is something that I'll stick to, and only after I know the feel of real acoustic drums will I look at getting an electric set.


So would I be okay I pad the floor with something to deaden vibration? Are there other things that I can/should do to further deaden sound?
 
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88keys

88keys

Golden Member
Aug 24, 2012
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My GF just asked her dad (who owns the buildings) and he said that there is a double leaf, a concrete firewall, and then another double leaf.

I have no idea what a double leaf is though lol.
 
Markbnj

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
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Murloc said:
I looked it up in google and found this document about double/triple etc leaf walls and their effect on soundproofing: http://www.greengluecompany.com/sites/default/files/Understanding_theTriple_Leaf_Effect.pdf

Anyway if the noise is not a problem with your other instruments I don't see why the drumset would be, especially if you stick to daylight hours.
Click to expand...

Ha, have you been in a house where someone is practicing drums? Instruments can be ordered according to the pain of listening to someone practice on them. Acoustic guitar is pretty low, electric a bit higher if headphones are not used, otherwise lower. Harmonica... now that's pretty high up the list, actually. Violin? Near the top. Most brass instruments hover somewhere up there too, but there is a brief grace period for those during which the newb can't make any noise at all. But however the other instruments rank, and however that rank changes as various technologies are applied or discarded, they all know that when they look up at the very top of the list, the instrument that they will see sitting there looking down at them is the drums.
 
SandEagle

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
16,809
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don't become the dick neighbor. you can buy a drumset when you buy your own home.
 
GagHalfrunt

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,997
126
Get a set of pads instead of real drums. They can be set up to mimic an actual drum kit and have realistic feel and rebound. They're just like playing drums without the noise. If you play drums in a townhouse you're going to be bothering your neighbors, full stop.
 
Puppies04

Puppies04

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2011
5,909
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Unless you completely eliminate the noise from the drums entering your neighbours property you are going to be dealing with a very angry neighbour. Even if the noise is barely audible it is going to be extremely anoying for anyone having to listen to it.

My advice. Buy a used electric set you can plug headphones into. If you decide you dont't want to play them anymore you can sell them for what you picked them up for.
 
D

DAGTA

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,172
1
0
What about an electronic drum set that you route into headphones?
 
Doppel

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
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I was in a new townhouse last week. I could hear the people on the other side going up the stairs. The owner said that when they first moved in--college kids--he had to go over and ask them to stop running their music so loud because it was rattling his pictures.

IMO it's a bad idea.
 
W

Wonderful Pork

Golden Member
Jul 24, 2005
1,531
1
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Don't do it with an acoustic set. An electric set, maybe, but good ones are $$.

I'm in a band and when we practice we all have to wear earplugs because the drums are so friggin loud in our practice space - they bleed out of the building which is in an industrial park. Other adjacent (separate building) businesses don't like people to practice during normal business hours because of the noise, so the space is open from 4p-midnight.
 
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Platypus

Platypus

Lifer
Apr 26, 2001
31,046
321
136
used to live in a townhouse in college with a drummer with an acoustic set, shit is loud and there's no real way around it and those frequencies are a lot easier for your neighbors to overhear than say my electric guitar/bass were.

get an electric set if you really want to do this.
 
BudAshes

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,969
3,296
146
We had a drum kit when I lived in a townhouse and we lived on the end with only neighbors on one side. It didnt work, the entire neighborhood complained.
 
manimal

manimal

Lifer
Mar 30, 2007
13,559
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0
how about saving your money and buy a cheap guitar and go to the gym and exercize. How about taking up yoga? How about some Kung fu?

You could get a 200 dollar digital drum pad and use headphones.
 
88keys

88keys

Golden Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,854
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Doppel said:
I was in a new townhouse last week. I could hear the people on the other side going up the stairs. The owner said that when they first moved in--college kids--he had to go over and ask them to stop running their music so loud because it was rattling his pictures.

IMO it's a bad idea.
Click to expand...
I never hear a footstep of any kind where I live. Even in dead silence. The most I'll hear is the exterior doors opening and shutting and that's when I'm by the window. I know every home is different. There are alot of older homes around here (100-200+ years) and you hear everything from the traffic on the street to loud music from an adjacent detached house. I know a friend of mine who owns a townhome. It was kinda pricey and poorly laid out. He complains about noise there alot.


The acoustic drums would only be temporary. If I like them, I would likely get electric drums. If I don't, I'd sell them on craigs list. I've been in houses where people are playing drums in the basement (which has ghetto soundproofing) and even though you can't hear the cymbals and snares. You can definitely hear it when they hit that bass. I know there are ways to deaden the sound coming from the toms, cymbals, and snares, but I don't know about the bass.
I suppose I could check a music forum about that or they could point me to a decent electric set that has a realistic feel.
 
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Imp

Imp

Lifer
Feb 8, 2000
18,828
184
106
There's a reason they put the drummer inside a glass wall on stage?

We have a piano and live in a semi-detached. Lot of complaints in the past... Worst thing is that it's located beside the party wall (adjoining wall) in a corner.
 
E

Eos

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2000
3,463
17
81
Hell to the no.

Sound moves through air. To eliminate sound from a drum kit, you'd have to play inside a COMPLETELY air tight room.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
69,708
13,330
126
www.betteroff.ca
You'd have to practically sound proof that whole room.

I can sometimes hear drums (sounds muffled if my windows are closed) and I live in a house. I'm not sure which house it's coming from and it really does not bother me, but it's just to show how loud it can be. I even heard bagpipes once. lol

Maybe ask the neighbors to see if it will bother them. The fact that you ask might make it ok.
 
1sikbITCH

1sikbITCH

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
4,194
574
126
I live next door to a thrash metal drummer. Our homes are brick and stone duplexes and his house is about 20 ft from mine. You can hear those drums no problem. It's far enough away as to not be an issue but I would be feeling seriously infringed upon if it was in the house to which my own home is attached.
 
mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
Electronic drum kits and headphones. Or if you're like my dad, buy the biggest speakers you can find on eBay and make the whole neighbourhood listen to your poorly played rendition of Light my fire. This is why I can no longer enjoy The Doors BTW :p
 
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