The stoneage problem: drums too loud

Our drummer in a band I was in years ago had practice dampers - black rubber lid type things that sat on the heads of the drums and ring type versions of same over cymbals. The kick drum was just filled with cushions or something. Sounded nothing like a drum kit - more like an unamplified electric kit but it worked for him when practising at home without pissing off his family. They'd prob do ok in a small rehearsal room just to keep time and still be able to whack the kit a bit.
 
shadoe said:
Have you tried hearos? They're expensive but, well worth it. They're earplugs that retain sound quality a lot better than regular ones do.
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To be honest; I tried expensive earplugs in the past and no matter what filter I put in, they all still sounded like earplugs. Muffled and weak sound with intransparent highs. Maybe it's my ears canals being too narrow (had a bad infection there in the past), but earplugs just don't cut it for me.

shadoe said:
If he doesn't want to spring for plexiglass because its too expensive, he most certainly won't want iem's.
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IEMs for the whole band are easily in the 900-1000€ territory. Unfortunately, this is not an option for us.

The problem with the Plexiglass walls is not that they are too expensive, it's that it would be a "drummer only" item, so I can't justify buying it (as we have a "everyone provides for their own equipment" rule).

Hellbat said:
We rented a plexi shield for a recent lower volume gig and it worked great for limiting the drum volumes into the room.
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Did it sound muffled? I expect a severe change of room acoustics ... was it for the better? I'm a bit sceptical about drum shields because I read a lot of reviews where they just plain didn't work.


As much as I like the idea: E-Drums are not an option either. Our drummer already has an E-kit at home, but transporting it back and forth and setting it up every time would just waste too much precious time on rehearsals. ... and it's hard to justify a second E-drum kit for anyone. ;)

Thanks for all the comments, everyone!
The JamHub thing came up multiple times... seems like headphones is the best budget solution so far. At least it's worth trying before we apply any other physical means (as it effectively costs me 0$ as our board has sufficient Aux Sends).
I'll report back in this thread after a headphone run this weekend.
 
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Zwiebelchen said:
Did it sound muffled? I expect a severe change of room acoustics ... was it for the better? I'm a bit sceptical about drum shields because I read a lot of reviews where they just plain didn't work.
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In our situation it worked great. The room we perform in is an acoustically treated auditorium, designed with curved walls and traps and diffusion material.

Perhaps look into getting some raw sheets from a plastics supplier. All you need to do is come up with a hinge system and cut handles near the top to make them easy to move around.
 
Since the band rehearses at my house, I purchased a set of used electronic drums. In a previous band, I built a floor-to-ceiling divider made of Plexiglas and wood that completely encased the kit.

Towels on the drum heads and tape on the cymbals sound like shit, but they keep the decibels down.
 
steadystate said:
In a previous band, I built a floor-to-ceiling divider made of Plexiglas and wood that completely encased the kit.
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Seems like an option for home-use... I'll keep it in mind if we ever change rehearsal location to my house in the future (which might happen eventually).

For our current rehearsal space, however, it might be too intrusive to the room.
 
Zwiebelchen said:
I'm a bit sceptical about drum shields because I read a lot of reviews where they just plain didn't work.
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Drum shields aren't a cure-all, but they do cut down the direct sound from the kit. With shields, much of the drum sound has to go through multiple reflections—and some absorption with each bounce—before it gets to your ears. But they make it louder for the drummer; he'll probably need earplugs.
 
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Rex said:
Drum shields aren't a cure-all, but they do cut down the direct sound from the kit. WIth shields, much of the drum sound has to go through multiple reflections—and some absorption with each bounce—before it gets to your ears. But they make it louder for the drummer; he'll probably need earplugs.
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Hmm... I might rent a shield for testing purposes after trying the headphones solution. Maybe it works for us, don't know about that.
The drummer has always used earplugs since the beginning, so he's used to that (Ironically, I guess that's also part of the reason why the drums are so loud...). It's just us other band members that need a solution.
 
I'm thinking the same... small space, lots of loud instruments = volume. Lots of reflections. you are asking the impossible with no money to fix it. I was in a 5 piece band, 2 guitars, in a decent sized basement, but it was all concrete, volume got nuts. Other guitarist was a volume hog, and it made me go get a set of IEMS (my first), bought a few cheap mic's and setup around and a small mixer. Solved my problem. Everyone else ears after practice were trashed, and mine weren't even ringing.

Cheapest way is to have people turn down, maybe some drum mutes.
 
IEM's don't have to cost a fortune. We are using Meelectronics M6 Pro earbuds and they are surprisingly good for $50 or less. They send enough tips that you can find some that seal great. They aren't as perfect as my atomic CLR, but I can leave practice still being able to hear as well as when I walked in the room. Another benefit (although it might not seem like it at times) is that you can REALLY hear EVERYTHING that is going on. It is surprising the amount of detail that gets washed out in a small practice room, especially with a drummer (is there such a thing as a drummer who know's how to regulate their volume?).
 
Earplugs, no matter how well designed, are always going to attenuate the highs more than the lows. There's just no way a tiny bit of plastic will be able to have much effect on low frequencies.
 
USMC_Trev said:
You might could just find some second hand low cubicle walls... That stuff is everywhere.
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Hmm... does that work? I mean; they aren't designed for these applications, after all ... also, most of them are not see-through per definition. As much as I like the idea to trap our drummer in a dark cave, he might have objections to that. ;)

luke said:
I'm go out on a limb here and state the obvious....maybe it's time for a new drummer.
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Yeah because... we absolutely won't let friendship get in the way of our hobby, right? ;)


We'll try out the headphone solution on sunday and see if that helps. If not, it's probably time to try to get the drummer to play quieter; either with practice dampers or by breaking an arm or two. :p
 
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paranoid said:
...of course a real good drummer learns this thing called dynamics!
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QFT

warlockII said:
...(is there such a thing as a drummer who know's how to regulate their volume?).
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Yep...I play with three different drummers in two different bands who are professional enough to be able to rehearse at living room/bedroom levels, and can still deliver the volume when needed at live shows. Then again, so are the other members of both bands.
 
Kenny Aronoff used to play a steady Monday night gig in LA in a club where the band area was no larger than my living room with a 24 inch bass drum and a rock band. Still sounded fine, even without earplugs. Volume issues can be solved with EVERYONE in the band being a team player and bringing the volume down. Bring a small combo amp, have your drummer play with Hot Rods. Even get some neoprene mutes for the cymbals to cut down on the volume.

If people in the band "can't" rehearse at a lower volume, you'll only run into greater problems on a real stage. The best sounding bands live are able to "mix" their volume without the help of a Soundman.
 
It's hard to avoid this scenario in a small room.. we rent a treated rehearsal room for the current project I'm involved in and it's the same problem, even w/ an incredibly talented drummer w/ fantastic dynamics. It's sometimes a six piece and it's hard to keep the mix in check at times with that many players (all good players) once you get into things and the groove kicks in, etc. I bigger better room is best option, but that's not easy to find/afford. I can't stand playing w/ anything in my ears so plugs are a no go for me.

Age-old problem indeed..
 
Maybe it's just me but I really don't get the "I can't stand earplugs, therefore it's not a solution."

My old bass player said the same thing. The rest of us who did wear protection had to be real and tell him to suck it up, because it's an acoustic set and your in a box with it, there is nothing else you can do except find a bigger rehearsal space.

Telling the drummer to put rubber practice pads or towels on his drums is not only insulting to him, but ignorant, IMO..... imagine if he "told you" to put a few blankets over your amp because he didn't like wearing earplugs.....
 
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