I’m going from an e kit to a low volume kit with evan’s db one heads actually, i don’t need to make it much quieter just a bit to keep my family a bit more happy
I mean it depends on the e kit, they arent all the same loudness. Plastic ones are louder than any mesh head in my experience. Maybe not true decibel level but the type of sound is more audible through a wall, like a tap vs a boing lol.
Db ones are significantly louder, but both are significantly quieter than a regular kit. If edrums are 10% of the volume of a regular kit, dbones are maybe 15-20%? That's my estimate
Thanks! Have you played on both? I hear diverging opinions. Some say the db one or db zero mesh are as quiet as the mesh on an ekit and the cymbals are where the difference lie. But then there’s the frequency of the noise, rubber cymbals produce lower frequency noise than the low noise metal ones so the noise travels through walls and doors more easily.
But this is all theory, that’s why i’m looking for an opinion backed by first hand experience.
Yep, played on both, but haven't tried dbzeroes. The toms are about the same volume, maybe slightly louder because it does still resonate. The snare drum is significantly louder, and yeah, the cymbals are the biggest difference. At least that's my experience versus a Roland TD17
I did the same I had an e kit then bought the db one set and used it for maybe a month. It’s way louder than I thought and at the same time sounds like shit so I just went back to an ekit.
Still miles better than rubber cymbals or neoprene silencing pads, though. I’ve been using L80’s at home since they came out, and they’ve really been a game changer for those of use that live in close proximity to our neighbors.
Was waiting for this comment! No doubt the other suggestions about gels, towels, etc will help. But that room looks like a sonic disaster. All of that tile and all of those exposed hard surfaces make the sound bounce around and get louder and nastier.
Rugs, furniture, wall coverings, blankets, acoustic panels, egg crate foam … put some stuff in there to absorb the frequencies!
A good drum rug and acoustic panels, also if you have a problems with the noise of the kick drums then at the Tama Iso-Base Sound. I also play a low volume kit and it works great that way
I literally hung blankets from my ceiling in my room. Horizontally and vertically. Blankets on the walls. Rugs on the floors. I didn't have to spend a dime because we had a lot of extra blankets and ruts.
After rugs and adding clothes, it’s quieter but still like maybe max 90 which is fine, still saying it’s too loud and saying what if the neighbors can hear, but i mean if they could they’d probably say something right? if the neighbors do say something i’ll just buy evans sound off mutes
Yeah but they can't do anything as long as it's during the day. If you're making noise at night, like after 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. I'm sure there's a noise ordinance. And then it's a problem for neighbors. But rock that shit out during the day. Fk em
This. My set will get up in the mid-90 decibels if I hit ‘em hard. Don’t really use them anymore, I just hit my real cymbals softer when I’m not alone.
Do you know those rubber mesh sheets you can get to line cabinets so your glasses don’t fall over as easily? I had some extra lying around, and I just made some cutouts to lay on top of the cymbals. Worked surprisingly well without completely killing the response.
You just need to experiment a bit. Too much dampening, and it will either sound like a trash can or project at a higher frequency, which is arguably worse. Not enough, and you’re kind of just spinning your tires. It also helps if you can find something that helps kill the stick noise, which is a big part of the issue.
Those rubber mesh/netting sheets work really well because they’re thin enough to not choke the cymbal too much, they help deaden the stick noise, they’re cheap, and they have a pretty grippy texture that helps them sit on the cymbal pretty well. YMMV, but I hope that helps a bit.
Edit: It was something like this. I did this several years ago at this point, so I don’t remember the exact brand I used or where I got them.
I use worn-out or unused mute pads on my cymbals so I can practice at any hour. Putting them on low volume cymbals are even better.
The snare in the photo is a dedicated practice snare with a silent stroke head. Keeps the articulation of the snare wires will lowering the overall volume.
I will take a towel and cut square slightly smaller than the cymbal itself and put a hole in the middle. Then lay it on top of the cymbal with the nut on top.
I don’t know how good those pearl cymbals are but the more expensive low volume cymbals are a night and day difference when compared to the cheaper ones. The Meinl hcs practice cymbals are great in my experience while still being affordable. I bought some cheaper Chinese low volume cymbals and they weren’t “low-volume”at all. I did just recently switch from a quiet acoustic practice kit to an electronic kit though because I was tired of constantly having to be so gentle when I was practicing and always being overly-conscious about the volume. I guess you could try adoro quiet sticks or those rubber quiet tips for your sticks or maybe just buy the cymbal practice mutes.
I've tried a three different brands of low volume cymbals and the Zildjian L80s are noticeably quieter than any of them. Unfortunately they're also more expensive than any other LV cymbal out there, but I think there's a good chance they're the answer.
1.- Painter's tape ain't doing shit, no matter where you put it, and it'll come off with vibrations asap, it's designed to be taken off easily. 2.- Any kind of tape on the edges won't do shit as well, and you'll make a mess on your sticks and cymbals smudging the adhesive as you hit. 3.- Use duct tape on the top (or bottom but it will be falling off at some point). 2 to 3 pieces is enough. I just did that yesterday because I rehearsed very late with my band, effective, easy, cheap, and clean.
Get 7a jazz sticks and use very soft quiet dynamics. When you crash on that just do a soft glancing shoulder strike. Won’t help that much but it’s worth a shot and allows you to learn a new dynamic skill
What i have done and it works pretty well surprisingly, with thin shirts rebound is largely the same and sound is quieter but still sounds like what it’s supposed to sound like. on the ride it sounds a lot better actually, removed a lot of harshness and darkened the sound
As has been said by others, use cymbal mutes, so you can bash the hell outta the cymbals, and they still sound like cymbals. Feels kinda like playing on a pillow, though
The whole point of these is they have the tactile feel and rebound of real cymbals. If you put cymbal mutes on them (which are basically mousepads) they will just feel like a rubber e-drum kit. Which if you need something quieter than this you might as well go electric
Your hitting a piece of metal with a stick, its never gonna be that quiet, unless you put something between the metal and the stick
The thing with these cymbals though is the sound can be easily contained to a room, so either have a dedicated music room you put them in, or build some kind of iso booth for the drums, get creative
So I owned some steel ones and what worked for me was to spray paint the bottom with truck bed liner. I suppose you could use something like spray on flex seal too. It dampens the ring a lot. It was too much dampening for me so I would suggest just spraying a line of it instead of the whole bottom surface and seeing how you feel.
Work on the room. It’s a tile floor with what looks like no rug. Add some fibers or curtains or make some DIY sound panels.
A friend of mine drums in an second floor apartment and he built a wooden platform to get the kit off the floor then covered it with carpet. Made a huge difference.
I took a handkerchief, cut a hole in the middle, draped it over the crash, then tied little knots in each of the four corners. I practice in an apartment no problem.
Try to dampen the room a little bit, there's tons of nice hard smooth surfaces and corners for the highs to bounce off of. Some rugs would also go a long way.
I have owned every major type of both acoustic and electronic drum set that has ever existed. That includes the Evans sensory percussion sound system, and the DB1 drumheads. Even a Roland mesh head kit can reach 90+ dB from time to time. The quietest pads I’ve ever owned would be synesthesia’s Mandala Drums, but even with those there is going to be some acoustic noise.
From your description is seems like this is an issue for your family, not a neighbor. In that case, the solution is to coordinate times (or to get them some noise canceling headphones). You could also go for sound treatment in your space, but any truly effective sound treatment is going to get very expensive, very quickly.
If that isn’t an option you can experiment with stretching old T-shirts over the cymbals, or purchasing sound-off cymbals pads. Another option is to play using drumsticks that have the quiet rubber tips. All of these methods can be combined, of course if needed.
Since you went from an electronic kit to a low volume acoustic, I assume this is about feel so coordinating schedules is your best bet
I did chew through the edge of one of them, so i wrapped some old socks around the edge tied down with zip ties. Looks funny, but works very well too. - I've chewed through the socks too)....
Listen and learn touch and control your in control owith the heavy hitters f the force . Force be with you . Control the force . Think hit softer discipline control learn relaxation techniques. No good then hang blankets around you be surprised how much sound they block use hooks in a circular pattern make sure they touch ceaking and floor . Or get electronic set headphones and dial a volume . The best way is touch . I've played with the heavy hitters . But the best were those who could control and respect respect for the rest of the group to hear and save there hearing
There are cymbal dampening pads that work well. They slip onto the hardware, they are black rubber type things they are shaped like a slice of pizza. Type cymbal mute into google and you'll see.
I would thread shoes laces (or thin rope) through some of the holes. Will deaden the sound but should leave you with the correct feel of hitting them. Although I think hitting anything metal with a wooden stick is always going to make some sound - otherwise put towels on them.
Actually buying the quiest ones. Sometimes the db can be the same, but the sound will be easier for the ears. Also using rods or lighter sticks help. Moongels or electric tape will help a tiny bit too.
I'm using L80's for 10+ years and I've tested some other brands in the meantime (in a store). But the L80's are less sharp sounding and that does definitely help with getting the feeling of a quieter tone.
Using rods or light sticks will help the most. There are also quiet sticks, but personally I don't like them, but maybe they work for you.
I actually have regular cymbals, with an old t-shirt draped over them, then place the low volume cymbal on top of that. I was just using the t-shirt covered cymbals for a long time.
You get to play on the metal surface for the rebound and a bit of the sound, but the noise is dampened considerably.
I wonder if it's a case where only some frequencies are reading at 95 dB, especially the very high ones that are barely audible? I've noticed that my Amazon specials, which are great otherwise, will still sting the ears somewhat even as they are much more quiet overall, and I have a feeling that it's simply those higher frequencies that remain present. I still need to add some tape across them a bit merely to tamp those down.
95db on a low volume cymbal is nuts, your phone might be overselling it a bit but still that's loud
put a thin cloth over the whole thing, like a t-shirt or bandana, it kills the attack without making it sound dead. also try playing with the shoulder of the stick instead of the tip if you're not already
177
u/Frequent_Purpose_111 3d ago
You should just use electric drum set I guess 🤔