instrument questions

[jimbob]

wel, i bought myself a drumkit, and got it asemblesd yesterday, i have to tighten the skins and tune them to get the sound right, but what i need to know is.

how can i play at home without making a racket. what would be the best way to tone down the noise without a big los in playability?

[Travis]

jimbob said:
wel, i bought myself a drumkit, and got it asemblesd yesterday, i have to tighten the skins and tune them to get the sound right, but what i need to know is.

how can i play at home without making a racket. what would be the best way to tone down the noise without a big los in playability?



Soundproof the room? Haha.

[docded]

You can put silencing pads on your drum-kit. Like this:
http://www.drumwright.co.uk/pages/department_sublist.asp?F_SubCategoryID=696

Haven't tried it myself. My parents don't mind me playing during the day and we have no neighbors living too close.

[Maximum]

Towels work great over the skins... as for the bass drum and the cymbols... you got me there.

[Travis]

docded said:
You can put silencing pads on your drum-kit. Like this:
http://www.drumwright.co.uk/pages/department_sublist.asp?F_SubCategoryID=696

Haven't tried it myself. My parents don't mind me playing during the day and we have no neighbors living too close.



Yeah, they work well.

[jimbob]

docded said:
You can put silencing pads on your drum-kit. Like this:
http://www.drumwright.co.uk/pages/department_sublist.asp?F_SubCategoryID=696

Haven't tried it myself. My parents don't mind me playing during the day and we have no neighbors living too close.

yeah, i figured i`d need something like that. a towel over the bassdrum works too http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

as for soundproofing the room, its in the attic and my parent dont like the idea of me nailing everything shut and putting carpet everywhere http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

time to get a job and move out i gues, to a house with no neighbours attached or close, and with a big room i can soundproof http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Piano Man]

Bass Drum should have a small hole in it, a circular one. Put a towel in there and that should dampen the sound.

[jimbob]

it has a tiny hole in the body, the skins are "solid" I.E, no hole. and im not to keen to put in a towel through the small hole because i cant take it out without taking the skin off.

[Ecmaster76]

If you can get under the toms, tape some newspaper under them. For the hats, if possible, tighten the mounts down so that they can't vibrate.

[jimbob]

wel, the bottom of the toms have skins too. but a towel works there aswel

alsi, the bassdrum sounds a bit "floppy" now, more like a fanfare drum, how can i get a tighter sound?

i want a *thud* and not a *boing* http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[cladinshadows]

jimbob said:
wel, i bought myself a drumkit, and got it asemblesd yesterday, i have to tighten the skins and tune them to get the sound right, but what i need to know is.

How can i play at home without making a racket. what would be the best way to tone down the noise without a big los in playability?



If you don't have a sound-proof area I would suggest getting some special black pads that fit over your heads on your kit (I think they make them for cymbals too, now). When you hit them it should deaden most of the sound.

The best solution, however costly, would probably be finding an area that doesn't allow others to hear much from it (like a basement or something) and sound-proofing it. That way you can enjoy your kit without worrying about bothering others, and as you become more serious it can double as a practice/recording area.


jimbob said:
alsi, the bassdrum sounds a bit "floppy" now, more like a fanfare drum, how can i get a tighter sound?

i want a *thud* and not a *boing* http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



Try experimenting with different things, I use a nice soft sheet in mine and it sounds pretty deep. I don't think that will help a whole bunch on making your drums lower in volume though. It will affect your sound.

If it sounds too flabby then tighten it up.
Your head may also be the culprit for the "boing" sound. I use Evans Hydraulics and Aquarian Superkick 2's mostly - that should help deepen your sound.

Good luck with those drums!! http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Simon Charles]

jimbob said:
wel, the bottom of the toms have skins too. but a towel works there aswel

alsi, the bassdrum sounds a bit "floppy" now, more like a fanfare drum, how can i get a tighter sound?

i want a *thud* and not a *boing* http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



What's the brand of your drums? Is the skin tight enough? Does the pedal hit it right? Do you kick softly or sharply?

[Paroxysm]

jimbob said:
it has a tiny hole in the body, the skins are "solid" I.E, no hole. and im not to keen to put in a towel through the small hole because i cant take it out without taking the skin off.


Bah! there should be something in your bass drum anyway :P Don't think I know a drummer that doesn't use a variety of things inside the bass depending on situation.

[Sayantan]

We (in my band) use pillows (pure cotton) and place them behind the bass drum skin supported with a brick so as neither the pillow nor the bass drum moves too much and create disturbances while playing. It also in the otherhand dumps the *dong* sound into a *dhug* sound. Good for mic-ing it. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[jimbob]

Simon Charles said:

jimbob said:
wel, the bottom of the toms have skins too. but a towel works there aswel

alsi, the bassdrum sounds a bit "floppy" now, more like a fanfare drum, how can i get a tighter sound?

i want a *thud* and not a *boing* http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



What's the brand of your drums? Is the skin tight enough? Does the pedal hit it right? Do you kick softly or sharply?

its a la baguetterie starters kit. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

the skins feel pretty tight, and im always a bit anxious to tighten them more becuase they might rip. it could be my kicking technique, i just started real drumming so i have to get the attack right, and i havent been able to play for real because of the noise issue`s.


paroxysm said :Bah! there should be something in your bass drum anyway :P Don't think I know a drummer that doesn't use a variety of things inside the bass depending on situation.



maybe i`ll fill it with water http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


sayantan said :We (in my band) use pillows (pure cotton) and place them behind the bass drum skin supported with a brick so as neither the pillow nor the bass drum moves too much and create disturbances while playing. It also in the otherhand dumps the *dong* sound into a *dhug* sound. Good for mic-ing it.

yeah, i think i`ll buy me a nice fluffy pollow to stuff it some day. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Paroxysm]

jimbob said:

paroxysm said :Bah! there should be something in your bass drum anyway :P Don't think I know a drummer that doesn't use a variety of things inside the bass depending on situation.



maybe i`ll fill it with water http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



If you figure out a good way to do it, especially if you put fish inside, you would get every gig packed simply from the gimmick factor.

[jimbob]

Paroxysm said:

jimbob said:

paroxysm said :Bah! there should be something in your bass drum anyway :P Don't think I know a drummer that doesn't use a variety of things inside the bass depending on situation.



maybe i`ll fill it with water http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif



If you figure out a good way to do it, especially if you put fish inside, you would get every gig packed simply from the gimmick factor.

i dont think the fish would live ling with all the pounding and shaking http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif but its a pretty damn fun idea.

[Paroxysm]

That's why you use cheap fish :P

[IgWannA]

i'd recommend the sound deadening pads, they make the kit virtually silent. although it wouldn't be nearly as much fun to play. you can also get rubber cymbals which just go on the regular stands and i don't imagine they would cost more than $10 each. as for the kick drum you could put a pillow inside it (as most people do anyway) and buy a soft head for the pedal so it won't sound as loud.

if sound is a big issue you probably should have bought an electric kit (and use headphones) http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[mental stampede]

IgWannA said:
if sound is a big issue you probably should have bought an electric kit (and use headphones) http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



Yeah. "Drumming" and "quiet" are for the most part mutually incompatible concepts. As was mentioned before, soundproofing id the best option, although it can be a pain in the ass and costly to do. Muffling the skins and cymbals with pads can work too, but drums are not nearly as much fun with the kit muffled.

You could also try buying a set of brushes or rutes instead of solid drumsticks. They can help you to turn the drums into a quieter, more mellow instrument, but they will probably take some getting used to.