Btw, I don’t want to suggest that your projects will cost the same amount of money as mine. Only that they likely won’t be cheap. Every room starts with a different set of variables. My room in particular is fairly large, located upstairs and not on a concrete slab, and it has big windows and 4 doors. These factors add up. An ideal starting place would be a smaller room on a concrete slab with no windows and a single door. But of course you have to work with what you have and strategize accordingly.
I am building a home studio for an acoustic drum set here in Brazil. I specialize in architectural acoustics and am a professional carpenter. And let me tell you, it’s a huge challenge to isolate the low frequencies of an acoustic drum set. These low frequencies make everything vibrate, and the sound is transmitted through layers and layers of dense material. Only after working on many studios did I achieve good sound isolation results. Another detail: don’t leave even a needle-sized hole, or the sound will leak, and you won’t be able to figure out where it’s coming from.
"It was perfect to see you measuring the attenuation of sound levels. It gave me new ideas for creating content. Thank you for sharing your experience; I learned a bit more from you. Thank you!
As a positive side of the story, you have a soundproof room that is absolutely suitable for a kids bedroom/playroom, which is an unheard luxury for any parent. So, definitely not wasted money, it just needs repurposing.👌
@@JeffRandallDrumming I'd try to influence your better one no to change the room, just probably have a repaint to have more of a kids-color-scheme inside. This also could potentially become a profitable side hustle to combine soundproofing with kids bedroom designs. Parents would pay anything to regain their old and forgotten sanity :D :D :D
There's tremendous value in this video to all of us drummers struggling with the same issue, so thank you for sharing your learning experience. 30K+ is an extraordinary amount money, especially for individuals that simply want to play real drums and are unable to get any monetary return from it. Thankfully you didn't have to stick to your e-kit or fork over 35K. Glad it's over for you and now you can get back doing what you love. Again, thank you for sharing.
I’m so sorry Jeff… I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to realize the first build-out wasn’t cutting it… I’m a drummer planning on building a room-in-a-room in our detached garage this summer. Thanks for the cautionary tale and your words of wisdom.
I’ve wanted a private space to play my whole life. It’s been 3 years of dedicated research. I’ve looked at the sound proof booths, construction in my home, building a new structure outside, looked at renting a commercial space, and even customizing pre-fab options. I’ve read the Rod Gervais book, spoken to specialty contractors, and reached the same conclusion. Tough, but valuable lesson and hopefully the silver lining is a deeper appreciation for the opportunity to enjoy your craft in your home. Great channel, great videos, glad you’re back. Please, if possible check out your lesson requests as I’ve sent in a couple and never heard back (I can only imagine I am one of many).
Thanks for sharing mate, it's very rare to have someone be completely honest about getting it wrong, especially when big money is involved! I plan on having a soundproof room in the future, so you sharing your struggle will hopefully result in me not making the same mistakes (which I likely would have!). Cheers 👍
You understand the importance of balancing family along with your craft. You are not only an amazing drummer but an amazing father and family man Jeff. I hope the sound isolation room works out for you guys!
Wow! Thank you for posting this. It reminds me of just how lucky I am. There are two factors of sound isolation I've found over the years that (with the exception of the room in a room) are most important, and they are distance and dirt. With my studio being in a basement built like a bunker of cement on all sides under a house on a two acre plot I have both of these things covered. All I had to do was ditch the windows and replace them with the same kind of cinder block the rest of the walls are made of (and I already had the block in the back yard) and I was set. Good luck to you in your continued search of isolation and ultimate studio enjoyment. BTW that whisper box sounds great!
Lesson learned, great video, Jeff! I've struggled with this problem since I fell in love with this instrument 53 years ago. It's not a failure it is a valuable lesson that will help you, and every drummer who sees it to understand the commitment needed to develop their skills with this beast of an instrument. Enjoy your well-deserved promise land inside the isolation booth. I believe God works all things for good and much good will come from your expert teaching videos and drum lessons. Thank you for doing this well needed video topic. God bless you!
I just sold my acoustic set and bought a VAD507. It was a tough decision but I just couldn't find a way to play acoustic. So far it's been good. Mine and my neighbor's ears have appreciated the change. I'm also realizing that my parents were saints for letting me learn and play drums in my bedroom growing up 😊
This is honestly my nightmare as someone that wants to do something like this one day haha I’m sure this was a hard reality to come to grips to, but thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure it will help a lot of people with the same drum room dream. Also echoing Soundproof Your Studio as a great resource! Similarly, he’s mentioned mistakes with his build, which is such important data for the community to learn from.
Thank you for your honesty. It's hard to admit when we're wrong. I'm building a studio in a couple months and have been watching Wilson's videos in preparation. Good to see him get a shout-out.
Well, I'm sorry your in house room didn't work out but congratulations on your sound proof box find. Your videos have been so helpful and appreciated over the years so I'm so glad you'll be able to continue on your acoustic kit. Good drumming luck! 🥁❤️
Thank you for being so open about your journey, and also for helping a lot of people (including me) through this video and all your videos! Playing an acoustic kit brings us so much joy & I’m happy that you can continue to grow as a drummer and as an educator ! Blessings!
You're a straight shooter and I wish more people would realize that there is no shortcut to soundproofing or even acoustically treating a room for mixing. 90% of people out there will spend insane money on gee-whiz gear for internet likes and clicks.... famous hardware compressors, vintage amps, fancy custom shop guitars.... and then the completely fail to put together a good sounding acoustically treated room with a good pair of studio monitors. Its cheap Kali's and Amazon foam, ugh. I'm a drummer stuck in a bedroom studio as well, and I totally feel you. I spent $5k on quality acoustic treatment and even consulted with some professionals. They all said the same thing you discovered. That you can make the room sound better inside, but it won't be soundproof. And I went into it knowing this. So I basically can only record drums when my wife goes out. And even then, I have had many takes ruined by passing trucks, and the scourge of Los Angeles, helicopters! I also finally spent some serious money on real studio monitors (ATCs) and room correction (a Trinnov Nova) so that I can mix in a way that I can trust what I am hearing and that translates well. This after trying cheaper solutions for 16 years and constantly having to fight the room and gear. It sucks that its so expensive, but this is reality. Someday I hope to have a big enough property that I can build a standalone building and do a studio the right way from the ground up. I'm glad you shared your experience, and your viewers would be wise to listen to your advice.
Sorry you went through this! One of the things I like least about drumming is how hard it is to find a place to play "on demand" without spending tons of money. You are spot on about the time, effort and cost of true soundproofing, and anyone who says it can be done for cheaper is untethered from reality, to put it bluntly. You got a great deal on that WhisperRoom!
It’s never easy to admit when you’ve messed up but we appreciate your honesty and humility, Jeff. And it was a God thing. He gives us what we need, when we need it. Remember, God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God. Looking forward to more videos. 🥁
Hi Jeff, i’m in France and i bought a booth like this 10 years ago. You are right at 200%, sound proofing is really hard and cost a lot, without any garantee if you do it by yourself. With a piece of gear like this, built a the right place, you are shure to be able to play without problems. As you say, being in a small place with this « special » sound, real tight, is different, BUT it’s a real luxury to have this at home 👍🏻 Thanks a lot for the drummer community all around the world, for your honesty, real great advices from a real guy in the real world 😉 Créatines from Marseille , hope you enjoyed my best english 🤣🤘🏼🤘🏼 David
Thanks so much for this extra video about this topic! It can’t be easy to spend that much money and not have it workout. Super helpful to understand the right budget for properly soundproofing a home for drums.
I hope the drum booth helps you keep your groove going, Jeff! When I first noticed your RUclips videos, what struck me most was that you play in the pocket with tremendous energy, yet your playing seems so effortles. It's always a pleasure to listen to you play and learn something new from you. The lesson I've taken away from the last few videos is that it really takes a lot of untroubled (in the sense that you don't have to be bothered by how many people you annoy with your playing) practice to get in the groove. What you mention about our beautiful sounding but stupidly loud instrument and all the things that go with it is so relatable! Keep it up, Jeff!❤🤞🏻
I have been studying acoustics for the same purpose for a while and a few builds later, when I saw your video about the big room I was really concerned about the sound proofing aspect and thought that maybe you live in a remote location or don't need so much sound proofing for your purpose. I am sorry this happened to you. But looking on the positive side, I am very glad you found a whisper room and salute your perseverance. I wish you all the best Jeff! Happy Drumming :)
About 10 years ago I decided to go all in and had someone building me a “room within a room” in my basement. I haven’t done any tests like you did but I believe the results are very close to what you have with the whisper room (my room is a bit quieter). Once it’s inside of the house, it will never be 100% quiet. I can play anytime I want which was a dream of mine for 25 years ;) Btw, I spent around 30k USD on the room. It’s about 1.5 the size of your whisper room.
I’m curious what the temperature / air flow is like in it? I’m in Florida and in my garage, it would be a giant slow roaster oven if it didn’t have some sort of a/c.
That's a lot of excellent, honest information for any musician thinking about building a space in their home. Thanks very much for sharing your experience.
Im so sorry to hear that your room didn’t work out! :( mine didn’t either lol, and yes there is a lot of confusion around soundproofing I’m glad to hear you found a fix!
Great video mate… I’m looking to repurpose a double garage into a soundproof studio and I couldn’t agree with you more! Sorry to hear it did not go the way you wanted first time round and I appreciate you warning others! It’s all in or nothing I would say, unless you live on a farm of course 😂
Thanks for sharing Jeff, I was wondering why you weren't uploading so often, now I understand. Must've been a tough time Hope you can now enjoy your instrument at your fullest!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve been thinking so much about moving into a bigger flat to have an extra room which I can soundproof. I was already sceptical, but this seals the deal: I’ll stay in my flat and rather spend the ~100€ to rent a rehearsal room. For me it’s just a hobby after all, and I just can’t bring myself to use an electric kit. Also just practising on pads works for busy days when I can’t make it to the rehearsal room. You sir have just saved me a lot of stress and money! Thanks again for sharing! All the best from Germany
Dude love it Randall! Your transparency is such a vibe and love you’re playing as well! Would be fun to have you do a master class, definitely would support that! Cheers from Cali!
Hey, Jeff! I live in an apartment and I would love to play drums. I have an idea and I would like to ask if you would make a video of it, please: Will you put pillows, blankets and etc. inside the shell pack in order to quiet the drums? The cymbals could have light towels on top to quiet them. The goal is to diminish the volume dramatically, yet maintain the individual sounds of the drum pieces. Thanks in advance. Cheers!
Great video - thanks for your honesty. It's a real shame your studio didn't work out after all the money and time spent on it. Knowing what doesn't work is just has helpful for us drummers, as what does work. I got contractors in to 'soundproof' my garage for use as a drum studio to my specifications. If I learnt anything from the project is that it's difficult. There are theoretical dB noise reduction levels and then real world applications that are far less soundproof than the theoretical numbers would suggest. There are always inevitable compromises or shortcuts that often have to be made, due to time and money, so it's really difficult to get something that is perfectly soundproof. The best you can ever hope to achieve really is 'good enough' unless you have unlimited budget, and unlimited time.
Happened the same for me, a friend who works as a contractor swearing he knew all about it, convinced me to “sound proof” a room in my house for my band to rehearse… only a waste of time and money , it really cost a looooooot of money for it to really work
Solid info as always Jeff. Been through it in a basement studio and got decent results with decoupling but as a do it yourselfer, not perfect by any means. Live and learn. Now let’s play some drums!!!
Dude, this is also drum education, this is the kind of thing that comes as part of the instrument and you need to get around too. Learning from the experience of others is key
Wow homie. Brutally honest and a tough lesson to take in. Sorry you had to experience that but I'm stoked you found an acoustic solution. Your videos are great and I spend a good bit of time studying sound as well as technique. That would have all been lost with an e-kit. 🤘
I'm so glad you found the Whisper Room. Yes, it's a bummer you had to go through spending the money on the remodel. I, like you, believe it's the Lord's doing. Not necessarily because he wants you to play drums but to maybe to plant a seed in someone's life (ie student, etc) for the future AKA the Great Commision. Looking forward to more of you wonderful videos. Take care.
Thanks for sharing! Definitely I problem I have been dealing since I moved to my new house and building my drum studio. It’s hard to be a drummer, as you said we play a stupid loud instrument. Cheers mate
This is so enlightening, I truly appreciate this video and the previous one, as this is a problem I will also face when I get my own house. Thanks a lot!
Ironically, this will probably end up being one of your most viewed videos for a while. Thanks for making it! I've always had an interest in soundproofing. Not drums but mostly for yelling and screaming.
Totally agree, sound proofing for drums can get very expensive. During the pandemic, after trying a few thick “sound proof carpets”, I got a drum riser creating an air gap to the floor. You both need to be able to spend money, and you need to learn about mass and air gaps to stop sound. A simple home test : take a mechanical metronome, and try to make it shut up. Add layers of whatever you have - it’s air gaps and mass that will do it, and lots of it. The smaller you can make the room (I went down to smaller kit and kick, hat, snare) the cheaper it will be. Thanks for sharing, Jeff!
Great video Jeff. Though it's not so much a fail. You learned something and so did many others. If you never failed you never tried. I consulted Audimute when redoing my drum room. Being that my drums are in my basement on a slab of concrete it was the best course for me and of course my neighbors lol. The floor is wood / carpet but the walls are all treated in and out. I really do like the isolation booth you have. Expensive yes but the value you get is unmatched. Thanks for sharing. Happy drumming :)
Thanks Jeff. Great practical and efficient info. Thanks for sharing your labour of love into this...much invested but doing the right thing, the right way, will pay dividends in many ways. You got a super fallout shelter and you dont have to mess with your home structure no more...good one!❤
I’m really sorry to hear this went sideways, but I genuinely enjoy your thoughts and insight on it all. For what it’s worth, on my end, your bonus room looks and sounds great. I’m curious to know what you’re going to do with it now? But, at the same time, you have something new to explore. I look forward to what you do next.
I don't think it's fair to blame the contractor. He was consulted, provided an opinion and quote, and you agreed to it. Looks like he did a quality job of exactly what he was asked to do. Maybe I missed it but I don't see anything about rockwool or mass loaded vinyl, both pretty affordable and effective means of dampening.
Great video. I was wondering why you didn't put the Whisper Room in the house where you were planning to play drums. Is it by lack of space or because the booth doesn't cut enough db ?? Thanks
Dude, drums were made for war (and music I guess). There ain't much out there that's gonna stop those sound waves in any modern home. I've found that the most practical place to play and keep an acoustic drum kit is in a basement. I remodeled a basement room, put down a floor, some acoustic treatment, and my recordings sounded way better. Did I get rid of the noise? Absolutely not. But, I accomplished my goal of making better music. If I ever have to move somewhere without a basement, God help me. With that being said, I'm glad you found a solution in the booth. I agree that there's nothing like playing an acoustic drum kit. Great video.
when I stumbled on your video a few minutes ago (the first one ) I immediately noticed something and here in this one I write what I was wondering...I am assuming that all your "room in a room" build was screwed or mounted direct on the walls insteat of using Glue and vibration absorbing mechanism to mount the Insulated walls.. The flooring also wasnt clear if it was set up on the right material .. The main reason most people have problems with insulating is that they just screw everything into the House wall or floor and those screws transmit the vibrations in any wall and second is the room has to be "hermetic " closed because the Lowend will find a way out to the tiniest hole :). . A tip. If you are using a Whisper room then read the specifications of the walls if they ar e made for insulating the sound from outside or both and. if you build a platform that is standing on a lot of Tennis Balls all framed and holding together and then set a whisper cabin on it it will reduce much more of the noise in the house again... .. Greetings
Thanks for making your last 2 videos, it’s hard to find high quality comparisons of drums inside whisper rooms (and although whisper room makes good products, they’re bad at marketing and they don’t produce any high quality videos of musicians inside their booths). The production quality and care you put into your videos is appreciated.
hey Jeff, off topic, were you using a VAD506 as your edrum kit? Im using one as well and was wondering if its worth it to upgrade the hats to the vh14s? since we really hate the one the kit came with, i mean it was already but we're not that happy about it. just wondering if you upgraded yours?
Hey, it’s a VAD504 kit and came with those new hi-hats. They’re really impressive. So is the ride btw. Lots of different nuances in the sound and they even respond to things like the amount of pressure you’re putting on the hi-hat pedal and playing on the top of the hats with the tip of your stick verses the edge with the shank. You can even splash ‘em. I’d definitely recommend them!
Thanks for the great content ! If I executed these methods in say an end town house unit … do that think there’s a chance it could work? Thanks so much
I, as every other drummer out there, have had the same problem. I’ve been drumming now in a garage lot at the back of a gas station for the past 9 years. It’s a huge parking lot for buses and trucks. There’s a bunch bands here too. It’s on a main road and pretty far away from houses. Over the past 9 years I’ve spent close to 7000€ to rent the place. A small booth for drummers would cost me around 11/13000€ here in Italy. So, put it in perspective and after 13 years it would be around 10000€ spent to rent this small garage (if the price remains the same). And I will keep on paying for as long as I stay there. I’d say, if you’re serious about playing the drums and want to do it for the rest of your life, Jeff’s solution of buying a used booth is probably the best and final solution to the issue.
Good perspective. Another is to think of a different serious hobby like golf (just to pick one of my own). Golfing costs roughly $60-80 a round. Playing 26 rounds a year (say 2x a week for 6 months of the year, if you're in the north) = $4100. In 5 years you've spent 20-25K. In 30+ years (thinking along the lines of the rest of your life) is 120K+ !! I think your perspective is good and comparing it to other labors of love/hobbies is helpful. As long as those whisper rooms can be moved and hold up well, I think it's a good choice. But the up front price is going to sting a bit! They should consider financing to buyers (but they probably need more volume to make that work). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sound blankets. Put four on stands have them make a cube around you, put one on the floor with a rug on top, and attach one to the ceiling above you. There ya go, that'll do about 70 percent of the work. Having nothing or an 10k whisper room is misleading. I can smell that whisper room still. lol
Been there done that! The way to do this is to buy a good e kit... In the same room put up your acoustic kit. Go around all your neighbours and explain your a drummer...tell them you have 2 kits in the house ..one is silent and one is not. Explain to them you practise for hours a day mostly using the silent ekit out of respect for their piece and quiet being respected. I then explained that i HAVE to practice on the acoustic kit but its only for a maximum of 1 hour a day...explain to them if the sound bothers them they only have to close any windows they have in their house and that any noise again will only be heard for an hour max! That way you have the isolation ...your windows closed and their windows closed..theres the decoupling... Surprisingly most neighbours have said they look forward to my playing and they enjoy hearing it... I think the hour rule is the key... A good few hours ekit practice topped of with an hour acoustic is more than any drummer will ever need. Brass instruments...piano...all the same realy ud be surprised at the levels....just communicate with neighbours....and dont beat your self up over it. That way you are not losing any acoustic playing feel by way of overusing the e kit etc....... Booths are good been there done that but it does keep all that drum sound in and the drum doesnt sound as good as the sound cant go anywhere.. be VERY careful of the volume in there and watch your ears ...protect them well.
I know you also have your wife and daughter to consider so my comment is not directed solely toward you Jeff, but for the others who are in a situation where their neighbors are a factor I feel that a lot of money can be saved by simply having a conversation with your neighbors about your drums and a decent compromise of time of day and duration of playing.
I do wonder Jeff whether a lot of the sound proofing difficulties you experienced come from the way American houses are constructed to start with. The US does tend to favour timber construction. I've had some experience of DIY sound proofing, and before I say "Oh it can definitely be done cheaper", I'd say it definitely all depends on what you are starting out with in the first instance. I completed two projects in the UK. The first was a home cinema built from the ground up in my garden in a previous house. The floor was concrete on the ground, so no extra treatment required. The walls were only 100mm block, but concrete block as opposed to breeze block. The flat roof was a typical timber construction, boarded and felted. The door was a normal timber exterior door. The treatment inside the room was where it all came in to play. The walls had 50mm x 50mm battens screwed to them but with 6mm dense rubber pads between the wall and the battens at each fixing point, which gives the room in a room concept you talk about. Between the battens was filled with 50mm high density rockwool slabs. Then 2 x 12.5mm plasterboard added with the joints of each layer completely caulked. The second layer was applied so the joints in the boards were staggered to the 1st layer. The ceiling was filled with rockwool then plasterboarded and caulked, then a false ceiling added 125mm lower with metal rails and acoustic tiles. A second internal door I made and filled with rockwool slabs was fitted in line with the inner wall, with both doors caulked and rubber seals added all around each door. This method, whilst I won't claim to be 100% sound proof, does produce amazing results. I used to sit in that cinema at 3am with a 400 watt subwoofer making visible dust fall from the acoustic tiles, without bothering my neighbours. You'd have to stand with your ear against the door outside to hear any noise leakage. The inside of the room was further treated with acoustic panels like you done, but that is more for controlling the acoustics within the room. But like I say, your starting foundation will be the biggest factor in how well any sound proofing method will work. I now live in France in a big old house with 20" thick stone walls doing most of the work for me. Windows and doors are the only real source of sound leakage here for me to worry about, which are quite easily treated with secondary glazing which can be set a good 14" inside the original windows due to the nice thick walls. Again with proper sealing of the secondary glazed units, the massive air gap between will completely take care of any soundleakage. Again it all comes down to what you are starting out with. Different methods for different scenarios I guess 🙂
One thing to add, is not to be seduced by all the exotic dedicated 'sound proofing' products out there. Adding the words sound proofing to a product instantly hikes its price! These products may or may not improve the sound proofing by a barely noticeable amount, but off the shelf products work just as well when used and applied correctly. Thick standard plasterboard double layered and properly sealed will work just as well as specialist sound proofing plasterboard. And green glue does practically nothing! Decoupling and filling every little air gap is the secret to having any chance of success 🙂
Totally agree on it depending with what you’re starting with. With my studio being fairly large, upstairs with no concrete slab, and having large windows and 4 doors, it would have been very pricey.
I figured there’d be a little bit of it. Do you find it distracting while playing at all ? Or is it more comparable to playing on drum riser and the bounce you get on that.
@@JeffRandallDrumming cool, good to know. Seems like a really great option to go with! This was a helpful video you made. Us drummers are always trying to work on the noise levels of our instrument. It’s helpful to know what works and what doesn’t. Keep up the great work it’s much appreciated by your fellow drummers!
I learned the same hard lesson when I spent about $7K reframing a room in my new house with a buddy contractor who just kinda winged it. It made almost 0 difference. Thanks for making this video, Jeff. Now teach me how to flawlessly tune and play my drums, please. 😂
When one is looking for a product or service like this, it is important to remember that you are NOT paying for time. You are paying for a result. If you want the result of sound dampening, you pay one price. If you want the result of sound proofing, you pay another. In the end because you were eventually willing to put in the work to do more research after the initial investment, you were able to purchase a product that achieved the result you were hoping for at a lower price in total. But that was pure serendipity. I'm glad it all worked out and you shared your lessoned learned. Conclusion: If you want sound proofing, it's going to cost you $35K The end.
Thank you for making this video. I’m blown away by how much this cost you! I built a home studio 10 years ago and I think I just got lucky. I built it myself (room within a room) and clearly saved myself as absolute fortune. The person you hired…… sorry
Guitarist here, I just built myself a recording soundproof box by myself, today I finished it!!! 4 months of work... it costed me 2.200€, i used wood, 2cm of lead rubber, glass wood with inside 2mm of lead rubber, and to finish sonic treatment panels with inside 0.5cm of lead rubber... in other words lots of lead rubber, the weight is almost 800 pounds and the dimension are more or less a cube box of 1 meter and another cube box of 80cm, so a box in a box, I was scared it didn't work but with a first pink noise test it performed -50db! which is even more than I expected, considering It doesn't need fresh air or window which will complicate the design and way more money, I understand you. This kind of things cost a lot and there is no easy tricks, you need mass, lots of mass especially for bass frequencies and it cost money.
Great video. I really appreciate your thoughts and experience on this. Do you think a basement with high ceiling would be a lot easier? The floor and walls should not need as much treatment. Mostly just windows and ceiling right? I live in a condo with a concrete floor and the ground comes half way up the walls. one side is a fire wall with very thick concrete so those neighbors don't hear much, and almost never here. The other side is another bedroom and those neighbors are OK with day time noise for 4 hours or so. The upstairs neighbors are not around much as well and are cool with music for 4 hours. The third wall has a bathroom and past that is our living room.. So mostly one wall with a window with dirt half way up on one wall is the main issue and the ceiling. one door to the hallway. Do you think It's worth spending money to reduce the sound leaking a bit? This area is so expensive to live. We have no garage. This little 900 square foot 2 bed 2 bath condo goes for $750K. Buying a commercial space or a bigger home would be millions. Renting a space then sound proofing also seems like a waste of time and money. I'm really leaning into trying to do the best I can but a room in a room would take up too much space for my studio. Any thoughts?
I’d reach out to a pro studio builder and get an assessment for sure. Going in your favor is the fact that you’re on a concrete slab which is crucial for reducing the vibration from the drums.
Would it benefit your situation to dampen more of the sound in the garage? Like a large rug in the rest of the garage? Maybe moving the rest of the acoustic panels from your upstairs room into the walls of the garage? I’m sure you’ve had that thought.
As a full-time drummer, this is definitely one of the issues that make me sometimes ask myself, "Why did I choose to become a drummer?". I envy all my guitarist, bassist and keyboardist friends who can just literally setup anywhere in their house and play with their headphones on.
Btw, I don’t want to suggest that your projects will cost the same amount of money as mine. Only that they likely won’t be cheap.
Every room starts with a different set of variables. My room in particular is fairly large, located upstairs and not on a concrete slab, and it has big windows and 4 doors. These factors add up.
An ideal starting place would be a smaller room on a concrete slab with no windows and a single door. But of course you have to work with what you have and strategize accordingly.
I am building a home studio for an acoustic drum set here in Brazil. I specialize in architectural acoustics and am a professional carpenter. And let me tell you, it’s a huge challenge to isolate the low frequencies of an acoustic drum set. These low frequencies make everything vibrate, and the sound is transmitted through layers and layers of dense material. Only after working on many studios did I achieve good sound isolation results. Another detail: don’t leave even a needle-sized hole, or the sound will leak, and you won’t be able to figure out where it’s coming from.
"It was perfect to see you measuring the attenuation of sound levels. It gave me new ideas for creating content. Thank you for sharing your experience; I learned a bit more from you. Thank you!
As a positive side of the story, you have a soundproof room that is absolutely suitable for a kids bedroom/playroom, which is an unheard luxury for any parent. So, definitely not wasted money, it just needs repurposing.👌
Haha, yeah indeed. It will be a kids room going forward. Though we’ll be demoing the room entirely so it’ll match the rest of the rooms upstairs.
Do NOT change ANYTHING about that room! That kid is going to have the coolest looking room in all of Nashville!
@@JeffRandallDrumming I'd try to influence your better one no to change the room, just probably have a repaint to have more of a kids-color-scheme inside. This also could potentially become a profitable side hustle to combine soundproofing with kids bedroom designs. Parents would pay anything to regain their old and forgotten sanity :D :D :D
Cinema room!
There's tremendous value in this video to all of us drummers struggling with the same issue, so thank you for sharing your learning experience. 30K+ is an extraordinary amount money, especially for individuals that simply want to play real drums and are unable to get any monetary return from it. Thankfully you didn't have to stick to your e-kit or fork over 35K. Glad it's over for you and now you can get back doing what you love. Again, thank you for sharing.
I couldn’t agree less. I get electronic drums are not ideal, but it beats the heck out of wasting 30k…
I’m so sorry Jeff… I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to realize the first build-out wasn’t cutting it…
I’m a drummer planning on building a room-in-a-room in our detached garage this summer. Thanks for the cautionary tale and your words of wisdom.
Did you build the room in your garage? I'd like to do the same...
I’ve wanted a private space to play my whole life. It’s been 3 years of dedicated research. I’ve looked at the sound proof booths, construction in my home, building a new structure outside, looked at renting a commercial space, and even customizing pre-fab options. I’ve read the Rod Gervais book, spoken to specialty contractors, and reached the same conclusion.
Tough, but valuable lesson and hopefully the silver lining is a deeper appreciation for the opportunity to enjoy your craft in your home.
Great channel, great videos, glad you’re back. Please, if possible check out your lesson requests as I’ve sent in a couple and never heard back (I can only imagine I am one of many).
Thanks for sharing mate, it's very rare to have someone be completely honest about getting it wrong, especially when big money is involved!
I plan on having a soundproof room in the future, so you sharing your struggle will hopefully result in me not making the same mistakes (which I likely would have!).
Cheers 👍
You understand the importance of balancing family along with your craft. You are not only an amazing drummer but an amazing father and family man Jeff. I hope the sound isolation room works out for you guys!
Wow! Thank you for posting this. It reminds me of just how lucky I am. There are two factors of sound isolation I've found over the years that (with the exception of the room in a room) are most important, and they are distance and dirt. With my studio being in a basement built like a bunker of cement on all sides under a house on a two acre plot I have both of these things covered. All I had to do was ditch the windows and replace them with the same kind of cinder block the rest of the walls are made of (and I already had the block in the back yard) and I was set. Good luck to you in your continued search of isolation and ultimate studio enjoyment. BTW that whisper box sounds great!
Lesson learned, great video, Jeff! I've struggled with this problem since I fell in love with this instrument 53 years ago. It's not a failure it is a valuable lesson that will help you, and every drummer who sees it to understand the commitment needed to develop their skills with this beast of an instrument. Enjoy your well-deserved promise land inside the isolation booth. I believe God works all things for good and much good will come from your expert teaching videos and drum lessons. Thank you for doing this well needed video topic. God bless you!
I just sold my acoustic set and bought a VAD507. It was a tough decision but I just couldn't find a way to play acoustic. So far it's been good. Mine and my neighbor's ears have appreciated the change. I'm also realizing that my parents were saints for letting me learn and play drums in my bedroom growing up 😊
This is honestly my nightmare as someone that wants to do something like this one day haha
I’m sure this was a hard reality to come to grips to, but thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure it will help a lot of people with the same drum room dream.
Also echoing Soundproof Your Studio as a great resource! Similarly, he’s mentioned mistakes with his build, which is such important data for the community to learn from.
Thank you for your honesty. It's hard to admit when we're wrong. I'm building a studio in a couple months and have been watching Wilson's videos in preparation. Good to see him get a shout-out.
One of the BEST videos on the subject I’m looking for. Thanks!
Thank you very much, Jeff! Keep keeping it real out there, and we’re all excited for the new videos coming. God bless you!
You have no idea how ridicously perfect your timing is with that video - You are the man! Keep it up!
Well, I'm sorry your in house room didn't work out but congratulations on your sound proof box find. Your videos have been so helpful and appreciated over the years so I'm so glad you'll be able to continue on your acoustic kit. Good drumming luck! 🥁❤️
Thank you for being so open about your journey, and also for helping a lot of people (including me) through this video and all your videos! Playing an acoustic kit brings us so much joy & I’m happy that you can continue to grow as a drummer and as an educator ! Blessings!
You're a straight shooter and I wish more people would realize that there is no shortcut to soundproofing or even acoustically treating a room for mixing. 90% of people out there will spend insane money on gee-whiz gear for internet likes and clicks.... famous hardware compressors, vintage amps, fancy custom shop guitars.... and then the completely fail to put together a good sounding acoustically treated room with a good pair of studio monitors. Its cheap Kali's and Amazon foam, ugh.
I'm a drummer stuck in a bedroom studio as well, and I totally feel you. I spent $5k on quality acoustic treatment and even consulted with some professionals. They all said the same thing you discovered. That you can make the room sound better inside, but it won't be soundproof. And I went into it knowing this. So I basically can only record drums when my wife goes out. And even then, I have had many takes ruined by passing trucks, and the scourge of Los Angeles, helicopters!
I also finally spent some serious money on real studio monitors (ATCs) and room correction (a Trinnov Nova) so that I can mix in a way that I can trust what I am hearing and that translates well. This after trying cheaper solutions for 16 years and constantly having to fight the room and gear.
It sucks that its so expensive, but this is reality. Someday I hope to have a big enough property that I can build a standalone building and do a studio the right way from the ground up.
I'm glad you shared your experience, and your viewers would be wise to listen to your advice.
Sorry you went through this! One of the things I like least about drumming is how hard it is to find a place to play "on demand" without spending tons of money. You are spot on about the time, effort and cost of true soundproofing, and anyone who says it can be done for cheaper is untethered from reality, to put it bluntly. You got a great deal on that WhisperRoom!
It’s never easy to admit when you’ve messed up but we appreciate your honesty and humility, Jeff. And it was a God thing. He gives us what we need, when we need it. Remember, God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God. Looking forward to more videos. 🥁
Hi Jeff, i’m in France and i bought a booth like this 10 years ago.
You are right at 200%, sound proofing is really hard and cost a lot, without any garantee if you do it by yourself.
With a piece of gear like this, built a the right place, you are shure to be able to play without problems.
As you say, being in a small place with this « special » sound, real tight, is different, BUT it’s a real luxury to have this at home 👍🏻
Thanks a lot for the drummer community all around the world, for your honesty, real great advices from a real guy in the real world 😉
Créatines from Marseille , hope you enjoyed my best english 🤣🤘🏼🤘🏼
David
Thanks so much for this extra video about this topic! It can’t be easy to spend that much money and not have it workout. Super helpful to understand the right budget for properly soundproofing a home for drums.
I hope the drum booth helps you keep your groove going, Jeff! When I first noticed your RUclips videos, what struck me most was that you play in the pocket with tremendous energy, yet your playing seems so effortles. It's always a pleasure to listen to you play and learn something new from you. The lesson I've taken away from the last few videos is that it really takes a lot of untroubled (in the sense that you don't have to be bothered by how many people you annoy with your playing) practice to get in the groove. What you mention about our beautiful sounding but stupidly loud instrument and all the things that go with it is so relatable! Keep it up, Jeff!❤🤞🏻
I have been studying acoustics for the same purpose for a while and a few builds later, when I saw your video about the big room I was really concerned about the sound proofing aspect and thought that maybe you live in a remote location or don't need so much sound proofing for your purpose. I am sorry this happened to you.
But looking on the positive side, I am very glad you found a whisper room and salute your perseverance. I wish you all the best Jeff! Happy Drumming :)
Glad you made this video, Jeff! You answered A LOT of questions we drummers have. Keep it up with the good content. Cheers
About 10 years ago I decided to go all in and had someone building me a “room within a room” in my basement. I haven’t done any tests like you did but I believe the results are very close to what you have with the whisper room (my room is a bit quieter). Once it’s inside of the house, it will never be 100% quiet. I can play anytime I want which was a dream of mine for 25 years ;)
Btw, I spent around 30k USD on the room. It’s about 1.5 the size of your whisper room.
This is exactly how it is done, a room within a room.
Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing!
I’m curious what the temperature / air flow is like in it? I’m in Florida and in my garage, it would be a giant slow roaster oven if it didn’t have some sort of a/c.
That's a lot of excellent, honest information for any musician thinking about building a space in their home. Thanks very much for sharing your experience.
Im so sorry to hear that your room didn’t work out! :( mine didn’t either lol, and yes there is a lot of confusion around soundproofing I’m glad to hear you found a fix!
Wow, thank you for making and sharing this video, Jeff! It really dispels any myths I may have on how “doable” soundprooofing is.
Not very common that kind of honesty in social media. Happily surprised. Can’t wait to see new content from your new booth. Cheers
Great video mate… I’m looking to repurpose a double garage into a soundproof studio and I couldn’t agree with you more! Sorry to hear it did not go the way you wanted first time round and I appreciate you warning others! It’s all in or nothing I would say, unless you live on a farm of course 😂
Thanks for sharing Jeff, I was wondering why you weren't uploading so often, now I understand. Must've been a tough time
Hope you can now enjoy your instrument at your fullest!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve been thinking so much about moving into a bigger flat to have an extra room which I can soundproof. I was already sceptical, but this seals the deal: I’ll stay in my flat and rather spend the ~100€ to rent a rehearsal room. For me it’s just a hobby after all, and I just can’t bring myself to use an electric kit. Also just practising on pads works for busy days when I can’t make it to the rehearsal room. You sir have just saved me a lot of stress and money! Thanks again for sharing! All the best from Germany
Dude love it Randall! Your transparency is such a vibe and love you’re playing as well! Would be fun to have you do a master class, definitely would support that! Cheers from Cali!
Hey, Jeff!
I live in an apartment and I would love to play drums. I have an idea and I would like to ask if you would make a video of it, please:
Will you put pillows, blankets and etc. inside the shell pack in order to quiet the drums? The cymbals could have light towels on top to quiet them. The goal is to diminish the volume dramatically, yet maintain the individual sounds of the drum pieces.
Thanks in advance. Cheers!
Great video - thanks for your honesty. It's a real shame your studio didn't work out after all the money and time spent on it. Knowing what doesn't work is just has helpful for us drummers, as what does work. I got contractors in to 'soundproof' my garage for use as a drum studio to my specifications. If I learnt anything from the project is that it's difficult. There are theoretical dB noise reduction levels and then real world applications that are far less soundproof than the theoretical numbers would suggest. There are always inevitable compromises or shortcuts that often have to be made, due to time and money, so it's really difficult to get something that is perfectly soundproof. The best you can ever hope to achieve really is 'good enough' unless you have unlimited budget, and unlimited time.
Happened the same for me, a friend who works as a contractor swearing he knew all about it, convinced me to “sound proof” a room in my house for my band to rehearse… only a waste of time and money , it really cost a looooooot of money for it to really work
Thanks for sharing! Mistakes like these are part of life. Glad you got a solution!!
Solid info as always Jeff. Been through it in a basement studio and got decent results with decoupling but as a do it yourselfer, not perfect by any means. Live and learn. Now let’s play some drums!!!
Dude, this is also drum education, this is the kind of thing that comes as part of the instrument and you need to get around too. Learning from the experience of others is key
It takes courage to do a video like this... nice job and thanks for the advice
Great honest feedback. Can't believe I haven't watched any of your other vids wtf
Wow homie. Brutally honest and a tough lesson to take in. Sorry you had to experience that but I'm stoked you found an acoustic solution. Your videos are great and I spend a good bit of time studying sound as well as technique. That would have all been lost with an e-kit. 🤘
These kind of video are very important. Keep doing them, that`s what the internet is for.
I'm so glad you found the Whisper Room. Yes, it's a bummer you had to go through spending the money on the remodel. I, like you, believe it's the Lord's doing. Not necessarily because he wants you to play drums but to maybe to plant a seed in someone's life (ie student, etc) for the future AKA the Great Commision. Looking forward to more of you wonderful videos. Take care.
Thanks for sharing! Definitely I problem I have been dealing since I moved to my new house and building my drum studio. It’s hard to be a drummer, as you said we play a stupid loud instrument. Cheers mate
Thanks for sharing this story dude! Glad you have this new incredible space!!
Awesome video thanks, Jeff! Keeping it honest and real as always.
This is so enlightening, I truly appreciate this video and the previous one, as this is a problem I will also face when I get my own house. Thanks a lot!
I think this is the perfect video when it comes to building a home studio! It shows the reality!!
wow ! what a video! thanks for this info!
Man I feel you. I've been dealing with this myself too. Tired in the end I switched to edrums
Nice add for those room in a room kits.
Ironically, this will probably end up being one of your most viewed videos for a while.
Thanks for making it! I've always had an interest in soundproofing. Not drums but mostly for yelling and screaming.
Totally agree, sound proofing for drums can get very expensive. During the pandemic, after trying a few thick “sound proof carpets”, I got a drum riser creating an air gap to the floor. You both need to be able to spend money, and you need to learn about mass and air gaps to stop sound. A simple home test : take a mechanical metronome, and try to make it shut up. Add layers of whatever you have - it’s air gaps and mass that will do it, and lots of it. The smaller you can make the room (I went down to smaller kit and kick, hat, snare) the cheaper it will be. Thanks for sharing, Jeff!
Great video Jeff. Though it's not so much a fail. You learned something and so did many others. If you never failed you never tried. I consulted Audimute when redoing my drum room. Being that my drums are in my basement on a slab of concrete it was the best course for me and of course my neighbors lol. The floor is wood / carpet but the walls are all treated in and out. I really do like the isolation booth you have. Expensive yes but the value you get is unmatched. Thanks for sharing. Happy drumming :)
How did the contractor build the room? Would be interesting to know. Isolation? Furring channels? Greenglue? Multiple drywalls?
Thanks Jeff. Great practical and efficient info. Thanks for sharing your labour of love into this...much invested but doing the right thing, the right way, will pay dividends in many ways. You got a super fallout shelter and you dont have to mess with your home structure no more...good one!❤
Thanks buddy!
I’m really sorry to hear this went sideways, but I genuinely enjoy your thoughts and insight on it all. For what it’s worth, on my end, your bonus room looks and sounds great. I’m curious to know what you’re going to do with it now? But, at the same time, you have something new to explore. I look forward to what you do next.
We’ll be demoing the room and turning it into a playroom for our daughter!
Aw. That’s going to be one happy kid 🙂
I have heard that sand under the floor is used? Cool topic.
I don't think it's fair to blame the contractor. He was consulted, provided an opinion and quote, and you agreed to it. Looks like he did a quality job of exactly what he was asked to do. Maybe I missed it but I don't see anything about rockwool or mass loaded vinyl, both pretty affordable and effective means of dampening.
This is incredibly valuable! Thank you for sharing.
Great video. I was wondering why you didn't put the Whisper Room in the house where you were planning to play drums. Is it by lack of space or because the booth doesn't cut enough db ?? Thanks
Dude, drums were made for war (and music I guess). There ain't much out there that's gonna stop those sound waves in any modern home. I've found that the most practical place to play and keep an acoustic drum kit is in a basement. I remodeled a basement room, put down a floor, some acoustic treatment, and my recordings sounded way better. Did I get rid of the noise? Absolutely not. But, I accomplished my goal of making better music. If I ever have to move somewhere without a basement, God help me.
With that being said, I'm glad you found a solution in the booth. I agree that there's nothing like playing an acoustic drum kit. Great video.
when I stumbled on your video a few minutes ago (the first one ) I immediately noticed something and here in this one I write what I was wondering...I am assuming that all your "room in a room" build was screwed or mounted direct on the walls insteat of using Glue and vibration absorbing mechanism to mount the Insulated walls.. The flooring also wasnt clear if it was set up on the right material .. The main reason most people have problems with insulating is that they just screw everything into the House wall or floor and those screws transmit the vibrations in any wall and second is the room has to be "hermetic " closed because the Lowend will find a way out to the tiniest hole :). . A tip. If you are using a Whisper room then read the specifications of the walls if they ar e made for insulating the sound from outside or both and. if you build a platform that is standing on a lot of Tennis Balls all framed and holding together and then set a whisper cabin on it it will reduce much more of the noise in the house again... .. Greetings
Thanks for making your last 2 videos, it’s hard to find high quality comparisons of drums inside whisper rooms (and although whisper room makes good products, they’re bad at marketing and they don’t produce any high quality videos of musicians inside their booths). The production quality and care you put into your videos is appreciated.
hey Jeff, off topic, were you using a VAD506 as your edrum kit? Im using one as well and was wondering if its worth it to upgrade the hats to the vh14s? since we really hate the one the kit came with, i mean it was already but we're not that happy about it. just wondering if you upgraded yours?
Hey, it’s a VAD504 kit and came with those new hi-hats. They’re really impressive. So is the ride btw. Lots of different nuances in the sound and they even respond to things like the amount of pressure you’re putting on the hi-hat pedal and playing on the top of the hats with the tip of your stick verses the edge with the shank. You can even splash ‘em. I’d definitely recommend them!
Thanks for the great content ! If I executed these methods in say an end town house unit … do that think there’s a chance it could work? Thanks so much
Thanks for doing this video Jeff!
Thank you Jeff, superb video. Great advice.
Great video thank you for the transparency!!
I, as every other drummer out there, have had the same problem. I’ve been drumming now in a garage lot at the back of a gas station for the past 9 years. It’s a huge parking lot for buses and trucks. There’s a bunch bands here too. It’s on a main road and pretty far away from houses. Over the past 9 years I’ve spent close to 7000€ to rent the place. A small booth for drummers would cost me around 11/13000€ here in Italy. So, put it in perspective and after 13 years it would be around 10000€ spent to rent this small garage (if the price remains the same). And I will keep on paying for as long as I stay there.
I’d say, if you’re serious about playing the drums and want to do it for the rest of your life, Jeff’s solution of buying a used booth is probably the best and final solution to the issue.
Good perspective. Another is to think of a different serious hobby like golf (just to pick one of my own). Golfing costs roughly $60-80 a round. Playing 26 rounds a year (say 2x a week for 6 months of the year, if you're in the north) = $4100. In 5 years you've spent 20-25K. In 30+ years (thinking along the lines of the rest of your life) is 120K+ !! I think your perspective is good and comparing it to other labors of love/hobbies is helpful. As long as those whisper rooms can be moved and hold up well, I think it's a good choice. But the up front price is going to sting a bit! They should consider financing to buyers (but they probably need more volume to make that work). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Great video Jeff! That booth is amazing.
Thanks Chris!
Great info. Thanks for sharing! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thank you for sharing
Sound blankets. Put four on stands have them make a cube around you, put one on the floor with a rug on top, and attach one to the ceiling above you. There ya go, that'll do about 70 percent of the work. Having nothing or an 10k whisper room is misleading. I can smell that whisper room still. lol
Been there done that!
The way to do this is to buy a good e kit...
In the same room put up your acoustic kit.
Go around all your neighbours and explain your a drummer...tell them you have 2 kits in the house ..one is silent and one is not.
Explain to them you practise for hours a day mostly using the silent ekit out of respect for their piece and quiet being respected.
I then explained that i HAVE to practice on the acoustic kit but its only for a maximum of 1 hour a day...explain to them if the sound bothers them they only have to close any windows they have in their house and that any noise again will only be heard for an hour max!
That way you have the isolation ...your windows closed and their windows closed..theres the decoupling...
Surprisingly most neighbours have said they look forward to my playing and they enjoy hearing it...
I think the hour rule is the key...
A good few hours ekit practice topped of with an hour acoustic is more than any drummer will ever need.
Brass instruments...piano...all the same realy ud be surprised at the levels....just communicate with neighbours....and dont beat your self up over it.
That way you are not losing any acoustic playing feel by way of overusing the e kit etc.......
Booths are good been there done that but it does keep all that drum sound in and the drum doesnt sound as good as the sound cant go anywhere..
be VERY careful of the volume in there and watch your ears ...protect them well.
I know you also have your wife and daughter to consider so my comment is not directed solely toward you Jeff, but for the others who are in a situation where their neighbors are a factor I feel that a lot of money can be saved by simply having a conversation with your neighbors about your drums and a decent compromise of time of day and duration of playing.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
JR, What are your plans for dealing with heat this summer in your garage in your insulated box full of lights and computer?
The booth has a ventilation system that I hooked a portable AC unit up to!
Hey Jeff. I noticed you’ve mounting your lights since the move from the storage space. I’m curious to know how you’re mounting them?
I do wonder Jeff whether a lot of the sound proofing difficulties you experienced come from the way American houses are constructed to start with. The US does tend to favour timber construction. I've had some experience of DIY sound proofing, and before I say "Oh it can definitely be done cheaper", I'd say it definitely all depends on what you are starting out with in the first instance. I completed two projects in the UK. The first was a home cinema built from the ground up in my garden in a previous house. The floor was concrete on the ground, so no extra treatment required. The walls were only 100mm block, but concrete block as opposed to breeze block. The flat roof was a typical timber construction, boarded and felted. The door was a normal timber exterior door. The treatment inside the room was where it all came in to play. The walls had 50mm x 50mm battens screwed to them but with 6mm dense rubber pads between the wall and the battens at each fixing point, which gives the room in a room concept you talk about. Between the battens was filled with 50mm high density rockwool slabs. Then 2 x 12.5mm plasterboard added with the joints of each layer completely caulked. The second layer was applied so the joints in the boards were staggered to the 1st layer. The ceiling was filled with rockwool then plasterboarded and caulked, then a false ceiling added 125mm lower with metal rails and acoustic tiles. A second internal door I made and filled with rockwool slabs was fitted in line with the inner wall, with both doors caulked and rubber seals added all around each door. This method, whilst I won't claim to be 100% sound proof, does produce amazing results. I used to sit in that cinema at 3am with a 400 watt subwoofer making visible dust fall from the acoustic tiles, without bothering my neighbours. You'd have to stand with your ear against the door outside to hear any noise leakage. The inside of the room was further treated with acoustic panels like you done, but that is more for controlling the acoustics within the room. But like I say, your starting foundation will be the biggest factor in how well any sound proofing method will work. I now live in France in a big old house with 20" thick stone walls doing most of the work for me. Windows and doors are the only real source of sound leakage here for me to worry about, which are quite easily treated with secondary glazing which can be set a good 14" inside the original windows due to the nice thick walls. Again with proper sealing of the secondary glazed units, the massive air gap between will completely take care of any soundleakage. Again it all comes down to what you are starting out with. Different methods for different scenarios I guess 🙂
One thing to add, is not to be seduced by all the exotic dedicated 'sound proofing' products out there. Adding the words sound proofing to a product instantly hikes its price! These products may or may not improve the sound proofing by a barely noticeable amount, but off the shelf products work just as well when used and applied correctly. Thick standard plasterboard double layered and properly sealed will work just as well as specialist sound proofing plasterboard. And green glue does practically nothing! Decoupling and filling every little air gap is the secret to having any chance of success 🙂
Totally agree on it depending with what you’re starting with. With my studio being fairly large, upstairs with no concrete slab, and having large windows and 4 doors, it would have been very pricey.
How is the stability of the double floors under your kit? Do you feel any bounce or give in the floor while playing?
There’s definitely some bounce and give to them.
I figured there’d be a little bit of it. Do you find it distracting while playing at all ? Or is it more comparable to playing on drum riser and the bounce you get on that.
It’s a little shifty but didn’t bother me after I got used to it.
@@JeffRandallDrumming cool, good to know. Seems like a really great option to go with! This was a helpful video you made. Us drummers are always trying to work on the noise levels of our instrument. It’s helpful to know what works and what doesn’t. Keep up the great work it’s much appreciated by your fellow drummers!
Well, it looks fantastic.
I learned the same hard lesson when I spent about $7K reframing a room in my new house with a buddy contractor who just kinda winged it. It made almost 0 difference. Thanks for making this video, Jeff. Now teach me how to flawlessly tune and play my drums, please. 😂
When one is looking for a product or service like this, it is important to remember that you are NOT paying for time. You are paying for a result. If you want the result of sound dampening, you pay one price. If you want the result of sound proofing, you pay another. In the end because you were eventually willing to put in the work to do more research after the initial investment, you were able to purchase a product that achieved the result you were hoping for at a lower price in total. But that was pure serendipity. I'm glad it all worked out and you shared your lessoned learned. Conclusion: If you want sound proofing, it's going to cost you $35K The end.
Thank you for making this video. I’m blown away by how much this cost you! I built a home studio 10 years ago and I think I just got lucky. I built it myself (room within a room) and clearly saved myself as absolute fortune. The person you hired…… sorry
Like you, I'm also a drummer who learned this lesson the hard way. Wishing this video came three years earlier...
Great insight
Guitarist here, I just built myself a recording soundproof box by myself, today I finished it!!! 4 months of work... it costed me 2.200€, i used wood, 2cm of lead rubber, glass wood with inside 2mm of lead rubber, and to finish sonic treatment panels with inside 0.5cm of lead rubber... in other words lots of lead rubber, the weight is almost 800 pounds and the dimension are more or less a cube box of 1 meter and another cube box of 80cm, so a box in a box, I was scared it didn't work but with a first pink noise test it performed -50db! which is even more than I expected, considering It doesn't need fresh air or window which will complicate the design and way more money, I understand you. This kind of things cost a lot and there is no easy tricks, you need mass, lots of mass especially for bass frequencies and it cost money.
Great video. I really appreciate your thoughts and experience on this. Do you think a basement with high ceiling would be a lot easier? The floor and walls should not need as much treatment. Mostly just windows and ceiling right? I live in a condo with a concrete floor and the ground comes half way up the walls. one side is a fire wall with very thick concrete so those neighbors don't hear much, and almost never here. The other side is another bedroom and those neighbors are OK with day time noise for 4 hours or so. The upstairs neighbors are not around much as well and are cool with music for 4 hours. The third wall has a bathroom and past that is our living room.. So mostly one wall with a window with dirt half way up on one wall is the main issue and the ceiling. one door to the hallway. Do you think It's worth spending money to reduce the sound leaking a bit? This area is so expensive to live. We have no garage. This little 900 square foot 2 bed 2 bath condo goes for $750K. Buying a commercial space or a bigger home would be millions. Renting a space then sound proofing also seems like a waste of time and money. I'm really leaning into trying to do the best I can but a room in a room would take up too much space for my studio. Any thoughts?
I’d reach out to a pro studio builder and get an assessment for sure. Going in your favor is the fact that you’re on a concrete slab which is crucial for reducing the vibration from the drums.
@@JeffRandallDrumming Thanks for your thoughts.
Lol 7:45 on purpose, but I get it 😂, quite satisfying
At least you get a smaller heating and AC bill for your initial drum room as it is now better insulated than before.
Can you please use that same software and test the acoustic drum sound level vs your roland kit ?!
That would be really useful.
Thanks
Thank you for sharing the truth brother!
How much does a digital drum set cost?
Would it benefit your situation to dampen more of the sound in the garage? Like a large rug in the rest of the garage? Maybe moving the rest of the acoustic panels from your upstairs room into the walls of the garage? I’m sure you’ve had that thought.
That would only improve the acoustics within the garage itself. It wouldn’t really have any bearing on the sound outside of the garage.
As a full-time drummer, this is definitely one of the issues that make me sometimes ask myself, "Why did I choose to become a drummer?". I envy all my guitarist, bassist and keyboardist friends who can just literally setup anywhere in their house and play with their headphones on.
The drums chose you 😊