E-drums too loud for neighbor

We just moved to condo in a nearby resort beach area this weekend for the extended season and I got the urge to play my e-drums at 9pm, about 5 minutes in, there was a knock at the door. It was the man who lives in the condo above me. He asked if I was playing the drums? I answered yes, but there electric and I'm playing into headphones. He said I dont care what kind they are I can hear you pounding loud and clear upstairs and my daughter is trying to go to sleep. I apologized and stated how completely shocked I was that he could hear them (I was really shocked by this). I'm not going to go without playing here for the next 5-6 months and will talk to him about it the next time I see him and let him know I will stop before 8-8:30pm. This is a resort area and in the summer I'm sure my e-drums thru headphones will be very low on the list of disturbing noises...any suggestions how to handle this situation? I want to get along with my neighbors but I have never lived in a apt.,condo type building before except for a week in the summer renting a place like this and I know the vacation renters are treated like invaders to the people that own and live in these condo's full time..

There have been numerous threads on this subject, so you may want to do a search.

The biggest issue with e-kits in an apartment is the vibrations from the kick drum (and to extent the pads) going into the ground and vibrating everything around it.

A lot depends on the construction of the building.

There are a few threads floating around about building an isolation platform, which is a good way to solve the transfer of vibrations issue.

But the act of stick hitting rubber pad still produces a sharp sound. That is a harder to solve issue if the walls and ceiling are thin and not insulated.

I have encountered a similar issue with my e-kit and my downstairs neighbour. For me, the resolution was to to develop a relationship with this person and have him shoot me a quick text message on my phone if my drumming is bothering him, which works very well. If you can establish something similar (I'm not too sure how friendly your neighbor is..), it may be helpful.

Text messaging doesn't have to be the source of communication, but I've found that the most unobtrusive method.

There was a guy on here that built a platform on top of tennis balls for his set.
Maybe you could track him down

It seems like he's only mad because you're playing so late at night. I'd just ask him what time he needs you to stop playing.

Thanks for some great suggestions..I didn't think to search it due to how suprised I was that the noise carried..I was really thinking he was being unreasonable...

Here's the link for the tennis ball platform solution:

http://www.vdrums.com/forum/showthr...e-Isolating-Platform...&highlight=tennis ball

First be friendly with your neighbor and talk with him/her about the issue, be polite always. Then isolate your kit from the floor with a platform. Add other kinds of sound isolation if necessary. There's no better way if you want to practice (at home) every day and moving isn't an option.

It took me 6 months of trial and error and a lot of communication with my neighbor to get to this point where I can practice almost when ever I want. And my neighbor eventually moved away, now I have another drummer living there. \o/

Polly- thanks for the link..I'm going to do it.
All- Thanks for great advise...I ran into him again this morning and apologized again and discussed it some with him..we parted in agreement with time frames and my willingness to damper the noise and even had a laugh together...feel much better about it then 12 hours ago...

If you had all mesh heads, you would almost not be heard through vibration. Rubber pads are hard and noisy, and pass all the vibration along to everything around them. The bass drum is usually the worst offender. If you have something in an upright configuration for the bass, with a mesh head, it would really help. Plus the mesh heads feel better and will save you a lot of wear and tear on your joints.

Pollyanna said:

Here's the link for the tennis ball platform solution:

http://www.vdrums.com/forum/showthr...e-Isolating-Platform...&highlight=tennis ball

Click to expand...

I have built a tennis ball platform, and while it does help with noise transmission through the floor, it doesn't do anything for stick noise, which on the cymbals can be significant (on the mesh heads it's fine of course). Also if you heel/toe on the bass drum pedal even with a tennis ball platform and a mesh head kick it's definitely not noiseless...

One way to further lower the noise would be to play with nylon brushes or rutes, but of course that doesn't feel the same as sticks, maybe those "low volume" sticks that sometimes are talked about here could be a solution (in addition to the platform)? I don't remember their name

i don't think a tennis ball platform is going to help that much because this neighbor lives above you and those platforms are designed to keep bass trigger noise from going to the downstairs neighbor.

mesh head drums would definitely help, but you'd still have the cymbal pads. those can be pretty loud.

if it were me, i'd try to work out a compromise with the guy about what times of day are acceptable. i might also try hitting the pads more lightly.

but no matter what you do there are some people out there who just hate the sound of drumming (i know it's hard to believe!) and if they can hear drumming at any volume, they're going to complain.

Don't forget guys, you can also use mesh heads for your cymbals.

Glad to head the mood has lightened Brain.

dairyairman said:

i don't think a tennis ball platform is going to help that much because this neighbor lives above you and those platforms are designed to keep bass trigger noise from going to the downstairs neighbor.

.

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Vibrations travel through solid actually travel further than through air.

Depending on how the building it build, it is very possible for vibrations to go down into the floor and rattle the entire building.

Slab or raised foundation. Wood, steel or concrete construction. All of these factors can affect how sound travels through the buildings frame.

I would not totally rule out a platform as a "possible" partial solution because the problem depends on a lot more than just "up and down".

sticks4drums said:

Don't forget guys, you can also use mesh heads for your cymbals.

Click to expand...

hmmm... that's a crazy idea, but it might be just crazy enough to work!

dairyairman said:

hmmm... that's a crazy idea, but it might be just crazy enough to work!

Click to expand...

My first Roland TD7 had 7" hard rubber pads, no movement. My latest kit is a TD10 with moving cymbals. I trigger is a trigger.

There *are* renter rights. Most places allow sound (within reason) up until around 10pm or so. Playing around 9 and being the new guy (not knowing there's a little girl upstairs trying to sleep etc) can be pushing it, especially if it's the first time you decided to bust them out *and* especially if they're the rubber pads (as long as you're not hitting rim shots, those mesh ones are super quiet).

I live in a big loft and have a 24-hour cafe right below me and DJs right above me. I don't complain about all the drunks flooding the place from 1:30-3am, hootin' and hollerin' - nor with the DJs busting out some big bass here and there (they are apparently well known, and are good at what they do, so it's not a huge bother) and they don't complain about me playing (I play anywhere from 10am-10pm). I am lucky that they haven't complained when my roommate has buddies over after a night at the bars, and I come home at 2am from work with people banging on my stuff.


My girlfriend's place is completely opposite: THIN walls - can hear every conversation if I paid attention, and *her* roommate calls the cops on the neighbors when they have their lover-spats past 10pm - including last night. Awkward.