Drum platform to stop noise travelling through the floor

Therma lobsterdore

Senior Member
Hey you lot. I've recently moved into a second floor flat and I'm now stuck with a wee noise problem, my downstairs neighbor can now hear my bass drum pedals through the floor. It's not ridiculously loud but I think I should do something about it.

So I did a search on here, and there are posts on how to make your own drum platform, but I can afford to buy some kind of off the shelf solution...so I was wondering if anybody knew of a drum platform that I could buy in the UK? I've tried a googling but I couldn't find much, maybe I'm searching for the wrong thing!
 
I have seen a "patent" using a plywood sheet resting on tennisballs. Cut holes in the ply at apx 2/3 of the diameter of the balls.

It's a fairly common problem for people using Vdrums, the only sound that travel thru the floor is the impact sound of pedals.

/Oldie
 
I have seen a "patent" using a plywood sheet resting on tennisballs. Cut holes in the ply at apx 2/3 of the diameter of the balls.

It's a fairly common problem for people using Vdrums, the only sound that travel thru the floor is the impact sound of pedals.

/Oldie

I saw the tennis ball solution too. It's been a year or two. Search this forum for Tennis Balls.

I did a quick search and didn't find it but it's probably in the results somewhere. It was a very clever idea...
 
Or just use thick sheets of insulation foam with a large area of plywood on top, though this may be prone to balance issues. The tennisball idea was the best one so far.
I am not aware of an off the shelf solution for this.
 
ive just got a nice thick rug which dampens well
 
I've heard / seen people use hockey pucks too. (placed at corners or other spots that need support). Reduces the amount of the riser touching the floor, the rubber seems to absorb some of the vibrations as well, without giving a cushiony feel to the platform.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. As I feared there isn't an off the shelf solution as such, I found the tennis ball solution here...

http://www.dtxpressions.com/platform/

Which is probably the best solution, but I'm also considering getting something like this...

http://www.keepitquiet.co.uk/floating-floor-system.html

I could use a combination of soundproof mats and the R10 floating stuff to make a platform, but yeah I'm not sure which one to go for. Seems like the tennis ball platform will give the best results but is gonna require more effort.
 
Is the tennisball solution usefull? I think the effect of raising your bassdrumpedal with 10 centimeters will have a significant impact on your playing...
 
Well after trawling through forums and google results, it seems that the tennis ball solution isn't that great, it doesn't dampen the sound enough and requires a fair bit of effort to construct. But I did find this page...

http://www.neurotica.org/drum/kit-desc.htm

It seems like this guys solution is the best and it's easy to make! I should be getting a block of rubber foam delivered today so I'll let you all know how it goes, here's the guys description of it...

I had the idea for the riser after watching a documentary on resonnace. The wood board is absorbing the energy generated by the beater hitting the bassdrum simply because it is heavier... the foam gets rid of any remaining vibration so almost nothing is transmitted to the floor. The board has to be thick and heavy enough in order to acheive that.
 
I know people who installed a "Sand Floor" that pretty much stopped vibrations cold; I suppose that you could do it in a miniature sort of way. You'd need to get some plywood and essentially craft a box that could be filled with sand then a piece of wood over the top then set the drums up on the top, like a riser.

Only problem with this is that you'd have to get a lot of sand and not only would it be a pain to carry to the second floor, you'd also be adding a bunch of weight to the house structure so check with the building super to make sure you can get a load on the floor.

It would not need to be too thick, maybe 2 inches or so high but perhaps that would deaden it sufficiently.

Wouldn't be funny if the floor cracked and suddenly the sand began to leak downwards? :D (There's a joke in there somewhere)
 
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