Practicing your craft as an aspiring drummer can be a real hassle and finding a reasonably priced studio is very rare. Playing in your own home or apartment will more than likely generate complaints from neighbors and roommates so I decided to do some research on how to soundproof a room for drums.
So what are some cheap ways to soundproof a room for drums? Here is a list of affordable ways on how to soundproof a room for drums.
- Seal all major openings
- Install a solid core door
- Insulate your hollow core door if you can’t afford a solid core door
- Install carpeting in the room
- Use a drum rug
- Add mass to walls and ceiling
- Install soundproof window curtains
- Use an electronic drum set
- Stuff drums with blankets
- Use silent drum practice pads
- Build a room within a room
- Apply sound absorbing paint to your walls and ceiling
First, let’s uncover why soundproofing your drums is very difficult…
The drum noise problem
The issue of drum noise is really twofold. First, drums are very loud. They can produce upwards of 120 dB through the air.
Second, drum noise is also transmitted through your room infrastructure. This means your floors, walls, and ceilings will be acting as conductors of sound sending vibrations throughout the rest of your home, apartment, or building.
These two problems make soundproofing your drums a very challenging task.
Simply filling a room with sheets, mattresses, carpets, and anything else around your home may help in absorbing noise, but will likely be ineffective at preventing sound from escaping your room. The amount of noise that breaches your room depends on the volume and frequency of your drumming.
If you are seeking an airtight seal for your designated drum room, you will more than likely need the assistance of a professional. You will need to hire someone to completely remodel your living space, which can be very costly and time-consuming.
Unfortunately, there is no truly inexpensive way on how to soundproof a room for drums completely. However, here are a few tips you can implement to absorb and reduce the noise.
#1 – Seal any major openings
You need to find how noise is escaping your room and then seal it up. This is pretty easy to do.
Start by searching for any crevices, cracks or openings. Anywhere air can enter is where sound can enter too.
Use your eyes and sense of touch to find any airflow. You can use your hands to feel for airflow around the corners of the room and doorways. Another neat tip is to utilize a flashlight to find any small cracks near windows or doors.
While creating an airtight seal is ideal for soundproofing, it will make your room very hot and stuffy. Therefore completely sealing off your room is not recommended. Do your best to find the major leaks and seal them up using this gap filler or some high-density foam tape.
Most noise leaves and enters a room through the doorway. Specifically, the bottom of the door typically has the largest gap. To seal this portion of the door, I recommend using a door sweep. Make sure to check out my post on how to easily install a door sweep if you decide to get one.
Additionally, you can run some weather stripping around your doorframe to further soundproof your drum room. You can place this around the sides of the frame and top of the door to keep noise from leaking through the room entrance.
#2 – Buy a solid core door
Most doors inside your home or apartment are typically hollow core doors. These type of doors can actually amplify the noise throughout the rest of your home or apartment. The best thing you can do for soundproofing your hollow core door is to replace it with a solid core door.
I mentioned this tip in my post on soundproofing a doorway. You can either do it yourself or hire someone to install it.
How much does a solid core door cost? You can visit your local Lowe’s or Home Depot for an estimate. You can expect to pay upwards of over $200 for a solid core door. It could be more expensive depending on the type of wood and design. Don’t forget about labor costs too, which typically average around $200 for installation.
#3 – Insulate your hollow door
If investing in a solid core door is not in your budget, your next best option is to insulate your door. You can do this by adding mass to your door or manually inserting insulation. I teach you how to do this in my post on how to soundproof a door.
Fiberglass blankets and mass loaded vinyl can certainly be expensive so is there a more affordable option? You can usually find some cheap drywall and nail it to your door. You can also try this dense hardwood to add extra mass.
Another insulation method you can try is manually putting insulation inside your door. This will be more time consuming and may require some carpentry skills so proceed with caution. You will have to drill a hole in your door and then stuff the insulation inside. I suggest renting an insulation blower machine from Home Depot to help with this job.
#4 – Install carpeting
If your room has hardwood floors, you will need to add some carpeting. I suggest installing wall-to-wall carpeting to reduce echo and dampen noise.
If this is not an option for you, I recommend throwing down a few thick area rugs with some extra rug pads to help soak up the sound. Make sure your drum set rests on top of a carpet instead of the hardwood to reduce the amount of vibration being driven into the floor structure.
#5 – Buy a quality drum rug
In addition to carpeting, get a drum rug. A lot of structural sound vibration is transmitted from your drumset into the floor. This creates strong low frequencies that reverberate throughout your floors, ceilings, and walls.
Place a drum rug underneath your drum kit to absorb noise and sound vibrations. Implementing this extra layer of padding will also help to protect your floors if they are not already carpeted.
#6 – Add mass to the walls and ceiling
Bare walls, floors, and ceilings can amplify the noise of your drumming. To block sound traveling through the air you need mass. You will need to cover your walls and ceilings with material that is very dense to prevent sound from escaping your room.
Installing some drum soundproofing panels such as these acoustic foam ones will help to trap some of the noise and reduce echo. Additionally, the corners of your room are where noise will bounce around the most. Installing bass traps in every corner of your room will help absorb low frequencies and prevent additional sound travel.
You want to cover up as much of the walls and ceilings as you can. Even purchasing enough to cover a quarter of your room will make a difference.
#7 – Install soundproof window curtains
Your room windows are another major sound escaping vestibule that you need to soundproof. Installing some soundproof curtains will help to stop noises from reaching the outside world. You want to make sure these thick drapes cover the top, sides, and bottom of your window. Make sure to read my other tips for soundproofing your windows that actually work.
#8 – Buy an electronic drum set
Save the loud noise for the stage by using an electronic drum set. This will allow you to practice quietly. You can easily set these up in any room and not have to worry about rattling your walls.
The Yamaha DTX 522K customizable drum kit literally gives you the most bang for your buck. It is incredibly realistic and you will still be able to practice at minimal dB levels.
#9 Stuff the barrel of your drum with blankets
An empty drum kick barrel creates a lot of noise and vibration. To reduce this effect, simply stuff your drum barrel with blankets. Even filling it up halfway will have a drastic impact on noise reduction. These will act as sound absorption sheets to help minimize noise.
#10 Buy silent practice drum pads
Another way to silence your drumming is to buy silencing pads for all of the drums and cymbals in your setup. Installing something like this drum and cymbal mute pack will enable you to practice in silence.
I also found these low volume cymbals that you can replace with your regular cymbals. I could not believe the difference it made! Don’t forget to get this drum kick pad as well.
#11 Create a room within a room
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, decoupling is a very effective way to create a soundproof drum room. This means using an extra medium in your room to capture the sound. Here are a few ways to decouple your room on a budget.
Raise the floor – Placing an extra surface between your drumset and the floor is an excellent way to reduce noise. This essentially creates a platform to help reduce the vibration being transmitted into your home or apartment infrastructure.
Creating this raised surface directly beneath your drumset can be as simple as using a thick piece of plywood. You could also put a few of these plastic pallets together and then lay some plywood down on top to create your own personal drum stage.
Lower the ceiling – To easily give the effect of lowering your ceiling, hang soundproof panels from above. You can insert a few drywall anchors into the ceiling and then put in some screw hooks. You will have to attach a few D-rings to your panel so you can hang them from the hooks. Make sure these panels hang directly above your drum setup. Check out how to do a similar set up in my soundproof panel guide.
Use a drum shield – If you have ever been to a concert, you may have seen something similar to this. It is a clear barrier typically made from acrylic and plastic that restrict sound flow.
This barrier acts as a soundproofing medium. Using this drum shield with deflectors will help to reduce drum noise. Unfortunately, the shield only blocks sound from one side so you may need to buy multiple to surround yourself.
Buy a drum sound booth – A soundproof drum booth is an upgrade from using a drum shield. This is putting the idea of a room within a room to good use. Something like this drum enclosure will do an excellent job keeping your practice space quiet.
Take your soundproofing to the next level by placing a soundproof drum cage on top of a raised surface. You will notice a significant reduction in noise and vibration!
#12 – Apply sound absorbing paint
I came across this during my research in soundproofing rooms. This affordable soundproofing paint received some excellent reviews so thought I would share. I suggest applying at least two coats to help dampen any noise.
How much does it cost to soundproof a room for drums
It’s important to know how much it will actually cost to soundproof a room for drums. This will allow you to know how much you will actually be investing so you can plan your budget accordingly.
The tips mentioned in this article are very affordable compared to professional home soundproofing, which can cost upwards of over $1000. Implementing some of the cheap drum spoundproofing methods listed in this post will cost no more than a few hundred dollars. You may actually have some of the items mentioned!
What to expect
Although these recommendations will not make your drum room 100% soundproof, you will notice a significant difference. These recommendations are intended to merely help mitigate the noise.
Acoustic treatment for your room is essential when you need sound dampening for drums, therefore, applying any of the tips in this post will help to minimize sound. The key takeaways are implementing mass and mediums to reduce and dampen noise.
Try applying a few of these tips and adjust as needed to create your soundproof drum room. Most drummers will find some of these ideas affordable and easy to implement effectively.
