Playing Bass Loudly - Apartment Living

[BELLATOR]

How many of you live in apartments and how many of you live in houses? Did you have to make special arrangements to play bass at loud volumes while living in an apartment? Do any of you live in virtually soundproof buildings or places where noise isn't really an issue? Sometimes I like to come home late at night and play bass but I'd rather not have to use headphones. I'll probably have to live in an apartment when I move out. However, I'd like to rent a house so I can have more space and so I can play bass loudly. Any suggestions or advice regarding playing bass at loud volumes in different types of establishments?

[mjolnir]

IME, how loud you can play depends on how far your neighbors have their heads up their asses. In some cases (like in the apartments I lived in in college) there was a club right next door that would be pounding loud music till 2 in the morning almost nightly, so nobody cared at all if I took it up to 11...

In other cases, I'd get reported if the neighbors felt even the tiniest vibration they THOUGHT was coming from my direction. I'd get busted even if my rig wasn't in my place at all because somebody with a system in their car would drive by or something.

[lefty007]

Every situation is different. It all depends on the type of building and construction, and on your neighbors.

I've lived in apartments where "sensitive" neighbors complaint that my TV volumen was too loud!

I now live in a house and can crank it up all I want, but before, I used to play through studio monitor set in pedestals, so the sound does not travel by contact with the floor.

Effectively soundproofing an apartment or room will cost you too much money. To do it right, you'll have to build and whole new structure or chamber separated from all surfaces.

Just putting some foam around the walls won't do much in an apartment.

[bassman1185]

I live in an apartment, and I have just decided that it's not worth pissing off my neighbors, so I just practice with headphones.

[Deacon_Blues]

A bass + cranked amp in an apartment (big or small) is a bad idea. The bass frequencies carries the longest distances and penetrates all wall materials. Play softly or with headphones unless you have a nightclub next to your apartment. I also live in an apartment, I'd like to play louder sometimes but choose not to, to respect my neighbors that are of all ages between 0 and ~90.... If the house was filled with students and there were parties every night, it would probably be a different story though.

[DocBop]

Being in a house versus an apartment doesn't change things much neightbors may be a little further away, but there are still noise ordinaces. A neighbor paying for a house is less tolerant than a neightbor paying rent. Plan on sound proofing a room and still keeping volume reasonable.

[mjolnir]

Sound ordinances are a tricky business... Most of the time bassists will have complaints called in on them even when they are not exceeding the maximum accepted decibel reading, because, as the Deacon said, the frequencies we're hitting travel the longest and penetrate the most materials.

This is why it's important to have a good feel of how your neighbors will tolerate the noise.

I've played in a farmhouse with nothing but pasture surrounding me for a quarter mile in every direction and still got the cops called on me, so it's best to throw any assumptions about who is and is not hearing you out the window.

[jomahu]

i usually play thru headphones. my roommates don't care how loudly i play, and the neighbours all know i play in a band (and they actually like the band! ), so it wouldn't be a problem. however, i still keep my 'loud' playing for the weekends (daytime).

[Atoz]

I own a house, and our band practices in the basement. So far, no complaints.

[SteveC]

Headphones.

We live in a townhouse and we got new college renters next door. We have never had problems before with neighbors. I never play loud at home - just so I can hear.

Thye like to run their flight simulator a little loud. My wife met them after about 5 days at 2:30 AM after they woke the baby. She informed them - politely - that the next time the police will be called.

We don't mess around, and neither do any of the other neigbors. We have kids, work early, etc. I don't care what you do in your house/apartment as long as I don't have to hear it.

It just being polite. If you want to do whatever - get a house in the country with no one around for a mile or so.

[BELLATOR]

For those of you that live in apartments, what period of time during the day do you play the most? Are there certain times, say, after 10:00 p.m. that you have to be quiet? Or do neighbors complain regardless of what time it is?

[mjolnir]

Once again, it depends on the head to ass ratio of said neighbors.

I would get odd complaints at 3PM from the guys who lived below me, though the cops never did anything because it was daytime hours and I wasn't violating noise ordinances, and I don't think it helped that these dudes dialed 911 if anybody around them so much as sneezed in their general direction...

And at another place I lived in, I'd be jamming to some tasty groove in my head when suddenly I'd hear a knock on my door, and when I answered I'd find two guys standing there holding combo amps and electric guitars asking, "Wanna jam?" This happened at all hours.

Get a feel for the people around you. That's the best way for you to figure out where YOUR boundaries are.

[JansenW]

Somewhat expensive solution but had zero neighbor complaints using headphones with a bass transducer system. Never hesitated to use this no matter how early or late it was.

With the speakers off, you can hear the music (all frequencies) through the headphones but feel the lower frequencies while on the platform.

Multi effects unit (optional), any amp with speakers off and headphone output, headphones, tuner out into a ButtKicker BKA1000-4 Power Amplifier (1100 watts 4 ohms with crossover) connected to a Concert transducer bolted onto a bass platform. I also mix iPod music into this system through the Korg PX4B(D) effects unit (which is somewhat noisy but is useful for transposing iPod songs).


Many times I had to remove the headphones just to check that the sound wasn't actually loud. The platform can really shake! As always, for safe hearing, limit the volume and time you spend with headphones.

Note: Only used this on the first floor so I don't know how much the platform transmits its frequencies through floors and ceilings.

Warning: Your neighbors may complain if you forget and sing along at high volumes.

[Unrepresented]

I have studio monitors on pedastals, I play bass/guitar/keys/sing/arrange drum loops through them and try and keep the volume reasonable.

I've been told by an upstairs neighbor that they can hear noise (I'm on the bottom of a two story complex) but that it's not unreasonable.

Never had the cops called on me, but I am on my third set of neighbors sharing the wall with the backs of the monitors.

[BELLATOR]

How can I use headphones if I don't have a headphone jack on my current rig?

[mjolnir]

Originally Posted by BELLATOR

How can I use headphones if I don't have a headphone jack on my current rig?

What is your current rig?

[Jazz Ad]

I always practised unplugged when noise was an issue.
Phone amps do a fine job.

[BELLATOR]

Originally Posted by mjolnir2730

What is your current rig?

I'm playing through an Ashdown MAG 300H head and two 1X12 speakers.

[mjolnir]

...I suppose if you had some powered headphones (like a wireless set) or a cd player with a line input, you can use the tuner out as a sort of headphone jack.

Not the best of solutions, kinda jimmy-rigged actually, but still an option.

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by BELLATOR

I'm playing through an Ashdown MAG 300H head and two 1X12 speakers.

You would probably be best off just getting a small multi-effects unit and running headphones from that.