Please help me keep the lows in my own house

[Valvehead]

Sub lows will go through anything. Cutting everything under 60hz will help tremendously already.
But if that isn't an option by your book there is no solution other then either turning it down or practicing somewhere else.

For this reason I only practice at home when the neighbours are out. At night time I drive to the rehearsal room if I am going to be noisy.

Bottom end will always travel far, there is no stopping it in any normal home.

In the recording studio we had a floating ceiling hanging from rubber bands acting as a huuuuge bass trap, all doors were double and the room was built inside a room. These are no options for your home.

 

[pcake]

as someone else mentioned, OP, the neighbors who wrote the note won't be the only neighbors who hear and feel your bass. eventually the police will be involved, and after a couple warnings - during the time when you make your neighbors entirely miserable - the cops may take your gear as well as hit you with a ticket or court appearance. obviously the neighbors won't be able to call you since you won't be able to hear the phone.

you could be waking up people trying to sleep - some of us sleep odd hours, and due to work, those are the ONLY hours we can sleep. you can be disturbing napping babies, people who are sick, people who are trying to work from home doing customer service while trying to sound professional. what about people lying in the dark with migraines or having severe anxiety attacks or whose doctors told them to stay calm after a heart attack or stroke? just trying to relax quietly after a hard day at work?

btw, adding a drum kit seems so unfair to everyone who lives around you. why not take your $500, find a local rehearsal studio, and play there when you turn up or play with drums?

 

[DJ Bebop]

I have never listened to Zappa. I should add that to my COVID to-do list.

YES!!!
He runs the gamut. From classical to doo-wop to R&B, rock, jazz fusion. Some folks don't like his political views in his music, or his humor but, the music alone needs to be considered IMHO.
I've been a fan since his first release

 

[DJ Bebop]

Here’s what I did, which is the minimum needed to play at rehearsal volumes in a city at any hour of the day or night without upsetting the neighbors.

My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)

Full disclosure: Money spent on construction was just over $56,000 (USD).

Wow, you are Silky Smoove!

I can feel the cocoa butter from here baby!

 

[Riff Ranger]

as someone else mentioned, OP, the neighbors who wrote the note won't be the only neighbors who hear and feel your bass. eventually the police will be involved, and after a couple warnings - during the time when you make your neighbors entirely miserable - the cops may take your gear as well as hit you with a ticket or court appearance. obviously the neighbors won't be able to call you since you won't be able to hear the phone.

you could be waking up people trying to sleep - some of us sleep odd hours, and due to work, those are the ONLY hours we can sleep. you can be disturbing napping babies, people who are sick, people who are trying to work from home doing customer service while trying to sound professional. what about people lying in the dark with migraines or having severe anxiety attacks or whose doctors told them to stay calm after a heart attack or stroke? just trying to relax quietly after a hard day at work?

btw, adding a drum kit seems so unfair to everyone who lives around you. why not take your $500, find a local rehearsal studio, and play there when you turn up or play with drums?

I have migraines, I have children, I have trouble sleeping. What I didn’t have until I got that note was the knowledge that I was disturbing anybody. The instant I found the note, I started this thread to find out whether I had any options to solve the problem that I hadn’t already thought of (and having carefully read every reply, it sounds like “no;” I saw no harm in asking). I don’t know where people are getting this idea, but continuing to disturb the neighbors was never an option to me.

 

[Auspuff]

Cant we just build some kind of opposite phase noise cancellation system for him? Like maybe put a Pratt & Whitney turbo fan jet engine in his driveway?

View attachment 4032603

Looks like a CFM56.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Nix the short burst thing. That'll just piss them off. You play, then quit, they think your done, then you play again....I don't see that going well.
It's already been stated, your 500 isn't going to make a real difference, as I hope you've understood by now.

I do ONE short burst now and again to get me a fix.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I have migraines, I have children, I have trouble sleeping. What I didn’t have until I got that note was the knowledge that I was disturbing anybody. The instant I found the note, I started this thread to find out whether I had any options to solve the problem that I hadn’t already thought of (and having carefully read every reply, it sounds like “no;” I saw no harm in asking). I don’t know where people are getting this idea, but continuing to disturb the neighbors was never an option to me.

I think most are saying that might have happened before you got the note.
Most of us understand you are not continuing on until, you find a remedy, at least that's what I'm thinking.

 

[Roxbororob]

A room inside a room is an option in your garage, but not for $500. If you could do your room in a room in the basement, the cost would be lowered somewhat but still not down to less than a grand or so at absolute rock bottom.

Are your homes detached?

 

[Downunderwonder]

I have migraines, I have children, I have trouble sleeping. What I didn’t have until I got that note was the knowledge that I was disturbing anybody. The instant I found the note, I started this thread to find out whether I had any options to solve the problem that I hadn’t already thought of (and having carefully read every reply, it sounds like “no;” I saw no harm in asking). I don’t know where people are getting this idea, but continuing to disturb the neighbors was never an option to me.

The notion came from the tone of your enquiry. Us bass players are a sensitive lot. ''Don't tell me what I don't what to hear'' sounds a lot like someone who might spend 500 and plow on making a racket regardless.

I am glad you are not that guy.

 

[BAG]

I have migraines, I have children, I have trouble sleeping. What I didn’t have until I got that note was the knowledge that I was disturbing anybody. The instant I found the note, I started this thread to find out whether I had any options to solve the problem that I hadn’t already thought of (and having carefully read every reply, it sounds like “no;” I saw no harm in asking). I don’t know where people are getting this idea, but continuing to disturb the neighbors was never an option to me.

At least you listen to the experts here on TB unlike so many threads I've read which go something like this......

OP: Hey, can I do this???
Expert Replies: No! That would be stupid/dangerous/physically impossible.
OP: I think you're wrong.
2nd Expert: Listen to Expert 1, what you propose would be stupid/dangerous/physically impossible.
OP: No, but if I did it this way then.
3rd Expert: Doing it that way would be even sillier and more dangerous.
OP: No, you're wrong.

 

[mikewalker]

I recently have been making a small 'drum room' in a residential neighborhood - in fact the building I put it in is 12 feet from my tenant's bedroom (both buildings are in the same property with a tiny yard separating them). The room is only about 25x20 feet, and measurements taken outside the existing (flimsy!) exterior walls indicated that I needed to add 66 dB of low frequency absorption. I went with an extra two walls of 2x4 filled with heavy Safe&Sound rockwool, and both sides of each wall had double layers of heavy 5/8th drywall attached with lots of green glue in between. All of the new walls had 1" airspace between them. The room is not quite done yet ( this week we just got the ceiling in, which was suspended from the innermost wall assembly. )- still have to finish HVAC, lighting, doors and floors after the ceiling is finished. It's got double airlock doors ( two sets) but no windows. The room is encapsulated in an existing room with 11 foot ceilings ( the ceiling is 4" concrete) and the back half of that building is underground (buried in a hill). My main point is that this small room took FOUR AND A HALF TONS of DRYWALL, just for the WALLS. And it's still just barely going to contain the sound of a drumkit...

 

[VolverseLoco]

A room inside a room is an option in your garage, but not for $500. If you could do your room in a room in the basement, the cost would be lowered somewhat but still not down to less than a grand or so at absolute rock bottom.

Are your homes detached?

A room for inside a room = $250.00. Spend the other $250 on a 1x15" cabinet!

 

[Roxbororob]

A room for inside a room = $250.00. Spend the other $250 on a 1x15" cabinet!
View attachment 4032731

More along the lines of what mikewalker has done....

 

[Riff Ranger]

I think most are saying that might have happened before you got the note.
Most of us understand you are not continuing on until, you find a remedy, at least that's what I'm thinking.

The notion came from the tone of your enquiry. Us bass players are a sensitive lot. ''Don't tell me what I don't what to hear'' sounds a lot like someone who might spend 500 and plow on making a racket regardless.

I am glad you are not that guy.

I had my wife walk around outside when I first got set up in this garage to let me know where to stop with volume and lows, but I’m guessing between switching amps and tweaking EQ that overall obnoxiousness must have crept up. I will confess to wishful thinking about the volume and low end not getting obnoxious, but if not for wishful thinking, I would never have picked up the bass.

I’m glad a neighbor spoke up sooner rather than later, because it’s horrifying to think about how much of a disturbance I likely have already caused in my ignorance.

 

[silky smoove]

My main point is that this small room took FOUR AND A HALF TONS of DRYWALL, just for the WALLS. And it's still just barely going to contain the sound of a drumkit...

This is an excellent bit of context, and a pain I know all too well. Here's a photo of my drywall stockpile from my studio construction. Keep in mind that my studio is a relatively tiny 14' wide by 24' long. Not exactly a cavernous space. It has 8' tall walls and a vaulted ceiling with peaks at 11'. This is WAY more drywall than you would conceivably need for such a space, and yet after finishing the work and wasting a couple sheets due to bad cuts, I was only left with three sheets of extra drywall. I enlisted my college-aged cousin and his roommate to come and help me haul all of this from the drywall supplier's yard, who was unable to deliver to my place in a reasonable time, into a rented U-Haul, and then again into my studio space. I paid them for their time and ordered pizza The real price paid was to my back which was sore for what felt like an eternity.

 

[VolverseLoco]

I recently have been making a small 'drum room' in a residential neighborhood - in fact the building I put it in is 12 feet from my tenant's bedroom (both buildings are in the same property with a tiny yard separating them). The room is only about 25x20 feet, and measurements taken outside the existing (flimsy!) exterior walls indicated that I needed to add 66 dB of low frequency absorption. I went with an extra two walls of 2x4 filled with heavy Safe&Sound rockwool, and both sides of each wall had double layers of heavy 5/8th drywall attached with lots of green glue in between. All of the new walls had 1" airspace between them. The room is not quite done yet ( this week we just got the ceiling in, which was suspended from the innermost wall assembly. )- still have to finish HVAC, lighting, doors and floors after the ceiling is finished. It's got double airlock doors ( two sets) but no windows. The room is encapsulated in an existing room with 11 foot ceilings ( the ceiling is 4" concrete) and the back half of that building is underground (buried in a hill). My main point is that this small room took FOUR AND A HALF TONS of DRYWALL, just for the WALLS. And it's still just barely going to contain the sound of a drumkit...

For and a half TONS of drywall!?!? That's insane. The things we do for our hobbies I guess. We may balk at the price or materials involved but it sure is fun seeing the project all the way though. So you have acoustic drums you want to control, that's easy, go with a mesh head electronic set. So we have an electric bass guitar we want to control, that's easy, go with an acoustic bass guitar. Ironic, eh?

 

[silky smoove]

I’m glad a neighbor spoke up sooner rather than later, because it’s horrifying to think about how much of a disturbance I likely have already caused in my ignorance.

It's great that you had a reasonable neighbor who didn't immediately default to calling the cops. I always tell people that the best method for mitigating sound isolation is to do it socially. Go have a conversation with any neighbors who could be affected by the sound involved (easier said than done during a global pandemic). Bake them some cookies if you want to REALLY sell it. Give them your phone number and ask them to call you before calling the cops if the noise gets out of hand. Work out an arrangement for times that are acceptable to play at full volume and promise not to exceed those times without discussing it with them first. It's a hassle, but it's free, will introduce you to your neighbors and might even make you some new friends. We all want to play at whatever volume we want, whenever we want, but it's frequently just not possible without huge expenses and efforts.

 

[Basslice]

I have never listened to Zappa. I should add that to my COVID to-do list.

I - personally - would start with something better, like "Apostrophe". Don't get caught up in the lyrics. Check out the compositions.

 

[silky smoove]

For and a half TONS of drywall!?!?

At 70lbs per sheet of 5/8" type X drywall, that works out to 128.6 sheets. Assuming it's doubled up that means each sheet only effectively covers 16sf, or around 2,057sf combined of walls and ceilings. It adds up FAST.