How To Soundproof A Room For Drums (2023) : 9 Ways To Build Your Own Studio

Guitarists and other musicians can turn down the volume when they don’t want to disturb their neighbors. But what about drummers? They don’t have this fantastic option.

Every drummer knows that it’s challenging to practice drums without disturbing neighbors. Acoustic drum kits produce airborne noise, which can collide on solid surfaces. This collision will transmit the sound through walls or ceiling and ence your neighbors get disturbed. 

So you need to soundproof the room so the noise can’t go outside. Now the question is how to soundproof a room for drums. One way to soundproof a room is to build one inside another. But it involves a lot of time and money. However, there are other ways, like using sound-absorbing sealants on the walls, using sound-absorbing materials, and many more.

How To Soundproof A Room For Drums?

You can soundproof a room for drums by the following ways.

Method 1: Built A Room Inside Another Room

Drums produce very large noise in comparison to other musical instruments. Minimizing the sound while playing drums has been quite difficult for many decades. Now people have started living in more tight spaces than before. 

Hearing the drum noise can irritate and disturb the neighbors. So the solution is to soundproof the drum room so that the noise cannot escape outside. There are various ways to soundproof the room. But the most effective one is to construct a room inside another room. This method is utilized by multiple drummers all over the World.

Now let’s discuss the steps you must follow for the building’s room inside another.

1. Measure The Size Of The Room

We have assumed that you have a room; inside it, you need to construct another room where you can play drums without disturbing anyone.

Now your first duty should be to measure the internal size of the room. It will help you decide how much space you need to work to make another room.

2. Consider Airvoid

You must leave at least a 40mm gap between the outer and inner room walls.

3. Start With Floor Construction

You can begin with floor construction by using a 2*4 floor stud. Fill the gaps of the lattice with the insulating material and then put rubber pads underneath the frame.

4. Construct Walls

Start constructing walls with the help of studs and drywall. Fill the voids with sound-insulating material. Plaster twice to absorb most of the sound frequencies.

5 . Construct Ceiling

Construct the ceiling using cross beams and fill the gaps with sound-insulating material.

6. Complete The Flooring

Lay wood over the floor lattice once you complete the construction walls and ceiling. Prefer to use composite wood as they help to block sound effectively. We will recommend you lay heavy carpet over the floor for better soundproofing.

7. Finish the Room

Complete the room by installing lighting, doors, paint, furniture, and other necessary things. Try always to install a door that has insulation padding on two sides.

8. Seal The Door

Most people usually ignore it while soundproofing their room. But this step is reasonably necessary. We recommend you seal the door using weather stripping or green glue sealant. Usage of sealant in the door will prevent the sound from going outside.

Building a room within a room is the most effective one as it does not allow the drum sound to escape and disturb neighbors. But you need to spend a lot of money on the construction work.

Method 2: Seal Every Gap

A drummer may live in an apartment or shared room where he cannot build a room within another room. Additionally, a drummer may not have much money for construction work.

So making a room within another room is not possible for every drummer.

Drum sound has been a problem since the creation of drums. So there are various other ways to reduce the drum sound.

One of the major reasons for sound exiting from the room is open gaps in the room. You need to examine your room correctly and find where light and air enter and leave. If light and air freely enter and leave, a sound can even go out of the room.

You must seal every gap to trap the drum sound inside the room. In most cases, you will find gaps underneath the door. You can close the gap by using weather stripping or any sound sealant.

Now check the windows thoroughly. Windows can have gaps that allow the sound to go out. You can seal them by using tape or weather stripping.Remember to close all the doors and windows of the room while playing drums.

Method 3: Usage Of Heavy Carpet

The floor is the primary factor that you must consider while blocking sound. If you keep the drum directly on the floor and start playing, the drum will vibrate on the floor. The sound waves will be reflected, making the room more noisy. 

Additionally, it will disturb your neighbors greatly. So you need to use heavy carpets beneath the drum. These carpets can absorb sound effectively. It will even hinder the drum kit from moving all over the floor.

If your floor comprises wood or tiles, then you can use a small drum carpet will be good enough to begin. But a small drum carpet on the floor is not an ideal solution. 

We recommend laying the floor entirely with drum carpets to better absorb the loud sound produced by the drum. Here the thick drum carpet acts as a sound insulator.

Method 4: Usage Of Sound Absorbing Materials

Sound-absorbing materials on the walls and ceiling can help soundproof a drum room. These materials will absorb the drum sound and will not bounce back, reducing the drum sound. There are various sound-absorbing materials available in the market, like acoustic panels.

Method 5: Add A Soundproofing Sealant To Walls.

Applying soundproof sealants is another effective way to prevent sound from escaping the room. The soundproofing sealant will absorb the sound waves and reduce the noise levels. There are various soundproofing sealants available in the market. But all are not created equal. So, choose the right one according to your requirements.

Method 6: Install Soundproof Doors And Windows

Soundproof doors and windows are designed to absorb the sound waves. You can install them in your room to reduce the drum sound.

These doors and windows have another advantage too. It will block the annoying sound of outside from reaching you.

Method 7: Usage Of Sound dampening Curtains

You can use sound-dampening curtains in your room to reduce the drum noise. These curtains are designed to absorb the sound waves and keep the noise minimal. You can find sound-dampening curtains in home improvement stores near your locations. 

They are even available online. So, purchase them to reduce the drum sound level in your room.

Method 8:Insert Acoustic Foam Inside BassDrum

You can insert acoustic foam inside the bass drum to reduce the sound. The acoustic foam will absorb the sound waves and not bounce back. 

Various acoustic foams are available in the market, so choosing the one that will suit your bass drum is essential.

Also Read : How To Soundproof A Ceiling From Noisy Neighbours 

Method 9:Invest In A Good Quality Drum Set

You can purchase a good quality drum set to play drums without disturbing neighbors. A high-quality drum will have thick skin and will produce less noise.

But slight noise will disturb everyone if you live in rented rooms or apartments. It’s only sometimes possible to modify the doors, windows or invest in soundproofing materials. We recommend investing in a good electronic drum set in such a case. They are portable and easier to set up. 

The best thing about the electronic drum set is that it produces much less sound than the traditional acoustic drum.

So, if you are purchasing an electronic drum set, you need to keep a few things in mind. We are discussing them below.

• Ensure that the electronic drum set that you will purchase should be soundproof. It is essential for your sanity as well as your neighbors.
• Invest in an electronic drum set that has good insulation. It will help to reduce the drum noise.
• Invest in a durable set.
•  You must always search for the electronic drum set, which is easy to set up and pack.

Conclusion

Drums are expensive musical instruments and produce loud sounds while playing. Loud noise can annoy your neighbors ad family members. So, it’s best soundproof the room in which you will practice playing drums. 

Various methods exist to soundproof a room and play drums peacefully without annoying neighbors. The most effective one is to construct a room within another room. 

But the procedure involves a lot of time and money, which is unsuitable for everyone. You can try other methods to soundproof the room and play the drum happily.

FAQ : How To Soundproof A Room For Drums