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How Loud is a Drum Set?
Drums are the foundation of rhythm in many bands. However, drummers have the hardest time out of all instrumentalists finding a space to practice because drum sets are VERY loud. This article will cover how loud drums are and walk you through the best ways to soundproof a drum set. With proper soundproofing materials, you won't have to deal with your neighbors complaining when you are rocking out!
How Loud are Drums?
Drum sets are one of the loudest acoustic instruments, because it’s impossible to play them correctly at a low volume. And let’s be honest – a big part of the fun is that you are literally pounding on large drums and vibrating cymbals with wooden sticks. With all that racket, guitarists and bassists have to invest in amps loud enough to be heard over the deafening sound of the drums. There’s an art to setting up a show with just the right amount of drums being transmitted from the mic to the audience.
The loudness of a drum set is measured in decibels. A standard drum set ranges between 90 decibels to 130 decibels. This is incredibly loud compared to non-amplified instruments, like acoustic guitars and pianos. If you play an acoustic guitar as hard as possible, you may be able to get it up to 75 decibels. And a standard upright piano is only around 70 decibels at its loudest. With drums, the smaller drums in a kit can be as quiet as 80 decibels, while loud cymbals such as the “crash” may be up to 130 decibels if you strike it very hard. Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, and with a 10 dB increase representing a 2x increase in the perceived noise level by our ears. Due to that logarithmic scale, an upright piano (70 dB) is ~97% quieter than a cymbal crash (130 dB). 97%! As another reference, a shotgun blast is only around 120 decibels! That maximum noise level of a cymbal crash is perceived as TWICE as loud as a shotgun! No wonder drummers should be wearing hearing protection while playing drums.
At What Decibel Range Do You Risk Harming Your Ears?
You risk harming your ears if you are exposed to sound over 100 decibels for more than 15 minutes. Hearing loss has been linked to all sorts of long-term side effects including dementia highly repetitive conversations with friends and family. So, to all the drummers and band members out there… wear ear protection to block out sound and protect your hearing!
How To Soundproof A Drum Set
Drum sets are extremely loud, so finding a practice space can be difficult, as your neighbors or roommates may not be pleased to hear you rocking out. Soundproofing a music room and drum set is a great way to prevent the loud sounds of you banging through a drum solo from bothering other people in your house or neighborhood.
Place Your Drum Set In a Strategic Location
The first thing you want to do is highly practical and mostly free. Make sure your drum set is in a place where it will create as little disturbance as possible. Ideally, your drum set should be on the ground floor of a building and in a room that doesn’t share walls with neighbors. The more centrally located the drum set is, the easier it is for people to hear it. We often see people create a “drum room” in their garage or other detached structure. If disturbing people outside could be an issue, minimize the number of entry points such as doors and windows.
Place A Floor Underlayment Or Drum Mat Under Your Drum Set
Drums sit on the floor and transmit energy into the floor when struck. This transmission creates a lot of impact noise which can easily travel through the floors to other rooms in a house. Installing a rubber floor underlayment such as our UnderBlock Rubber Floor Underlayment is a great way to prevent these vibrations from traveling to adjacent rooms. You can also place your drum set on a rubber drum mat as a targeted standalone treatment or to further reduce the amount of structural noise.
Soundproofing your Drum Practice Room
The next major thing you can do to soundproof your drum set requires soundproofing the room that it’s in. The first thing to consider is doors and windows, as those are the weak points in any wall. In recreational drum rooms, we sell our Sound Lock Door Seal Kits and Fantastic Frame Window Inserts. Both options are excellent for taking an existing solid-core door and window (respectively) and making them as soundproof as you can without professional soundproofing materials. The Fantastic Frame window insert is especially popular because with a 4.5" air gap, its design actually allows it to function as a bass trap (contact us for details)! For professional studios, we have our Sound Lock Music Studio Door and Tru Acoustics Soundproof Window.
Next we need to soundproof the walls and the ceiling. Everything must be completely sealed with acoustical sealant. After sealing the gaps, cracks, and seams, add density with a new layer of of ⅝” thick drywall on top of the existing drywall using Green Glue between the two layers. For new construction, you should explore using our RSIC clips as they are your best performing option. Always seal around the perimeter of the walls with acoustical sealant to close off any possible openings for sound to escape through. After you’ve prevented sound from exiting the room, you’ll need to look into our acoustical panels to reduce and control the noise inside the room. We have a huge variety of aesthetic and price points available, but for a drum set we always recommend 2” (or more) thicknesses to control the low frequency sound.
Please reach out to a Second Skin expert if you need help soundproofing your space!