Do Sound Booths Work For Drummers?

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0:00 This is a WhisperRoom
0:58 Build quality
2:17 Touring the inside
3:30 Volume tests
7:06 Results
11:58 Final thoughts

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

I’ve received a couple questions about the temperature within the booth since it’s being used in my garage. There was originally a section where I talked about this in the video but I chose to edit it out to keep it centered around the sound reduction. The booth comes with a ventilation system that’s mounted to the outside. It pulls the inside air out and sucks fresh air from the outside back in. This removes the CO2 buildup from within the room and keeps it comfortable inside so long as you use it in a climate controlled room. However, I chose to set mine up in the garage to have it on a concrete slab and to be further away from everyone in the house. So I purchased a portable ac unit and ran a hose from it into one of the intake valves of the ventilation system. Its pushing cold air into the booth and is working well! For all the details you can check out their website below. Btw, this is not an ad for them. I purchased this booth used and just wanted to share my experience with it. whisperroom.com

[@SuperSlimTrim]

How big is your garage?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

About 23x19 feet. @@SuperSlimTrim

[@jphifer2848]

Absolutely one of the most valuable drum noise control videos! The different locations and the discipline of getting the measurements of the two kits, PLUS the tutorial on db/noise level relationships was so valuable, and so well done. Great editing, too - you got right to the point. Thanks, Jeff!

[@NikkoNikko98]

Whisper room better sponsor our boy asap, this was super informative & dude your house looks great! Happy for you! 🔥🤙🏼

[@tuhadrums]

I get the feeling half the reason for making this video was to convince the wife

[@gsdota]

Bro this video is crazy!!! Whisper room should be paying you. This is such a well done video! Love your playing brotha

[@adrian___a]

Looks pretty neat! My solution was mesh heads + low volume cymbals + bamboo rods. No complaint from my neighbours which I take as a compliment 😁

[@bruzalind]

Same as you 👍

[@kevinhugh5411]

This was my way too

[@DJSteenkampMusic]

The house looks great as well. Well done man.

[@cfusilier2]

Ironically, I had to watch this with sound off and I don’t have headphones. So, it really put your experiments in perspective. Excellent video, and very thoughtful. I hope this goes great for you and the family.

[@skulldrummer872]

If I had enough room I would get that. Really nice

[@mikehens]

Lol you would also need about 30k

[@skulldrummer872]

@@mikehens agreed lol

[@saintjabroni]

@@mikehensThat’s an expensive son of a bitch.

[@ivorjones9961]

Thank you for the data Jeff, love your determination to over come noise challenges with your family. Great work.

[@jonfoster8533]

This is awesome dude! So stoked that you have this space to be comfortable in and not be worrying about noise anymore! I'm planning on building a similar sized drum room in my garage from scratch, since these Whisper Rooms are a little out of my budget atm.

[@KC4RAE]

Wow Jeff, you really drilled down into the details here and I appreciate it! I didn't know that it reduced the loudness that much. Considering that your house is very quiet inside, imagine how well they will hear it with typical activity going on inside the house such as TVs, tablets/phones and other things. Here's to hoping that you can continue to play. Thanks again for all that you do.

[@BHCollectives]

PERFECT. exactly what I was looking for with the enhanced room. Many thanks.

[@DrummerAndyTaiwan]

happy for you, great job, congrats on finding the best solution for ur situation! love from Taiwan! look forward to ur future content!

[@eggsplain4945]

God forbid someone farts inside the booth

[@higbyprigby9648]

Allow me…

[@3lvisplay]

You are treading on thin ice my friend. Don’t give the goblins any ideas…

[@TreborTnemorf]

Silent but deadly

[@ShadowDatsas]

fantastic, very informational, i will be considering this option in the future. Thank you!

[@stickaerobics1]

Great Video Jeff, you put a lot of awesome information in it. I also have a WhisperRoom, only 5x5 😅 double thick. Bought it during Covid so I could do online drum lessons. They are really amazing. Again thanks for the great video

[@kevinhugh5411]

Dude thank you for this, many questions answered. I’ve researched this for years

[@bdL91]

Very interesting. Great production quality and informative. Subscribed

[@Erix77]

Looks amazing! Hopes it works out for everyone 👍🏻

[@ronmuniz2775]

This is just like the practice rooms we had in college. In my music department we had these cubicles lined up inside a hall with space between the top of the practice room & the hall’s ceiling. Heavy doors with an audible swoosh of air when closing it. You still heard a little from the outside, but not enough to disrupt an ensemble rehearsal in the next room. A great investment for sure!

[@maxadrums]

Looks like a real solid solution! Happy it worked out and that you found one used!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Hope you’re well Max!

[@jonashellborg8320]

Cool, cheers for the test Jeff! I’ve relied on super low stick height and brushes to do kit practice in a flat/apartment. That room allows for practice and perform at full volume which is wicked. Glad this solution works for you!

[@VictorLubega]

thank for helping us to know who the sound Booth work, I hope to get one in the future.

[@michaelsage74]

Great segment Jeff. I’ve seen the Whisper Room but never a review on it. 👍🏻

[@leofremonti9666]

Wow that is awesome dude! I want one. Also, you had that money beat on repeat 😎

[@brehbreh68plus18]

I’m happy that you finally got that space to play and do what you do best Jeff. Also, CONGRATS ON THE KID ! :)

[@RCGC01]

Totally awesome Jeff.

[@gfsdrummer7517]

Looking forward to your new works

[@coltcramer5783]

thank you for this research!!

[@alexvesper7995]

Of all the drum influencers, you are "way ahead"! Super professional, very personable and modest in the best sense! Bravo!

[@thomasbrothaler4963]

Awesome videos! I really love seeing how you manage the situation as well as how you test the db difference! Keep up the good work and if i would have one wish, please also more 20min warmups (i do them daily and i love the feel of the background music! Its like meditating!)

[@TickTownProductions]

Great content very well done

[@lloydanthonycalabria1077]

I also encounter problems such as this, when neighbors around my house are complaining about the noise when i play drums, thats why i went to buy an e drums for an alternative, so that i have full control on the volume so that i can practice at night after work, but i got an idea what sir jeff is showing us right now, on how to soundproof or better much how to transfer your studio to an ideal place such as this like a pocket room👍❤️

[@trusarmor4957]

3:27 i love one of these, but you should add a security cam or two just so youre not totally isolated while in 'the Pocket'. (🥁 you should def. refer to it as the Pocket 😆 )

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

That’s a good call.

[@brianchristiansen3828]

The Pocket Pocket.

[@KC4RAE]

The company that produces these things is using this video on their website (as an embed). That's pretty freaking cool!

[@C_Shay_77]

Normally I'd think its common sense that an isolation booth of any sort would make a big difference, and that's still the case but the level of detail you showed and experimented with to really test the difference is awesome. Great video for sure.

[@stuhiggins6065]

Those whisper rooms are amazing

[@JulianFernandez]

nice. glad is working out for you-

[@anttilalauri]

Would be really interesting to see the comparison in sound level between your bonus room and the booth. I saw the original video describing the build process of the bonus room and I was a bit "huh-oh" that just one solid door blocks enough sound to the other parts of the house. I guess it first felt it would be enough? Glad that you found the another solution without needing to take the acoustic drums back to the storage to play!

[@RobertWardDavidson]

Thanks for this

[@musiqsoundsproductions]

I have 2x2 Esmono top heavy cabin in the stone garden shed, and it works perfectly. I can’t play 24/7 as you still hear it, but it reduces the sound enough for long sessions, and its perfect for recording as its super dry.

[@janarleth9811]

Really interesting topic. If I needed to be more quiet I would consider this to be a great option!

[@redsunsounds6564]

Interesting video. Must be great to have the option to play acoustic drums at home. That’s my dream.

[@arturofernandez6088]

Great analysis. Congratulations!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼 Can you show the ventilation system?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Thanks! There’s a ventilation system attached to the back of the booth that I hooked a portable AC unit up to.

[@theoriginalderhythm]

I need this in my life! 😭😭😭

[@JackLStroem]

If you want even more dampening I'd recommend putting some heavy duty wheels under the whole booth (assuming it has a rigid baseplate, if not you could just make one!) most of the noise would be leaking out of the door and be transmitted through the floor! If you don't mind how it will look you could also throw several blankets over the booth and have further noise reduction! I built my own studio recently and succeeded quite nicely with my noise spillage :)

[@reapwhatyousow3383]

vocal booth to go producers choice sound dampening blankets work wonders as well!

[@kintaro_f]

tight beats, I wouldn't complain as your neighbor. 😊🤘

[@ill-worth]

Dude. That is a dream setup wow. I would literally eat and sleep in there

[@doktorprok]

There's some low rumble coming from your cube due to what I think is probably caused by resonance/standing waves. You should try adding some bass traps in each corner to see if you can reduce the noise level even more!

[@timkohl-drummer8250]

Agreed . I have the single wall WR, same size dimension. I added bass traps on all corners and wall treatments . It makes a much larger dent. And I don’t have the double wall version he has. Purchased mine in 2018 for $16k and worth every penny for what it provides in reduction and isolation. I do a lot of recording in it as well. Great video Jeff!!

[@saintjabroni]

@@timkohl-drummer8250I thought the whisper room would be completely silent. Like totally. I guess not. :/

[@TruthSayer5589]

My sound attenuated, air conditioned studio, built to accommodate a second layer of 5/8” Type X gypboard (if necessary), with interior studs decoupled from the exterior studs, asphalt roofing material covering both interior and exterior studs, and standard insulation, achieves a similar result.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Wow, that’s good to know.

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Super cool to hear the whisper room in action. It definitely stops the mids and highs but that low end cuts through everything. If you wanted to talk about build a custom room in your garage that is practically inaudible in your kitchen let me know!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Thanks for watching Wilson! I’ll definitely give you a shout in the future if I decide to build something.

[@carpenterjonathan]

Make some proper acoustic panels ( sound slab insulation) rather than the foam stuff on your walls. I’ve just replaced mine, & makes so much difference.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

On it!

[@caytra3940]

Super interesting vid

[@daltonidaho]

Thank you for these tests! Looked up pricing and that's an instant no for me. Playing in a small room like that also wouldn't be ideal, but hey, you've got to do what you've got to do for the family!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

The price is considerable. Thankfully I was able to find one used.

[@danistheguy]

Today I learned how decibels really work

[@DECIFERTHIS09]

You usually want your final mix around 96 db give or take 10db, I did this whole experiment where I played all my favorite songs on different speakers and cars and found at around 96db you do not have to play with the volume knob, you definitely start wanting to turn the volume up or down after that 10db margin so at 80db your finding yourself turning it back up.

[@sleepwhenimdead9667]

It's pretty astonishing just how loud drums are and even with a full iso booth, it only takes the sound down by about 3/4. Which is a lot, don't get me wrong but it does put into perspective just how much of an investment sound proofing can be.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

100%

[@DennisBergDrums]

Man it must be a real bummer to finally move out of the storage unit into a super nice drum room only to move back into a small container again ;-) But Im glad its working out for you! Sound isolation seems pretty good!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Yeah buddy, it was a tough call.

[@bishopoftroy]

I wonder how it would sound like with foam also on the outside the booth. Given the walls are acting like a speaker`s diaphragm the foam would reduce greatly. And some garage treatment would also benefit. Or maybe just bring lots of stuff into the garage.

[@ryanfitz-henry3371]

I would be very interested to see a video discussing how you go about micing up the drum kit in such a small dead booth (especially to achieve room mics?) Because ill be using a very similar set up to record drums!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

That's a great idea. I'll be learning as I go with the micing and mixing in this new space. Perhaps that's something I could do as I get more experience with it.

[@dancoroian1]

This seems great! Did just want to point out though, in response to the comparison with a car driving by, that it's really apples and oranges -- a beat composed of short attack-heavy hits is far more distracting and attention-grabbing than the (nearly) white noise of a car driving by, which more easily fades into the background unnoticed

[@MattButzen]

Super awesome! Do you plan on leaving the "studio" as is for filming or what not?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Nope! We’re going to demo it and use it as a playroom for our daughter. :)

[@thiagooliveira8544]

Really cool you achieved great results with it! But what caught my attention was the Odery kick drum you used for the test! Is that an Odery Custom teak/araucaria?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Yeah, that’s a buddy of mine’s bass drum that he let me borrow for the video. Can’t tell you much about it other than that. Sounded good though!

[@orchardrecordingstudio5491]

Great video. Do you know if this has the standard or enhanced (double) walls?

[@Llama_charmer]

When you first went into the kitchen i completely forgot that you were doing the loud kit first and thought "god what a waste of money" lol

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

And you need to decouple the thing from the floor. A lot of what you're still hearing is low frequencies being conducted through the floor and walls. While the reduction is impressive, low frequency noise tends to irritate people more than high frequencies. For that to be "whisper quiet" IMO, that should've been a 40-60 dB reduction. Considering this thing weights almost two tons, the spring risers you'd have to put in there will not be cheap.

[@Sundaydrumday]

Dude this is so nice! Perfect size, I want one!!!!! I cant afford it {cry face} lol

[@That0T]

Hi, How is the air quality in the whisper-room after a few hours of practice? My concert is heat and the dropping of oxygen in that enclosed space. I am seriously considering it. loving your channel by the way.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

It has a ventilation system mounted to the outside that keeps everything nice and fresh. Since I put my booth in the garage to have it on a concrete slab I use a space heater for heat and ran a hose from a portable AC unit into the ventilation system to keep it cool.

[@ChrisP3000x]

It's probably around 110 degrees in there. Buying just the right air unit (+installation) would be a significant cost.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

I’d recommend checking out my pinned comment in the comment section.

[@mannys1930]

Hello and thank you SO much for your videos. I'd invite you to lunch if I could, but I can't so...... I'm a pro/full time guy, but enough with the humblebrag. I'm been hesitating to redo a bedroom because of all the things you've talked about in your videos. Congratulations on finding a used Whisper Room, they're the best ( and most expensive) solution. Question... What's your opinion of a ClearSonic portable iso room , the padded acrylic panels ? Otherwise known as the Shield of Shame .. Thanks for all your videos and continued success to you..

[@salmonella-he4tr]

if you have to make it have no sound you can put a bit of sound dampening in the garage walls

[@blackbird7864]

Who else thinks that kit #1 at 6:37 sounded awesome?!

[@camshash]

I thought the same, kick is very punchy

[@itsfonk]

I wonder if one could further reduce spill by also treating the garage ceiling with panels/tiles, and placing either curtains or panels/tiles around the perimeter, including the garage doors…

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

To stop more sound you would need more mass. Acoustic panels, foam, ext. will only improve the sound within a room, not block it.

[@marcosjimenez8063]

Awesome. But cost ? New/used.

[@jeremiah333music2]

How much is it? That’s cool to have at home

[@jonofromtheblock]

My wife wants me to get one of these for my electric kit!😅

[@charlesparenteau9256]

You can work on low volume playing when the family need a very quiet environment.

[@rileydeutsch9418]

God bless you jeff! Maybe God led yourt to this booth to play your drum set! More!

[@toothnail605]

One of the last times I saw one of your vid's you were building a drum studio *up stairs/2nd floor, and I'm like you can put 150k grand into it but it's not going to turn out like its on the 1st floor and on a slab. I wish you the best finding thee perfect drum room. Now I gotta get up to speed on all your recent vids. Peace

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

That's the truth man. If I knew then what I know now I would have never attempted to use that bonus room as a drum studio. Soundproofing a room upstairs is a major challenge.

[@toothnail605]

@@JeffRandallDrumming Rock n Roll brother!

[@GC-GrahamCollins]

Thank you for this superb demonstration. Ive wrestled with my conscience & also noise restrictions for decades & viewed all kinds of options / solutions. I have an excellent ekit, but I rarely play it as its just not the same feel & does not offer the same experience as acoustic drums / cymbals. Sadly my unique collection of drum sets seldom get played because currently i am renting a property & I would be evicted if I played any of them & neighbours complained (& knowing them, they would!) This is the solution. Yes, frighteningly expensive new, but for the price of a used car (or a lot less if i can find a pre-owned booth,) its going to be worth it to me personally. Do you know the exact model number you have to give me a direct comparison? Thank you once again. 😎👍

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

You’re very welcome! The model is MDL 102144. I would continue to check Facebook Marketplace, Reverb, ext.

[@GC-GrahamCollins]

@@JeffRandallDrumming Thank you Sir! 😎👍

[@andrums93]

Wish I could have this, for now electronic will work. I am guessing that this does not apply for living in condo building ?

[@MrAnimal47]

I see the vad 500 series… how much decibels less than acoustic kit? Thanks

[@HighCoup333]

I found a used one on Reverb just now for $10,000. If I play often and loud enough without a sound booth, maybe my neighbors will pitch in and buy one for me! 😅

[@linusguitarzz7026]

Quick Add: every 6dB is double the perceived volume and every 20dB is 10times as loud. That’s logarithmic :)

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

That’s correct! Though it’s a bit more complex as I learned. Check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYuvgqKGa6iAZs0si=-a7OEVt-adaB_byx

[@saba2655]

Did anyone catch if the total outer dimensions were shared? edit: found in another video, 8’8”x12’2”.

[@ZachBratland]

🔥

[@venkatinator]

Thanks for sharing this! Is it effective enough for a townhouse? Or will neighbours still hear you?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

They’ll likely still hear the drums. But the volume will be greatly reduced.

[@williamperri3437]

That’s a serious game changer. Wifey can definitely sleep well in the bedroom.

[@dyzzee7861]

First time I heard of these things they were called kill boxes lol

[@ir0n_bb170]

I have a room in my basement and I want to soundproof it because I want to put the drums in and I want the best sound as possible I've found that there are multiple acoustic foams shapes and there are some diferences between them.. What would you recommend between the pyramid shape wedge shape or eggcrate shape, for the best noise treatment?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Would love to help you out but I don’t have any experience comparing different kinds of acoustic foam. I just found what looked to be a solid buy on Amazon. They’re working well from what I can tell.

[@cbfieldsmusic]

@jeffrandalldrumming the model you have is it the single or double wall configuration?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

It’s the double.

[@kevinturvey8213]

sorry to hear of your sound problems - maybe you should just have got a top of the range electronic kit, and saved your self a lot of aggro? i had a much smaller whisperroom myself a few years ago in apartment - not sure that it really did the trick to be honest...

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

I was using a Roland VAD504 up in the bonus room for lessons and practicing which was great! However it was still pretty loud in the house and not nearly as fun to play as my acoustic kit.

[@seanzy240]

I feel bad for the kids playing outside. They no longer get to hear Jeff's sick grooves 😞

[@ALLforROME]

I just pay my neighbors hush money every year AND shovel their driveways every snowstorm. I get to be as loud as I want!

[@HERBYWALLACE3]

Was the garage door open, the screen covered it 🤔

[@DarrenX9]

How did the Roland VAD kit work out in the "bonus room"?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Loved that kit! It just didn’t compare to my acoustic kit.

[@morgandavidpatton]

I'm curious what kind of sound reduction you'd get if you put the whisper room into the bonus room that you already spent so much time soundproofing. Maybe it wouldn't fit?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

One thing I learned after the drum studio debacle was just how difficult it is to stop sound in a room that's upstairs. Had I put the booth upstairs it would have presented more vibrations throughout the house, even with the sub-floor I had installed. Plus, with the booth being almost 4,000 pounds I didn't want to risk putting something so heavy up there.

[@morgandavidpatton]

Oh yes, 4000 pounds, that would be a bad idea, excellent point. I'm glad it's working out for you, love your content!

[@edgarsousa6630]

In which of your videos can I see you play that Roland edrum kit ? Thanks

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

None, but one is in the works!

[@edgarsousa6630]

@@JeffRandallDrumming but you went through so much work to make your drums quiet... That we can clearly see that you're not a fan of edrums.