How To Treat A Room For Drums (Cheap & Practical)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

See a comparison of a treated drum room vs. an untreated drum room here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2ezfpaenNtleZY DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on this. These are simply practical (and cheap) tips for you to get a better sound in your drum room. If you are looking for a complete sound treatment manual, this is not that. This is taken from a live stream I did for the members on my website. It's all about practical ways to sound treat your drum room. This IS NOT a tutorial on building a home studio. This IS a video full of a TON of practical and cheap methods for you to make your drum room sound 100 times better. I have used most of them myself. I give you some free options, some cheap options, some DIY options, and some more expensive options. Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

[@Satanicdrummer]

Stephen Taylor I have my drums in my basement, and no matter what I do, the drums and cymbals sound awful. It's not that I don't have good sounding equipment. I have a 7 piece Pdp concept maple kit, with some Zildjians A custom cymbals. And I've tuned all of my drums with relatively new drum heads (Evans G2 coated) and still everything sounds harsh, and disgusting. I live in Massachusetts and the weather is constant changing from hot to cold to humid to damp, etc. Could you please, please help me!? I would greatly appreciate it!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Peter Suriner It’s your room bro. Watch this video and do some of what I’m talking about. Do some experimenting with different materials, different furniture layouts, some cheap sound treatment. I think you’ll be surprised at how much better things sound.

[@ralph9446]

Hi Stephen, I'm your fan from Philippines, can you donate me a cheap drumset? I just can't afford to buy even a used drumset, I hope you notice me someday.

[@doknox]

@@ralph9446 how much was your phone?

[@doknox]

@@Satanicdrummer same here. They sound good but when recording it sounds trash. A lot of unwanted resonance even with dampening. Its the room 100%. Gotta get rid of the annoying echoes somehow.

[@t.sheppard5940]

I've been researching this for months, and this is more information than I ever found altogether. Appreciate you taking the time to share your wisdom, especially the "on-a-budget" tips.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Tilman Sheppard You bet Tilman...glad it helped

[@steveSticksE]

I had a room with 3 walls of brick and concrete floor with my sisters bedroom above!! I used timber to Frame with plywood and then I collected apple and egg cartons and stapled the walls and ceiling!! I used a cheap rubber carpet and that was my practice and band rehearsal for many years when I was 13 years old!! I think from that I’ve lost parts of my hearing and frequency’s !! Back in early 80’s there was no shop for acoustic baffles!! Had the best memories learning how to play drums practicing after school!! My parents and sister eventually excepted my passion for the drums !!

[@LemmyAttum]

SMALL TIP for hanging the accoustic tiles. I ordered card cut outs for record mailers ( normal cardboard will do but you will have to cut to size) i use the adhesive to attach the cardboard to the tile, then use simple command strips or cheap alternatives to attach the cardboard backed foam tiles to the wall, this way you can re use the tiles over and over without damaging the wall and wasting time picking it off, NOTE! if you just use command strips on the foam alone, they may eventually fall off depending on the bond as foam has lots of air gaps, spent a couple hours doing it and not only looks good but is future proof and saves your wife/landlord murdering you! great video though Stephen as always!

[@dwood721]

How much does the beard help with acoustics?

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

It’s actually the defining feature of my drum sound.

[@kanesanders6669]

Beards make everything cooler. Unfortunately mine is all silver so it also makes me look 20 years older.

[@DenimRoad]

Thanks. I am currently building my second sound isolation drum room to keep the sound of the drums out of the rest of the house as much as possible. I have a pretty good handle on the construction of the walls, ceiling, and doors to keep the sound from getting out. This video was useful for helping me think about options for treating the sound in the room. BTW, Rockwool is actually made from minerals (mostly basalt, chalk, and blast furnace slag) by melting these compounds and blowing the molten material into a fibrous state similar to the way a cotton candy works.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Kevin Ross Interesting...I didn’t know that about rockwool. Glad it gave you a few ideas!

[@thepandemicequation7100]

Just ran across this in KZbin as I'm about to buy a drum set. Very practical and sensible. Thanks!

[@dianarojo-jewell4070]

I'm moving, and this video is really helpful because I'm actually considering more properly how to treat (and also will be looking into soundproofing) the room I'm allotted for my drums. It's smaller, squarical, and will have hardwood (since I also paint and use the room for that purpose as well; wood is easier to clean than carpet), so I was trying to figure out how to make it not wacky sounding. Thank you for all the different options and suggestions and explaining really clearly WHY you're doing the things in layman's terms. Your videos are very helpful in general I find :)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Thank you!

[@0riole11]

I'm dealing with windows at the moment, what I'm doing is hanging a 33mm sliding door with acoustic foam on the inside and acoustic pin board on the outside. The trick is to over hang the opening by around 50mm on all sides. When the room's not being used for drums, open the doors and let the sun in :)

[@anthonydallarosa8314]

If you can mount it appropriately (it’s extremely heavy), 3/4 rubber gym flooring mats with a moving blanket or two in front will chop an absurd amount of db from passing through thin walls. They’re also very cheap and suuuuper dense.

[@lizb3139]

Any tips for apartments? I have my drums in a corner in my apartment. Any soundproof tips please?

[@greetthemind]

Electric drums lol acoustic ones are too loud for an apartment

[@johnnyjones3362]

Hey great vid! One thing iv learned that is really helpful is to play to the room. Especially when recording. If your room is small, your drums will sound big if you play quieter and set your recording levels hotter. Sound is pressure so it reacts to the room size. Im sure you've all tried getting a good drum sound in a room with 8ft ceilings only to hear the play back sound smaller that it sounded when you were playing it. Larger rooms are able to handle sound pressure much better than small rooms because of the longer timing of frequency reflections. Smaller rooms destroy frequencies paths and cause comb filtering which phases out certain frequencies and doubles others. Any sound absorption, especially in the 250 hz and below will help these frequencies loose their energy in a small room, but it won't make your recordings sound bigger, just tighter.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Absolutely...playing to the room is SO important in all situations.

[@sidwangkhem1683]

First reaction : 44 fricking mins😓 Last reaction : Best lesson learned 😁

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

So glad it helped

[@FanaticDrummer]

That hi hat rod so long lol

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

FanaticalDrummer that’s...what...she...said? Agree, it really is unnecessarily long. I love the iron cobra hihat, but that rod has almost put my eye out more than once.

[@FanaticDrummer]

Stephen Taylor Yea the one that came with my cobra stand isnt that tall haha, they do sell the short rod, which is much nicer for more compact set ups

[@fatmatrow]

Stephen Taylor just take a sawzall to it

[@thedrummerfrxnky5018]

@@StephenTaylorDrums the office😂😂😂

[@tacobell19882]

Great Video. One suggestion for folks watching and wanting to make some of the rectangle panels like the Auralex one that Stephen shows: for that backing material wait till after politician season ends and go around and ask folks if you can have their old yard signs, they are plastic so they are much more rigid and durable than cardboard and wont bend or crumble as easy but they have that corrugated feel of cardboard and depending on what you size you are going for you may not even have to cut them. Stephen, I don't know if you look at the comments on your old videos, but I am looking at making some of the rockwool style panels (using a product like Rockwool's Safe'n'Sound) but from what I've read there are warnings about how the material's dust and particles can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation when working with the material. That is typically really only an issue for anyone installing and they usually wear a mask, glasses, long selves and pants if it bothers them (same goes for fiberglass insulation). Once the walls are finished with Sheetrock or whatever wall treatment there's no way to disturb the the material so it's not an issue for inhabitants. My question is: in a panel you made the rockwool is only covered by fabric, which is at least somewhat breathable, so is there any issue with the dust and particles escaping out of the panels? I mean I know you are probably not beating on the panels or sniffing them, but just opening and closing a door changing the air pressure, and even just drumming does it kick up any dust?

[@tubaljohn1]

Great video, and this may seem funny. I leave the light on in my room a lot! It is in the basement. I was just telling my wife to get me a clapper. Remember them? My biggest problem right now is the 1/2 stack (guitar). My jam room is 3 walls 2 exterior in the basement. I can muffle my drums. I enclosed them to a very small space. The guitar and bass amps are what ring the house. Are curtains on the open side the best solution? This is so helpful thank you!!!! My very budget tips: 1. I have 3" construction insulation (painted black) all over the room. Free from work. 2. I was doing work across from a carpet place. I was able to get sections of scrap for free. mostly 2'x10' 3. My basement isn't finished, and I shop online a lot! Other than under the drums (carpet) I have cardboard. Easy to replace if I happen to get water. Warm on your feet, and I think it helps. 4. Pallets/skids-I get them free at work. I have made a wall like you mention out of the pallet planks. Free hardwood stained, glued to the block wall with liquid nail. My problem is the open side that has to remain open. I will try the furniture you mention.

[@dakotajensen181]

I work at a uniform company and took a metric f#ck ton of unused/out of date material and stapled layer upon layer on my old closet doors. (we had 3 sets of those double sliding doors, which suck when trying to get to things which is why I took them down.) And I made a door fort around my drum kit and have done many of the DO NOT DO'S ie. Carpets on the walls, blankets on the walls, crappy wood frames wrapped in band uniform material. It's not perfect, definitely ghetto rigged, so far it sounds good but the basement is ever changing in the pursuit for the best basement studio adventure lol thanks for all the help man!

[@pobthecat]

Great video! My tip would be packing blankets. They can be bought in packets of 10 or twenty four little or no money. Also to put up accustic foam panels a hand staple gun works great allowing you to move the panels later with little to no damage in the walls.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Drew Coull Absolutely,..packing blankets are great

[@Cpt_Guirk]

I don't see much difference between a padded cell and a drum room. That might reveal something about the mental state of drummers.

[@mal2ksc]

Nah, drummers lock themselves in padded rooms to practice because it's their place to get _away_ from crazy.

[@lelhothedevil]

Why do you think do we beat up drums with sticks?

[@NobodyCaresALot]

@@mal2ksc nah, they know where the belong. Padded cell. For sure, bud.

[@ljdsam]

Really useful - I've just had my garage soundproofed for my son's drums, and the cymbals are riiiinnggggingggg. It's around 4mx4m. So trying to work out what to do. This'll definitely help.

[@oreoandoz7723]

Great video, thank you! One quick note: maybe don't assume all your viewers are guys ("wives killing you"). I'm a wife - and a drummer. I get the drum room, hubby gets the workshop shed. Great channel, subscribing now. Also, large canvases for painting from the dollar store - like 2 bucks each - are good, cheap alternatives too. And you can paint them. :)

[@broke123]

This is handy, I'm attempting to undertake sound treatment for a bedroom so I can practice at home without getting the cops called on me for noise every other day haha.

[@teleoneil7214]

Regarding your tips on Rock Wool insulation Stephen, to my knowledge Rock Wool is not manufactured with fiberglass so it's not itchy and can be applied easily and is available up to 4" thick in a 2' x 4' panel for easy installation.I've covered Rock Wool with a natural Wheat colored Jute which is really easy to work with & sealing the corners with a glue gun makes for an excellent way to make gobos. I've made gobos that are 4' high x 6' or 7' in length & they work fantastic because you can simply roll them anywhere they are needed.I've also created walls that are in front of a drywall to aid in controlling the reflections that can make a recording sound boomy & unusable. The product is by far the best to work with at the most reasonable price while it insures excellent performance. Beyond these features it's foolproof because you don't have to be a sound designer engineer to get good results. You simply analyze your room with a handclap or a pair of drumsticks & place the product with a trial & error approach & you are guaranteed good results immediately.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Tele' O'Neil Thanks for that info...I just assumed it was made with fiberglass like insulation. Good to know!

[@dirtydave2691]

This is great. I play in our bonus room over our garage. It's not bad but I have been wanting to treat it without having to permanently affix things to the wall.

[@JasonSmith-qt2xk]

I got a heap of those small square ridged acoustic foam pieces and I bought 3 big rectangular plastic sheets and glued the squares to the sheets then used command strips the Velcro ones and stuck them on the wall. I have one square with ridges horizontal then next one vertical etc over the sheet. I'm about to do the same thing for the ceiling above drums

[@stevenkorenek389]

Thanks Steve-o.... This video helped me alot! We just moved into a house and my drum room needs this type of treatment.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You bet STeve

[@niteshades_promise]

jammin in an all concrete basement is rough. and loud! 🍻

[@Dannys.channel]

With those skinny squares you need to double up and use them this way. Make the edges face the time all. Then infront put another one faceing out. Put your foam above the snare side of the kit and along the wall of the snare side and near the front. That’s the cheapest way to set it up so it’s not as loud. With the drum kit the less the kick vibrates the quieter it’ll be. Low frequency will go through easily. High frequencies too. The hi hat doesn’t take up much space in the air when you play but it’s loud. Except it’s not full so it’ll die off quick.

[@vt6spd]

My room is 9 x 9 with electric kit, electric piano and a set of vibes. 4 music stands, 3 ukuleles and a clarinet :) It's tight but its home

[@billybadwordproductions1857]

Love the drum room. I'm getting ready to do my basement and I will absolutely factor these things in.

[@gmoney1592]

Thanks Stephen . Great tips .very helpful. This will make a good weekend project for me .my drum room needs all the help it can get

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Gary Colkett Sure thing Gary!

[@JohnGatesIII]

Awesome stuff. I've got a weird (good) drum space of about 600ft2 above a detached garage. It's got a large dormer, plus 16ft vaulted ceiling, so I think there's only one or two actual 90 degree corners in the room. We (the wife and I) insulated it normally (with R16 insulation in between the studs), then put the hard foam (exterior) insulation over that (it's 4' x 8' sheets, just like drywall, so it's installed the same way) with tape over the seems. Then dry walled over that. The issue is the dormer wall is basically a wall of windows. I bought insulated curtains (heavy duty black out / cold weather) , but they don't work as well as I would like. My only saving grace is my neighbors are actually pretty cool about it (as much as I would LOVE to play at 0200 in the morning, I play between 0900 (9 am) and 1800 (6 pm), that way they can't complain about sleep etc.), but I KNOW that they can still hear the drums. I'll have to try your window treatments to see if that improves anything. My other "danger zone" is the stairway leading up from the garage to the space. I still haven't figured up how to cover up that space / hole, let alone actually make it look good. I'm SURE there's a lot of sound that comes out through that as well. I look forward to your sound PROOFING video. Once I get the sound proofing thing down, I'll look at ways to make the room more musically "pleasing". Like I said, very few 90 degree corners, really not even that many 90 degree walls (just inside the dormer for the most part). We put carpet down on the entire floor. I think some deadening on the vaulted ceiling would help, I've got to try some of your home made panels. Looks like I'll be buying some rockwool insulation......LOL.

[@JohnGatesIII]

Oh, and I've got lots of shelving (4 x 48"x72") in the room, for my drums and accessories to sit on. What about a pack like this, it's got the bass traps as well as a good deal of insulation panels, for not a horrible amount of money: www.ebay.com/itm/Studio-Acoustic-Foam-Kit-48-sf-VTrax-Wedge-4-CornerBlox-from-Next-Acoustics/282813133094?epid=5013288241&hash=item41d8f9f126:g:e64AAOSwLjxaX7cM

[@vesak988]

Cool, practical, enjoyable video. Sooo many things were mentioned I hadn't known for such a long time! God bless you Stephen, Loved it, keep it up!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Honza Šimánek So Glad it helped!

[@vesak988]

For sure it helped! Not only me but also my band. Finally I have a proof that placing guitar/bass amps in corners isn't a bad idea :D

[@robbyrock-drummer]

21:00 You have some name of suitable foam for this? How would EPE Foam work? or roll of soft home insulation?

[@fastfiddler1625]

Definitely need to try this out. I will probably use command strips. They are awesome IF you follow the directions. My dad once tore a big hole off the drywall because he just pulled it straight away from the wall. So if you decide to move or clean up, that you and your helpers know how to take those off safely.

[@thezine2570]

Dude, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I just recently moved my drums to a self storage space that is metal and concrete. This video was a one-stop shop for all of my questions and concerns. Now I know what needs to happen. :)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Yea, those spaces are tough for sure. Been there before myself. Glad it helped!

[@tdrum21]

Great vid! Sound proofing video would be great. Trying to build up an in home practice/teaching space instead of always going to students houses/other houses for rehearsals...

[@MrBiff123]

Another good way to hang the acoustical foam is to actually use something like the spray glue to a sturdy but not to thick of kind of poster type board that is just a little more shiny then use the command strips on that and your foam will be easy to take with you easy to move from place to place since your not gluing it to the wall bit the bit of poster board on the back which you will hardly notice. And that will make it easy to move around as much as you want

[@larryarnold5279]

You inspire me to be good at drums

[@markazinker3212]

Stupid question! Does leaving your extra snare drums in drum room make things worse or no? I’m keeping snare wires off all extra snares, thanks

[@nktcell]

Would these treatment methods be effective for a vocal room/booth as well? Great video!

[@Beevus17]

as a sheet metal worker, I have access to acoustic insulation designed for ventilation noise. Im guessing that would probably work really well and cover it with a material after being backed by a hard board. Can anyone let me know how that would work out? Great video, got yourself a subscriber Stephen :)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Beevus17 Yea, if it’s made to control that type of noise, it will work well with this. You may find it doesn’t keep out certain frequencies as well (maybe low end, etc) but I honestly think it would work great. Best way...make a couple of panels and test it out. Glad to have you hanging around the channel!

[@TikiHorea]

mass is what deals with low end. Make it super thick and have a 1-2inch air gap between the panel and the wall

[@anthonynunyabizness9989]

@@TikiHorea that's a handy bit of information right there. You sound like you know the science behind this stuff, would you either of you two know of any good sources that covers this stuff in depth?

[@BeatsAndMeats]

Cheap and easy bass traps: Home Depot sells Roxul Safe and Sound in a 4ft x 2ft square package for $45. Wrap it in black fleece from Walmart for $8. Stand it in the corner. DONE!

[@ColtraneTaylor]

How about for sound proofing the floor ...? And does Roxul work good if it isn't installed behind a wall?

[@qbob4202]

So my problem is too much sound going to my upper floors since I’m in the basement, any ideas other than the baffle?

[@OaktownGirl]

Thanks. I definitely need sound proofing. Will search your videos!

[@sheriff223]

I’m working in a basement with a space that’s 12/15 with a 6 and a 1/2 foot ceiling. Floor and wall are concrete. How can I treat the walls without framing them ? Also, with such a low open ceiling what can I use to treat that ?

[@mikestein1024]

Chris sandbach me too man on top of that I wonder if mold can get inside of drums because the basement is moldy

[@learnngwell]

Lots of useful info, Stephen. Thank you.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Stephen Humphrey You bet Stephen

[@timothyk6489]

What about sound proofing a garage? what to do with a garage door if you dont wan to tear teh door down and replace with a wall? Could you use those professional sound blankets would that work? any suggestions

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Yea, hanging something in front of it is going to help for sure. But...in the end...it's still a garage with a metal door. I would try hanging blankets first

[@timothyk6489]

@@StephenTaylorDrums thank you Stephen!

[@TheAnalyticalObservers]

Amazon prime, foam, and spray adhesive will be your best friend.

[@SebastienM2012]

Always great vids man! Thank you!

[@wartonwoodworksdiyblog495]

I am currently doing a Garage To Bar Conversion. I thought you guys may want to check out the Step-By-Step images of the Soundproofing Steps Taken. I have quite a few video's showing sound levels before and after acoustic insulation.

[@stevepompei3694]

Wondering how those Rubber matts would work, they interlock like puzzle pieces, they're solid Rubber not foam, i think originally for quickly putting down on a garage floor Just looking to no pics off my neighbors, currently hang old shag carpeting

[@benjaminperez1510]

Hi @Stephen Taylor, I don’t know if you mentioned it or I missed it, but can you explain why you didn’t treat the wall behind your kit? I’m setting my room up and want to figure out the best way to set up the panels I have.

[@ComedyByAlan]

Acoustical foam is pretty cheap now, thanks Temu 😂

[@waynemarch7213]

Regarding the window issue, would cutting a bed mattress to the size of the window space with a piece of board over it work ? Cheers Wayne

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Sure

[@devinbuchhorn]

The insulation is also called Owens Corning.

[@matthewkortz1663]

So my only option until I build my house and music room . I’m going to build a shed big enough to set up in and I want it sound proof so my neighbors don’t hear me , I just want a spot to practice . Any recommendations on trying to creat a sound proof shed for now ? I don’t necessarily need to worry about studio like I just want the sound to slow down and not get out all that much to practice. Let me know if you have an idea please

[@dieter6686]

This is gold, mate🤙 I'm setting up a drum room, and you answered a lot of questions.

[@janzedwicksantos6015]

Hi! Man i'm from Philippines I have a small room it's just like the size of a big van how can i sound proof it because i want it to be my bed room also my drum room

[@josephralston3407]

Have read a lot about moving blankets on the walls. Any thoughts on that? Looking to sound treat a room that’s about 8-10’ by 12-14’ so my roommates don’t lose their minds. I already have foam tape for the entry door, plenty of moving blankets, and 24 12”x12” foam acoustic pads and heavy blackout/noice canceling curtains for the two small windows. Any thoughts/tips?

[@andrewmenard2661]

This was super helpful, thank you so much!

[@gergelyszabo4802]

This question might be a bit hilarious, but is it possible, that sounding "bad" at home actually helps? I mean if you have to make yourself sound great in an awful situation, will you sound (with the same technique) even better than you would normally in the perfect setup? For example I practice ghost notes on a metal snare with hydraulic head on it. And when I try to play them on a calftone for example, I get the ghost notes I want. Also I practice with singing the lyrics, and if I can still play the groove correctly, then I'm ready for the gig. Is this standing also for the room, or if I practice in a bad sounding enviroment, will I develop bad habits because of that? (Sorry for my english)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Gergely Szabó It’s a good point and one that I have given thought in the past...I always want to be able to sound like me, no matter the environment. I always want to be able to wrap my head around the situation and search to work with the materials at hand, to sound good no matter what. That being said, I dont believe it’s something you need to subject yourself to on a daily basis. For me, it’s completely uninspiring to have a room that sounds harsh and awful. I can deal with it for a certain period, but just like on a gig, if there is ANYTHING I can do to improve the acoustical situation, I’m going to. We can’t always help it, but we can sometimes. So I want to put the work in to making my own space sound amazing. That frees me up to focus on developing my sound so that I have the resources to know I sound good in any situation. There will be enough horrible sounding clubs, awful rooms, etc. that we have to deal with...no reason to subject yourself to auditory water boarding on a daily basis lol. Great point to bring up though.

[@chrismcmullen4525]

Excellent video. Thanks man!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You bet!

[@ZacLimon74]

Hey Stephen I am in a brick room so I can't push pins glue or use those strip things what can I do ( I have the foam thing , the small ones

[@zach875]

What kind of inears do you use

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Alclair

[@annagreen5932]

my drums have huge echos like ever part has an echo and i just hate it have any of ya'll gone through this and do you know how to fix it?

[@SHONROPER]

Perfect video Stephen, I am part of the Warren Huart group..and said everything correct!!!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Shon Roper Thanks so much!

[@richd7258]

I still use wool carper padding . Less than a dollar a sq. Ft. I’m in a small ish room and I wrap around the back of my set And drinks in all kinds of overtones. Cheep and works great 👍

[@0Mixeal0]

Great video! Thanks! You talked about making your own sound traps with black fabric. How would black speaker cloth compare? Worth the extra? (aesthetics in mind here as well)

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Yea...if I did it over I would spend a touch more and either get speaker fabric or go to the sowing section and get a higher quality cloth.

[@Rockin_Ross]

Awesome video brother! I use flags on the ceiling and walls that really break up the sound bounce. I'll try the corner foam just to see what happens as that area is untreated. Thanks for the new direction of thinking. You rock!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You bet Ross

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

I'm practicing in a big room and there is a 3 by 4 meter wall I can't cover at all because we use the wall to watch movies with a projector. I can't spend any money on sound treatment because I've already spent too much money on gear for drum recording (which sounds horrible because of the room) and my parents don't want any "ugly" foam hanging on the walls. Aaaaaah!!! I don't know what to do 😭😭

[@CJCDrumming]

Tony hang a carpet/thick blanket on the wall with nails so that you can take it down after you record and the put it back up

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

@@CJCDrumming that's a good idea, I'll think about it. Thanks, bro🤘🏼

[@Pro1938ftc3ch]

I have a small room is that better

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

@@Pro1938ftc3ch yup definetly

[@colincallahan7255]

Hey Stephen, I'm using some Audimute sound absorption panels and they work well. However, the high hats and cymbals (high pitched sounds) are still very in my face loud. Any recommendations to specifically address those sounds?

[@rkh_drums12288]

This showed up in my recommended and I’m almost half way through the video, but my question is, what if you don’t have a practice room, cause my practice room is my basement so my sets like in the corner and I’ve tried a few methods but nothing seems to work

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

I would begin by treating that corner. I would even go so far as to build some baffles (you can make them look decorative and place them around the drum kit) to place in front of the kit to make a smaller room within a room feel. Esthetically, it would also partially hide the drum kit. Lots of ways. But don't try to treat the entire room...just begin with the area around the kit

[@ezralord4901]

Good video, but rockwool is not fiberglass. "Rockwool, a lightweight hydroponic substrate is made from spinning molten basaltic rock into fine fibers"

[@skahotandzrson1076]

Well presented mate good game

[@christianfraude4517]

Thnax Stevo ! This video is what I've been looking for & really informative ! Keep em rollin mate !

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You bet!

[@seanpark1351]

Thanks Stephen for the advice! Especially the soundproofing/window advice!

[@josephsicora3838]

How well does a corkboard work for sound treatment?

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

I've never experimented with any tbh

[@gregthesalad495]

I recently got a metal practice shed, would I use the same stuff here or would I do something completely different?

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You can. But with it being metal, you may need to do a good bit of treatment to make it sound decent inside. Not undoable, just May take a bit more than a normal room

[@gregthesalad495]

Cheers! Thanks for the advice:)

[@rewalczak74]

Duck cloth is another good material as an alternative to denim.

[@gonzorudeboy]

Very instructive video! Thanks a lot

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

You bet

[@sosnikov]

Hi Stephen. I noticed that you have Mac too. I use it for sheet music, click and for bounch of other things. Do you have any recommendations for certain programs? For example, I'm currently using Pro Metronome in my phone and I'm looking for same kind of program for laptop. For now I'm using QuickNome on laptop and that's not great...

[@sherlock2drum]

Thanks for the good ideas.

[@arshulk6636]

this was really helpful! Great video and thanks a lot for the tips!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

ars hulk You bet

[@spam3570]

Great vid! Is it possible you can give me a ballpark estimate for how much this cost you in total?

[@coreygagner7645]

What about using ceiling tiles? I see them all the time on Craigslist for free when people remove their drop ceilings. I was thinking I could get a bunch of those, stack them up so I have about 2"-4" of material and hang them on my walls and ceiling. Thoughts? I was thinking they'd at least add some mass to my walls and I could stagger the thickness to break up my parallel reflections.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Doesn't hurt to try them

[@noeluhde6816]

the best way to get this acoustic foam on the wall is by using acrylic joint sealer. i've put 52 square feet of acoustic foam on the wall like this. Its safe AND u dont got any damage, neither on the walls or on the foam :)

[@alwynnmarais8092]

Will egg trays work,,, the cardboard ones

[@jackvankouwenberg3379]

No. You can buy plastic ones from shipping supply catalogues for fairly cheap though. Far cheaper than any wooden diffuser.

[@duanebonney]

for a DIY job, aren't you better off sound treating ALL walls, so you have minimum reflections to deal with. Then add reverb in the mix?

[@ryanwilson5936]

No. Why kill natural reverb just to add fake reverb later? Room mics are great on drums and by treating every area possible you’ll create a tinny sounding recording. And, you’ll save money by not wasting it on unnecessarily treating 50% of your room. It’s good practice to get the sound of anything you’re recording to sound as much as possible to the final sound you’re after before ever hitting record.

[@joshgragg4280]

If I'm wanting to use the acoustical foam at my new house, does it suppress the noise to where my neighbors wouldn't be able to hear it? Or do you have any advice on how to set up a studio to suppress bass drum noise for playing in a neighborhood?

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

It may sound proof things a bit but this is more about sound treatment within the room. Sound proofing (keeping sound from escaping) is a different thing altogether.

[@dylanpaterson7612]

I loved this video! It was awesome that you added a poor mans option, and used terms like "weird noises". Really easy to understand (even from someone who knows exactly what those "weird noises" are, just makes it easier for everyone

[@manosliapakisthestormrider8099]

Best Chanel

[@Dbmiller19]

Im in my 100% concrete empty basmement and my drums sound like absolutely fucking horrible. Definitely gonna try some of this

[@CrisRibeiroDrums]

Great info, thanks

[@dmitriydevyatykh7246]

need a video not about sound proofing, but wife proofing drum room from all that weird sounds

[@JEDSaje15]

In-case anyone is interested in cheap-ish acoustic foam. Buy on Ebay, you can find $1 sq ft. Not cheap but more affordable than guitarcenter as an example that is more like $3-5 sq ft

[@jr57257]

FoamByMail.com too

[@CarlosGonzalez-ox6uz]

This is probably irrelevant to the video but aside from the helpful information provided props to you sir first KZbinr I see comment and like their followers comments👏🏻👏🏻 props

[@mikehirsch117]

i know this is an old video but i was wondering how i could make that cheap poor mans panel you were talking about with the mattress topper and poster-board ? I am turning one of my garages into a drum room and wanna reduce some of the frequencies and reverbs.

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Mike Anthony sure. Just cut down the mattress topper to the size of the poster board, glue it, and then cover it with some fabric to make it look better. Glue or staple the fabric on the back of the board. As to how well it will treat the room? I’m not sure, but it will be better than nothing for sure.

[@felodrummer9033]

great man , neighbours are claiming noise , got windows and door, gona do the matress thing , cutting it for de size

[@fernandosalas2641]

Pretty helpful Stephen. Thanks!

[@StephenTaylorDrums]

Glad it helped Fernando