Why I Failed To Soundproof My Studio

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Btw, I don’t want to suggest that your projects will cost the same amount of money as mine. Only that they likely won’t be cheap. Every room starts with a different set of variables. My room in particular is fairly large, located upstairs and not on a concrete slab, and it has big windows and 4 doors. These factors add up. An ideal starting place would be a smaller room on a concrete slab with no windows and a single door. But of course you have to work with what you have and strategize accordingly.

[@kalelacustica]

I am building a home studio for an acoustic drum set here in Brazil. I specialize in architectural acoustics and am a professional carpenter. And let me tell you, it’s a huge challenge to isolate the low frequencies of an acoustic drum set. These low frequencies make everything vibrate, and the sound is transmitted through layers and layers of dense material. Only after working on many studios did I achieve good sound isolation results. Another detail: don’t leave even a needle-sized hole, or the sound will leak, and you won’t be able to figure out where it’s coming from.

[@kalelacustica]

"It was perfect to see you measuring the attenuation of sound levels. It gave me new ideas for creating content. Thank you for sharing your experience; I learned a bit more from you. Thank you!

[@DrumTipTuesday]

Wow! Thank you for posting this. It reminds me of just how lucky I am. There are two factors of sound isolation I've found over the years that (with the exception of the room in a room) are most important, and they are distance and dirt. With my studio being in a basement built like a bunker of cement on all sides under a house on a two acre plot I have both of these things covered. All I had to do was ditch the windows and replace them with the same kind of cinder block the rest of the walls are made of (and I already had the block in the back yard) and I was set. Good luck to you in your continued search of isolation and ultimate studio enjoyment. BTW that whisper box sounds great!

[@adrian___a]

As a positive side of the story, you have a soundproof room that is absolutely suitable for a kids bedroom/playroom, which is an unheard luxury for any parent. So, definitely not wasted money, it just needs repurposing.👌

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Haha, yeah indeed. It will be a kids room going forward. Though we’ll be demoing the room entirely so it’ll match the rest of the rooms upstairs.

[@pentzzsolt]

Do NOT change ANYTHING about that room! That kid is going to have the coolest looking room in all of Nashville!

[@adrian___a]

@@JeffRandallDrumming I'd try to influence your better one no to change the room, just probably have a repaint to have more of a kids-color-scheme inside. This also could potentially become a profitable side hustle to combine soundproofing with kids bedroom designs. Parents would pay anything to regain their old and forgotten sanity :D :D :D

[@samuelprice3392]

Cinema room!

[@joeimmen2557]

Thanks for making your last 2 videos, it’s hard to find high quality comparisons of drums inside whisper rooms (and although whisper room makes good products, they’re bad at marketing and they don’t produce any high quality videos of musicians inside their booths). The production quality and care you put into your videos is appreciated.

[@ianwalton7893]

I do wonder Jeff whether a lot of the sound proofing difficulties you experienced come from the way American houses are constructed to start with. The US does tend to favour timber construction. I've had some experience of DIY sound proofing, and before I say "Oh it can definitely be done cheaper", I'd say it definitely all depends on what you are starting out with in the first instance. I completed two projects in the UK. The first was a home cinema built from the ground up in my garden in a previous house. The floor was concrete on the ground, so no extra treatment required. The walls were only 100mm block, but concrete block as opposed to breeze block. The flat roof was a typical timber construction, boarded and felted. The door was a normal timber exterior door. The treatment inside the room was where it all came in to play. The walls had 50mm x 50mm battens screwed to them but with 6mm dense rubber pads between the wall and the battens at each fixing point, which gives the room in a room concept you talk about. Between the battens was filled with 50mm high density rockwool slabs. Then 2 x 12.5mm plasterboard added with the joints of each layer completely caulked. The second layer was applied so the joints in the boards were staggered to the 1st layer. The ceiling was filled with rockwool then plasterboarded and caulked, then a false ceiling added 125mm lower with metal rails and acoustic tiles. A second internal door I made and filled with rockwool slabs was fitted in line with the inner wall, with both doors caulked and rubber seals added all around each door. This method, whilst I won't claim to be 100% sound proof, does produce amazing results. I used to sit in that cinema at 3am with a 400 watt subwoofer making visible dust fall from the acoustic tiles, without bothering my neighbours. You'd have to stand with your ear against the door outside to hear any noise leakage. The inside of the room was further treated with acoustic panels like you done, but that is more for controlling the acoustics within the room. But like I say, your starting foundation will be the biggest factor in how well any sound proofing method will work. I now live in France in a big old house with 20" thick stone walls doing most of the work for me. Windows and doors are the only real source of sound leakage here for me to worry about, which are quite easily treated with secondary glazing which can be set a good 14" inside the original windows due to the nice thick walls. Again with proper sealing of the secondary glazed units, the massive air gap between will completely take care of any soundleakage. Again it all comes down to what you are starting out with. Different methods for different scenarios I guess 🙂

[@ianwalton7893]

One thing to add, is not to be seduced by all the exotic dedicated 'sound proofing' products out there. Adding the words sound proofing to a product instantly hikes its price! These products may or may not improve the sound proofing by a barely noticeable amount, but off the shelf products work just as well when used and applied correctly. Thick standard plasterboard double layered and properly sealed will work just as well as specialist sound proofing plasterboard. And green glue does practically nothing! Decoupling and filling every little air gap is the secret to having any chance of success 🙂

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Totally agree on it depending with what you’re starting with. With my studio being fairly large, upstairs with no concrete slab, and having large windows and 4 doors, it would have been very pricey.

[@AlexRamirezDrummer]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely I problem I have been dealing since I moved to my new house and building my drum studio. It’s hard to be a drummer, as you said we play a stupid loud instrument. Cheers mate

[@ajb-drums]

Well, it looks fantastic.

[@MattButzen]

Great insight

[@sergiozdrums]

great video :)

[@edjohnson105]

10k for that enclosure is a pretty good deal. Lucky to find it for that amount.

[@brooklynsoundproofing]

Contractors never know how to soundproof a space. They usually come up with ideas that sound like they work but I would say 99% of the time it doesn't. We've had to remove so many "soundproofed" spaces. Where clients already spent thousands and the results are negligible.

[@justinblanchard512]

I’m so sorry Jeff… I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to realize the first build-out wasn’t cutting it… I’m a drummer planning on building a room-in-a-room in our detached garage this summer. Thanks for the cautionary tale and your words of wisdom.

[@mattmarkus4868]

There's tremendous value in this video to all of us drummers struggling with the same issue, so thank you for sharing your learning experience. 30K+ is an extraordinary amount money, especially for individuals that simply want to play real drums and are unable to get any monetary return from it. Thankfully you didn't have to stick to your e-kit or fork over 35K. Glad it's over for you and now you can get back doing what you love. Again, thank you for sharing.

[@RockyTop85]

I couldn’t agree less. I get electronic drums are not ideal, but it beats the heck out of wasting 30k…

[@brandrumpitt9655]

Thanks for sharing mate, it's very rare to have someone be completely honest about getting it wrong, especially when big money is involved! I plan on having a soundproof room in the future, so you sharing your struggle will hopefully result in me not making the same mistakes (which I likely would have!). Cheers 👍

[@alvaroruizruiz7538]

Dude, this is also drum education, this is the kind of thing that comes as part of the instrument and you need to get around too. Learning from the experience of others is key

[@ADDG880]

I’ve wanted a private space to play my whole life. It’s been 3 years of dedicated research. I’ve looked at the sound proof booths, construction in my home, building a new structure outside, looked at renting a commercial space, and even customizing pre-fab options. I’ve read the Rod Gervais book, spoken to specialty contractors, and reached the same conclusion. Tough, but valuable lesson and hopefully the silver lining is a deeper appreciation for the opportunity to enjoy your craft in your home. Great channel, great videos, glad you’re back. Please, if possible check out your lesson requests as I’ve sent in a couple and never heard back (I can only imagine I am one of many).

[@matt_metcalf]

I just sold my acoustic set and bought a VAD507. It was a tough decision but I just couldn't find a way to play acoustic. So far it's been good. Mine and my neighbor's ears have appreciated the change. I'm also realizing that my parents were saints for letting me learn and play drums in my bedroom growing up 😊

[@tb7077]

I’m curious what the temperature / air flow is like in it? I’m in Florida and in my garage, it would be a giant slow roaster oven if it didn’t have some sort of a/c.

[@robroilen4441]

I don't think it's fair to blame the contractor. He was consulted, provided an opinion and quote, and you agreed to it. Looks like he did a quality job of exactly what he was asked to do. Maybe I missed it but I don't see anything about rockwool or mass loaded vinyl, both pretty affordable and effective means of dampening.

[@synthesizers]

About 10 years ago I decided to go all in and had someone building me a “room within a room” in my basement. I haven’t done any tests like you did but I believe the results are very close to what you have with the whisper room (my room is a bit quieter). Once it’s inside of the house, it will never be 100% quiet. I can play anytime I want which was a dream of mine for 25 years ;) Btw, I spent around 30k USD on the room. It’s about 1.5 the size of your whisper room.

[@tomdowning9358]

This is exactly how it is done, a room within a room.

[@chrisw443]

Sound blankets. Put four on stands have them make a cube around you, put one on the floor with a rug on top, and attach one to the ceiling above you. There ya go, that'll do about 70 percent of the work. Having nothing or an 10k whisper room is misleading. I can smell that whisper room still. lol

[@johnkirsch757]

Lesson learned, great video, Jeff! I've struggled with this problem since I fell in love with this instrument 53 years ago. It's not a failure it is a valuable lesson that will help you, and every drummer who sees it to understand the commitment needed to develop their skills with this beast of an instrument. Enjoy your well-deserved promise land inside the isolation booth. I believe God works all things for good and much good will come from your expert teaching videos and drum lessons. Thank you for doing this well needed video topic. God bless you!

[@ilikemusak]

I don't like the attitude towards your contractor. He told you exactly what would be best and that your budget wouldn't get there... you're acting like he left out information, but he didn't

[@Altuz]

I know you also have your wife and daughter to consider so my comment is not directed solely toward you Jeff, but for the others who are in a situation where their neighbors are a factor I feel that a lot of money can be saved by simply having a conversation with your neighbors about your drums and a decent compromise of time of day and duration of playing.

[@davidhorne1982]

Thank you for making this video. I’m blown away by how much this cost you! I built a home studio 10 years ago and I think I just got lucky. I built it myself (room within a room) and clearly saved myself as absolute fortune. The person you hired…… sorry

[@chrissiemilnarskii]

This is honestly my nightmare as someone that wants to do something like this one day haha I’m sure this was a hard reality to come to grips to, but thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure it will help a lot of people with the same drum room dream. Also echoing Soundproof Your Studio as a great resource! Similarly, he’s mentioned mistakes with his build, which is such important data for the community to learn from.

[@johnrobinson8323]

Well, I'm sorry your in house room didn't work out but congratulations on your sound proof box find. Your videos have been so helpful and appreciated over the years so I'm so glad you'll be able to continue on your acoustic kit. Good drumming luck! 🥁❤️

[@blackbird7864]

It’s never easy to admit when you’ve messed up but we appreciate your honesty and humility, Jeff. And it was a God thing. He gives us what we need, when we need it. Remember, God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God. Looking forward to more videos. 🥁

[@mrmusic21]

Dude, drums were made for war (and music I guess). There ain't much out there that's gonna stop those sound waves in any modern home. I've found that the most practical place to play and keep an acoustic drum kit is in a basement. I remodeled a basement room, put down a floor, some acoustic treatment, and my recordings sounded way better. Did I get rid of the noise? Absolutely not. But, I accomplished my goal of making better music. If I ever have to move somewhere without a basement, God help me. With that being said, I'm glad you found a solution in the booth. I agree that there's nothing like playing an acoustic drum kit. Great video.

[@sz1341]

JR, What are your plans for dealing with heat this summer in your garage in your insulated box full of lights and computer?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

The booth has a ventilation system that I hooked a portable AC unit up to!

[@richomayoral]

Happened the same for me, a friend who works as a contractor swearing he knew all about it, convinced me to “sound proof” a room in my house for my band to rehearse… only a waste of time and money , it really cost a looooooot of money for it to really work

[@houseofdyer]

I learned the same hard lesson when I spent about $7K reframing a room in my new house with a buddy contractor who just kinda winged it. It made almost 0 difference. Thanks for making this video, Jeff. Now teach me how to flawlessly tune and play my drums, please. 😂

[@kennardrum]

As a full-time drummer, this is definitely one of the issues that make me sometimes ask myself, "Why did I choose to become a drummer?". I envy all my guitarist, bassist and keyboardist friends who can just literally setup anywhere in their house and play with their headphones on.

[@luisfilipe5043]

The drums chose you 😊

[@Louisdoranx]

If it’s any consolation, a professional producer friend of mine sunk 50k+ into a basement studio build designed by audio treatment specialist just to have audible sound levels both upstairs and outside the house. You’re definitely not the only one who’s fallen foul of this

[@djruby]

wow ! what a video! thanks for this info!

[@3L3V3NDRUMS]

Man that's really horrible! Before I got my acoustic kit my parents saw the biggest problems with making the windows soundproof. A friend gave us the tip of building a diagonal and a parallel window pane behind the existing window pane. And it worked! This killed the sound and nothing goes through these windows any more. We didn't need such expansive special soundproof windows! This 'trick' completely insulated the noise from the windows. So the 5 (!) windows we have in the garage did us cost 380 EUR and that's it - not those 10.000! Keep it up man🤘🤘🤘

[@Transistor97]

Thank you for your honesty. It's hard to admit when we're wrong. I'm building a studio in a couple months and have been watching Wilson's videos in preparation. Good to see him get a shout-out.

[@Darth_Sidious_66]

The cheapest way I found to soundproof a room to play drums is to take up guitar.

[@alsdrumhang]

Sorry you went through this! One of the things I like least about drumming is how hard it is to find a place to play "on demand" without spending tons of money. You are spot on about the time, effort and cost of true soundproofing, and anyone who says it can be done for cheaper is untethered from reality, to put it bluntly. You got a great deal on that WhisperRoom!

[@christiancea6]

Great video Jeff. Though it's not so much a fail. You learned something and so did many others. If you never failed you never tried. I consulted Audimute when redoing my drum room. Being that my drums are in my basement on a slab of concrete it was the best course for me and of course my neighbors lol. The floor is wood / carpet but the walls are all treated in and out. I really do like the isolation booth you have. Expensive yes but the value you get is unmatched. Thanks for sharing. Happy drumming :)

[@BeatsAndMeats]

Its the floor, you really cant cheaply make a floor that is soundproof. You really gotta build your room on the ground floor. Thats why most people do it in their garage where they have concrete floors. ANd also, I have a friend who's a contractor, and he gave me the exact same price... as LEAST $30k to soundproof my garage... if absolutely nothing went wrong during the build.

[@TM_Stone]

I'm so glad you found the Whisper Room. Yes, it's a bummer you had to go through spending the money on the remodel. I, like you, believe it's the Lord's doing. Not necessarily because he wants you to play drums but to maybe to plant a seed in someone's life (ie student, etc) for the future AKA the Great Commision. Looking forward to more of you wonderful videos. Take care.

[@AlexisGitarre]

jesus christ... asking just a few people that work in acoustic. no... just making a post on an acoustics forum would have saved you all the money. ACOUSTIC ISOLATION is ALWAYS done with ROOM within ROOM. Seriously 10 minutes on the internet could have saved you.

[@m.a.6478]

At least you get a smaller heating and AC bill for your initial drum room as it is now better insulated than before.

[@doubledragtap]

Glad you made this video, Jeff! You answered A LOT of questions we drummers have. Keep it up with the good content. Cheers

[@michelgagnon5284]

Great video. I was wondering why you didn't put the Whisper Room in the house where you were planning to play drums. Is it by lack of space or because the booth doesn't cut enough db ?? Thanks

[@sarinsahil]

I have been studying acoustics for the same purpose for a while and a few builds later, when I saw your video about the big room I was really concerned about the sound proofing aspect and thought that maybe you live in a remote location or don't need so much sound proofing for your purpose. I am sorry this happened to you. But looking on the positive side, I am very glad you found a whisper room and salute your perseverance. I wish you all the best Jeff! Happy Drumming :)

[@JoeyD913]

In my opinion, the Whisper Rooms are overpriced by a lot. I think the largest is about 8x16 or something like that, and it's about $35k. I had a detached structure built on my property that is 14'x28'. There are two rooms (one a gym, one my drum studio). The larger room (my studio) is about 14x14. It has two layers of drywall on the walls and ceilings with green glue in between the layers, and the walls are decoupled from the studs using hat channels. This whole structure cost me about the same $35k. So I do think they are a little crazy with their prices, but $10k for the used one you found is awesome!

[@tonycarpenter-Makzimia]

Nothing like spending a lot and finding out you just blew it, ouch indeed. I did the same mistake above a garage. Never recover that.

[@royaltsalach199]

Mr Jeff Is it possible making a leg exercise video? My hands are getting so much better that my head is really dragging behind. Kindly make a leg exercise as well. Thank you in advance🙏

[@DiegoAmbrósio-o6m]

Hey, Jeff! I live in an apartment and I would love to play drums. I have an idea and I would like to ask if you would make a video of it, please: Will you put pillows, blankets and etc. inside the shell pack in order to quiet the drums? The cymbals could have light towels on top to quiet them. The goal is to diminish the volume dramatically, yet maintain the individual sounds of the drum pieces. Thanks in advance. Cheers!

[@claudiakass]

when I stumbled on your video a few minutes ago (the first one ) I immediately noticed something and here in this one I write what I was wondering...I am assuming that all your "room in a room" build was screwed or mounted direct on the walls insteat of using Glue and vibration absorbing mechanism to mount the Insulated walls.. The flooring also wasnt clear if it was set up on the right material .. The main reason most people have problems with insulating is that they just screw everything into the House wall or floor and those screws transmit the vibrations in any wall and second is the room has to be "hermetic " closed because the Lowend will find a way out to the tiniest hole :). . A tip. If you are using a Whisper room then read the specifications of the walls if they ar e made for insulating the sound from outside or both and. if you build a platform that is standing on a lot of Tennis Balls all framed and holding together and then set a whisper cabin on it it will reduce much more of the noise in the house again... .. Greetings

[@weschilton]

You're a straight shooter and I wish more people would realize that there is no shortcut to soundproofing or even acoustically treating a room for mixing. 90% of people out there will spend insane money on gee-whiz gear for internet likes and clicks.... famous hardware compressors, vintage amps, fancy custom shop guitars.... and then the completely fail to put together a good sounding acoustically treated room with a good pair of studio monitors. Its cheap Kali's and Amazon foam, ugh. I'm a drummer stuck in a bedroom studio as well, and I totally feel you. I spent $5k on quality acoustic treatment and even consulted with some professionals. They all said the same thing you discovered. That you can make the room sound better inside, but it won't be soundproof. And I went into it knowing this. So I basically can only record drums when my wife goes out. And even then, I have had many takes ruined by passing trucks, and the scourge of Los Angeles, helicopters! I also finally spent some serious money on real studio monitors (ATCs) and room correction (a Trinnov Nova) so that I can mix in a way that I can trust what I am hearing and that translates well. This after trying cheaper solutions for 16 years and constantly having to fight the room and gear. It sucks that its so expensive, but this is reality. Someday I hope to have a big enough property that I can build a standalone building and do a studio the right way from the ground up. I'm glad you shared your experience, and your viewers would be wise to listen to your advice.

[@ejeckk]

When one is looking for a product or service like this, it is important to remember that you are NOT paying for time. You are paying for a result. If you want the result of sound dampening, you pay one price. If you want the result of sound proofing, you pay another. In the end because you were eventually willing to put in the work to do more research after the initial investment, you were able to purchase a product that achieved the result you were hoping for at a lower price in total. But that was pure serendipity. I'm glad it all worked out and you shared your lessoned learned. Conclusion: If you want sound proofing, it's going to cost you $35K The end.

[@michaelnelson7575]

Wow homie. Brutally honest and a tough lesson to take in. Sorry you had to experience that but I'm stoked you found an acoustic solution. Your videos are great and I spend a good bit of time studying sound as well as technique. That would have all been lost with an e-kit. 🤘

[@WinfordM]

Hey Jeff. I noticed you’ve mounting your lights since the move from the storage space. I’m curious to know how you’re mounting them?

[@raulalvaradodrums]

Im so sorry to hear that your room didn’t work out! :( mine didn’t either lol, and yes there is a lot of confusion around soundproofing I’m glad to hear you found a fix!

[@RockAndGrooveSchool]

Not very common that kind of honesty in social media. Happily surprised. Can’t wait to see new content from your new booth. Cheers

[@benjaminpeternorris]

Great video - thanks for your honesty. It's a real shame your studio didn't work out after all the money and time spent on it. Knowing what doesn't work is just has helpful for us drummers, as what does work. I got contractors in to 'soundproof' my garage for use as a drum studio to my specifications. If I learnt anything from the project is that it's difficult. There are theoretical dB noise reduction levels and then real world applications that are far less soundproof than the theoretical numbers would suggest. There are always inevitable compromises or shortcuts that often have to be made, due to time and money, so it's really difficult to get something that is perfectly soundproof. The best you can ever hope to achieve really is 'good enough' unless you have unlimited budget, and unlimited time.

[@VoodooProjectStudio]

If you don't do "room in a room" there isn't isolation. Everything else is "kind of" isolation or "a bit of isolation" or something like that.

[@nikdrown]

Alright I have a kit and relatively close neighbors. If my windows are closed the sound going outside isn’t even audibly over the outside traffic noise. I am right by an outside wall too and no sound proofing whatsoever.

[@BenjaminGib]

Oh my gosh I just read through ALL of the comments and replies. 🤣😁

[@AlessandroSpenga]

I, as every other drummer out there, have had the same problem. I’ve been drumming now in a garage lot at the back of a gas station for the past 9 years. It’s a huge parking lot for buses and trucks. There’s a bunch bands here too. It’s on a main road and pretty far away from houses. Over the past 9 years I’ve spent close to 7000€ to rent the place. A small booth for drummers would cost me around 11/13000€ here in Italy. So, put it in perspective and after 13 years it would be around 10000€ spent to rent this small garage (if the price remains the same). And I will keep on paying for as long as I stay there. I’d say, if you’re serious about playing the drums and want to do it for the rest of your life, Jeff’s solution of buying a used booth is probably the best and final solution to the issue.

[@mattmarkus4868]

Good perspective. Another is to think of a different serious hobby like golf (just to pick one of my own). Golfing costs roughly $60-80 a round. Playing 26 rounds a year (say 2x a week for 6 months of the year, if you're in the north) = $4100. In 5 years you've spent 20-25K. In 30+ years (thinking along the lines of the rest of your life) is 120K+ !! I think your perspective is good and comparing it to other labors of love/hobbies is helpful. As long as those whisper rooms can be moved and hold up well, I think it's a good choice. But the up front price is going to sting a bit! They should consider financing to buyers (but they probably need more volume to make that work). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@borndrumming1972]

I am only five minutes in but I am Going to assume that this contractor did not put mass loaded vinyl everywhere.... He should have built the room out and then covered every wall floor and ceiling space with mass loaded vinyl before he finished out. I guarantee you would have better results.

[@digimax8711]

You understand the importance of balancing family along with your craft. You are not only an amazing drummer but an amazing father and family man Jeff. I hope the sound isolation room works out for you guys!

[@edgarsousa6630]

Can you please use that same software and test the acoustic drum sound level vs your roland kit ?! That would be really useful. Thanks

[@johnxywu]

Like you, I'm also a drummer who learned this lesson the hard way. Wishing this video came three years earlier...

[@RockyTop85]

Tbh I would have just gotten an electronic kit🤷🏻‍♂️

[@cbenson67]

Solid info as always Jeff. Been through it in a basement studio and got decent results with decoupling but as a do it yourselfer, not perfect by any means. Live and learn. Now let’s play some drums!!!

[@caspermaster-com]

Bro, assume nobody knows anything about acoustics or soundproofing. I've seen like 2-3 studiobuilds this week on youtube where contractors are recommending stuff that just wont even help 10% of what they think it will, or even make it worse. Also just common names for acoustic devises like "bass traps" will like 99% of the time not trap the bass under 100hz with more than say 10% efficiency. Probably not what people assume from the name

[@jamesagostino3695]

Thanks for the great content ! If I executed these methods in say an end town house unit … do that think there’s a chance it could work? Thanks so much

[@borndrumming1972]

That 20% buffer also needs another 30% Brandon buffer....😂

[@thetruevineproductions]

and this is why we pay a studio designer like John Brandt or Northward Acoustics.

[@charvlim5159]

Are you still friends with the drummer/contractor who did the first renovation? 😊

[@JTonthedrums]

Feel your pain brotha Jeff. Going through this very struggle as we speak. Home recording for drummers is not as easy as all the "diy/doesn't cost that much... blah blah blah" say it is. Looking at a possible $40k + investment to do my room "Properly", but then we have to think about resale issues, as the neighborhood is so overly congested that we're most likely not going to stay here. Smh... Been a long time my dude, hope to run into ya sometime soon. Peace JT

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

JT! It’s great to hear from you bud. The struggle is real. I hope you find a good solution for yourself!

[@mortenkalland]

I have heard that sand under the floor is used? Cool topic.

[@goddamnzordan]

sound proofing and sound treatment are two different things.

[@gsdota]

Lol 7:45 on purpose, but I get it 😂, quite satisfying

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Ahh Jeff!

[@brandonbaker7972]

Would that booth fit in the old studio above the garage? Or is that just dumb? 🤷

[@brocklanders6008]

Been there done that! The way to do this is to buy a good e kit... In the same room put up your acoustic kit. Go around all your neighbours and explain your a drummer...tell them you have 2 kits in the house ..one is silent and one is not. Explain to them you practise for hours a day mostly using the silent ekit out of respect for their piece and quiet being respected. I then explained that i HAVE to practice on the acoustic kit but its only for a maximum of 1 hour a day...explain to them if the sound bothers them they only have to close any windows they have in their house and that any noise again will only be heard for an hour max! That way you have the isolation ...your windows closed and their windows closed..theres the decoupling... Surprisingly most neighbours have said they look forward to my playing and they enjoy hearing it... I think the hour rule is the key... A good few hours ekit practice topped of with an hour acoustic is more than any drummer will ever need. Brass instruments...piano...all the same realy ud be surprised at the levels....just communicate with neighbours....and dont beat your self up over it. That way you are not losing any acoustic playing feel by way of overusing the e kit etc....... Booths are good been there done that but it does keep all that drum sound in and the drum doesnt sound as good as the sound cant go anywhere.. be VERY careful of the volume in there and watch your ears ...protect them well.

[@immanuelcalunod8518]

0:44 No, thank you for making this video.

[@tutubeos]

Oh my gosh 🤦🏻‍♂️ come on man, everything you did was wrong, at least you recognize your mistakes. anyway 10 k for just that kind of little “soundproofing” ? You’ve been robbed! If you do it yourself you can build a room in a room with 10k The problem is that it will take you like a year to build it.

[@huubdrums]

Great constructive comment

[@emontzka]

I’m almost done building my drum room and it looks like it will come under $10k. I found that KZbin channel and bought the book referenced by it and gave it to my contractor . I’m saving money because it’s very small, maybe 130 sq ft, and it’s in the basement which is over concrete slab, so no changes there. Two layers 5/8 drywall attached to resilient channel for walls and ceiling. Solid core doors and “sound maze” ventilation system.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

That’s fantastic! Sounds like you started with a room that made the job a bit less expensive for you. Unfortunately the room I chose was pretty large, not on a concrete slab, and had large windows and 4 doors.

[@jonathanfazio6290]

How is the stability of the double floors under your kit? Do you feel any bounce or give in the floor while playing?

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

There’s definitely some bounce and give to them.

[@jonathanfazio6290]

I figured there’d be a little bit of it. Do you find it distracting while playing at all ? Or is it more comparable to playing on drum riser and the bounce you get on that.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

It’s a little shifty but didn’t bother me after I got used to it.

[@jonathanfazio6290]

@@JeffRandallDrumming cool, good to know. Seems like a really great option to go with! This was a helpful video you made. Us drummers are always trying to work on the noise levels of our instrument. It’s helpful to know what works and what doesn’t. Keep up the great work it’s much appreciated by your fellow drummers!

[@traquemorrel1820]

Why didn't you put the cabin inside the first studio?

[@biroefraim268]

Thank you very much, Jeff! Keep keeping it real out there, and we’re all excited for the new videos coming. God bless you!

[@darren4635]

Nice add for those room in a room kits.

[@brunosilva8853]

Search for vicoustic drum booth

[@Bhatt_Hole]

Neva gonna give you up....!!!!

[@maxadrums]

Ahh man, what a bummer! It's so expensive to sound proof, and I think people gets it mixed up with sound treatment. Very different things, very different approaches, very different costs.. My studio I built in 2019 is essentially a standalone house-in-house configuration for about $20k because I did almost all the labor myself, but in today's prices it would also have been $30k, and probably 40-50k if someone else did it for me. And I didn't even take it all the way, skipping a fully floating construction and going semi-floating instead, didn't go nuts with green glue, no springs in the floor, etc.. Sorry it didn't work out. The wall with the doors (both the wall itself as well as the doors) is definitely a MEGA culprit, but it'd probably require more than that to get it to an acceptable level. Drums, man!

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Good to hear from you Max! That’s good to know about your studio.

[@jeffisdrums]

Dude love it Randall! Your transparency is such a vibe and love you’re playing as well! Would be fun to have you do a master class, definitely would support that! Cheers from Cali!

[@Maelthorn1337]

Ironically, this will probably end up being one of your most viewed videos for a while. Thanks for making it! I've always had an interest in soundproofing. Not drums but mostly for yelling and screaming.

[@gfsdrummer7517]

Come on man！

[@BenjaminGib]

Wow, thank you for making and sharing this video, Jeff! It really dispels any myths I may have on how “doable” soundprooofing is.

[@JonFosterDrummer]

Thanks for sharing this story dude! Glad you have this new incredible space!!

[@huubdrums]

You look tired

[@banenamuffin9842]

Thank you for sharing

[@Stas091]

Thank you for being so open about your journey, and also for helping a lot of people (including me) through this video and all your videos! Playing an acoustic kit brings us so much joy & I’m happy that you can continue to grow as a drummer and as an educator ! Blessings!

[@Polentaccio]

I'm doing a multi use space ( drums, cabs, mixing) in my basement while finishing the basement. My room is half the budget. I've got double 5/8 on both sides of walls, staggered studs, and a ceiling which is sonopan, res channel, 2 more layers of drywall. I don't expect it to truly be sound proof. Even with a solid core heavy door.. this is the nature of the beast where home studios are concerned. Too many nooks and crannies for vibration to slip up into the rafters. If you've got a drum room on main floor or top floor? Forget about it. My goal is to hear barely anything on the top floor, and to be able to watch tv or talk comfortably on main floor while the drums are in the background. That's good enough for me. If you are REALLY doing it right, it better be your primary source of income and worth it. But to your point yes, don't trust " contractors" to be the expert on the subject, you need to get in there and tell them what to do and how to do it. Electric kits suck. Went down that route and it wasn't going to cut it.