In this article, I’ll show you how to build a soundproof drum cage. I’ll guide you through all you need to know about building your soundproof drum cage so you can practice without annoying everyone else. You’ll also learn how to treat a space to minimise the overall volume for individuals in the vicinity, allowing you to drum in peace.
How to build a soundproof drum cage?
We can build a soundproof drum cage by using the following easy fixes.
- Seal All Air Gaps in Your Drum Room
- Adding Mass
- Use Acrylic Drum Shields
- Soundproofing Doors and Windows
- Place a Thick drum Rug under the drums
- Treating the Walls
A fully soundproof drum chamber is not required in most circumstances. Keeping others around you pleased should be as simple as reducing the amount of noise that emanates from the practice room.
Drum sets are not the most neighbour-friendly instruments. When a drummer is performing vigorously, he or she can generate 110–120 decibels. Anyone listening will perceive the drummer performing half as loudly if he or she hits a tiny bit softer, only 10dB less.
Soundproofing functions in the same way. A “soundproof drumming cage” may not have to be soundproof at all simply because of the way human ears interpret noise. It only takes a 10dB reduction in level to make the music half as loud outside the room.
What is soundproofing in actual and what can we achieve?
Unfortunately, soundproofing a room necessitates a large budget, a lot of construction effort, and a lot of specialised expertise and experience with sound transmission. Professional recording facilities soundproof their live rooms by constructing a new space within a space that is soundproofed from the outside boundaries by air gaps and mountains of sound insulation.
These rooms are also airtight, need ventilation and conditioning systems. As you may expect, this kind of soundproofing is not affordable!
We’ll look at some of the approaches by which you may lessen the quantity of exterior noise leaking from your practise area on a limited budget, helping to minimise the inconvenience to your neighbours and roommates.
Seal All Air Gaps in Your Drum Room
Drums make a lot of noise. Noise can travel through even a little crack or spacing in your room. Drums may produce up to 120 decibels of sound through the air when they are beating. Sound travels in the same direction as air, and air can’t get in or out of a perfectly soundproof drum room.
This works well for keeping the place quiet from outside. It’s not ideal for the artists on the inside. Because perfect airtightness is neither practicable nor advisable, take the effort to identify and plug any substantial air leaks to the outside. Whether you’re creating a new drum room or improving an old one, you’ll want to achieve this.
Do the following steps to accomplish this
- Examine the seams and gaps of doors, windows, and walls using a flashlight or by feeling for airflow.
- The door sweep and sealing sections should have a good acoustic seal.
- The Acoustic Door Seal Kit helps to seal up these issue spots and keep sound in.
- Caulk or tape may be used to fill seams and other apparent gaps.
Cover the Space between the Door and Floor
This is the cheapest option for soundproofing a drum room, but it is also one of the most effective. Purchase the seal and install it yourself. The dampening seal on the door is installed in the following procedures.
- The height and width of your room door should be measured.
- Cut the weather-stripping to the desired sizes.
- To seal the door, put the sliced strips in position.
- From inside, fill in the spaces. Covering your door from the outside will make it appear unattractive.
This method will lessen the amount of noise in your drum room. It will, nevertheless, make your door look unsightly. Examine your windows. There are air voids between the window and the wall, as you can see. Seal all air spaces with the same sealant. The gaps will enable drum sounds to get through no matter how little they are. Fill in all the gaps.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| weather-stripping | Foam seal tape |
Fill Wall and Ceiling Cracks
Each door is designed to open and close easily. The space between the door and the ground is the result of this. Drum noise, on the other hand, will flow through the door space.
The wider the distance, the more noise will be allowed to get through.
As a result, purchase and install a door sweep beneath the door. Check the gap’s size and purchase a sweep that will exactly fill the gap.
How to install door sweeps?
Using a tape measurer, determine the width of your door. If your door is less than 36 inches wide, use scissors to cut the door sweep to fit.
- Then, with the clear vinyl seal contacting the bottom of the door, place the door sweep against the closed door. Make a mark on the door surface where you want the sweep to go.
- Then, using the markings as a guide, remove the liner and force the door sweep into place.
- Finally, double-check for gaps between the adhesive door sweep and the door threshold.
They glide easily over carpets, hardwoods, and laminate floors when fitted under the door. On the floor, they leave no stains or scratches. Noise will not be able to enter through the gaps between the doors because of the draughts.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| door sweep | clear vinyl seal |
Seal Air Spaces on the Door and Windows
Gaps or fissures will appear throughout every ceiling at some point. The drums’ vibrating noise causes fissures in the ceilings and walls. Since the cracks enable noise and air to travel through, they create a problem. As a result, investigate the walls and ceiling of your drum room. Look for any cracks.
Large cracks in the ceiling may not always be visible. It will be necessary to seal even minor cracks. They will develop large cracks if they are not sealed. They’ll also let drum sound pass via them. Follow the instructions below to do so.
- Rub the ceiling surface for a thorough examination. Clean off any dust and look for any cracks you may have missed.
- If the cracks are large, repair them after finding them. A joint compound should be used to fill them.
- First, apply one coat and let it dry. You can apply another coat the next day to completely seal it.
- Sand the second layer until it is completely smooth. Finally, use wallpaper or paint to cover the marks on the wall.
- Patch any tiny fractures with patch sealant.
Adding Mass
Structures such as brick walls are substantially thicker than windows and doors. You’ll need to add more heft to both of them to make them better at absorbing sound. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
Adding dense acoustic panels to the door would assist in increasing the amount of mass. You’re on the lookout for the densest substance available. You can also create your acoustic wall panels out of mineral wool or fibreglass insulation.
A similar procedure will be used for the windows. If you wish to keep using the windows, as usual, sound-dampening insulating drapes will help add a little more mass to the windows while reducing undesired sound reflections inside the space.
Nevertheless, if you want to make a significant difference, I recommend installing acoustic panels that cover the entire window frame.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| acoustic panels | Acoustic caulking |
| fibreglass |
Use Acrylic Drum Shields
One of the most basic solutions to drum noise is an acrylic drum shield. It’s the most basic, but it’s also the most costly. At the very least, it’s worth the price of the drum set. While it will block noise from all directions, it will not be as good at blocking noise from rising. This is, by far, the quietest method of noise reduction in the drum room. Another disadvantage is that the artist may feel trapped.
Soundproofing Doors and Windows
Windows and doors are lighter than walls by nature. They also have air spaces that can’t be sealed entirely. As a result, soundproofing drapes or blankets should be used on the doors and windows.
The most effective way to reduce sound in the drum room is to muffle the doors and windows. The air gaps in the doors and windows enable sound to move in. The gaps, as previously stated, cannot be filled.
As a result, your main attention should be on preventing noise from leaking through air spaces that can’t be sealed. Employ soundproofing curtains or blankets to soundproof your door. They are the most effective soundproofing material.
- Choose an adequate blanket or curtains. Curtains and blankets for soundproofing are thick. They don’t let any extra drum sound escape through.
- Curtain rods are used to hang the curtains and blankets.
- You may choose to hang or tie soundproofing sheets on the doors. Either method will be effective.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| curtains | A piece of cloth |
Place a Thick drum Rug under the drums
The first step is to locate and remove the source of the noise. Drums are really loud. They also make a vibrating noise.
As a result, place heavy rugs beneath the drums. The majority of the structural noise will be absorbed by heavy carpets. Rugs will also reduce the sound of the drums and enhance the acoustics of your drum room.
Underneath all of the drum equipment, place a rug. Not only would it reduce noise, but it will also protect your floor from damage. They’ll dampen the majority of the drum’s vibrations and noise.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| carpet | Non-slip area rug padCarpet tapeCarpet Cutter |
| rugs |
Treating the Walls
Adding greater mass to the walls, using the same techniques as before, will improve sound absorption and reduce undesired sound reflections within your practice space.
Thicken Walls
Examine your wall. Check the thickness of it. The soundproofing efficacy of a wall increases with its thickness. If your walls are thin, hire an expert to assist you in thickening them.
If the surface is drywall, cover it with a layer of concrete materials. Pin extra wooden panels to the wall if the wall is made of wood. As much as possible, thicken it.
Install acoustic foam
Acoustic foam panels are intended for use in music rooms. All drum vibrations that penetrate through the wall will be absorbed by them.
All noise that bounces off the wall is absorbed by acoustic foam panels. There will be no more drum vibrations.
Drum sound will also benefit from the use of acoustic foams. They catch and soften all sounds.
How to install Acoustic Panels?
Soundproof acoustic panels should be installed using the soundproof adhesive method, which I suggest.
- The first step is to sand the surface where your acoustic panel will be mounted. This equalizes out the surface, making it more receptive to the adhesive’s bonding capability. Any sandpaper with a high grit will suffice. Make sure to clear up any dust and debris after sanding.
- Mark the place where you’ll be installing your panel with a straight-edge leveller and a pencil. This will ensure that your panels are straight after they’ve been hung.
- The levelling brackets that come with the kit will then be screwed onto the top flange. This will ensure that your panels are installed correctly on the wall.
- Apply adhesive to the acoustic panel’s back. Begin by applying a line of glue down the panel’s perimeter, about two inches from the edge. Now, using the adhesive, create an “X” to split the rectangle into 4 equal halves. In these parts, place a 2- to 4-inch circle of glue.
- The final step is to hang the panel on the wall and wait for the adhesive to dry, which should take approximately a day.
| Materials Needed | Tools Needed |
| soundproof foam panel | Acoustic caulking adhesive straight-edge leveller |
| fibreglass |
Attach soundproofing blankets to the wall
Sound disturbances are dampened by soundproofing blankets. They’ll look great on doors and windows, and they’ll look great on the walls, too. The only problem is that if you don’t style them properly, they’ll make your drum cage look unattractive.
Conclusion
Drum sets are gorgeous expressive instruments, but there is no denying that they’re loud at their core.
Nevertheless, if you use some of the tips and tactics I discussed in this blog, you should be able to jam out to your favourite tracks anytime you want, without having to spend a fortune doing so.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How to build a soundproof drum cage?
Why do drummers play behind glass?
A drum screen, also known as a drum shield or acoustic shield, is sound control equipment used by audio engineers to alleviate sound control issues created by louder instruments on stage overpowering softer instruments and voices.
Are drum shields good for recording?
A drum shield is required for performances in recording studios, small-venue gig settings, or pop music arenas, as well as live recording sessions. Drums can be tuned down to avoid interfering with other instruments, allowing artists to hear themselves and the audience better. Easily transportable.
Is it possible to use a portable sound booth?
Portable voice booths may provide a significant reduction in the amount of undesired room reverberation caught if you’re compelled to record in a problematic acoustic situation, but they won’t remove it.
Are vocal booths soundproof?
However a Vocal Booth is a chamber within a room, it requires additional density to be entirely soundproof. Our Vocal Booths could not be easily carried or erected by two people if we included the additional density required to provide a soundproof booth.
Is it worthwhile to invest in acoustic shields?
Vocal isolation shields are fantastic recording tools for less-than-ideal conditions. They increase the acoustics of your recording environment without the need for a permanent modification. However, selecting the optimum reflection filter for your purposes is critical.
How far can Drums be heard?
The sound can be heard from 3 to 7 miles away in optimum conditions, but fascinating messages are usually conveyed by the neighbouring village.
References
https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=52334
https://webtechie.be/post/2019-07-29-making-a-diy-drum-booth/
