Proof Is In The Pudding (or walls)

New Evans EC2S Clear Heads On The DW Drums Toms and Bass Drums

The NewEC2S Clear Heads on the toms with an oddly out of place DW head on the lone Timbable… doh…

So the kit is back setup and the new Evans heads are tuned thanks to Clark and Joseph Kirkwood from Clark’s Music Center. Clark and Joe are old friends of mine (well Clark is ha) and are both players and drum set aficionados. I mostly struggle with getting a good sound out of the toms and had them over to check out the new room and help getting the toms sounding sweet, which they did. The new Evans Clear tom heads I purchased from Clark sound great with tone, resonance and attack that I like. We will see how they carry over to the new MXL Drum Cube Mics. You can see one in the pic, they are heavy and need a good counterbalance on a boom stand.

New Evans Heads On The DW Drums Snare and Bass Drums

New EVANS EMAD2 Clear Bass Drum Heads and Heavyweight Coated Backdot on the Snare

During the process I had Joseph wail away to some Porcupine Tree grooves by Gavin Harrison while Clark and I walked around my building keeping our fingers crossed that the simple Green Glue® upgrade had helped. I was concerned with two sides of my property and the noise. The right side of the building where I have a lot of sound travel through a workshop, out through some old crank out windows and into a neighbors bedroom window. My prior neighbor never complained and actually enjoyed the playing. Out of respect for the new neighbor I took a closer un-scientific listen to the level on that side and could distinctly hear the crispness of the cymbal and snares and a thumping of the bass drum. At that level I can see why it would carry into her house.

The other problem area was directly behind my drum set where I had boarded up two windows rather crudely in the past. The sound would carry through the thin spots in the window and around gaps that I had not sealed. The neighbor behind me has always commented on my drumming but never complained that it entered his house about 50 feet away. With the upgraded plywood, sealant and Green Glue with 5/8 “sheet rock I heard a discernible difference in both the right and back side of the studio in regards to sound leaving the studio. What was crisp and boomy is now muted and muffled, not carrying nearly as far as before. The sound is still there as I was unable to decouple the walls and treat the ceiling but we already show noticeable improvement after three weeks of having the Green Glue up. I could go in the ceiling with a layer of plywood, Green Glue and Plywood but I will save that for another day. We have enough to get rolling. I have heard that it can take Green Glue up to 3 months to fully cure to be most effective. We will see, but at this point I am comfortable knowing that I have made a decent and affordable effort to corral the sound on those sides of my building.

Additionally the removal of the in wall ac unit greatly reduced sound transmission out to the left of the room and into my back yard. Luckily that sound would carry through my yard and into the house slightly. Fortunately my beautiful wife was never bothered by it. Clark and I did confirm that there is a lot of sound still escaping through the entry door that just has rubber seals. That sound faces my main home and can be slightly heard out by the street at 60 feet but apparently not by the neighbor across that same street which is great. I am working on a plan to tighten that up either with drop down panels or adding a second entry door to create an air gap similar to the photo below. I will see what comes up. Here is an image of a double door concept from the internet:

Double Door Construction Image From JohnSlayer.com Possible option for my studio soon.

At this point I am excited to be able to record with more confidence without holding back out of concern for the neighbors. The heads are tuned and the mics are going in now. Joseph will graciously help me dial them in this week and if all goes well the set will be prepped and ready to record this weekend. I have been delayed with the upgrades to my dismay but excited to be ready to start working on projects.

Verdict: Much improved with the 5/8 sheetrock and Green Glue over the existing walls. No scientific measurement just by ear and with a second opinion.

Is it completely soundproofed? No, but better. Complete soundproofing proved to be a big task and more expensive. I do plan to make the room even more sound proof by adding a double layer to the entry door. I may also add a plywood layer in the ceiling with Green Glue then another layer of plywood or sound barrier.