DIY Drum Muffling 101

by drumtay

One of the most important things to me when considering a place to live is the proximity of the practice space to the neighbors. That’s why I was stoked to find my current place of residence, a small house in Los Angeles that shares no walls with anyone else. I’ve been here for a year now, practicing almost everyday at a level where my ears are ringing even though I’m wearing my super-fancy Ear Love earplugs. Then the other day, a neighbor (who I’ve never met before) walks by and asks if we play music here. He explains that the music is just way too loud and that it’s all he can hear in his living room. I’m thinking this guy either just moved in or is incredibly patient, having waited a year to say anything about the noise factor. Either way I was happy that he was chill and not one of those freaky cat lady types.

So I decided we needed to mute the drums a bit so we can lower the volume for the rest of the instruments. I already had a Sound Off cymbal silencer laying around for the hi-hats, but I needed a way to mute the rest of the kit. So I started digging through the cabinets for old rags. I ended up stuffing a pillow and an old blanket in the bass. Then I stretched a couple of old t-shirts underneath each of the drum heads. The resonant heads are completely covered with fabric and the batter head has a strip going across the inside. And to finish off this super DIY muting project, I hung beer carriers to the crash and ride cymbals.