Soundproof a drum room and you can avoid conflict, save relationships, and make drumming a much better experience.   

This guide to soundproofing your drum room will show you how to improve acoustics, reducing echo and reverb. 

You’ll also learn how to reduce noise coming from your drum room, get an idea of how much a drum room soundproofing project will cost, and hear from drummers about their soundproofing experiences. 

Skip to: 

• Reduce noise coming from your drum room
• Improve acoustics in your drum room
• How much does it cost to soundproof a drum room?
• What do drummers say about soundproofing?

Reduce noise coming from your drum room

Before we deal with improving acoustics and making your drum room sound better, cover the soundproofing first. 

It makes sense to go in that order. Many acoustical treatments are best applied after you’ve done the soundproofing (prevent sound from entering or leaving).

Remember – even if your main priority is soundproofing, you should apply acoustical treatments afterward. That’s because if you merely block sound from leaving the room and don’t absorb it, you’ll be faced with more sound issues such as resonance, echoes, and reverb.

Seal gaps and cracks

It’s a mantra for soundproofing; first attack the gaps and cracks, then add mass.

Turn your attention to the door, or doors, of your drum room. You can start by choosing a door noise reducer (aka door sweep) with a tight seal. Then apply weather stripping or a gasket around the sides and top of the door, to ensure there’s a good seal all the way around. Read this article for How to Soundproof a Door for a more detailed guide.

If your drum room has windows, that should be your next port of call. There are many approaches for how to soundproof windows, but for this purpose, the first task is to ensure there are no air gaps. Remove the existing trim (this is the molding that sits between the window and the wall). Run a bead of acoustic caulk all the way around the edge of the window and the wall. Check there are no air gaps by running your finger around and checking if you feel cold air.

Soundproof your walls

Soundproofing the walls of your drum room can help to keep noise from escaping and disturbing others in your house. It is also effective in stopping noise from outside disturbing your practice session – whether that is voices, TV, or other music.

A serious soundproofing job on your drum room will involve adding mass. This will usually require some building work. 

There is soundproofing material, such as mass loaded vinyl, that will do a job blocking sound if hung on the exterior of your walls. But this material is often unsightly – do you really want to look at black walls every time you play? Also, soundproofing material such as MLV works better when installed in the cavities of your wall.

Decoupling your wall, or adding another layer of drywall, are the most effective methods of soundproofing your drum room.

Unless you have building experience, both of these projects are best left to the professionals. 

Decoupling will involve taking down your existing wall and separating the framing. This will disconnect wall elements and reduce sound transmission through the wall. 

Adding a layer of drywall is an option for medium to large size drum rooms, because it will reduce the size of the room. Another layer of drywall (the sheeting that is the layer below primer and wallpaper) will do a good job of blocking sound and reducing vibrations. You might use soundproofing drywall for even more of a blocking effect.

Both of these solutions allow you to add further sound insulation – such as a blocker (MLV) or a sound absorber (mineral wool) – within your wall. 

You could be looking at a 2-3 day job for both of these soundproofing projects, but the long-term benefits to your drum room make it worthwhile.

Soundproofing the floors and ceiling 

Whether you give the floors or the ceiling more priority is likely to depend on where in your house your drum room is located.

If it’s a basement drum room, you should look to the ceiling, but it might make more sense to soundproof from above. It can be easier to add a soundproof carpet underlay upstairs, rather than adding acoustic ceiling tiles or another layer of drywall. Carpet padding with materials such as felt or rubber will also reduce impact noise from foot traffic above.

If your drum room is upstairs, concentrate on soundproofing your flooring. You can soundproof with a carpet underlay, and add acoustic treatment such as acoustic tiles or foam underlay on top of that. 

Important – after you’ve soundproofed your drum room, it is even more important that you add acoustic treatments. That’s because sound problems such as echo and resonance can get worse after you’ve soundproofed, as the sound reflects and stays inside the room. Read on for tips on improving acoustics.

Improve acoustics in your drum room

The main way to improve acoustics in your drum room is by using sound absorbing materials. 

Poor acoustics can be the bane of any drummer’s existence. Start by getting your acoustics right. Use sound absorbing materials strategically in your drum room to cut down on sound reflection and counter resonance problems:

Acoustic foam panels

Whether you use polyurethane (the most common type) or melamine foam panels, they’ll do a good job of absorbing mid-to-high frequencies. Place than on your walls around your drum kit, but avoid the corners. That’s because in general, low frequencies (bass) intensify in the corners of a room. For this reason, corners are better served by bass traps.

You’ll find acoustic foam panels comes in sizes of 1 or 2 inch thick, in the familiar egg carton or wedge design. They are easily stuck on – a lot of the time you’ll find they are self-adhesive, or you can use a little double-sided tape. Due to their light weight, you’ll only need a couple of strips. 

Acoustic polyester fiber panels

They are a higher-class performer than acoustic foam, performing the same role of absorption to reduce echoes, reverberation, and resonance. 

Polyester fiber panels will do a superior job – acoustic foam has a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of up to 0.8, meaning that it absorbs 80% per of the sound that hits it, whereas polyester fiber panels go up to an NRC of 0.9.

They absorb a wider range of frequencies, even lows, so you can use them in the corners of your room, as well as around the wall. If you decide that polyester fiber panels will be your only soundproofing solution, prioritize placing them in the corners first, then work outwards.

Acoustic polyester fiber panels are the pro choice, and they also look the part. Aside from being a tensile, substance, polyester fiber panels come in designs that are easier on the eye. They will blend better with the decor of your drum room, and you could cover them in fabric for a slicker look. The panels are lightweight, durable, fire-resistant and easy to install, often coming with self-adhesive.

Of course, for all these benefits, you will pay a price. Polyester fiber panels are in a higher price bracket than acoustic foam.

Bass traps

In an ideal world, you’ll install bass traps from the floor down to the ceiling. But covering over half of that space will still serve you well. 

There are plenty of budget-friendly bass traps available online. They may make some difference, but if they are corner pieces made from standard acoustic foam, you might be best off saving your money. Polyurethane foam isn’t what you need for absorbing low frequencies. And many of the bass traps we spotted online don’t even specify the material they are being made from, so you don’t even know what you’re getting.

This is one drum room soundproofing solution it makes sense to spend a bit of cash on. We’ve picked out the ATS Acoustics Corner Bass Trap below for its excellent sound absorbing capabilities. It’s not quite floor-to-ceiling in length, but it is made from mineral wool, which has an NRC approaching 1.0 (absorbs nearly 100% of the sound that hits it).

Also impressive are the ATS Acoustics Corner Bass Trap’s wooden frame, which will keep its integrity for the long haul, and a neat-looking fabric cover. This is a way more effective solution than a corner wedge of acoustic foam.

Absorptive Ceiling Clouds

You could use acoustic foam or polystester fiber panels on your ceiling, but there’s also the option of absorptive ceiling clouds. 

These are panels that are suspended below your ceiling, leaving a gap of around 3 to 4 feet. Usually made from mineral wool or fiberglass, they are effective at absorbing higher frequencies such as cymbal overtones.

How much does it cost to soundproof a drum room?

This depends on your budget and how much you want to get done. We’ve assessed cost in three categories:

• Full soundproofing and acoustic treatment
• Moderate soundproofing and acoustics
• Budget-friendly acoustic treatment and soundproofing

Full soundproofing and treatment

Cost: $10,000 – $20,000

It will probably set you back at least five figures to give your drum room full soundproofing and acoustic treatment. Remember that room size is a big factor in cost.

This budget takes into account decoupling your wall or adding another layer of drywall, as well as soundproofing doors and windows, and acoustic treatment such as panels, bass traps, and acoustic tiles or soundproof underlay. 

Moderate soundproofing and acoustics

Cost: $3,000 – $5,000

You can still make a really big difference for a fraction of the cost. This budget restricts you to concentrating on two areas for soundproofing, such as the door and the ceiling (if your drum room is downstairs) or floor (if your drum room is upstairs).

This budget should cover you an extra layer of drywall for your ceiling or an effective carpet underlay for your floor, an extra layer of sound insulation that’s good for blocking, and all the door sweeps, gaskets, and seals you’ll need.

You should still have enough left over to add foam panels to your walls and ceiling. Again, room size will be a big factor in cost. With this option, you can still soundproof and acoustically treat, but perhaps not to studio standards.

Budget Drum Room Treatment

Cost: $500 – $800

For a much lower price, there are still acoustic performance gains to be made.

Find 4 bass traps for the corners of a small drum room, and use acoustic foam panels placed strategically at reflection points around your kit. 

Assuming these purchases take you over the $500 mark, you may still have some budget left over for a door sweep and weatherstripping to soundproof your door.

What do drummers say about soundproofing?

We jumped on to drummers’ forums on the web to get some soundproofing tips from musicians themselves. How did they go about soundproofing their drum room? What worked? And what didn’t?

Drummer James has been playing for 25 years. He uses a 1970s Slingerland chrome kit. James recommended:

“It depends on your requirements and the amount of sound reduction you need. Thickening the wall allows you to take the edge off so people can watch TV and live in the next room. They’ll still hear you play, but it won’t be obnoxious. You can do this by hanging up a layer of MLV and then screwing a thick layer of fire-rated drywall to the hat channel. To trap high-frequency sounds, plug all the air holes, including cracks, gaps, and air vents, and put seals on all your doors. Uncover the vents when you aren’t playing for the air flow.”

More info on how to soundproof vents in this article

Drummer Rob has been playing for 28 years. He uses a Pearl Masters Studio and Tama Superstar Classic. Rob recommended:

“I finished my drum room about two years ago. It’s a breeze-blocked garage, with a timbered shell inside, decoupled as much as possible from the existing building, with rock wool insulation and resilient bars for hanging plasterboard. There is also a Tecsound (high performance acoustic insulation) layer between the plasterboard layers for additional mass and decoupling. The whole build cost me £12k.”

You don’t need to invest as much time or money as James or Rob. Just a few, tactical soundproofing and acoustical treatment measures in your drum room can be beneficial without breaking the bank.