Why I Failed To Soundproof My Studio

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A great video by Wilson talking about building a soundproof drum studio the right way:

0:00 I Spent $10,000 for nothing
0:44 Didn't want to make this video
1:52 Background
3:35 Contractor's recommendations
4:58 Realized it was a mistake
5:51 It's on me
6:33 Harsh truth
7:19 Heading down to the garage
7:47 Budget calculator
8:46 The price to do it right
9:37 A tough decision
10:42 Found a WhisperRoom
11:21 The price of a car
11:55 Pros and cons
13:47 Soundproofing is expensive
14:48 Just a warning

[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.

[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.👌

[justinblanchard]

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.

[mattmarkus]

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.

[ADDG]

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 😊

[johnkirsch]

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!

[brandrumpitt]

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 👍

[digimax]

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!

[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.

[blackbird]

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. 🥁

[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!

[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 of money for it to really work

[alvaroruizruiz]

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

[Transistor]

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.

[doubledragtap]

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

[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.

[johnrobinson]

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! 🥁❤️

[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

[Richard]

I hope the drum booth helps you keep your groove going, Jeff! When I first noticed your YouTube videos, what struck me most was that you play in the pocket with tremendous energy, yet your playing seems so effortles. It's always a pleasure to listen to you play and learn something new from you. The lesson I've taken away from the last few videos is that it really takes a lot of untroubled (in the sense that you don't have to be bothered by how many people you annoy with your playing) practice to get in the groove. What you mention about our beautiful sounding but stupidly loud instrument and all the things that go with it is so relatable! Keep it up, Jeff!❤🤞🏻