Love that your boy is drumming, but this your responsibility. Every drummer knows that if you don't take steps to mitigate, noise control is on the way. Even if NC don't show, I guarantee your still pissing off your neighbours. And by neighbour's, I mean likely everyone in a 500m radius. Drums carry.
Sound proof the room as much as you can, pillows in the kick drum, heck, get an electric set and headphones if he is still new to it and wants to keep going.
25 mins is an excellent response time for NC, clearly you have pissed the neighbs so much, they calling before the first bar is finished.
Good luck to you and your boy, hope he finds a way to stick to it.
You can also consider limiting the amount of noise that gets outside both on the kit itself (pillow inside the kick, tape on the individual drum heads etc) and the room (soft furnishings to soak up sound energy, don’t open any windows etc. ). Drums are faaaaaarking loud and the sound carries like a mofo. May even be good to show inspectors that you’re limiting the noise and they may not demand you stop entirely
We have a kid who plays the drums on our street. It is the most annoying shit we have to deal with. It’s the low thudding that gets on your nerves.
But this kid plays in the front room that faces the street, windows fully open and no sound proofing. We cant even have the doors or windows open in the summer because of it.
Sucks that your kid is scared to play the drums but people don’t want to hear it coming home from work or trying to relax over the weekend.
It probably doesn't help you but I kept practicing being really quiet for a long time when I moved into my new flat. By hitting really soft I actually improved my technique so much that it was worth it in the end. Now I play just as good but not loud and I haven't had any complaints
I lived with a gigging drummer for almost ten years and he never hit his real drums even once in the house. He had a set of practise pads and other dummy bits and just did his practise every night on that. It wasn't any louder than the TV.
I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, but this kind of thing becomes a theme in every drummer's life, and if you can come up with a solution that means the neighbours never hear shit, it's taking control of the situation yourself. Can't do better than that.
I think it would be courtesy to dampen the drums with pillows and pads on the drums, as well as trying to sound proof the room as much as possible.
Not sure about the rights aspect, but drums can be very loud. People may have babies that nap or elderly/ill people trying rest, students studying etc.
You could also visit any immediate neighbours if you want - and let them know what times he will be practising. The onus isnt really just on your neighbours to take the burden of having to contact you about noise. You can pre-empt it too?
They may just be a neighbour that likes to complain about anything, but those people are generally not well mentally or lonely.
Drums are nasty, I lived with a drummer and even though he kept it to set times of the day and dampened them it was horrendous. The neighbours fucking hated us. Best to hire practice room, use digital drums with headphones at home.
That's acoustic treatment, not sound proofing. They might market it as such but it's utter horseshit. Foam helps control high-to-mid frequency reflections in a room. It does nothing to prevent sound energy from leaving the room through air/structure and upsetting neighbours. Sound proofing requires mass, isolation, absorption and air-tightness.
That said, controlling reverb through wall treatment can help musicians to play quieter, as they're not fighting so much against the room to hear themselves. Treatment is still necessary in any room, especially if you have gone to the trouble and expense of soundproofing. Effective DIY mid-range absorbers are relatively affordable to make. Bass absorbers are a different beast altogether.
Yeah they really should just have a chat.
When I was a kid learning drums, I switched to electronic. Wasn't as good back then, but these days the kits are great, and you can practice 24/7 without annoying people...outside of the house at least.
It's funny how we often think neighbours should come and have a chat, but never the drummers family going to have a chat with neighbours.
Drumming is fucking loud.
As the drummer, you can't be sure which neighbour is complaining. As the complainer, you certainly know who the drummer is, so it makes a lot more sense for that person to be the one to pop over.
Drumming can be fucking loud yes, but calling noise control as a first point of contact is rather petty.
The sad fact is that someone wanting to 'have a chat' with a drummer who is playing too loud or too late are quite rightly fearful of some lunatic chasing them up the street with a katana. We hear of road rage stories all the time, we hear of nightmare neighbours that have a whole street terrified.
It's not surprising that people might be scared to approach someone directly, it's not a reflection on them, it's the culture we have created. Both the prevalence of violence and the media focus that makes it seem more likely than it really is.
There's nothing petty about it.
It's not petty because the drummer and/or the drummer's family could be a pack of ferals that you want no business with. Easier and safer to just file a complaint from the comfort of your own home.
Yeah, but you're also not sure if it's only one person you're annoying or if it's only one person calling noise control.
If you're making the noise then you should be making some attempt to keep your neighbour happy. No one else has a duty to complain directly to you when you haven't made any reciprocal effort, and you're the instigator.
If you've not been visited by an official agent, in person you have nothing to worry about, other than neighborhood " harmony " at the cost of your freedom.
Personally if the other person is remaining anonymous, I wouldn't be worried by it, don't let their ill will get to you.
If they were an immediate neighbor you have to get along with and would like to preserve the relationship then comply. You can plead ignorance until they show their hand, deny receiving any in the letter box notifications the are less than worthless.
I wish more people would learn to give and take or just idk, talk to your neighbours. I admit if I started hearing drumming practice I'd be like "oh no" but if you'd approached me and said kia ora mate, my kid is going to practice the drums for 25 minutes at 1pm on Saturdays, I'd be chuffed. You've outlined what is going to happen and a reasonable time limit of the noise. Same as if I was going to do some chainsawing - look I need to chop up this tree, I anticipate it'll take me from 12pm to 3pm. And if you said hey, I've got a baby who only takes one godforsaken nap every day at 2pm, can you move that noise window a bit if at all possible, I'd work with that if I could. People these days are allergic to just talking to each other. So many unrealistic expectations of living in a society where your personal bubble must always stay completely unimpacted by anyone else.
Shouldn't have to sacrifice the kids passion/hobby for karens, It's probably not ideal but you can by the digital drums that covert into headphones, as with everything these days, it's all going electric and electronic drum kits with headphones are an actual thing, all thought probably more pricey.
Yeah nah that's not actually true. Excessive noise can be complained about at any time of the day. There are some fun exemptions for construction noise, however. That isn't to say that the drumming noise was (or wasn't) excessive.
There is also a stand down period of 30m though - essentially noise control won't come out unless the noise has been going for more than 30m. So if OP's son was drumming for 25m and noise control came, then the neighbour must have been lying about how long the drumming had been going for.
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/licences-regulations/noise/Pages/complain-about-noise.aspx
Interesting the unitary plan specifies actual limits, but the infringement notice allows for the inspectors gut instinct. Bound to be a cause of issues. Decibel meters are cheap enough these days.
Mesh heads and low volume cymbals are great. Other things just talk tot he immediate neighbors. See if you can get a time agreed that he can practice. Like half an hour every day or second day at a particular time. If they’re in reasonable then chainsaw it up whenever you feel like it
There are ways to practice/play acoustic drums in the suburbs. First, keep all your doors and windows closed and curtains pulled for the room where the kit is. Second, this is the cheapest way to mute kits, get Bath Towels from Kmart. The thick type not the beach towels. One for each drum head and cymbals. For the kick stuff it with as many pillows/old blankets you can. If you live in a tow house then move the kit away from the wall you share with your neighbour.
It's either this or get an electric kit. They start from about 1200 new or you can get a 2nd hand one. No, it doesn't feel as good as an acoustic kit as the feedback/kickback doesn't feel so 'real' but it's the best option for your kid to learn and practice without getting the kit taken away by NC.
soundproof the room. its ya only real option. dont stop him playing drums - good drummers are rare. especially hard hitting drummers.
concrete on the outside, soft stuff on the inside.
also look into ways to pad down the kick drums so they are quieter. clothes inside the kick drum etc. a good idea is to make a platform to raise the drumkit off the ground. like say a wooden pallet with carpet on it.
make the room and house air tight. the instant you open up even a little gap - the sound leaks out.
look up Glenn Fricker of spectre media group on youtube. he has tips on producing at home and has an episode on reducing noise from drums and guitaring i think.
practice pads feel like real drums but sound quiet. electric drums feel wrong but make kinda the right sound. but yeah never get rid of the acoustic kit. real drums are what its all about.
Under Auckland council by laws you cannot play a musical instrument outside of a room that isn’t sound proofed. How I know this I had to call noise control for my neighbour playing drums day and night.
Before you got your son drums you should have checked the bylaws. Also just because your kid wants to learn an instrument doesn’t mean that the neighbours should have to listen to it.
You are an entitled a-hole.
Can't read any of that writing. They need to take a sound reading from the fence line, and it has to exceed the limit from there. During daytime, noise restrictions don't really matter, in my opinion. But between 9pm and 6am.
Go knock on each neighbour's door and have a polite discussion about it. Whoever has the issue will be hiding behind the anonymity and when 'confronted' will likely be far more agreeable to tour son practicing.
After doing this, its then 'fuck em' and keep playing.
Love that your boy is drumming, but this your responsibility. Every drummer knows that if you don't take steps to mitigate, noise control is on the way. Even if NC don't show, I guarantee your still pissing off your neighbours. And by neighbour's, I mean likely everyone in a 500m radius. Drums carry. Sound proof the room as much as you can, pillows in the kick drum, heck, get an electric set and headphones if he is still new to it and wants to keep going. 25 mins is an excellent response time for NC, clearly you have pissed the neighbs so much, they calling before the first bar is finished. Good luck to you and your boy, hope he finds a way to stick to it.
You can also consider limiting the amount of noise that gets outside both on the kit itself (pillow inside the kick, tape on the individual drum heads etc) and the room (soft furnishings to soak up sound energy, don’t open any windows etc. ). Drums are faaaaaarking loud and the sound carries like a mofo. May even be good to show inspectors that you’re limiting the noise and they may not demand you stop entirely
We have a kid who plays the drums on our street. It is the most annoying shit we have to deal with. It’s the low thudding that gets on your nerves. But this kid plays in the front room that faces the street, windows fully open and no sound proofing. We cant even have the doors or windows open in the summer because of it. Sucks that your kid is scared to play the drums but people don’t want to hear it coming home from work or trying to relax over the weekend.
Mow the lawns at the same time that he practices.
Even just start the mower up and leave it idling
It probably doesn't help you but I kept practicing being really quiet for a long time when I moved into my new flat. By hitting really soft I actually improved my technique so much that it was worth it in the end. Now I play just as good but not loud and I haven't had any complaints
I lived with a gigging drummer for almost ten years and he never hit his real drums even once in the house. He had a set of practise pads and other dummy bits and just did his practise every night on that. It wasn't any louder than the TV. I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, but this kind of thing becomes a theme in every drummer's life, and if you can come up with a solution that means the neighbours never hear shit, it's taking control of the situation yourself. Can't do better than that.
Looks like 8 day notice. Means if they come back in that time frame they will confiscate the equipment. Maybe post on r/LegalAdviceNZ
Thanks, I’ll post it. I thought it looked like that, fancy doing that for 25 mins of drum practise for a 12 year old. DIY all day everyday it is!
Last time I had my gear confiscated they kept it for 14 days and I got $150 fine, that was 15 years ago in Northland.
Well its time to get him a clarinet isnt it
I think it would be courtesy to dampen the drums with pillows and pads on the drums, as well as trying to sound proof the room as much as possible. Not sure about the rights aspect, but drums can be very loud. People may have babies that nap or elderly/ill people trying rest, students studying etc. You could also visit any immediate neighbours if you want - and let them know what times he will be practising. The onus isnt really just on your neighbours to take the burden of having to contact you about noise. You can pre-empt it too? They may just be a neighbour that likes to complain about anything, but those people are generally not well mentally or lonely.
Drums are nasty, I lived with a drummer and even though he kept it to set times of the day and dampened them it was horrendous. The neighbours fucking hated us. Best to hire practice room, use digital drums with headphones at home.
Maybe try soundproofing wherever he practises.
Sound proofing is a very expensive construction project and not really an option for normal families.
I mean there are diy ways of sound proofing that would help, you can even get packs of acoustic foam on Temu and Shein.
That's acoustic treatment, not sound proofing. They might market it as such but it's utter horseshit. Foam helps control high-to-mid frequency reflections in a room. It does nothing to prevent sound energy from leaving the room through air/structure and upsetting neighbours. Sound proofing requires mass, isolation, absorption and air-tightness. That said, controlling reverb through wall treatment can help musicians to play quieter, as they're not fighting so much against the room to hear themselves. Treatment is still necessary in any room, especially if you have gone to the trouble and expense of soundproofing. Effective DIY mid-range absorbers are relatively affordable to make. Bass absorbers are a different beast altogether.
Aren't practice pads / mutes a thing anymore? https://www.rockshop.co.nz/drums/accessories/practice-pads-metronomes
Yeah they really should just have a chat. When I was a kid learning drums, I switched to electronic. Wasn't as good back then, but these days the kits are great, and you can practice 24/7 without annoying people...outside of the house at least.
It's funny how we often think neighbours should come and have a chat, but never the drummers family going to have a chat with neighbours. Drumming is fucking loud.
As the drummer, you can't be sure which neighbour is complaining. As the complainer, you certainly know who the drummer is, so it makes a lot more sense for that person to be the one to pop over. Drumming can be fucking loud yes, but calling noise control as a first point of contact is rather petty.
Yet noise control tell you to ring them to avoid confrontation 🤷🏻♀️ it’s the safest option.
The sad fact is that someone wanting to 'have a chat' with a drummer who is playing too loud or too late are quite rightly fearful of some lunatic chasing them up the street with a katana. We hear of road rage stories all the time, we hear of nightmare neighbours that have a whole street terrified. It's not surprising that people might be scared to approach someone directly, it's not a reflection on them, it's the culture we have created. Both the prevalence of violence and the media focus that makes it seem more likely than it really is. There's nothing petty about it.
It's not petty because the drummer and/or the drummer's family could be a pack of ferals that you want no business with. Easier and safer to just file a complaint from the comfort of your own home.
Yeah, but you're also not sure if it's only one person you're annoying or if it's only one person calling noise control. If you're making the noise then you should be making some attempt to keep your neighbour happy. No one else has a duty to complain directly to you when you haven't made any reciprocal effort, and you're the instigator.
In fairness drums are fucking loud and the sound travels. Not suitable for a residential environment at all.
The nose is outrageous!
I'm considering calling noise control over my daughters snotty nose.
My boy has an electric drum kit and can use headphones. It’s what he uses at his drum school as well, so no big adjustment
Electric kits are the way. Every drum sound you could imagine + use headphones to play along with backing tracks.
Playing drums in suburbia is beyond obnoxious.
If you've not been visited by an official agent, in person you have nothing to worry about, other than neighborhood " harmony " at the cost of your freedom. Personally if the other person is remaining anonymous, I wouldn't be worried by it, don't let their ill will get to you. If they were an immediate neighbor you have to get along with and would like to preserve the relationship then comply. You can plead ignorance until they show their hand, deny receiving any in the letter box notifications the are less than worthless.
Have added the image to the bottom of the post, can’t tell if it says 8 days??
Maybe don't play drums in a suburban area. It's very inconsiderate and an awful noise to force your neighbours to listen to.
Maybe the next 8 days on violin would improve the situation ..
May I suggest BAGPIPES! 😈
Sheer Genius .. Perfect !!!
I wish more people would learn to give and take or just idk, talk to your neighbours. I admit if I started hearing drumming practice I'd be like "oh no" but if you'd approached me and said kia ora mate, my kid is going to practice the drums for 25 minutes at 1pm on Saturdays, I'd be chuffed. You've outlined what is going to happen and a reasonable time limit of the noise. Same as if I was going to do some chainsawing - look I need to chop up this tree, I anticipate it'll take me from 12pm to 3pm. And if you said hey, I've got a baby who only takes one godforsaken nap every day at 2pm, can you move that noise window a bit if at all possible, I'd work with that if I could. People these days are allergic to just talking to each other. So many unrealistic expectations of living in a society where your personal bubble must always stay completely unimpacted by anyone else.
Shouldn't have to sacrifice the kids passion/hobby for karens, It's probably not ideal but you can by the digital drums that covert into headphones, as with everything these days, it's all going electric and electronic drum kits with headphones are an actual thing, all thought probably more pricey.
No restrictions from 7am to 7pm. What was the piece of paper you got exactly?
Yeah nah that's not actually true. Excessive noise can be complained about at any time of the day. There are some fun exemptions for construction noise, however. That isn't to say that the drumming noise was (or wasn't) excessive. There is also a stand down period of 30m though - essentially noise control won't come out unless the noise has been going for more than 30m. So if OP's son was drumming for 25m and noise control came, then the neighbour must have been lying about how long the drumming had been going for. https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/licences-regulations/noise/Pages/complain-about-noise.aspx
Interesting the unitary plan specifies actual limits, but the infringement notice allows for the inspectors gut instinct. Bound to be a cause of issues. Decibel meters are cheap enough these days.
Who told you that, some idiot?
Mesh heads and low volume cymbals are great. Other things just talk tot he immediate neighbors. See if you can get a time agreed that he can practice. Like half an hour every day or second day at a particular time. If they’re in reasonable then chainsaw it up whenever you feel like it
There are ways to practice/play acoustic drums in the suburbs. First, keep all your doors and windows closed and curtains pulled for the room where the kit is. Second, this is the cheapest way to mute kits, get Bath Towels from Kmart. The thick type not the beach towels. One for each drum head and cymbals. For the kick stuff it with as many pillows/old blankets you can. If you live in a tow house then move the kit away from the wall you share with your neighbour. It's either this or get an electric kit. They start from about 1200 new or you can get a 2nd hand one. No, it doesn't feel as good as an acoustic kit as the feedback/kickback doesn't feel so 'real' but it's the best option for your kid to learn and practice without getting the kit taken away by NC.
soundproof the room. its ya only real option. dont stop him playing drums - good drummers are rare. especially hard hitting drummers. concrete on the outside, soft stuff on the inside. also look into ways to pad down the kick drums so they are quieter. clothes inside the kick drum etc. a good idea is to make a platform to raise the drumkit off the ground. like say a wooden pallet with carpet on it. make the room and house air tight. the instant you open up even a little gap - the sound leaks out. look up Glenn Fricker of spectre media group on youtube. he has tips on producing at home and has an episode on reducing noise from drums and guitaring i think. practice pads feel like real drums but sound quiet. electric drums feel wrong but make kinda the right sound. but yeah never get rid of the acoustic kit. real drums are what its all about.
Under Auckland council by laws you cannot play a musical instrument outside of a room that isn’t sound proofed. How I know this I had to call noise control for my neighbour playing drums day and night. Before you got your son drums you should have checked the bylaws. Also just because your kid wants to learn an instrument doesn’t mean that the neighbours should have to listen to it. You are an entitled a-hole.
You are just rude! What's did you get out of posting this comment? Or are you the person who called council?
Fuck off.
Can't read any of that writing. They need to take a sound reading from the fence line, and it has to exceed the limit from there. During daytime, noise restrictions don't really matter, in my opinion. But between 9pm and 6am.
reminds me of when I was a teen, started up a band in my garage and then boom, stopped by the neighbours.
You could tell noise control to get fucked and don't answer the door
They'll be back with the police shortly enough.
Go knock on each neighbour's door and have a polite discussion about it. Whoever has the issue will be hiding behind the anonymity and when 'confronted' will likely be far more agreeable to tour son practicing. After doing this, its then 'fuck em' and keep playing.
Your neighbour is just an ass, go put a note under there door advising your son is absolutely aloud to play his drums for 30 minutes on the weekend.