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Thread: sound dampening issues

  1. #1

    Default sound dampening issues

    Hello everyone. I am sure there are members here who have had this issue and maybe they can share solutions or give advice on this thorny topic. I have a room that has a ceramic tile floor on top of a concrete slab that I want to practice in. The problem I am having is that every time I play a low note, anything much lower than middle C, I get all sorts of vibration noises coming from other items sitting in the room, including the window blinds. I have placed my amp on a isolation pad, but that did not help much. Is the only reasonably low cost solution to just use another room that is carpeted? I get much lesser vibration noises when playing in a carpeted room that has a raised wooden floor. I appreciate any insight anyone can offer on this issue.

  2. #2

    Default

    I had the same problem playing with the amp on a tile-over-concrete floor. Shakes the rafters, the windows, and the cat walking through the room. I found that if you can find a sweet spot on the floor that isn't close to support beams, etc, you can ease up on the vibration. Failing that, if there is a chair or couch in the room, set the amp there. Just make sure to pull it away from the wall. Also, if you're just practising, you can ease back on the lowest frequency EQ to draw back some of the vibration. Sometimes, just re-equalising the sound can help. I think I recently posted a thing on the art of the EQ. If you go to the main TR page, you should see it along the right hand. It's under BASS TIPS.


    - low life -

  3. Default

    Auralex makes a product called Gramma. It isolates your amp from the floor and should help your problem. They also make a large number of sound absorbing products if you need more help. Maybe you could call them and describe your issues.

  4. #4

    Default

    Thanks for the tips Elmeaux.

  5. #5

    Default

    Thanks for the tip, but the isolation pad I mentioned is an Auralex Gramma. It is a pretty nifty product, and it did help, but not enough. And that is with me only using a Fender Rumble 75. I think with a 500 watt amp I will be able to eliminate my termite problem once and for all. I did notice that when I placed the Gramma under my 200 watt Ampeg SVT Micro Stack, on a carpeted raised wood floor, it made a big difference and nearly eliminated the annoying vibration buzzes. Maybe ceramic tile over concrete is just too much of a no-no for bass amplification.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    2,088

    Default

    A ceramic tile covering on a concrete floor would result in a very reverberant environment. I'm not surprised you're finding that your amp "excites" everything in the room. Can you do a sweep of frequencies with your amp to isolate just which band of frequencies is causing the problem? If so, then dial back those frequencies a bit and see if that helps. My Eden gear has parametric tone controls so I can pretty much isolate a fairly narrow band and cut or boost just that bit if necessary. In many venues, I find that I have to run through this process to clean up the room acoustics to get a clean sound.
    ___________________________________
    Steinberger NXT5 EUB, MTD 535 Fretless, Tobias Killer B6, 72 Fender Precision
    Eden WT500, WTX1000N & WP100, QSC PL230
    Eden D410XLT, D410XST, 215, Fender Bassman 10

  7. #7

    Default

    Thanks for the info TobiasMan. I will keep those parametric tone controls in mind when I shop for a new amp.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Whitehouse, Texas
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    173

    Default

    I am by no means an expert, but your problem may not lie in the ceramic floor, rather in "standing waves". It may have more to do with the size and shape of your space as well as how it is furnished. The solution could be corner bass traps that could be either purchased or built.
    "There is no such thing as a bad note, just a bad resolution." - Damian Erskine

    Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass 70's
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  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    2,088

    Default

    What are the walls of your practice space made of? If hard, smooth materials like drywall/gypsum board, you can get serious sound bounce issues. Bass Traps can be made to absorb some of the low frequencies that tend to build in the corners of some rooms. You could also try covering the walls with sound absorbing foam pads (the kind used in sound studios).
    ___________________________________
    Steinberger NXT5 EUB, MTD 535 Fretless, Tobias Killer B6, 72 Fender Precision
    Eden WT500, WTX1000N & WP100, QSC PL230
    Eden D410XLT, D410XST, 215, Fender Bassman 10

  10. #10

    Default

    Thanks for the feedback ghsky1 and TobiasMan. I looked into sound dampeners like they use in studios, but they are rather pricey. The walls are all nice and smooth dry wall. I have one other thing I might try, a DIY super duper isolated amp stand, and if that doesn't work, I will give up on that room. It is the only room in my house that is not a carpeted raised wood floor, and since all the other rooms are also drywall and I only have this issue in that room, I am pretty sure it is the concrete slab under ceramic tile that is the problem.

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