studio drum riser

oisin · 9th September 2011

hi all

ive read through some threads here on drum forums - but still have some questions.

i have a small one room rehearsal space / studio that sounds ok - dead, no weird bass. concrete floor with carpeting, isolated wood walls with some hanging traps.

ive noticed my drums sound much better in other spaces, especially when they are on wood floors / stages with some air and resonance beneath them. i know "better" is relative; by this i mean more resonant, airy, alive. this is mostly related to the kick drum.

would anybody advise strongly AGAINST building a simple riser in my room? thought i would ask around before i start hauling plywood and cinderblocks. . thanks in advance.

chrisso · 10th September 2011

Drums generally don't sound good on concrete floors.
Risers are a known positive. I've been in some big studios that have drum risers. However, you need to check your riser design.
Also, other factors in your room could adversely affect your drum sound, so it's not a dead cert a riser will be the magic bullet.

thismercifulfate · 11th September 2011

I don't know what kind of a riser you're planning to construct, but a poorly-designed and flimsy one could introduce a lot of noise into your recordings. Also, if you don't have tall cielings, you might also be worsening your overhead mic sound by rasing the whole kit up.

joeq · 12th September 2011

I built a nice riser in my last studio
it definitely improved the sound and helped in isolation.

it was not just a board sitting on cinder blocks, though

The plywood was nailed to a wood frame of 2x4s. The whole thing was carpeted and the carpet tucked under the edges so the platform floated carpet-on-carpet. Being a large hollow box, it was a bit boomy at first and I added some insulation and cross-members to break up the open space underneath.

I also made gobos that had offset 'feet' that could set on the edge of the platform, so it could act as a 'booth' if there was a full band playing.

Another advantage is that you can put your mic stands on the floor, off the platform for a bit less LF conduction.

The only way to know for sure if it is 'going' to work, is to build it.

chrisso · 13th September 2011

+1

You need to look into proper studio floor design to build a proper riser.
The above description sounds right.

oisin · 13th September 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeq

I built a nice riser in my last studio
it definitely improved the sound and helped in isolation.

The plywood was nailed to a wood frame of 2x4s. The whole thing was carpeted and the carpet tucked under the edges so the platform floated carpet-on-carpet. Being a large hollow box, it was a bit boomy at first and I added some insulation and cross-members to break up the open space underneath.

The only way to know for sure if it is 'going' to work, is to build it.

sounds like a good plan, thanks

Disjointed · 9th October 2011

mine was of similiar construction, but:
-- i did not carpet it as a prefer a livelier sound, i do use a thin floor mat under it to keep it from sliding.
-- i built it with 16" on center 2x4's and insulated with fiberglass.

Jax · 9th October 2011

I'm thinking about getting a pair of these to make an isolated floor under the kit.

It would follow the same principle as floating monitors on speaker isolation mounts, so I think it has a good chance of being effective. My primacoustic mounts instantly improved what I was hearing from my monitors, so why not try it on a much larger scale under a full drum kit?

If it feels a little squishy, a 1/2" plank of 4x6 plywood between two mats should stiffen the feel. Or I can try placing the plywood atop the mat, which would be similar to how the primacoustic mounts are constructed (they use a thin neoprene layer over a metal plate that has foam underneath). I'm sort of expecting to make a sandwich of rubber mat | plywood | rubber mat, unless a single mat is all that's needed. Experimentation will be key.

The mats can be bought for $40 a piece at farmer's supply stores, or if you're feeling wasteful and lazy, amazon sells the exact same thing for $80 each. I figure if they don't work the way I'm expecting, I can return them. They're made to quiet down vibrations from large appliances.

joeq · 9th October 2011

I have found those interlocking tiles - the kind that you set up in a workshop, or you put down in your exercise room are quite good for this

I put one under my practice pad and could not believe how much quieter the whole thing got.

you can pop them together and get the footprint you want, a lot cheaper than the purpose built isolators.

9th September 2011	#1
oisin Gear Head Joined: Oct 2009 Location: Berlin Posts: 32 Thread Starter	studio drum riser hi all ive read through some threads here on drum forums - but still have some questions. i have a small one room rehearsal space / studio that sounds ok - dead, no weird bass. concrete floor with carpeting, isolated wood walls with some hanging traps. ive noticed my drums sound much better in other spaces, especially when they are on wood floors / stages with some air and resonance beneath them. i know "better" is relative; by this i mean more resonant, airy, alive. this is mostly related to the kick drum. would anybody advise strongly AGAINST building a simple riser in my room? thought i would ask around before i start hauling plywood and cinderblocks. . thanks in advance.

10th September 2011	#2
chrisso Gear Guru Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Oz Posts: 16,836	Drums generally don't sound good on concrete floors. Risers are a known positive. I've been in some big studios that have drum risers. However, you need to check your riser design. Also, other factors in your room could adversely affect your drum sound, so it's not a dead cert a riser will be the magic bullet. __________________ Chris Whitten

12th September 2011	#4
joeq Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: New York Posts: 9,908	I built a nice riser in my last studio it definitely improved the sound and helped in isolation. it was not just a board sitting on cinder blocks, though The plywood was nailed to a wood frame of 2x4s. The whole thing was carpeted and the carpet tucked under the edges so the platform floated carpet-on-carpet. Being a large hollow box, it was a bit boomy at first and I added some insulation and cross-members to break up the open space underneath. I also made gobos that had offset 'feet' that could set on the edge of the platform, so it could act as a 'booth' if there was a full band playing. Another advantage is that you can put your mic stands on the floor, off the platform for a bit less LF conduction. The only way to know for sure if it is 'going' to work, is to build it. __________________ . “What you ask about is music. What you like is sound. Now music and sound are akin, but they are not the same.” — Confucius

9th October 2011	#7
Disjointed Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2006 Location: the catacombs Posts: 745	mine was of similiar construction, but: -- i did not carpet it as a prefer a livelier sound, i do use a thin floor mat under it to keep it from sliding. -- i built it with 16" on center 2x4's and insulated with fiberglass. __________________ "I'm so disgusted with what you did, i cant even focus on what you're saying anymore"

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11th September 2011	#3
thismercifulfate Gear maniac Joined: Apr 2010 Location: Oregon City Posts: 230	I don't know what kind of a riser you're planning to construct, but a poorly-designed and flimsy one could introduce a lot of noise into your recordings. Also, if you don't have tall cielings, you might also be worsening your overhead mic sound by rasing the whole kit up.

13th September 2011	#5
chrisso Gear Guru Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Oz Posts: 16,836	+1 You need to look into proper studio floor design to build a proper riser. The above description sounds right.

9th October 2011	#8
Jax Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 4,779	I'm thinking about getting a pair of these to make an isolated floor under the kit. It would follow the same principle as floating monitors on speaker isolation mounts, so I think it has a good chance of being effective. My primacoustic mounts instantly improved what I was hearing from my monitors, so why not try it on a much larger scale under a full drum kit? If it feels a little squishy, a 1/2" plank of 4x6 plywood between two mats should stiffen the feel. Or I can try placing the plywood atop the mat, which would be similar to how the primacoustic mounts are constructed (they use a thin neoprene layer over a metal plate that has foam underneath). I'm sort of expecting to make a sandwich of rubber mat \| plywood \| rubber mat, unless a single mat is all that's needed. Experimentation will be key. The mats can be bought for $40 a piece at farmer's supply stores, or if you're feeling wasteful and lazy, amazon sells the exact same thing for $80 each. I figure if they don't work the way I'm expecting, I can return them. They're made to quiet down vibrations from large appliances.