QuestionI currently play drums in a church that has very high walls and I have a wall to my back. The question I have is would it be better to buy a $2000 isolation room for the drum set or a 8 ft. drum shield with the deflectors that costs $500. I know the price difference is pretty big between the two but I really want to know if the isolation room is really going to be $1500 better. The drum set right now is far too loud with out microphones in the church and we plan on buying either the drum shield or isolation room and having the drum set miked up completely.Please let me know what your opinion is. Thank You.
AnswerThis is a great question, at the heart of the practice and study of acoustics.
It's also a question about the room you're in as much as it is about the instrument you're playing.
The hard wall at your back will make the $500 deflectors practically useless UNLESS you add some sort of adsorptive material to them, spaced off from the hard wall surface with at least a 4" airgap in between.
Otherwise, the soudwaves will merely bounce off the barrier and back off the wall, and continue forward into the "audience area". Infact, the net effect can seem even "noisier" and more irritating from the slight increase in the Direct/Reflected sound ratio. For this reason I only recommend trap deflectors outdoors or on heavily curtained stages unless I know that the nearby flat reflective surfaces can be treated.
If you price it up, even with "on-the-cheap" acoustic fluff like 2"-thick felt or tectum, when you hire out the carpentry to install it (remember that you'll need to furr it out from the wall for a 4" airgap) the costs can be even higher than an isolated room.
That being said, I also hate to have the drummer locked up in a complete booth when you're supposed to be performing and interacting as the rythm backbone to a group. For all the pain and effot it takes, I actually PREFER treating the reflective surfaces around a drum kit, adding the lexan fron reflector, and letting the kit stay in the picture. I hope you will find, as I do, that this is the best possible compromise.
If you can't do it permanently, I have seen people do all sorts of clever "portable" substitutes for acoustic treatment - use DJ speaker poles to rig up 4" thick fiberglass adsorptive panels, use 2x4's to frame three freestanding 4'x8' panels filled with fiberglass insulation and covered on the front with stretched gauze tacked by a staplegun on the backside...
Also, I would recommend looking into isolating the kit from the floor a little, especially if it's not on a riser (and so acoustically coupled to the same floor as the church seating). Sometimes, particularly for the hard-of-hearing, alot of percussion is more felt than heard, and its hard to discern z/t-waves transmitted through the pew from compression waves in air - especially from the kick drum. The quick fix is a neoprene or damping rubber mat (like you would find in a weight room) with a carpet remnant rolled over it (for looks).
Of course, I would assume you've already explored using bamboo brushes, rubber pads on snares hi-hats and toms, and pillows in the kick.
Let me know if you have any more questions or if you want product examples. If you want to learn more thse resources may be helpful:
http://www.wengercorp.com/web/images/lit/lit/Wenger%20Acoustics%20Primer.pdf
http://www.indiana.edu/~emusic/acoustics/acoustics.htm
http://www.greengluecompany.com/studiosAndHomeTheaters.php
http://www.asc-hifi.com/acoustic_basics.htm
