A reason to say HI... and a drum shield question...

[Rezlifer]

I looked for an area to say hi but here I am...
Hi,I'm Paul and already love this site...

Question...Any ideas on an inexpensive drum shield? Anyone have one for sale or even better, to donate?
Thanks,Paul

[sadlerjon]

Welcome Paul!

No ides on a drum shield -- we use an electronic drum kit... I know others on the forums will have info to share though.

[tedanderson]

Any ideas on an inexpensive drum shield?

A couple of sheets of 23/32 OSB plywood will work reasonably well. A 4x8 sheet sells for roughly $5 (give or take) and if you get the store to cut it into 4ft or 2 ft sections, you can put large gate hinges on it so that it can fold up and it can be positioned around the set.

You will probably have to paint or wallpaper it to match the decor of the stage and it would have to be cut to a height slightly shorter than 4ft or whatever height that allows the drummer to see over the shield.

[zactommo]

Like Ted said, the cheapest way to do anything is to do it yourself.

Our drum shield was build by a member of the church with some carpentry skills. We have a small riser for our drums, that is on wheels, and has a groove in the base for the perspex to slide into. So when it comes to clearing the stage, the whole thing slides away. Very easy. Can post photos if needed.

[Gracetech]

How much shield do you need?

We use what i call a half shield which is 4' tall. The make them in various sizes and the smaller you can get away with the cheaper. Keep in mind that you will need to put some absorption with your shield in order to actually reduce the sound.

Once you figure out what you need give John at MuzeekWorld a call and he will get you the best price. John has provided me with stellar deals over the past couple of years.

crt

[Rezlifer]

Thanks guys...I guess I'm more looking for something clear...I guess I could try and build one out of Plexiglass...Being an old-school drummer,I don't like shields at all but being the sound guy in church,I know theres a need for one...

[Brad Weber]

A few things to consider with DIY. One is what Chad referenced, if you are miking the drums then absorption on the side facing the drums can help reduce the negative effect the shield may have on the mics.

Another is that a partial height shield can affect the balance of the natural drum sound the other musicians and audience, for example it may reduce the floor toms and snare more than some of the rest of the kit.

Don't forget the surfaces behind you. If you install a shield and have acoustically reflective surfaces behind you it can not only reduce the effectiveness of the shield but cause many short reflections that affect the drummer and drum mics. If you have a shield with no back, perhaps consider some absorptive material on the wall behind as well.

[[Admin] osborn4]

ChurchTechArts blog recently had a series on their Drum Condo project.

Start with this post and follow the further Drum Condo posts in the Related Posts link at the bottom of the article.

[Rezlifer]

Got it, Thanks...

[tedanderson]

Plexi is very expensive and its not very effective. If you want something clear, get GLASS. This might take some time and effort but here is what you do-

Call up a window & door installer and ask them if they have any old sliding glass patio doors that they removed from a previous installation. Most times as a part of their service they remove and dispose of the items that they replace. They might not have anything right when you call them but if you keep checking you might catch them at the right time.

Granted that sliding glass door panels are HEAVY and you will have to frame it up with 2x4's and window stop trip to safely encase the glass but it will be CHEAP (nearly free) it will be clear, effective, and it will look nice.

[Brad Weber]

While an equivalent thickness of glass will provide greater transmission loss that plexiglass, greatly due to glass having a unit mass over twice that of plexiglass, this seems to conflict with all the drum enclosure manufacturers using plexi. Not only would the overall isolation, and the advantage of glass, be limited by the physical construction of the enclosure or shield (openings in the enclosure, flanking paths, etc.), but there may also be safety and code issues involved.

A 1/4" thick sheet of plexiglass provides a transmission loss of around 10dB at 50-60Hz, 18dB at 250Hz and 28dB+ at 1,000Hz and above, so it is not as though it does not provide any isolation. For comparison, a 1/4" thick piece of standard glass would provide about 15-16dB of transmission loss at 50-60Hz, 25dB at 250Hz and 33dB+ at 1,000Hz and above, roughly a 5-7dB improvement at most frequencies. However, the actual isolation achieved with either material and the difference between the two materials would likely be less as we are not addressing a single, continuous surface providing complete separation.

So using sliding glass doors to build a drum shield may be a cost effective option, but it is probably not much of an acoustical advantage and definitely something for which you should verify code compliance.

[tedanderson]

Good points. The issue that I have with plexi is that a 4x8 sheet with a 1/4" thickness is prohibitively expensive. Or I suggest that buying an official plexiglass shield would cost less after you figured out how to cut it and hinge it together.