ORIGINAL: Geokauf(Takes a long slow inhale, then exhales with a long sigh of exasperation).

Oh, brother. So theatrical. I think you are taking this a bit too personally. Good luck with the blankets.

ORIGINAL: Geokauf
1. "Build a small booth..." OK and he lives in a 3 bedroom flat. So where does this "small" (and it won't be as small as you think) booth going to be stored when it is not in use? In the corner of the living room next to the telly?

Those things look like a TARDIS. (You sound British, so I figured you'd get the Dr. Who reference.) Wasn't the TARDIS a telephone booth? Maybe it could pull double-duty as a decorative item. A very large one in a small flat.

5. The simplest solution (since he has no room for a booth - unless you like an unsightly wood structure taking up a significant amount of your living space) and he doesn't own the property (so he won't be building cinder block walls), considerating that a "sound absorbtion blanket" is only $18.00 and that the best place to play for isolation is the interior room with the entrance way (or ways) covered with a sound absorbtion blanket so that you decouple your sound from the outside world BEST AS IS POSSIBLE. My result in a few dBs of attenuation and that might be enough to keep the annoyance factor for the neighbors down to reasonable. (NOTE: the Markertek blankets are considerably more dense and heavier than the duvet on your bed, especially if doubled over.

If those blankets are as heavy as you say, they may be lined with that dense acoustic absorber material. A couple layers of that stuff may bring the noise level down to loud-ish TV level. If that's the case, he could make a tent of these... several of them thick... then run a fan or other noise source in the room (outside the blankets) to further drown out the sax solo practice. Psychologically, the dBA annoyance threshold level for noise is much higher than for a solo instrument. So, attenuate the instrument to the outside world, and then add some "gentle" noise outside the blankets. It would be easy to play some pink noise through your stereo or monitors. The noise bleed back to you would also be attenuated by the blankets. You could also turn the bass down on the outside noise, since your sax has no power down there anyway. That would further reduce the bleed back to you.

If those blankets are as heavy as you say, they may be lined with that dense acoustic absorber material.

Hi losguy--

They're just very heavy packing blankets. High quality though. I've got a half dozen that I hang on lighting trusses / mic stands to help with flutter echo when tracking drums. They work well for this.

I'll also tent guitar amps with them when tracking full bands, it helps, but just enough to justify the effort. Maybe 6dB or so less bleed between the drums and guitar amps.

Hey NFV, thanks for the real-world insight on that. I agree that the workable, livable solution for an apartment will not reault in complete, dead silence outside, but rather achieving enough attenuation to not cross the annoyance barrier. That depends on so many factors that it's hard to really know here it sits, but it's still worth a shot, as cheap as those blankets are. And since he has a monitoring system, the additive outside noise is free.

The Yamaha units work very well.

( OP )

Thanks again to all. The various suggestions, whether feasible or not, are appreciated!

Don't have time to do all the quoting this time around, but just to respond to some of the ideas:

re: choosing an apartment with a different design/location

Well, I took the plunge and and I'm signing the lease tomorrow on this place. Had to do something soon, and there really wasn't anything looking much better or cheaper. In this neck of the woods, beggars can't be choosers, and unless you have $800k or more to drop on a decent house, you're a beggar.

re: sound absorption blankets

I found them on Markertek.com -- thanks for the info. I agree that a couple of those look like a reasonably affordable place to start.

re: whisper rooms and other sound booths

As someone stated, the apartment is a small one-bedroom and I'd really prefer not to have a "booth" in my smallish living room if I can avoid it. Plus, there's the expense. But if I could get one for $500 or less and set up/break down when needed, I'd consider that.

re: renting a rehearsal space

I might end up having to do something alone these lines, but I really can't afford a dedicated "studio." Even a small, secure room is pricey around here.

re: Yamaha Silent Brass System

Ha ha -- you have no idea how jealous saxophone players have been of trumpet players who can take advantage of this. I don't suspect anything like this will ever be invented for the sax-- you just can't get around the fact that the sound generates from dozen of tone holes. However, there are products that are like big pouches -- you put the sax in, and stick your hands through two holes. My teacher had one back in the 70's. They don't look like too much fun to use, though, and I don't know how effective they are.

re: Get a MIDI wind controller

As I stated earlier, I did buy the AKAI EWI (wind controller) early this year, not mainly for noise, but that's one of the benefits. In the worst-case scenario where I can't play the sax at all in my place, this just might have to be the year I become a master EWI-ist. ;-)

As someone said, it's hard to know exactly what is needed because there are so many variables -- thickness of the walls and floor, patience levels of neighbors, what time of day I play, for how long, and at what volume. I'm really just trying to stack the odds in my favor by doing what I can within reasonable financial limits. No sense in buying a $5k isolation booth when I might be able to buy a few absorption blankets, play to my heart's content, and never hear a complaint.

Thanks again!

--Nick

Do yourself & your new neighbours a favour.

Before you play a single note, visit all of them, tell them what you play, what you're going to do to reduce the sound, ask when it would be inconvenient to disturb them & that you'll be back to find out how effective your sound reduction.

Get them all together, throw in a case of beer & a barbie would be my approach. People are so much more tolerant of noise if they know that the person making it is a decent type.

Do yourself & your new neighbours a favour.

Before you play a single note, visit all of them, tell them what you play, what you're going to do to reduce the sound, ask when it would be inconvenient to disturb them & that you'll be back to find out how effective your sound reduction.

Get them all together, throw in a case of beer & a barbie would be my approach. People are so much more tolerant of noise if they know that the person making it is a decent type.

Very good approach. I was thinking that maybe I would maybe a whip a letter up explaining all this and leave at the doors of the people close by, but I like the idea of throwing a little shindig so they can get to know me. A hundred bucks or so spent on beer and snacks and is probably a lot cheaper than having to soundproof my apartment!

Gald to you're amenable to that idea, Nick. I can't tell you what a difference the friendly & open approach makes.

Good luck to you.

For Sax practice: Get a part time teaching gig in a music store , take on just a couple of students and practice before, after, in between lessons = extra cash, a place to practice, & discounts on reeds and stuff

true story: A drummer buddy of mine in LA used to rent a climate controlled storage space- big enough for him, his kit, some box fans and some moving blankets. He'd go down there and bash away, usually daytime. It was single purpose, no distractions, do his thing and get out. At that time it was less than a $75 a month! Probably not "allowed" , but way cheaper than rehearsal space. They either didn't care or know for almost a year before he finally bought a house.