Noise levels and neighbours

[Twincam]

Ok so had a phone call from my sister who is friends with my old neighbours on Facebook, she just discovered (long story) that They said on Facebook. Just before I moved.
" the inconsiderate prick next door playing his bass guitar, I wouldn't care but he can't play it , and it goes on for hours".
there was also some mention of snapping my bass and shoving it somewhere...
Although no one actually said anything to me.

I'm both highly amused and horrified. Now me and my gf live together and we both play bass often together. Just the other day I thought we were playing at reasonable volume but when I went upstairs i could hear her playing and it did travel more than I thought.

I'm wondering what's the best way to minimise pissing the new neighbours off. I hate playing with headphones so that's out especially when we play together.

I'm bit sore about the can't play comment haha.

[Lozz196]

I`ve always worked on the theory that my bass doesn`t go as loud as my TV at regular listening volumes, found it`s a good way to minimise this. I`ve also got some thick foam under my practice amp, and lastly only play between the hours of 9am - 9pm.

[Rumple]

I usually play through my computer which is linked to a Hi-Fi and the volume is set about the same as I'd have it when playing an MP3 which seems fair.

My neighbour is a classical bass player and she can't turn her double bass down!

[darkandrew]

Pretty much the same that has been said already - moderate volume through sans-amp and hifi before 9pm, headphones thereafter. If I want to "stretch my legs" a little or play through a bass rig I use one of the sound-proofed practice rooms at work.

[Bradwell]

1) Make a fair effort to get along with your neighbours.
2) Play at a reasonable time of day and use common sense to dictate what volume you should be playing at. Wait until they're out if you want to crank it.
3) You have a right to play bass and the playing style should not be subject to other people's taste in music.
4) Soft furnishings and some consideration of room acoustics can help keep volume spill down, but everyone's housing situation will be different. I'm pretty lucky, the acoustics in my padded cell are great.

I get along pretty well with my neighbours, but if they get argumentative I can always play some grindcore through my PA speakers to remind them not to start volume wars or arguments.

[fretmeister]

I play at lower than telly volume unless I know for sure they are out.

If I want louder then it's headphones - the Ampeg B15 model in Amplitude is actually pretty good on my iPad, and I do have a headphone addiction so I've got a good selection.

[Guest bassman7755]

I never play an actual bass amp in the house, not even a practice amp. I just plug into my PC via my presonus interface and get plenty of volume to practice with from the bookshelf speakers I have hooked up to it.

[Mornats]

Maybe have a chat with your neighbours and give them your mobile number. Say that you do practice bass but don't want to disturb them. Tell them to drop you a polite text if it sounds unreasonably loud to them. That way they have a way of telling you to turn it down that's not confrontational (which may have been why your old neighbours didn't say anything to you directly) and you'll be happier in the knowledge that you're not disturbing them.

[Cato]

Two things.

Bass frequencies travel. If you play amplified in a terrace,semi-detached house or a flat at anything other than very low volumes then everybody you share a wall, floor or ceiling with will hear you. (and by low volumes I mean so low that its barely worth plugging the bass in).

Either make sure the neighbours are out before you play at any kind of volume, or stick to headphones. In today's world of technological marvels there must be a way you & your girlfriend can jam together through headphones.

Second thing - if your neighbour didn't tell you there was a problem before whinging about it on Facebook how on earth were you supposed to know?

A few months ago I was chatting to my neighbor & she told me that she goes to bed around 9pm to get up for an early shift & that my habit of whistling for the cat to come in before I went to bed between 1-2am was waking her up.

Obvious in hindsight, but until she told me I had absolutely no idea about my anti-social behaviour. I've now stopped whistling, the neighbor's told me she's now sleeping straight through & it turns out the cat turns up at the front door at the same time every night whether I whistle or not.

Everybody's happy & all it took were two people talking like adults rather than storing up their frustrations & bitching about it on social media.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Cato

[JoeEvans]

I always get a lot of comfort from knowing that there's a definite 'turn-off' time, say 9pm, when any noise I might be putting up with will stop.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1437067861' post='2823361']
I`ve always worked on the theory that my bass doesn`t go as loud as my TV at regular listening volumes, found it`s a good way to minimise this. I`ve also got some thick foam under my practice amp, and lastly only play between the hours of 9am - 9pm.
[/quote]

People are weird about these things though; loud TV is often tolerated because TV is considered normal, yet practicing an instrument at the same or lesser volume tends to be noticed and complained about. I've had this happen a few times in past flats.

[HowieBass]

It could have been worse for your old neighbours... they could have had a massive Mark King fan living next door

[FinnDave]

Get used to headphones, it's no big deal and you will barely be heard in the same room. If I feel the need to play at home (which is rare) it is always through my vox amplug and headphones. Plugging in an amp is just too much hassle.

[Dan Dare]

We have to be considerate, especially in crowded urban environments. Why piss off your neighbours? Use headphones. As others say, bass frequencies travel. If you want to crank it, rent a rehearsal room.

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

I'm a massive fan of playing through Amplitube on a PC and using headphones (and agree with fretmeister, the B 15 model is really good). It's the easiest way I've found of playing along with songs or backing tracks - more convenient for me than using an iPad, though that's probably just a personal thing.

I usually use a touch of compression to tame the peaks, which makes it easier on the ears when playing for a long period of time. I'd invested in Amplitube for guitar stuff anyway, and if you keep an eye out they do some good sales quite regularly, but there's other modelling software out there which is cheaper.

[Twincam]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1437076102' post='2823457']
It could have been worse for your old neighbours... they could have had a massive Mark King fan living next door

[/quote]

Haha:)

Edited July 16, 2015 by Twincam

[chris_b]

No one needs to play through an amp at home. Put it all through headphones.

I have a very noisy neighbour and we've had to endure DIY at all hours and for days on end. I know how it feels to knock on their front door at 1 am to ask them to stop hammering. We came to an agreement that he wouldn't make noise after 8 pm.

[The Badderer]

on a slight tangent, but if you are living in a set of flats, you do need to check your leasehold documents before playing bass too loudly and upsetting the neighbours. Written into many leases are clauses about playing loud musical instruments. You do have the right to play your bass, but if you play it too loudly and people get upset, you may be in breach of the leasehold of the building. I don't want to sound like a killjoy, but you can't assume it's ok because it's a private flat.

[discreet]

Bass frequencies are long and travel through the thickest walls and for a good distance. That's why when there's a party at the other end of the road all you can hear is a kick drum. Same when people have loud music on in a closed car. Whether you're an owner or tenant makes no difference to the person you're pissing off. I'm lucky enough to be able to make as much racket as I want to during the day, but I quite often get a hankering to play bass at 2 or 3 in the morning, so it's headphones or not bother.

If you take time to get a decent sound through headphones (a decent pre helps), there's no reason not to use them. Take some powerful drugs and imagine you're doing an important take at Abbey Road or something, I don't know. But there's nothing worse than neighbour noise, I've moved a couple of times because of it.

Edited July 16, 2015 by discreet

[alyctes]

Headphones for me. My neighbours didn't know I had basses till I told them.

[ambient]

Is there a room that's the opposite side from your neighbour ?

Ignore this if you're in a terraced house

I had the opposite problem to you. I was in the room above our living room, and next to our neighbour. I was being disturbed by both. I tend to just play through studio monitors, or headphones so my 'noise' wasn't a problem, it was the sound of my parent's TV from the room below, and the neighbours classic rock that was disturbing me. I moved to the spare room, a bit smaller, but the walls are all exterior walls, and it's just the garage below.

Edited July 17, 2015 by ambient

[timmo]

Luckily my neighbours are relatives, so they put up with it more, but i am amazed how much the lows travel.I am trying to learn to read music, so they said all they could hear was a slow steady dong,dong ,dong, keeping her awake. I guess it is no surprise. When i first had surround sound on the TV , i couldn`t believe how loud it was when i went to make a coffee in the kitchen. In the front room, it didn`t sound loud, but the bass was really thumping in another room. I have bought a shed, and currently insulating, and lining the walls. Getting the electrics next week, so hopefully i will be able to play after 7pm with no problem. I will probably have to be mindful of people trying to enjoy the summer evenings in the garden, but come October, i should be ok.

[gafbass02]

Another headphones user here, I use my iPad for all practice these days, that or the JamHub.

[Guest FretNoMore]

Headphones (though I don't like it much) or studio monitors on low volume. I don't use a bass amp at home, I want peace and quiet in my apartment and I assume my neighbours do too. Do unto others ... If I had my own free-standing house I would have a studio/practice space set up and play at higher levels, but that is just not OK with other people living on the other side of your walls, floor and ceiling.

Edited July 17, 2015 by FretNoMore

[GuyR]

Headphones 100%. There is absolutely no justification for upsetting your neighbours. Your idea of what is loud and your neighbour's are likely to be different and ultimately, it is the opinion of the party suffering nuisance that is important, because they are the ones suffering stress and anguish, whereas the only stress you have to endure is to plug your headphones in.