Girlarms Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 (edited) The situation is this. For a coupla weeks I had been deciding what inteface mic etc I needed to start experimenting with a little home recording. During this time I barely picked up any instrument. Also during this time my mrs experienced hardly any headaches. Since the gear I ordered arrived and I've been playing a lot her headaches are back. Now I know I'm no doubt opening myself up to ridicule regarding the quality of my play (on ya go u lot lol). Has anyone else experienced similar as I know when my neighbours play certain ultra low frequency garbage that they listen to it affects my heart rate and I pretty much have to leave the house. Assuming this is a thing I'm gonna have to soundproof my little music room therefore can anybody advise me on best materials to use specifically regarding blocking bass frequencies. Thanks for reading ..looking forward to hearing replies. Cheers guys. Edited June 25, 2021 by Girlarms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebassmusic Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Us? Ridicule a fellow bassist? 😮 On here? 😮 Of course we wouldn't......😁🤣🤣 First thing that comes to mind is how loud are you practicing and if this is causing the headaches can you reduce the volume or move onto headphones? (Also how loud are the neighbours if they are affecting your heart rate? 😮😮) As far as sound proofing, it can be done but will cost more than a good pair of headphones, may not give you the results your hoping for and will undoubtedly reduce the internal size of your "little music room". There are a few people on here (and threads) who have gone down the route of soundproofing rooms / sheds / garages and I'm sure they will be able to offer some good advice. I'm lucky I live in a field with our nearest neigbours being 1/2 a mile away....however I can somtimes still hear their gardening music! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Girlarms Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 9 minutes ago, Acebassmusic said: Us? Ridicule a fellow bassist? 😮 On here? 😮 Of course we wouldn't......😁🤣🤣 First thing that comes to mind is how loud are you practicing and if this is causing the headaches can you reduce the volume or move onto headphones? (Also how loud are the neighbours if they are affecting your heart rate? 😮😮) As far as sound proofing, it can be done but will cost more than a good pair of headphones, may not give you the results your hoping for and will undoubtedly reduce the internal size of your "little music room". There are a few people on here (and threads) who have gone down the route of soundproofing rooms / sheds / garages and I'm sure they will be able to offer some good advice. I'm lucky I live in a field with our nearest neigbours being 1/2 a mile away....however I can somtimes still hear their gardening music! Lol...I'm not convinced it's the volume that's the problem. As I said it's the ultra low frequency of the bass from 2 doors down that affects me really badly (it's the kind of 'music' they listen to)...really upsets my heart rate to the point I've literally had to run out the house jump in the car n go fer a drive till it stops. And since I'm affected I'm assuming maybe my mrs is also affected by bass frequencies I'm producing...although not so ultra low. Just kinda hoping theres a cheapish solution regarding absorbing the specific frequencies somewhere out there 😉🤣👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Soundproofing for bass is very expensive and a bit hit and miss if you're not an experienced builder. I've built studios for years commercially, and it cost me about £8K to soundproof my garage, but it only really works as I have utility room with 2 good doors and an exterior double skin brick wall between the studio and the house. A lot cheaper to get some really good headphones. LF is known to effect people physically (look up The Brown Sound) so it's not unfeasible that they're causing the wife's headaches. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford13 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Yup invest in a good set of headphones. In regards to your neighbours music, is there any chance it's anger / frustration causing the heart rate to raise, as you don't like that your neighbours are loud but you have no control over it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 (edited) Was just going to say... someone needs headphones. Either you or the Mrs, doesn't matter which! 😉 Edited June 25, 2021 by Lfalex v1.1 Or the neighbours... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Girlarms said: ... it's the ultra low frequency of the bass ... I can recognise this as a 'thing'; I can't listen to (read : hear...) thumping Disco beats for more than a few seconds. It seems to be a form of nervous exhaustion; I've been taken to hospital on a couple of occasions in the past, and have learned to avoid any 'thump thump thump' stuff. Yes, bass frequencies can trigger headaches and/or migraines, and the only effective solution I can think of is to refrain from emitting such sounds. Headphones are the only practical solution, as taming bass frequencies in any domestic situation is a lost cause, really, unless extremely fortunate in one's architecture, and extremely fortuned for budget. It's not even certain that headphones worn by your better half would solve the issue, as it's as much a bodily sensation than acoustic. Practise using an acoustic bass, or unplugged..? That works well for any exercises or songs, but the tone is not the same, of course..! It's good for one's precision, though..! Playing bass and recording with a headset (or, at best, a tiny amp...) is the only way to go, though, in my experience. Good luck with it all; it's not an easy thing to live with, so you have my commiserations. Just my tuppence-worth; hope it helps. Edited June 25, 2021 by Dad3353 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 The issue with low frequencies is that they are structure-borne as well as airborne. Even if you manage to prevent or limit airborne noise from spreading, they still will cause floorboards, etc to resonate and migrate through the building. So soundproofing will be of limited help, especially as you want to reduce the disturbance to your partner, who lives in the same house. Is it possible to record using headphones? Failing that, placing the cab on something like thick, dense foam and recording at low volume (not necessarily a problem if you are using a mic' close to the driver cone) may help. But it is unlikely to completely solve the problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Amp/cab is a very sub-optimal situation for amplification in a domestic environment. Monitoring your output could easily be managed with a mixer and powered studio monitors if good headphones are somehow not an option. If done digitally it would be very easy to add any wanted effects or processing in that chain too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 A shed? With a TV, and a heater for the cold evenings of course, you wouldn’t want your wife to catch cold while you’re playing your bass. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Apart from a recent quick assembly to make sure it all still works, I can’t remember the last time I played amplified bass in the house. Do everyone a favour and get a decent set of headphones and a rig you practice with silently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) - Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 I swear the only bass frequencies I can tolerate are my own and that can get scary. So I play w/headphones as not to freak the landlord and etceteras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozkerr Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 25/06/2021 at 16:22, WinterMute said: LF is known to effect people physically (look up The Brown Sound) so it's not unfeasible that they're causing the wife's headaches. An apt name, if Wikipedia is anything to go by, and I'm wondering if I've encountered that. My main band has had three rehearsals since things started to ease. We normally use a studio, but these have all been in an auditorium so we can maintain social distancing. Every one of them has been followed by me having a massive attack of the squits. They've been seriously bad - not far short of the time when I had to take three days off work to recover from Colonel Sanders' food poisoning. But the attacks haven't lasted - they've cleared up within a few minutes and I've been absolutely fine within about half an hour. So yes, I can well believe LF sound might have been the cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Take up guitar. 😀😀😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubDelay Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Moving your amp up to ear level and using a compressor works in my experience. If it’s down on the floor you have to turn it up more to get the same effect. I read somewhere that due to the length of low frequency waves the loudest point is fifteen to twenty feet away from the amp, if that’s where your better half is sitting that could be it too. Could be wrong about all of the above as I’m a strictly bedroom hobbyist. Also my neighbour makes loads of noise so I don’t need to feel bad when I do turn it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Hi, Get any decent USB audio interface aroind the £100 mark and plug the bass straight in, or via an amp simulation pedal, and use headphones. Your recording will be much better than trying to mic up a cab, you will be able to balance your bass volume to the other tracks in your headphones, and most importantly your wife's headaches will go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 1 hour ago, Richard R said: Hi, Get any decent USB audio interface aroind the £100 mark and plug the bass straight in, or via an amp simulation pedal, and use headphones. Your recording will be much better than trying to mic up a cab, you will be able to balance your bass volume to the other tracks in your headphones, and most importantly your wife's headaches will go. Win-win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 I used to get bass headaches when gigging years ago. Like waking up with a real bad hangover. I'm also driven mad by any low end music from other people including neighbours, passing cars, etc to the point of leaving the house. Never used to be. Just came on around 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zbd1960 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 I'm not an expert in this space, but the issues may be due to very low frequency rubbish being pushed out? Filtering might help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 18 minutes ago, zbd1960 said: ...due to very low frequency rubbish being pushed out... You been listening to my playing? I resemble that comment!.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 I thrive on low frequencies. When we bought our sound system we have these floor standers and we both commented that we didn't need a subwoofer as there was plenty of low end. Now we have had it for a few years I feel that a sub woofer would add to the sound. I want more bass mon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, zbd1960 said: I'm not an expert in this space, but the issues may be due to very low frequency rubbish being pushed out? Filtering might help? Infra sound is well known as a physiological trigger, people who live near wind turbines are often driven to despair by the LF, anything at significant levels below 15hz will cause a physical reaction. If your bass playing is having that effect, a high pass filter set as steep as it will go (24db/octave or better) dialled in at 25 or 30Hz whilst practicing will help. Obviously you don't want to record with that set, but I've often added a 25hz gentler sloped filter in mixes to tame unruly LF below 20hz. Edited July 11, 2021 by WinterMute 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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