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Is there some product / hack / technique to minimize the noise from hitting the drum with the stick? Or alternatively, are there drum sets designed with minimal noise in mind? Because I find that the sound of drumming can easily drown out the song unless the game volume is cranked waaaay up.

I've found this very interesting thread which discusses that, suggesting coating the stick heads with rubber, gluing mouse pads or cork to the drum surface, etc.. I've also seen some product(s) from Ion that claim to be low-noise, but I don't really know what that means.

Has anyone succeeded in silencing their drum set? What method would you recommend?

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  • If someone wants to look this up that is fine, but the original silencing technique for game drum sets was to get felt pads for them. You just have to be careful with the right thickness and glue so it doesn't lessen their response (which is not hard to do mind you, just be aware ;)) Not an answer cause I am not going to go look it up again :) (Also doesn't add weight to the drum sticks)
    – James
    Commented Jul 1, 2011 at 21:51

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Jeff Atwood wrote a post about this very subject.

If you really want to reduce drum noise, you need to place something on the drum heads themselves. I experimented with a bunch of materials until finally arriving on one that really worked — thin mouse pads.

The post covers what materials you need and how to go about quieting your drum heads.

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    Why not include (blockquoted, as appropriate) some of his suggestions? A link with a summary of the target's contents is always more helpful than a link by itself.
    – Dave DuPlantis
    Commented Jul 1, 2011 at 20:20
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I've managed to semi-silence some Rock Band drums by placing some tube socks on the heads. It reduces the sound made from banging, yet I didn't feel more resistance from the drums when hitting them (I didn't need to hit them harder in order for the note to be played).

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  • Tube socks? Wow, I'm surprised that worked, it sounds like that has very good silencing potential.
    – Oak
    Commented Jul 1, 2011 at 12:45
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    If you do decide to try this out, make sure you "fasten" the socks with at least a rubber band, else they'll get caught in your sticks and start flying across the room. Good times, good times...
    – Ragnar
    Commented Jul 1, 2011 at 12:54
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I've been using the Rock Band Drum Silencers, They are okay at reducing noise and reverb hits. I did buy the rubber tip sticks, but I ended up not using them.They felt cheap when playing with them.

Rock Band Drum Silencers: http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Band-Drum-Silencers-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B0016KGNOA/ref=sr_1_55?ie=UTF8&qid=1323467028&sr=8-55

Rock Band sticks with rubber tips: http://www.amazon.com/Rockband-Rubber-Drum-Sticks-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B001ELSSU8/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_4

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