Are you wondering what the ultimate soundproof curtains are?
You're in the right place!
In this guide you’ll learn the following:
- What Are Soundproof Curtains?
- What Are The Different Types of Soundproof Curtains?
- How Do I Use Soundproof Curtains?
- And much more!
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My Top Pick
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My Top Pick
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Nicetown Noise Reducing Blackout Curtains
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Best Budget
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Best Budget
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Grommeted Industrial Blanket
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Best High-End
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Best High-End
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Audimute Isole Sound Barrier sheet
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View on Amazon |
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Cherry Home Luxury Velvet Curtains
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Deconovo Thermal Insulated Blackout Curtains
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My Overall #1 Rated Pick
Updated 6/10/2020
- Denser than normal curtains
- Wide range of colors
- Very cost-effective
If I were to buy some soundproof curtains for my studio, I would go for the Audiomute Isole Sound Barrier sheets.
Sure, they aren’t the most stylish and they only come in four colors.
But if you’re a drummer looking for the best noise reducing solution that’s going to help bring down the overall volume coming from your practice space, then these are your best bet.
Drumming on a full acoustic drum kit is a very loud activity.
With a volume level that can be the equivalent of a subway train roaring through your living room, drums are not the best musical instrument for fostering happy neighborly relations.
Luckily there are some simple options for soundproofing that will help reduce the noise escaping your drum room.
Soundproof curtains are a relatively inexpensive and easily installed option to reduce the amount of sound transmitted through the windows (and doors) of your practice room.
They may not be a miracle cure for stopping all the sound from a loud drum set, but they can go a long way to helping take the edge off those harsh cymbals and thumping toms.
In this essential guide, I will take you through everything you need to know about soundproof curtains as well as giving you my top picks to suit any budget.
Below is a quick list of all my top picks available on Amazon. Keep scrolling to learn more about my tips and tricks, as well as an essential buying guide.
Top 5 Best Soundproof Curtains
In a hurry? Check out my top 5 picks below! Keep reading to learn more about these soundproof curtains.
What Are Soundproof Curtains?
Firstly, before we delve into the specifics of curtains and curtain design, we have to address the definition of ‘Sound-PROOF’.
The word soundproof implies that it blocks out ALL sound, allowing no sound to escape.
Unfortunately, to make a room completely soundproof it requires an eye-wateringly expensive amount of building work and technical know-how.
What does ‘soundproof’ actually mean?
Many companies advertise their products as being soundproof, leaving many customers frustrated and dissatisfied when it doesn’t stop all the sound...I know, technically it’s false advertising!
I would keep this in mind when researching whether soundproof curtains work.
What we’re dealing with here instead is sound-REDUCTION. Our aim as drummers is to reduce the amount of transmitted noise to an acceptable level that won’t drive our neighbors crazy, without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an isolation booth.
Luckily there are many cost-effective options that will easily and effectively help to reduce transmitted noise levels from your practice space.
One of these effective solutions (combined with other sound reduction techniques) is ‘Soundproof’ curtains.
Soundproof Curtains
Soundproof curtains come in many different forms, but essentially a soundproof curtain is just like a regular curtain, except it has much more MASS.
There’s a simple rule when it comes to trying to soundproof any space. The more mass of material you have between you and the sound source, the quieter the sound will be.
As an example, if someone was playing drums in their living room and you stood at the window, the drums would be pretty loud.
However, replace that window with a brick wall and the sound will be considerably quieter. This is because a brick wall has much more mass and density than a glass window, absorbing more of the emitted sound.
Therefore the weakest point of a room is the windows and doors, as they tend to have the least amount of mass.
Windows and doors are the biggest culprits for sound ‘leakage’, so covering them with thick curtains will go a long way to minimizing those heavy drum grooves driving your neighbors mad!
Read More >> How Do You Play Electronic Drums?
What Are The Different Types of Soundproof Curtains?
There are a few options when buying soundproof curtains for your drum practice space.
Home Soundproof/Insulation Curtains
These types of window curtains are primarily designed for use in the home to help reduce outside noise from the street, making it quieter in your home. Often referred to as insulation blackout curtains as they are designed to block out as much outside light as possible.
These heavy curtains aren’t specifically designed for drummers but can be a cost-effective option to reduce sound leaking from window panels and doors (it’s a good idea to put curtains over the door as well for drums!).
Audio Insulation Sheets
These aren’t specially designed as curtains as such, however, they often have grommets sewn into them allowing them to be hung in the same way.
These types of ‘curtains’ have the benefit of being specifically designed to reduce sound transmission, as they are generally much heavier and full of mass.
However, this does tend to make them more expensive.
They also have the same blackout effect as specific 'Blackout’ curtains, due to their increased thickness and density.
Overall, they will be the most effective sound deadening option.
Industrial Blankets
I’m stretching the definition of soundproof ‘curtains’ here, but industrial blankets can be a great super cost-effective solution to reducing noise transmission through your windows and doors.
These blankets are generally intended for use as protective sheets when moving, or for sound reduction in industrial work environments.
They vary in density (the thicker the better) and not all have grommets allowing you to slide them onto curtain poles, which may require some creative mounting solutions.
But if you’re on an incredibly tight budget then this could be a great option as alternative curtain panels.
They work equally well as blackout liners for your existing curtains too!
Read More >> What Are The Best Inexpensive Drum Sets?
How Do I Use Soundproof Curtains?
Using soundproof curtains is essentially very simple, just treat them as normal curtains and hang them over the windows or doors using a curtain rod. However, there are some techniques that will improve their effectiveness in sound reduction massively.
Firstly, as I’ve previously mentioned, using soundproof curtains over any ‘weak’ point in your rooms is essential...that includes the door.
Another thing that contributes to sound leakage is the amount of air that’s allowed to escape the room.
If you go to a professionally treated recording studio, it’s essentially an air-tight chamber that has its own pumped in air supply.
In your drum practice room, you’ll want to reduce the amount of air that’s allowed to escape through the edges of the windows and around your door...WITHOUT sealing everything until you pass out! (yeah don’t do that).
To help do this with your soundproof curtains, try installing extra hooks or pins that will hold the curtain across the whole window or door, covering the edges as tightly as possible.
If your curtain is handing proud from the wall with ample space between it and the window, it’ll be pretty ineffective as sound can just escape around the sides.
Other effective solutions for this are draft excluder tape for windows and doors.
This tape is designed to help keep heat in, but along with soundproof curtains can work equally well for sound reduction, reducing the amount of air leakage.
Also, for the gap at the bottom of your door, try grabbing a thick ‘worm-like’ draft excluder to help reduce the transmission of those unwanted low-frequencies even further.
As a DIY alternative, thick pillows stuffed along the base of the door can act equally well!
What To Expect?
Having built my own studio that incorporated a ‘soundproof’ drum booth, I know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to sound reduction.
One hilarious myth that seems to do the rounds on the internet now and then is people plastering their walls in egg cartons, hoping it’ll magically soundproof their drum space.
Just to be clear, egg cartons will do NOTHING to reduce the amount of noise escaping your drum practice space or studio.
Similarly, you will need to manage your expectations on what soundproofing curtains will achieve.
In general, if installed properly with minimal gaps around the curtains, soundproof curtains will definitely reduce the transmission of high-frequency and mid-range sounds created by your cymbals and toms.
HOWEVER...
They won’t do too much for the low-frequency ‘THUMP’ or a kick drum or floor tom.
Don’t expect to throw up some curtains and suddenly be able to jam along to Led Zeppelin IV at full blast without anyone being able to hear you...BUT they will be a slight improvement in the overall sound transmitted, helping to at least appease some of those more sensitive neighbors.
Read More >> How Do You Read Drumming Sheet Music?
BONUS: My Drum Studio
To give you an idea of the level of work it takes to make a very noticeable difference to the sound transmission of a drum kit, here’s how I built my own ‘soundproof’ drum studio.
I effectively built a room within a room. I used double layers of plasterboard on each side of every wall, ceiling... stuck together with acoustic sealant.
The door I used was a compression locking patio door, which created a great seal all around its edge.
Once the room was built I sealed EVERYTHING with acoustic calk. Then I built some soundproofed ventilation boxes with bathroom fans to circulate air (so I wouldn’t die).
Then I bought some soundproof curtains to hang over the door and door seals to help stop the air escaping and transmitting more sound.
After all that, I’m able to have a quiet conversation standing right outside the door, whilst someone beats the drums like crazy on the inside.
Bear in mind...you can still hear them, but the overall sound is massively REDUCED.
Keep an eye out for my upcoming article on ‘How To Soundproof A Room For Drums’. I’m going to give you all the tips and tricks to cheaply and effectively reduce the outside volume of your drum kit, without having to spend $1000’s!
My Reviews Of The Best Soundproof Curtains
These Nicetown Noise-reducing curtains are a great solution if you’re looking for curtains that are stylish yet more effective than your ‘average’ curtain at reducing the amount of sound escaping your drum room.
These light-blocking curtains won’t have as much mass as specially designed audio sheets but are MUCH better than standard room curtains for noise reduction.
As blackout drapes they also have the added benefit of protecting your precious instruments from harmful UV rays, that can discolor and delaminate drums.
These Nicetown curtains also have a huge amount of color and rod pocket options, meaning you can get that perfect color scheme and style for your practice space.
They’re machine washable too, which is pretty useful in a studio full of smelly musicians!
Pros
- Denser than normal curtains
- Wide range of colors
- Very cost-effective
Cons
- Won’t reduce a lot of noise
This industrial blanket is a great affordable soundproof curtain alternative.
Originally intended for use as room dividers and packing sheets, they work equally well as a hangable noise canceling curtains as they come with silver grommets already installed, aiding in easy installation on curtain poles.
A pair of these industrial blankets would also work well as curtain liners, meaning you can use them to double the density and improve the sound absorption of your existing curtains for very little money.
This blanket is so affordable in fact that you could probably add multiple layers to any areas of your room that are severely lacking in insulation.
They aren’t going to win any awards for stylish design, but as a very cost-effective and versatile solution, they’re a great option.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Easy to install
- Large size
Cons
- Not very durable
- Not stylish
These single panel sound barrier sheets are specially designed for the reduction of sound transmitted from a music studio space or practice room.
They are made of two sheets sewn together and filled with very dense insulation material, helping to absorb as much sound as possible.
They also have four different color options to suit your studio aesthetic.
Hang these noise cancellation sheets tightly over any doors and windows in your practice room and they’ll definitely make an impact on sound leakage, as well as doubling as blackout curtain panels.
You can even hang them over your walls to further increase the sound insulation properties of your space.
However, this level of density and design does come at a cost.
Pros
- Great at sound absorption
- Available in four colors
- Eyelets for easy hanging
Cons
- Expensive
Now if you're looking to create that luxurious drumming boudoir you’ve always dreamed of, then look no further than these high-quality Cherry Home Luxury Velvet curtains.
Made from dense, heavy velvet, these suede-like soft drapes will definitely help the sound dampening of your drum room...whilst looking super retro and stylish.
Because of their added weight, and the fact they’re velvet, they come in at a higher price point than other home curtains on my list…
...but can you put a price on style?! I didn’t think so.
Pros
- Stylish
- Range of colors
- Dense
Cons
- Higher price point
They come in a large range of colors and will be a big improvement from standard curtains in terms of noise reduction.
Again make sure that they’re as tight to the window and doors as possible to take maximum advantage.
These sound blocking curtains are another solid inexpensive curtain option that will help minimize the amount of sound being transmitted by your drums and cymbals.
They will also have the added benefit of reducing your energy bills due to the improved insulation (bonus!).
Pros
- Affordable
- Range of color options
- Thicker than standard curtains
Cons
- Won’t reduce a massive amount of sound
Final Thoughts On Soundproof Curtains
Remember soundproof curtains aren’t going to be a magical solution to playing drums at 4 am without anyone being the wiser.
However, when used in the right way, they can make a big difference in the amount of sound that leaks from windows and doors.
Also keep in mind that the more mass you have between the drums and everyone else, the quieter they will be.
As a DIY alternative for soundproof curtains; experiment with hanging heavyweight duvets and blankets over window and door openings to damped transmitted sound.
Also adding more soft furnishing such as sofas can also help absorb some of that pesky low-frequency THUMP from the kick drum and floor tom.
So there you have it! My essential guide to everything you need to know about soundproof curtains.
