An acoustic drum kit is one of the loudest instruments you can own, so "quiet" means choosing how much quieter you need. There are three levels.
Level 1: make the acoustic kit quieter
- Low-volume cymbals are perforated cymbals that are up to 80% quieter and still feel like real cymbals under the stick. They make the biggest difference, because cymbals are the loudest part of a kit.
- Mesh heads replace the drum heads with a woven mesh: very quiet, with a bouncy feel. Combined with low-volume cymbals, an acoustic kit becomes playable in a house.
- Rods or brushes instead of sticks take the volume down for soft practice.
Zildjian L80 Low Volume 468 Box Set, $432
A low-volume set, about 80% quieter than regular cymbals, for practice rooms and unplugged gigs. One of the highest-ranked cymbal sets we track: #13 of 163 cymbal sets.
Meinl Practice HCS Cymbal Set, $397
Brass practice cymbals with a dense hole pattern: 14" hi-hats, a 16" crash and a 20" ride. #25 of 163 cymbal sets.
Sabian Quiet Tone Set, $435
13" hi-hats, a 14" crash and an 18" crash/ride, up to 80% quieter than standard cymbals. #48 of 163 cymbal sets.
Level 2: go electronic
An electronic kit with mesh pads, played through headphones, is the quietest way to play a whole kit. In an apartment, the remaining problem is the kick drum's thump through the floor; see electronic drums for an apartment.
Alesis Nitro Max Kit, $457
A 10" dual-zone mesh snare, three 8" mesh toms, 32 kits and 60 play-along tracks. #3 of 87 electronic drumkits.
Level 3: practice pad and headphones
For technique, a rubber practice pad and a metronome are almost silent and still the way most drummers build hands. When you play along to music on any kit, use closed headphones so you don't turn everything up.
Drumeo EarDrums, $189
In-ear monitors for drummers with a dynamic and a balanced armature driver, for playing along at a safe volume. #2 of 9 drummer's headphones.
Questions
What's the quietest way to practice drums?
A practice pad for technique, or an electronic kit with headphones for full-kit playing.
Are low-volume cymbals worth it?
Yes, if you play an acoustic kit at home. They make the biggest single difference to the volume.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand; volume claims are the makers' own, from Thomann's product data. Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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