Drum mutes are excellent tools to lower the noise level of drumkits. They are also ideal tools for drummers who don’t have a soundproof drum room. Because, let’s face it, not everyone can buy soundproof materials and the knowledge to construct a proper studio.
Manufacturers don’t only make drum mutes for drumkits; they also manufacture ones for cymbal sets. At a low price, you can significantly lower your drum’s sound signature, providing you with a wide range of benefits. Therefore, if you’re scouring the market for effective drum mutes, you’re in the right place!
What are Drum Mutes?— A Beginner’s Guide
Acoustic drums are boisterous, especially for neighbors and housemates who don’t appreciate your paradiddles and drills. Even I had my fair share of shouts from annoyed housemates and neighbors. Thus, incorporating drum mutes is an essential move for drummers who play within untreated rooms and limited space.
Typically, cymbal and drum mutes utilize rubber materials that absorb excess vibrations from a drumhead and cymbal. In addition, most drum mutes feature a non-slip surface for a better stick feel.
Furthermore, drum mutes are incredibly cheap! They are also lightweight and easy to assemble, making them a cost-effective solution for minimizing your drumkit’s noise. In this guide, I picked seven great drum mutes with price, quality, and durability consideration factors in this guide.
7 Best Drum Mutes Reviewed in this Guide
7 Incredible Drum Mutes from Amazon
Vic Firth Individual Drum Mutes
Vic Firth Individual Drum Mute Review:
If you’re on a budget, then the Vic Firth Individual Drum Mutes are suitable for your needs! The Vic Firth mutes are versatile pads that double as a practice pad for all surfaces. Each drum mute is stackable on each other, thus, providing users with a softer contact feel.
Furthermore, the Vic Firth offers these drum mutes on three diameters— 10”, 13”, and 14”. Conversely, the cymbal mutes feature sizes from 16” up to 18”, making them suitable for all types of cymbals.
Moreover, Vic Firth incorporated pure non-slip rubber on these mutes. This provides a better feel and noise dampening performance for all. What makes it better is that you can purchase these mutes per piece, making them suitable for custom drumkits.
Key Features:
- Black colorway
- Pure non-slip rubber material
- 10” up to 14” drum mute sizes
- 16” up to 18” cymbal mute sizes
- Vic Firth logo cut-out
Pros:
These cymbal and drum mutes are incredibly cheap! In addition, they are also lightweight, which makes them very portable and easy to assemble. The Vic Firth Individual Drum Mute also doubles as a convenient practice pad you can use on all hard surfaces.
Cons:
Even though these mutes do a highly efficient job of dampening kit noise, it affects stick rebound. Consequently, this can affect your playing negatively if you’re going to transition from these mutes to a standard kit.
Bnineteenteam Cymbal Drum Mutes Belt
Bnineteenteam Cymbal and Drum Review:
Drums are thunderous even when you’re just practicing. These can sometimes lead to ear fatigue and eventual hearing loss. However, you can effectively mute your cymbals and drums for an affordable price using these mutes.
Firstly, these mutes boast a silence rate of up to 85%, which is impressive considering their price point. That’s why it’s an effective tool to lower your kit’s sound signature and protect your hearing.
Secondly, these drum mutes are compact and easy to install. This feature makes them efficient for both home use and gigs. Lastly, the Bnineteenteam Drum Cymbal is 100% retractable, making them easy to fold for transportation.
Key Features:
- 14”, 16”, 18”, and 20” mute sizes
- Elastic belt feel
- Low-volume design
- Foldable construction
- Retractable belt design
Pros:
These drum and cymbal mutes are easy to assemble and use. It’s also an excellent choice for both practice and live settings. Not to mention, these drum mutes are incredibly compact and portable.
Cons:
I recommend these mutes for traveling musicians who need a mute at their disposal. However, I find this product lacking compared to better dampers such as Vic Firth, Evans, and Meinl.
Evans EQ Pad Bass Drum Damper
Evans EQ Pad Review:
A bass drum produces that rumbling low-end, which sends the chest of listeners thumping. This noise level can be easily heard across thin walls and are detrimental to a drummer’s hearing without proper protection. Therefore, this is an excellent tool for drummers who want to lower their bass drum’s noise without compromising tone.
The Evans EQ features Velcro, providing users with an easy attachment to a bass drum’s shell. In addition, the Evans EQ incorporates a hinged pad that sits on the bass drum head. As a result, this mute pad provides the bass drum with decent sustain while muting its overall noise.
Moreover, the Evans EQ Bass Drum Mute doubles as a mute pad for smaller drums through its padded end. Thus, if you’re looking for a versatile bass drum mute, you can never go wrong with the Evans EQ Pad!
Key Features:
- Velcro drum shell attachment
- Hinged pad
- Smaller opposite pad
- Evans Player Circle Rewards Program
- Versatile design
Pros:
The Evans EQ Pad features a design that minimizes bass drum noise without compromising sustain and tone. Furthermore, this EQ Pad gives the users options on the amount of dampening they want through a double-sided mute design.
Cons:
Owners would have to cut the product in half to utilize the product’s opposite pad and the hinged pad simultaneously.
Meinl Percussion 18” Drum Mute
Meinl 18” Drum Mute Review:
Let’s face it; the Meinl Drum Mute is more expensive than the Vic Firth mutes. However, don’t frown on this product yet! This Meinl mute pad will surely deliver excellent dampening for practicing drummers.
First, the Meinl 18” Mute features soft rubber materials, enhancing its contact feel while significantly reducing a drum’s overall volume. Second, this pad helps eliminate a drum’s sustain and attack, providing users with better dampening without affecting tone.’
Finally, Meinl designed this drum mute to sit within a drum’s rim properly. This results in better rim shot access for better sound versatility.
Key Features:
- 18” drum mute size
- Soft rubber material
- Black colorway
Pros:
The Meinl Percussion features minimize sustain and attack of a drum, providing users with a sharper tone. Meinl also utilized soft rubber materials for a better contact feel.
Cons:
This Meinl Drum Mute slightly affects stick rebound after contact, which may affect the rhythm of some drummers.
SNAREWEIGHT M80 Black Drum Tone Control Damper
SNAREWEIGHT M80 Snare Drum Mute Review:
If you’re playing on a student snare drum kit, this mute is ideal for keeping your noise within reasonable levels. In addition, the SNAREWEIGHT M80 is also suitable for a standard or small snare drum thanks to its versatile design. So what makes the SNAREWEIGHT M80 a strong contender within its price point?
The SNAREWEIGHT M80 features four different settings, allowing users to modify the amount of dampening the product does. From medium to heavy dampening, this product won’t disappoint!
Furthermore, SNAREWEIGHT utilizes a patented clip that attaches with a firm grip, providing stability no matter how hard you hit. This patented clip is compatible with all metal hoop sizes! Lastly, the M80 features a magnetic attachment, eliminating the use of extensions that may hurt the drum head.
Key Features:
- Patented metal hoop clip
- Genuine USA leather material
- Four dampening settings
- Approximately 8” in length
- Magnetic hoop properties
Pros:
The Snareweight M80 features a compact but practical design that allows users to pick from the product’s various dampening settings. Moreover, this product dampens the sound of snare drums without affecting articulation and tone.
Cons:
Upon inspecting, the Snareweight M80 may have compatibility issues with Tama Arc Hoops and S-hoops snare styles.
Vic Firth Drum Mute Prepack with Drum Mutes
Vic Firth Drum Mute Prepack Review:
The Vic Firth Drum Mutes provide drummers with an excellent dampening performance in a minimalistic package. Firstly, Vic Firth constructed this set using pure non-slip rubber, allowing users to use them as mutes or practice pads.
Secondly, this product’s mutes can drive the noise of standard cymbals down to the levels of low-volume cymbals. These Vic Firth drum mutes are perfect for drummers who don’t want to bug their neighbors during practice.
Lastly, this Vic Firth Drum Mute Set includes 12”, 13”, 14”, 16”, and 22” drum mutes. On the other hand, the set also features a hi-hat and two cymbal mutes. Thus, making this drum mute pack perfect for standard drumkits.
Key Features:
- 12”, 13”, 14”, 16”, and 22” drum mutes
- One hi-hat and two cymbal mutes
- Non-slip rubber material
- Black colorway
- Thin and lightweight construction
Pros:
The Vic Firth Drum Mutes include sizings suitable for a standard drumkit. Plus, these mutes utilize a lightweight construction, making them easy to set up and highly portable. The product’s materials also show incredible durability.
Cons:
The only problem I see with this product is it affects the overall rebound of the stick. This somehow affected my timing during drum sessions.
SoundOff by Evans Drum Mute Pack
SoundOff Drum Mutes Review:
The Evans SoundOff Drum Mutes delivers a whopping 95% volume reduction, easily beating every product within its price point. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly but efficient mute set, this is the perfect product for you!
The SoundOff by Evans features textured surfaces, allowing the product to sustain authentic drumming feel while dampening the noise. In addition, Evans designed the SoundOff for 12”, 13”, and 16” toms and a 14” snare. That’s why this is an excellent choice for drummers with a standard-sized drumkit.
Moreover, the overall design and ease of use of the SoundOff Mute Pack make it perfect for all skill levels. The SoundOff by Evans drum mutes won’t disappoint whether it’s for studio or bedroom practices.
Key Features:
- 12”, 13”, and 16” tom drum mutes
- 14” snare drum mute
- 18” up to 26” bass drum mute
- 3-piece cymbal mute
- Made in the USA
Pros:
The Evans SoundOff features a textured surface that preserves an authentic drumming feel. Furthermore, this drum mute set utilizes durable materials suitable for everyday practice. Lastly, these drum mutes suit all skill levels and musical settings.
Cons:
This drum mute set is the most expensive product on this list. Nevertheless, it still provides the best volume reduction considering its price point.
What Should I look for When Buying Drum Mutes?— A Buyer’s Guide
Your typical drum mute isn’t only a thin foam cut-out that fits on a drumhead. Drum mutes are somehow complicated. The wrong materials can affect the overall tone and feel of a drumkit. Consequently, throwing off a drummer’s rhythm in the process.
Therefore, drummers should know the nitty-gritty of drum mutes to attain the best balance between tone and sound control. In this light, I crafted this buyer’s guide to help you find the best drum mutes possible.
Drum Mute Material
The material of drum mutes dictates the way it plays. Some materials are too harsh on drum heads, and some hard materials reflect force on a drummer’s hand. I advise drummers to find at least a drum mute with non-slip rubber materials to get around this.
Furthermore, looking for a drum mute that utilizes soft rubber can help reduce volume, attack, and sustain. However, this isn’t down to your preference on how you want your final tone to sound.
Size
When buying drum mutes, buyers should get a mute that perfectly fits their drum’s diameter. By doing so, drummers can avoid unwanted mute slips, kinks, and slacks that may affect the drum’s sound. For instance, if you have a 16” drum, it would be ideal also to get a 16” drum mute.
Attachment Style
A typical drum mute only requires to be put on drumheads. However, this narrative differs when it comes to cymbal and bass drum mutes.
Some drum mute attachment requires a magnetic clip to attach to metal rims. Furthermore, some bass drum mutes feature a velcro shell attachment. Regardless of what attachment style a drum mute has, what’s important is it should be stable after every hit.
Having a stable drum mute equates to a consistent playing feel. In addition, having that extra stability also provides users with a consistent sound and tone.
Frequently Asked Questions about Drum Mutes
Do drum mutes work?
A standard drum mute can drive down a traditional drumkit’s noise by about 70% to 80%. This is enough for bedroom musicians looking to reduce the noise their kits generate significantly. However, this noise level will still pass through untreated walls and windows.
How can I make my drums quieter?
Buying mesh drumheads and low-volume cymbals can be a costly mission to execute. Therefore, if you’re looking to reduce your kit’s volume without spending a fortune, then try using drum mutes.
The standard design of drum mutes is typically lightweight and easy to use. Not to mention, they are also more budget-friendly than soundproofing a drum room. However, buyers must also note that drum mutes can sometimes reduce drumheads’ sustain, attack, and rebound.
What are drum mute pads for?
Drum mutes are perfect for bedroom drummers who don’t want to bug their housemates and neighbors. Although having mutes do not kill the excessive drum noise, they can still significantly bring down a kit’s noise. This can help protect a drummer’s hearing against damage with extended exposure to loud noise.
How do you play drums without disturbing neighbors?
Having a soundproof drum room is the best way to avoid annoying your neighbors when playing drums. However, not anyone has the money for it. Drum mutes are for you if you’re looking for a cost-effective and budget-friendly way to lessen your kit’s noise!
Can drumming damage hearing?
A standard acoustic drumkit can dish out 130dBs of noise. This equates to operating a jackhammer— which is a piece of extremely loud construction equipment.
According to professionals, drummers are more prone to hearing damage than other musicians. Therefore, I highly recommend that drummers use drum mutes to save their hearing during practice sessions.
Enjoy Your New Drum Mutes
In conclusion, drum mutes don’t equate to soundproofing a drum room. A decent drum mute will significantly lower a kit’s noise; however, they aren’t fully soundproof. Some noise will still bleed through your walls and windows; however, it will be within a bearable noise level.
Now you know the nitty-gritty of drum mutes, I hope this guide has helped you decide whether to get drum mutes. In addition, I hope that this guide has led you to the right drum mute according to your needs and budget.