Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Neighbor complaining about my hybrid piano

I’m sorry, but with all the effort and expense you’ve put in, “less complaining” is too much complaining. There should be 0% complaining and much appreciation!

if you play at 1 am you can buy the MP11SE, as quiet as a mouse.

You probably cannot reduce the noise but you can prevent it from reaching your neighbors. This most likely takes place via the mechanical coupling between the feet of the N1 and the floor. I have cut 4 pads out of a 1/4" sorbothane sheet (duro 70, see https://www.thorlabs.de/thorproduct.cfm?partnumber=SB12B) and put them under my wife's NV5, with a sheet of Texon between the pads and the floor. The pads make a huge difference. I had already used sorbothane for decoupling speakers from their support: it absorb vibrations down to low frequencies very well. The pads under the feet of the NV5 basically insulate the floor from the mechanical noise of the action.

My first post here but I’ve had exactly the same issue with my neighbour below me.

I researched this forum and read good reports regarding Sorbothane so I ordered 8 25mm hemispheres of it and put 3 under the length of each leg and one under the pedal knob.

I asked my neighbour if she could still hear the thumping sound and she said the issue had been resolved.

I’ve been playing my 20 year old Korg EC100H a lot more since lockdown so I can’t wait to upgrade it once the music stores are allowed to reopen.

John

Just checked my order history and it was 40mm not 25mm diameter Sorbothane hemispheres.

I can’t see an edit function on my previous post.

John

Sadly, it's entirely common for there to be noise complaints about digital pianos, including hybrids (which are not especially quiet compared to even budget DPs). As others have mentioned, it's not the so much the sound, but the percussive vibration from striking the keys that get transmitted through the chassis, stand, and into the floor, that makes it to other rooms in the building, kind of like how your neighbor can hear you walk around your apartment.

Heavy padding under the instrument definitely helps, and sorbothane pads are a really good solution, but they have to be applied correctly. It's not just the size of the pads that matter, but the rating as well: sorbothane pads are usually rated for specific weight loads, so you have to get the right amount and distribute the weight correctly--for a 250lb hybrid, you might need to get 4-6 x 50lb rated pads, or double up on lower-rated pads by putting multiple pads under a platform for your piano to sit on. It can be a tedious trial-error process getting the most effective sound/vibration damping solution, but best of luck.

Gombessa is right. Sorbothane has a product guide (available online) that specifically calls out the need to use the pads that are the proper size and have the proper load-rating for the weight that you apply.

Thank you for the picture. This sounds like something very feasible. is there a reason why you're choosing to use five small pieces of cellfoam instead of one huge piece of cellfoam? Does it make a difference?


Thanks for the tip! Do you mean 4-6 pads spread across a MDF board, or do you mean 4-6 large matt placed on top of one another together underneath the board?

And given that e.g. I get 4 x 70lb rated pads, I shouldn't need to get an MDF board/platform right? Or would a platform always be better?

The only advantage of a stiff, non-damping platform is that it realizes a level base for your piano if your floor is not level. If your floor is reasonably flat, I do not see the point of using a platform. You can find detailed specifications about the loads suitable for single sorbothsne pads at https://www.sorbothane.com/Data/Sites/31/pdfs/product-guides/Sorbothane-SPG.pdf.

The bigger the area of cellfoam between board and floor the more stability of the piano but less sound isolation. I just tested a couple of variants and found a good result using five cellfoam stands. I also tested placing the piano on just the cellfoam but it became very unstable.

We have had discussion before that will help you:

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/250589/acoustic-foam.html

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2835635/type-of-foam-to-reduce-volume.html

https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthre...zing-keyboard-sound-through-a-floor.html

There maybe more. I would suggest you check out MacMacMac's sticky thread and download the excel file showing all the posts. You can then apply a filter and properly search on the issue.

Kind regards,

Doug.

It's called integrity.

Osho

Folks might be surprised at what vibrations can travel through floors and walls, and especially how these can sound at the other end to your neighbor. Some such sounds can be incredibly irritating to some people and less so to others.

As an example, I find the pounding of drums in most pop music, especially since disco, to be incredibly irritating, while so many I know simply refer to it as a "good beat".

I had the experience of dealing with vibration in our condo when my wife had to get a Nordic Track ski machine to exercise after her knee surgery. I ended up using it for about a half hour a day. Our neighbor below us could here the vibration traveling along her ceiling. I tried different hours, though limited to around my work schedule and it didn't matter to her.

Yes, she is a complainer, but it was also a valid complaint. We ended up getting rid of the Nordic Track.

Our building was built from the start as a condo, rather than an apartment, so it is built pretty well and it is a quiet building. As far as I am concerned, if I don't want to hear people walking around above me, I will live on the top floor, and that is exactly what we did. So I don't listen to any complaints about hearing people walking around, but I will take seriously something out of the ordinary. Compromise is a necessity when dealing with other people.

Tony

I thought it was obvious I was being sarcastic.

Ha.. definitely lost in the net somewhere!

Osho

Are you being sarcastic? I can’t tell by your opening ‘Ha’.
I tend to start my sarcastic comments with a ‘Hum’, a roll of the eyes, and a smirk!

Pete: Have I misinterpreted your posts? I though that sarcasm was identified by the "Pete14" heading.

No! I’m not a natural-born sarcastic. My comments are (usually) heartfelt and devoid of any sarcasm.

Tony is right.
Also, due to the science of acoustics, there is something you can do both about noise and vibrations.
It's all about picking the right materials to dampen the vibrations.

As an example: my Ju Jitsu instructor at university had a son who wanted to learn drums. My father offered him some advice as he was an acoustic consultant before retiring.
The approach allowed his son to practice without driving him and his wife nuts.

Ergo, it is eminently possible to achieve a result for your neighbour.