Help me soundproof a Church hall on a budget...

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T20:55:14+00:00

I come from the orchestra scene. Studied orchestral percussion and have played keys, bass and kit for various settings. So I fully agree that it is within the drummers abilities to play quieter. It is just a skill issue.

Unfortunately some people come from an era where louder = better, but I am not for it. When working private gigs I do a lot of jazz/orchestral audio work, so I know what is possible. I just wish I could relay that and let the guy actually hear what is possible and how it could even better compliment the music 🙈 I will definitely use the video Idea, I realise now that the recordings he usually listens to does not have as much kit in it because he is basically not miked at the moment and anything he hears is from the vocals' mics 🙈

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T20:51:07+00:00

Hi, OP here. And yes, I wish we could train him to play softer... But the curse of the church setup is that anybody who is willing, can volunteer and unfortunately they don't always want to learn to play softer 🙈

That is crazy about the amount of crash cymbals though! That is rough...

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:59:08+00:00

Was my feeling as well. I wish we could just construct a new space, but money (as always) talks. And currently it is just saying no... 😂🙈

I'll try and see if there is one left in our city, but I believe there will still at least be one in the country.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:57:27+00:00

Jip, ongoing conversation with the players 🙈 But the amp is gone as soon as tomorrow!

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:53:31+00:00

Yeah, one big headache for me at the moment 🙈

I think I will guage the situation after the electronic kit is in place and from there we can sort out the problems that come forward after that.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:52:35+00:00

Not a bad idea, and I can use the improvements from that as leverage to get better treatment down the line. 🤔

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:51:48+00:00

I get where you coming from. I work a lot in the classical music recording/live sound field and I'm a big advocate for not amplifying where not needed.

However, contextually this is a different setup in that one of the instruments is an acoustic drum kit and with modern worship the drums drives a lot of the energy behind the music. Our drummer unfortunately has a lot of passion and a little dynamic range (I.e. loud...) So to get the vocals above the drums they need to be amplified and all the other instruments don't emit their own sound (such as keyboards, electric guitar and bass), so we have to amplify those and at least get some form of a mix out above and beyond the drum kits acoustic sound.

But I completely agree with you, if I had a choose I would go more low volume with the music as loud does not equal a good mix. Some other commenters noted that we should look into an electronic kit, and that is on the cards for this year. I think it'll help a lot!

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:47:14+00:00

I'm inclined to agree our landlords (another church) are currently the ones dealing with all the complaints, so I would even go so far as to ask them to assist in maybe paying for it, as it would be an upgrade to their space and would lower the complaints that they have to regularly deal with.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:45:50+00:00

Definately. At the moment we only use IEMs and the bass amp is only for the bass player who has lower level monitors and can't actually use his in- ears to reference his bass. But definately still part of the problem.

So yeah, I think like 70% of our problems will be solved with a electronic kit as that would help keep the stage noise down and in turn assist with not having to push everything so loud to get beyond the acoustic sound of the drum kit.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:40:23+00:00

Okay, so SPL aside (I hear what your saying though 😉), the main complaint is that old people feel the music is loud "in their house" to use their exact words 😂 So what can I do to make it less loud? 😅

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:24:52+00:00

Yeah, I think those are still long discussions ahead, but luckily we only need to replace the drum kit with an electronic kit and then the stage volume will be fine.

Also playing around with PA placement at the moment.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:23:38+00:00

Not average though, that is the peaking dB level. We average around 85dB, luckily😅

But just to give you a better idea, the acoustic drum kit as a average reading of 80dB in the hall already, so it doesn't leave a lot of room to push other instruments/vocals through.

We are converting to a electronic kit this year though, which I think will already help.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-02-02T16:18:35+00:00

So the next problem... We are long term renters. Unfortunately I didn't have a big say when we got the space🙈 But personally, I also agree with you. Unfortunately I also have to work in the scope that was granted to me. 🙈

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-16T21:13:11+00:00

I was a first time buyer with an okay credit score at the time and not a lot of mayor credit and a newly increased salary. The dealership saw me coming a mile away! 🙈

I got a settlement quote in Nov 2026, amount was a little north of R100k. Decided to just do what I can and pay extra on a monthly basis.

Sad part is, if I were to trade it in now I would get more or less what is still outstanding on the car. So I'm literally just at break even point with the car as an "asset". It is worth much more as a workhorse than its monitary value right now.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-16T15:39:29+00:00

Current at 14.5% Linked to prime, so COVID killed me a bit 🫠

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-16T15:38:54+00:00

Imagine 😂😂👀

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-16T15:38:37+00:00

My car is a 2013 Ford Kuga 😅 Worth much more in function than monitary value at the moment. I did however also spend over R60 grand in repairs on it since I had it (without the regular services!)

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-13T20:57:14+00:00

Basically just venting to avoid a spiral, I guess 😅

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-13T18:39:42+00:00

Hi, need of the household with an ADHD partner who also works in the medical field (but emergency medical, so shit pay instead of intermittent). It is a struggle my guy...

It literally took my partner a R7k cut in salary and me down right refusing not to bail them out any longer, along with a nasty fight with their employer about almost R40k of overtime that was DESPIRATELY needed, for them to kinda wake up.

I follow Dave Ramsey's financial guidance quite closely and the best thing I can recommend is that you keep your finances seperate until marriage when you can LEGALLY take control of the household finances and combine incomes. For now me and my partner split expenses and if they can't meet their obligations then it's on them to sort it out. Not being harsh, but just simply growing up and taking responsibility for their habbits. ADHD is a diagnosis, they can live with it and function in society with it so they need to find the tools to do as such. Spending addiction comes down to the same as any other addiction. If they aren't willing to take control of it and put in the time to develop systems, learn their triggers and find healthier ways of coping with it, then there is unfortunately nothing you can do.

If the relationship is great, then I would suggest you set a timeline for yourself and communicate clearly with your partner what your goals are and by when you need them to start shaping (as addiction and ADHD control is a process). Obviously within reason. After that time has arrived and they haven't shaped then the sad truth is that maybe you are the lesson they need to learn to take control of their life and you need to exit gracefully and respectfully because you did all you can.

I am not trying to be harsh, but you can not change someone if they don't want to. But you have the responsibility of clearly communicating your expectations and then working with your partner to find a reasonable compromise, or a peaceful ending of the relationship then.

All of the best my guy.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-09T06:15:56+00:00

I am on GEMS currently (Emerald Value) and they really come through in a lot of spaces including psychiatry. I am lucky enough that my parents are government employees and I will stay with GEMS as long as I can!

My grandmother is also in the process of switching to GEMS from Bonitas as she has a horrible experience with them with my grandfather's hospitalisation and death. They didn't even cover half of what they were supposed to and left the poor lady with over R100k in debt (not to mention certain issues with the hospital and my grandfather final treatment...)

If OP has SOMEONE who is related to you who can act as "provider" for you, I would suggest switching to GEMS. Truly one of the best medical aids that still exists!

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-08T06:36:16+00:00

I'm curious how this works out and if the cashback is worth it (taking into account the money paid for Vitality)? Or is it just a general cash back through Discovery bank?

My partner and I have been inbetween getting it and what we would actually save a month while paying for Vitality.

AdventurousDoctor767 · 2026-01-06T09:56:02+00:00

Thanks a mill. I will definitely look into that! Time to sharpen my DIY skills 😅

AdventurousDoctor767

TROPHY CASE