apartment living--how do you cope?

Will Holtz · Post by **Will Holtz** » 18 Dec 2005 12:10 am

I live on the top floor of a building, and the people below me are quite old and have very poor hearing. I've had a rock band practice in my apartment (without drums) and no one seemed to care. My previous apartment was also highly noise tolerent.

Pat Jenkins · Post by **Pat Jenkins** » 18 Dec 2005 3:02 am

My neighbors say they enjoy listening, so, I guess I am very fortunate. But, I do always stop by 11 on the nights I am home, which isn't often. I never start before 8 in the morning, so, I know that most of them are out of bed. The only bad thing about apartment living...is getting the equipment in and out of the apartment and into my van...and then reversing the process a t 2-3am.

Pat

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www.pjsteelman.com

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 18 Dec 2005 7:54 am

Hi Joe:

I, too, live in an apartment/flat here in San Francisco. The neighbors are nothing but appreciative, so long as I don't play before/after certain times (10am/10pm).

One thing that nobody has mentioned yet which seems to work well for me - I put my amp on a stand, away from the walls, and with the speaker pointing at me, so I don't have to turn it up too loudly. I get as much sound as I need, and I think having the amp off the floor also reduces the amount of vibration and sound that travels through the walls.

One more thing - I change the way I practice to keep things "fresh" for anyone who's listening. There's nothing worse that having to hear the same exact lick or song or whatever a million times if you're trying to do something else. Also, if something sounds terrible or terribly wrong, ear-splitting, cats fighting, etc., I stop playing it. That's just common courtesy.

Hope this helps, good luck with the neighbors.
ZBest,
Larry

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 18 Dec 2005 9:24 am

well here is the answer..in Real Estate Law..which every state has...

If you pay rent or have a lease..you do not own anything..except..

the RIGHT OF ENJOYMENT, as it is specifically written.

Tennant Law states that YOU can legally leave..you can legally BREAK a Lease...you can even file a suit against the building owners for a small amount of $$$ to cover your expenses...

considering that you have not had the RIGHT OF ENJOYMENT...which is part of what you are paying for and included in Tenant Law and State Real Estate Law..

now should you persue this, that would be your choice..

You do need to know what the Laws are for your State...

Most Landlords, Superintendants and even some Property owners don't have a clue about this stuff..

but the property owners RE Atty knows .

In most cases you will be told, "There's nothing we can do"

that might be true, for them..
but there may be something YOU can do..legally break a lease, move and perhaps even get a judgement of $$$ in your favor .

In NC , this can be done....

I am not an Atty, but am close to being a licensed RE rep in NC..

Ask an Atty who is familar with State Tennant rights and RE Law..

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 18 Dec 2005 10:36 am

Hmmm...every lease Ive ever had (and Ive had a few) has specifically mentioned musical instruments and my right to practice them a couple hours a day. They also have a clause similar to your #16. clause there blah blah blah "peaceful quiet enjoyment" blah blah blah

talk to your property manager/owner and find out specifically what your rights as a tenant are. Explain to them that you will not be using excessive volume, practicing at odd hours etc. A small amp need not be mucvh louder than your average TV system...its not like you are asking alot here or inconveniancing anyone too dearly here. babys cry, dogs bark, and musicians practice their instruments.

J Hill · Post by **J Hill** » 18 Dec 2005 9:47 pm

Years ago when I was single and in the USAF I got a knock on the door of my apartment. It was a gal who heard me playing the piano. We've been life-long friends ever since. You never know what might happen and you only live once, so you might just try it and find out.

Of course on the other hand you might get shot. Well, seriously, I think everybody would love to hear you play.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2005 11:08 am

Joe, I wouldn't stress to much over it. Try it and see if the neighbors complain. No landlord is going to evict you without warning you first. As was mentioned, talking with the neighbors might be good.

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Carter D10 9p/9k, NV400, Korg Triton Le88 Synth, Korg CX-3 organ, Yamaha Motif Rack Module, Regal Dobro, Tele, Gretsch Acoustic.

Mark Lind-Hanson · Post by **Mark Lind-Hanson** » 19 Dec 2005 12:03 pm

Prior to my recent move (in July) I lived in a terrible firetrap hotel here in SF- with walls so paperthin it was pathetic. My downstairs neighbors could often be heard in the middle of junk-sickness, dry heaving and/or blasting loud beatbox "music" up through the floors from 10PM to 2AM nightly.
Needless to say, this was a LOT like living in prison & I hadn't even been sent there.
My basic philosophy was/is- if they aren;t complaining then they won't mind- but EVERYTHING gets turned off and headphones used at 10PM in order to meet the city noise ordinances- damn 'em if the NEIGHBORS don't abide by em. I moved t a building where the outside walls are nearly a foot thick and made from concrete, and the interior walls are thickly insulated so that you can just BARELY hear anything above a loud thump to the wall. Setting the volume quite minimally
on the amp, I can still dial up the stereo to about 10-12 and as of yet, no, there have been no complaints. Perhaps since I'm interested in music for melody's sake rather than its obnoxious rythmic qualities, and generally when I play I play well, so, people can't grouse about it being out of tune or anything like that. Too loud? well, I have not heard THAT one yet.
ANYPLACE beats being stuck at the place I was,(and having to tear down my gear every time a wingnut pulled a false fire alarm!)
& luckily, my neighbors now aren't weirdoes, criminals or psychopaths- not obviously, anyway!

Tommy R. Butler · Post by **Tommy R. Butler** » 19 Dec 2005 11:09 pm

Have your attorney send him a letter and keep on practicing like you are doing.

Allen Peterson · Post by **Allen Peterson** » 20 Dec 2005 5:56 am

When I lived in Lafayette, Louisiana, I lived on the second floor in an apartment complex. This was during the disco craze and the guy below loved disco music. It was usually pretty quiet except for Saturdays and then he would crank it up at 8:00 am and leave it on all day until 11:00 pm. At the time we had a little baby and my wife told me to go down and tell him to turn it down. I reluctantly did. The guy was nice about it and turned it down, but eventually the volume was right back up. So I went back down and asked him again, and this time he told me that he paid his rent just like I did and he was going to leave the volume up. I told him that this was his last chance and he said, "What are you going to do, beat me up or something." Anyway, I went back upstairs and told my wife take the baby and go do the grocery shopping and I was going to take care of the problem. I got my 210 watt Peavey bass amp out and plugged in my 1963 Fender Jazz Bass and proceeded to practice my scales with the volume set at about 11. It didn't take long. The guy down stairs was soon trying to get my attention outside my window. I went to the door and asked him what his problem was. He said, "I give up, what is it?" I told him that it was a 210 watt bass amp and that if I ever heard his *@#$%& disco music again I was going to plug in and play scales. Never heard the disco again. The funny thing was that his afro hair was all covered with the sparkle stuff from the ceiling. He told me that I had vibrated the lamps off his end tables and rattled the dishes in his hutch.

The moral of the story is that there has to be some give and take when you live in an apartment. When I lived in an apartment I tried to be considerate of others and mostly played with my volume real low or completely off; except for the instance mentioned above.

Allen Peterson

Mike Lovell · Post by **Mike Lovell** » 30 Dec 2005 8:16 pm

I keep my amp mic'd in an isolated closet wrapped in blankets. Mic into a cheap compressor then into a mixer. This mess goes to my stereo. The compressor prevents the raw sound from the amp from poofing the stereo speakers. Adds just enough mud so it sounds part of whatever CD I'm attempting to learn. Helps me hear where it fits in the mix. I make a lot of home demos and recently started recording my steel noises. Yipes. Miles to go before we sleep.
Mike
Sierra S12 with 11 and 12 missing. (Too many strings for a newbie.)

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 31 Dec 2005 4:44 am

I don't think it really matters whether you live in a apartment or in your own home..if you are living with or near others there should always be mutual respect..For many years now I have praticed ALL Instruments thru my Recording Workstation with the cans on...Sure my wife and daughter would not complain, well maybe my daughter, but the reality is I am practicing, playing some god awfull notes and the truth is, do I really want anyone to hear this ? There are times I don't even want to hear it !

Apartments are tuff..and I have been down this road like many here as well...but living in a home with family doesn't really mean all bets are off either...

I have always choosen to be the ultra conservative one when it comes to issues like these, sometimes late at night when I watch TV when the "FAM" has gone to bed, I have the volume so low I can't even hear it..and I'm like 5 feet away from the TV..

For us Musicians, I am one who always prescribes to personal practice with the Headphones..until even I can't take it anymore..<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 31 December 2005 at 04:45 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 31 Dec 2005 8:40 am

Back to sound levels; another amp I use at home is the ZVex Nano. It's a stompbox-sized tube amp that puts out about 1/4 watt when played clean, and sounds remarkably good through anything from 1 12" Greenback Celestion to a 4 x 12" cabinet. It likes to see 16 ohms, so if single speakers are used Celestions at 16 ohms are easy to come by.

It really does overcome many issues - it's no louder clean than medium conversation, but sounds very full. Nothing at all like the cheaper headphonee amps or the battery-powered portables (Smoky, Pignose, etc). It's not cheap, but it's a "real" amp.

And if you turn it up, it sounds like ZZTop....but still quiet.

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 31 Dec 2005 11:23 am

I purchased the little "Microcube" amp and I like it; I have it on the same power strip as my foot pedal. I like the sound I get through my headset; I don't think this will bother anyone anytime.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 1 Jan 2006 1:16 am

I live in a Mobil~Home Park, with the closest neighbor’s home about 20’ away from my Music~Room. I have a ’65 Re-Issue Twin~Reverb Custom™ 15” which I’ve had almost (2)-yrs. now and really don’t know what it sounds like, because; I’ve only used it two times to play at our Super Jam. At home I usually plug into my Recording~Mixer, which is pretty satisfactory, however; it doesn’t help me to settle on a satisfactory tone setting for my amp.! I like the idea of the Sound~Proof ‘Box’, but; I’ve been thinking of going to Home~Depot or LOWES and purchasing their sound-proofing blocks and lining the existing walls of my Music~Room. The neighbors haven’t complained in the past, because; I really haven’t made any annoying sounds, even though I have had to complain occassionally either to them or the manager of the Park for the loud recorded ‘music?’ that they play at times! I just want to be able to figure out a way to have my music just as loud as theirs, w/o them hearing it! I'm not inclined to want to buck horns with anyone. It would make my New Year’s Resolution a lot easier to stick to if I could enjoy what I’m hearing too!

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“Big John” Bechtel
’05 D–10 Derby – (6 &

’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15”
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