Nord User Forum

I think any soundproofing has to correspond to the weight of the object that needs to be soundproofed, in terms of tolerance, density etc. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think rugs or carpet will do much on their own. It needs a heavy and solid base to sit on to fully absorb the vibration I think - with something soft underneath.

What about something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-9xcm-TtfM

While you wait for your expensive solution, do a test with the NG on your bed, on top of your fluffiest feather filledest duvet. I'm inclined to agree with Spider, that it's the airborne noise disturbing your neighbour, but I'm sure you can prove it one way or the other with materials you already have.

jamino wrote:Anyone know anything else I can do?

The easiest thing is asking for the collaboration of your neighbor.
1- Play the piano (without turning it on) in your usual place, and ask him to concentrate on how much noise comes through.
2- Then remove all the damping, put it directly on the floor, play it and ask if he hears more/less/same noise.
3- Then play it on the bed or sofa, as Countfosco suggested, and ask again.
In these scenarios, the noise produced by the keybed will stay the same, while the vibration transmitted to the floor should vary from maximum to basically zero.
If the level of discomfort perceived by your neighbor is always the same, then the problem is airborne noise, and not floor vibrations.

Spider wrote:

jamino wrote:Anyone know anything else I can do?

The easiest thing is asking for the collaboration of your neighbor.
1- Play the piano (without turning it on) in your usual place, and ask him to concentrate on how much noise comes through.
2- Then remove all the damping, put it directly on the floor, play it and ask if he hears more/less/same noise.
3- Then play it on the bed or sofa, as Countfosco suggested, and ask again.
In these scenarios, the noise produced by the keybed will stay the same, while the vibration transmitted to the floor should vary from maximum to basically zero.
If the level of discomfort perceived by your neighbor is always the same, then the problem is airborne noise, and not floor vibrations.

This is great advice! I would add that you should not tell your neighbor which test you are doing. And make sure you don't give any other hints. The neighbor needs to be objective for this test to work.

When you did the testing and heard it yourself would you complain if you were in their shoes? Reason I ask is this sounds like a very whiny grumpy neighbor. I think a solution would be don't use headphone so then they get the nice sounds of a piano. IMO I can't see the nord grand keys causing that much noise, vibration, sounds, etc. I own one and play it against the wall and no one hears it at all. I know each situation is unique but don't let someone hinder your music!

stevei wrote:When you did the testing and heard it yourself would you complain if you were in their shoes? Reason I ask is this sounds like a very whiny grumpy neighbor. I think a solution would be don't use headphone so then they get the nice sounds of a piano. IMO I can't see the nord grand keys causing that much noise, vibration, sounds, etc. I own one and play it against the wall and no one hears it at all. I know each situation is unique but don't let someone hinder your music!

If complaints during daytime playing I agree.
It must be ok to make some noise during the day.
I live in an apartment and play loud enough to support full-on (unamplified) singing during normal hours. Switch between a bunch of instruments.

But if the complaints is for playing during nighttime it might just be a valid complaint even if it's just keybed noise.

jamino wrote:Will report back next week to let you know whether it works...

Hi Jamino, got an update? I'm sure people could benefit from your experience here.

Hm, bad to read about this effect.

I had a similar problem with an E-drum, where I had to hit the bassdrum very hard to trigger at all. After some trials the root cause turned out to be simple: my floor.

To understand the effect, change perspective. My floor, as yours, is my floor and my neighbours ceiling. Viewed from a distance ... this is a typical structure of a membrane, which we all know from speakers or microphones. Only the source of excitation varies.

Now, not all floors are the same. If you step on it, or bump with some rubber hammer, each floor will sound differently. Standing on it and pinging I will hear a little bit, but living below it can be like visiting a rock concert. Tennis raisers, noise eaters and the like will probably do little if anything: They won't annihilate the downward impulse your instrument created, less divert it (conservation of momentum and energy); they may vary loudness by a few dB into both directions, but your neighbour will need some tenths of dB in change. And yes, this can be dramatic downstairs even with "little actions" from a keybed.

Here are a few things you can try to do, which are close to being free:

• negotiate with your neighbour, as has been proposed: he can't make you stop music, he hasn't to bear each and everything (from my countries jurisdiction)
• using a pinger (foot, hammer, ...) find a different place in your home
• exploit daytime variation: environmental noise changes by about 30 - 80 dB depending on your location during the day, and the more environmental silence we experience, the louder this "f*****g pianist" will appear to be
• separate yourself and your neighbour: use his/her times of absentia, play in a room where he/she hardly ever is underneath you, play in a different place and so on

To identify potentially more suitible places in your home try to envision the following:

• view the house from outside, with the floors having been removed
• substitute the real floors by a trampoline, rubber or soap-foamed surface
• tension of the imaginary hanging surface can vary, depending on the walls overall layout
• places, which might vary tension considerably, can be good alternative places to investigate
• verify with the pinger
• prefer places, where the resonance (sound) of the floor shifts to lower frequencies (we hear them less strong, under 80 Hz, roughly)