Everyone loves to listen to his or her favorite music from time to time. You likely have a favorite band or musical artist that you like to listen to loudly and proudly. Even so, there are some people that are just completely rude with how they choose to listen to their music. You might have neighbors who turn the bass up so loud on their sound systems that the whole neighborhood can hear their favorite tunes.
In this situation, you’re going to want to do something to try to fix the problem. No one wants to hear all of that bass noise all the time. It’s going to be an annoyance that can prevent you from being able to concentrate on important things. Even worse, some people are going to play their music at really obnoxious times.
If you have a neighbor who is playing music loudly during hours when you should be sleeping, then that just isn’t acceptable. You need to take some measures to stop this from happening. At the very least, you want to reduce the bass noise so that you can get some rest. I am going to show you some of the ways that you can deal with this problem below so follow along if you’re currently in the unenviable position of having bad neighbors.
1. Try to Talk It Out With the Neighbors
Before going any further, it might be a good idea to consider talking it out with your neighbor. Some people are going to be more reasonable than you might think. You could walk over and have a chat with your neighbor about his or her bass being so loud. If you approach things respectfully and try to be nice, you just might be able to get him or her to change his or her habits.
Your neighbor could use headphones and turn the bass down just a tad. Also, your neighbor could consider soundproofing methods so that he or she can be as loud as he or she would like to be. Some people will have luck working things out with their neighbors and others will find this to be an impossible prospect. It really comes down to the type of person who you’re dealing with.
It’s certainly true that many people who are going to play their music that loudly will not care what others think. They might not be the most empathetic people in the world. Use your best judgment to determine whether having a conversation with your neighbor is a possibility. If it is, then you can solve your problems without having to invest any of your own money, making things as simple as possible.
2. Complain to the Authorities
You could also decide to complain to the authorities. There are laws about playing your music at reasonable levels. If the bass is turned up so high that it’s vibrating the entire neighborhood, then it’s certainly breaking some type of noise ordinance. You could call the police and ask them to sort things out for you.
In fact, this solution might wind up being preferable to the one above. The police can force your neighbors to comply with the laws. If they continue to produce the powerful bass sounds that are disrupting the entire neighborhood, then they’ll wind up paying for it. Your other neighbors can also call and complain in order to put even more weight behind things.
Depending on the situation that you live in, you may also want to complain to your landlords. If you’re living in an apartment complex, then complaining to the landlord or apartment manager is smart. If you know where the music is coming from, then tell your landlord the apartment that is making all the noise. When enough people complain about the problem, the offenders will risk being evicted for bothering everyone.
If you’re a homeowner or if you rent a home in a normal residential neighborhood, the police are your best bet. Just remember that this is an option. You shouldn’t feel shy about calling the police if you need to do so. Everyone needs to be able to enjoy some peace and quiet.
3. Stop Bass Noise From Traveling Through Walls
You could also take the time to soundproof your home in order to eliminate noise problems. Of course, getting rid of bass noise is different from just normal soundproofing. Bass has a real physical punch to it so you’re going to need to use special materials when soundproofing your home. You can use materials with a lot of mass to reduce the bass noise that you’ll be experiencing.
It’s important to understand that this method is going to be quite costly. This isn’t something that you will just be able to do without investing a significant amount of money and time. If you can solve this problem in another way, then you might want to look into that. When you’re short on funds, this is going to be a difficult fix to pull off.
There are a few different things that you can do. You can add soundproofing insulation to your walls in order to dampen the sound that is coming in. This is probably going to be the best type of soundproofing to implement that will really work to reduce bass noise. You also want to ensure that the soundproofing insulation materials have enough mass.
Some people will go so far as to build a separate wall that is decoupled from the walls of your home. Then you can place insulating materials in that. Bass noise can physically shake the walls so this is a great way to reduce bass noise problems. It’s going to be even harder and costlier than normal soundproofing though so consider the practicality of going that far before moving forward.
4. Don’t Forget About Your Floors and the Ceiling
When you’re soundproofing, the first step that people usually take is to soundproof the walls. This is an important part of the process but you don’t want to forget about your floors or the ceiling. If the bass is coming from upstairs or downstairs neighbors, and you fail to soundproof the floors or ceiling, then you’ll likely wind up failing to really eliminate the bass noise the way that you wanted to. Thankfully, you’ll be able to accomplish this by buying some good underlayment for the floors.
For the ceiling, you want to add more mass just as you did with the walls. Try to get into the ceiling and place some good soundproofing insulation that is also fairly hefty. Depending on the design of your ceiling, this will either be easy or complicated. Some people choose to install a type of drop ceiling design and add more insulation between it and the original ceiling.
Soundproofing the floor should be straightforward. You’re going to be using soundproof underlayment once you get to the subflooring. You can also add rubber floor mats underneath your carpeting to add even more mass. This will significantly reduce problems with bass noise. It’s worth taking the time to do this to truly soundproof your home, assuming that you have the resources to accomplish all of this.
5. New Windows Might Help to Reduce Bass Noise Too
Some windows are quite thin and will be shaken by bass noise very easily. If you have older windows on your home, then they’re likely going to be rattling when your neighbors are playing their music with the bass too loud. More modern double- or triple-glazed windows will change things significantly.
Windows such as this are great when it comes to reducing outside noises. You’ll hear far fewer noises coming from the outside and even the bass sounds will be dampened. It might not eliminate the noise completely but it will reduce vibrations and make a huge difference when compared to older window styles. This is worth considering but it may wind up costing quite a bit of money.
If you’ve been meaning to upgrade your windows for quite some time, then this is a good idea. It isn’t going to completely solve your problems but it can work well in tandem with other soundproofing methods. Consider this if you have the means to do it. These types of windows are energy efficient so they can potentially save you money on your energy bills in the long run.
Alternatively, you could hang some soundproof curtains. They are thicker and heavier than regular curtains, which means they are better at blocking sound and sunlight.
Search for curtains that are at least a few inches wider than your windows. Nicetown Blackout Curtains, for example, are available in various sizes, including the extended 95-inch version.
6. Drown Out the Bass With White Noise Generators
White noise generators can help you to drown out the bass noises so that you can concentrate or get some sleep. Many people make use of these white noise generators to help them sleep at night. These white noise generators can’t completely get rid of bass noise or anything but they can make it so that you won’t notice it as much. You might still feel the shaking sensations of the bass if your home is that susceptible to them.
Even so, this is a great tool for those who just want to get some rest. If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to drown out annoying bass noises, then buying a white noise generator is sensible. This isn’t going to cost you a ton of money and the results are very good overall. You’ll be able to sleep a bit more easily and the bass noise will be less of a problem than it was before.
Some people might find white noise to be annoying as well. It really depends on the person as some are going to find the looping noises to be very soothing. Just know that this is an easy fix for those who don’t have money to invest in large-scale soundproofing solutions. For many people, this is going to be the ideal way to deal with bass noises.
7. Use Noise-Canceling Headphones
Another affordable method for reducing bass noise is to buy noise-canceling headphones. You’ve probably seen headphones such as these even if you haven’t used any before. These are great for anyone who wants to be able to get a good night of rest. Noise-canceling headphones block out noise and allow you to just relax or focus on what you’re doing.
There are actually many people who use these types of headphones while they’re at the office. It eliminates background noise to make it easier to just concentrate on the task at hand. They’re also fantastic for people who want to try to get some sleep in a noisy neighborhood. People who work third shift often use these noise-canceling headphones to get some shut-eye during the daytime.
You’ll find many different variations of noise-canceling headphones on the market. There are full earmuff-style headphones that you wear on your head. You’ll also be able to purchase noise-canceling earbuds that just go inside of your ears. All of these can work well enough to do the job so they’re worth your consideration.
Once again, it’s important to understand that these headphones can’t get rid of the physical manifestations of the bass noises. If the bass is shaking your home, then you might still notice that. You won’t hear the music, though. This is going to be a good way to drown things out and ignore the bass music as much as you can.
Conclusion
Now that you have gone over all of the best ways to stop bass noise, you should have a good idea of which methods will work for you. It’s definitely easy to see that this could turn into a costly endeavor. If you can’t solve things by talking to your neighbors or getting the authorities involved, then soundproofing will be ideal. Not everyone is going to be able to afford to go this route, though.
If you’re working with a small budget, then buying a white noise generator or noise-canceling headphones will be a great idea. These items really make it easier to drown out or ignore the bass noise. You might still experience some shaking due to the bass being so powerful but it won’t be nearly as annoying as it was before. It won’t eliminate bass noise but it’ll make living in your home much more bearable.
Hopefully, you can solve the problem so that you can get some rest. Having to deal with annoying neighbors who play loud bass music is really obnoxious. Hopefully, one of the methods that I laid out above will do the trick for you. Give them all your consideration and do your best not to get too worked up over the situation.
You may also want to read 10+ Ideas for Getting Back at Noisy Neighbors.
