Back in business on the drums!
After the dreaded neighbor complaint, I set out to reduce the noise exiting the house from my drum kit. Even though I'm in the basement, I have three large basement windows (see photos) that were really pushing sound outside. I was getting readings around 70 dB with some peaks around 75-80 dB.
After applying three sound-absorbing sheets directly in front of my kit and a total of 8 Isole sound barrier sheets on the walls containing windows, I was able to reduce the outside sound to under 60 dB, which is a HUGE reduction (nearly 70% by my calculation).
Fast, free shipping was awesome. I did a total of three orders and all three arrived within two days of ordering, most within one day.
My only suggestion for improvement would be the mounting hardware. It's serviceable, but not great. Had a few casualties with the plastic anchors, but luckily I didn't need them all because I overlapped sheets so had extras.
For what it's worth, some installation tips I discovered that improved aesthetics and sound reduction:
1. Over windows, consider using coat hooks instead of the provided mounting hardware so that if you ever want to take the sheets down for company or whatever, it's super easy.
2. In addition to the mounting hardware, for better aesthetics when mounting on drywall, I placed 1 3/4" quilting pins throughout the sheets. Gives it a nicer finished look that hugs the wall tightly.
3. The standard sizes of these sheets means it's likely you'll need two sheets to cover certain sized windows. This was the case for all three windows I was covering because they were large and odd sized. I bought 3M heavy duty velcro to join overlapping Isole sheets even more. I have to believe that helped reduce sound even more because I cannot see any light between sheets anymore after applying the velcro. And because it's mounted inside, the velcro is invisible and helps add to the cleaner look.
Overall, great products and great service from Corey Haran, who answered all of my questions promptly and knowledgeably.
Highly recommend.