blog: Jackson Pad drum isolation

i want to touch up the photos and then it should be ready for publish

content/blog/2022-05-24-jackson-pad/index.md

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+title = "The Jackson Pad: DIY Vibration Damping for Drumsets"
+date = 2022-01-01
+description = "remove extra.hidden to link this from the index"
+extra.hidden = true
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+
+![](jackson-pad-assembled-profile.jpg)
+
+a few years ago i moved out of student apartments and into the second story
+of a commuter-centric apartment. i wanted to stay on my neighbors' good side,
+so i ditched my acoustic set and bought an electronic one. shortly after,
+i received my first ever noise complaint!
+
+although electronic sets are audibly quieter, they still transmit a lot of energy
+into the floor. when struck, vibrations carry from the drum into
+the harness and from there into the floor. moreover, the kick and high-hat
+pedal action mirrors the same action a person would make when stomping, so of
+*course* that's going to annoy a downstairs neighbor.
+
+# Options to decrease vibrations
+
+the most straightforward way to decrease floor vibrations is to decrease
+the energy associated with each drum hit.
+for example, use [beaterless pedals](https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-KU100-Beaterless-Silent-Pedal/dp/B00FI2PE1U).
+if there's no beater imparting energy into kick plate,
+that's obviously going to result in less energy transmitted into the floor.
+similarly, slamming the high-hat close imparts momentum from the upper cymbal
+into the stand and from there to the floor.
+beaterless pedals solve both these issues.
+
+![Yamaha KU100 beaterless pedal](yamaha-ku100-beaterless-pedal.jpg)
+
+but even with beaterless pedals, you still have the issue of snare/tom hits
+vibrating through the harness. if you want to stop all these,
+you'll need an isolation platfrom [like this](https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_drum_noise_elimination_podium.htm).
+
+![](thomann-drum-noise-elimination-podium.jpg)
+
+or you can place the set atop a riser.
+
+![](drum-riser.jpg)
+
+i was very tempted by that Thomann podium, but it's priced a bit too aggressively for me.
+
+cheaper options include placing the set on a big rubber or foam pad, similar
+to what you might put under a washing machine or an exercise bike ("anti vibration mats").
+
+but after browsing drum forums i couldn't find many success stories from these approaches.
+maybe that's just a bias from the people who frequent these forums and anti-vibration mats
+work equally well, but i was intrigued by the other approaches i saw there.
+
+# DIY solutions
+
+the most infamous DIY approach within these drum communities is the *tennis ball riser*:
+sandwich tennis balls between two large panels (or a panel and the floor), put the drumset
+on top, and you're done. it's a simple suspension system and actually resembles that
+commercial Thomann podium quite a bit.
+
+a more thoroughly engineered solution I came across was *The Jackson Pad*. the
+creator (Brian Jackson) provides detailed build instructions, some convincing
+noise measurements, a believable theory of operation, and i couldn't find anyone
+who tried this *without* success.
+
+# The Jackson Pad
+
+initially proposed [on vdrums.com](https://www.vdrums.com/forum/advanced/diy/1095500-new-design-impact-isolating-platform-plans-and-guide),
+i've mirrored the original [design document](./jackson-pad/Jackson%20Pad%20-%20Design%20Drawings%20-%202-10-2015.pdf)
+and [build instructions](./jackson-pad/The%20Jackson%20Pad%20-%20R1%20-%20Illustrated%20Builders%20Guide.doc).
+
+the first idea is that the drumset should sit atop a platform that has a lot of mass.
+because of the high mass, the momentum you impart onto it when stomping your feet
+causes less physical displacement than a platform with low mass.
+
+the second idea is to set this platform atop four air-filled inner tubes.
+the displacement of the platform will compress the air within the tubes,
+redirecting some of the motion outward instead of downward and supposedly
+transforming mechanical energy into heat energy (compressing a gas causes it to heat):
+the heat will be transformed back into mechnical energy as the pressures balance,
+but the effect is that sharp impulses of mechanical energy are imparted into the
+floor over a longer period of time.
+it's like applying a low-pass filter to original foot stomping.
+
+i'm a little skeptical of the heat argument, but overall i'm satisfied enough
+with the theory of operation to give it a try.
+
+# Construction
+
+the pad materials are super practical to source. it's all off-the-shelf lumber
+that you can buy at a hardware store with a minimal number of cuts.
+the stock 4'x4.7' design is just large enough
+for a typical 4-drum + highhat + kick + ride + crash configuration with a stool that
+doesn't have a huge footprint.
+
+unfortunately, it's just large enough to not be practical to move around in a car.
+i move homes every year or two, so i wanted to find a way to make it fit in
+my stationwagon.
+
+the stock plan is makes use of four 55.5" trusses which support fourteen 2x4s running
+perpindicular to them:
+
+![Original Jackson Pad](plans-clean.png)
+
+i decided to make a vertical cut down the center of this entire design such that
+i would have two separate 48"x27.25" pads.
+each of the four trusses would be cut in half, and a brace would be added to each one
+which would secure the halves when bolted. with the bolts in place, you're left with
+a solid 48"x55.5" pad; with the bolts removed, you have two smaller pads that can
+be easily transported.
+
+here's what the truss + brace system looks like when bolted together:
+
+![](trusses-bolted-together.jpg)
+
+when constructing the platform, keep the bolts in place and secure the 2x4s atop
+each truss as normal (make sure to screw them into the trusses, and _not_ the braces)!
+
+![](first-2x4-secured.jpg)
+
+![all 2x4s secured](completed-frame-top.jpg)
+
+here's what it looks like from the underside:
+
+![](completed-frame-underside.jpg)
+
+you'll want to label the braces now so that you know which brace belongs
+to which truss when you reassemble it later (even though they should have
+the same cuts, in practice you won't have lined up the holes identically in
+each one). i just marked them such that they spell a word when correctly paired:
+
+![](completed-frame-labeled.jpg)
+
+if you want carpeting, do that while the platform is assembled.
+you can cut one piece of carpet to the full 48"x55.5", staple it, and let it fold inward 
+during disassembly. it'll take two people to carry it this way, but it probably looks
+nicer when assembled than if you carpeted each half separately.
+
+when you're ready, just unbolt the braces, slide them off, and then fold the platform:
+
+![](folded-1.jpg)
+
+![](folded-2.jpg)
+
+![](folded-in-car.jpg)
+
+to setup the pad somewhere more permanent, first situate the isolation pedestals, then reattach the braces and lower the pad onto the pedestals.
+
+![](reattach-braces-1.jpg)
+
+![](reattach-braces-2.jpg)
+
+![](completed-pad.jpg)
+
+and you're good to go :)
+
+this pad has served me for four years at three different homes, with zero noise complaints.
+i refill the tubes yearly, and very imprecisely. you really just need to fill them to capacity
+and the 200-300 pounds sitting atop them should pressurize it all decently.
+
+![](assembled-front-view.jpg)