Soundproofing a closet.

On a budget, and also temporarily. 
 

Here's the skinny:

1-I play drums

2-I live in an apartment

The way the building is laid out, the center of each floor is a corner between 4 master closets. I'm on the ground floor, otherwise I think this would be impossible. 
 

In the photo, the far left corner is basically the vertex of the four units. There is a lamp and a fire sprinkler in the ceiling. 
 

My neighbors are all pretty cool, and I have hard rules about not playing before 10am or after 8pm. Still, loud is loud. Currently I have blankets on two walls and I figured the clothes on the third wall are at least as good. 
 

My plan is to be cheap. In that vein, I think my best course is to buy 4-6 sheets of 1" polystyrene and line the walls. I also think I can cover a large part of the ceiling with the use of some lightweight shelf mounting brackets and more foam. I don't want to put many holes in the drywall, nor do I want to risk any adhesive ruining the paint. 
 

We have some smart folks here. Please, weigh in. Any suggestions are welcome, even if you hate drums. 

Acoustic foam wall panels are pretty cheap on Amazon these days.  It comes in 12x12 tiles that are meant to be fastened to the wall with double sticky tape, but you could also mount them on a thin sheet of hardboard (or even cardboard) and stand that up against the existing closet wall.  https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Acoustic-Panels-Inches-Soundproof/dp/B08QQRWDWS/ref=sr_1_7?crid=F0YLKJCYUSGY&keywords=acoustical%2Bwall%2Bpanels&qid=1686739545&sprefix=acoustical%2B%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-7&th=1

Do the drums have to be in the closet?  Or can you move them out and use the closet as a buffer to help with the soundproofing?

I'd start with a rubber mat on the floor under the drums.  Low frequency sounds like drums travel through structural components.

After that I'd take the door off the hinges, and move the set as far from the back wall as possible.  At least to the doorway (if not the room).  Load that back wall closet rod with as many clothes as you can.  Do it 2 layers deep if you can.

Mass. You want mass. most acoustic foam tiles won't absorb what you want to absorb. There are sound absorption sheets that will absorb a wide spectrum.  
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Sound will go where air goes. If there are ducts in that closet, BLOCK them of while playing. Seal the door too. 

Switching door from hollow core to solid core will cut down on sound that transfers.

I might suggest making use of horse stall mats. They're relatively cheap and readily available at Tractor Supply Company. They are very popular for setting up home gyms. That would make a good base under the drums to cut down on transferring vibrations. If you can come up with a clever way to hang them as sound baffles, that would also cut things down.

If you go that route, you will probably want to set them outside for a day or two to air out any weird smells.

In reply to SV reX :

The only place there's room is in the closet. Family of four plus dog in an 1100' two bedroom. 
 

I appreciate the suggestions. Keep them coming. I'm not after perfect, just functional.
 

The floor is carpeted, and I have an extra rug under everything too. Should be noted that I have the bass drum as muffled as possible with two pillows and two blankets. There isn't much to be done about the cymbals, but at least one of them is a low volume job. 

Mechanic blankets absorb sound very well. I've spoken with "voice...professionals"(?) That have used them in home studios. If you have some sitting around and can drape them over something, they should help. 

There's a ton of research and discussion on this at Drummerworld.com, which is a great website and forum even for casual drummers. This is a popular and active topic since it's an issue for so many people.

The keys to success are isolation and mass. You need 4+ inches of insulation with density (703, iirc?), not just carpets or fiberglass. The foam tiles won't do anything noticeable. A tip is a 1" plywood floor on top of tennis balls to absorb the kick drum thump, for example. Rubber mats will help, though.

Remember, you're trying to absorb frequencies from about 100 Hz through 10,000 Hz. That takes some work.

For the cost, time, energy, and effort to soundproof the closet, you might consider a good electronic drum kit. There's some really good equipment out there. Good luck and rock on!

The way we would build a sound resistant wall (it's never soundproof) in a hotel, etc is to actually build 2 walls with an air gap between. That way sound doesn't transmit through the framing members.

You could mimic this by building a 2nd wall in the closet. Make it permanent. Add 2 layers of 5/8" sheet rock on your side. Gasket seal the perimeter of the new framing.  Rehang the closet shelves. No one will know that the closet is 5" smaller.

Thats quite a bit of work, and it won't solve it all. There will still be sound transmission through the floor and ceiling.

Another possibility is quieter drums. Mesh heads and perforated cymbals. It adds up fast. A half decent E-kit is in the ballpark of $400, been there, and it's too stale to keep me interested. 

Practice pads are probably the best/ cheapest answer. A quiet kick double is about what I'm looking at for basic polystyrene and brackets, and no more stale than an E-kit. Just boring. 

In reply to BoulderG :

This is what I wanted to say, but I didn't have the time to type this much before I had to run. Drums are fully dynamic, and loud. It takes mass to absorb frequencies that powerful, especially the low ones. 

I don't know what the budget is but you might look into rock wool insulation boards. You'll want 2" thick for handle the frequencies you have. You'll need to face them with something, I'd go with a layer of drywall and limit the attaching points to the existing walls.

Could you find a self storage place away from residential that has 24hr access and rent a small unit?

You don't want rockwool. It's not designed for sound absorption, only BTU retention. It does little to nothing below about 100 hZ and, IF used should be contained as the fibers will get in your lungs and cause serious issues.  
You said temporary, so there are really good options that are off the table (think box within a box). Like others have said, mass. you want mass for the low frequencies, and closed-cell foam for upper. Honestly, I don't expect you'll get what you're after in that small space because you'll need considerably thick materials to do what you want to do.

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

Came here to recommend an e-drum kit. See you've already considered it. I think your best bet is to recruit your neighbors into the band.

My brother made some wood frames that he filled with fiberglass insulation and then covered with fabric.  He hung those on the walls of his office and said that it made the space almost spooky quiet.  Now, he was trying to abate noise that was coming in to the room from the rest of the house, so that may have absolutely no bearing on what you need, but it's what I got.

In reply to jgrewe :

That was my first idea. Unfortunately I cant find a climate controlled unit that will let me drum. Used to be all the local bands used storage units, but apparently they wore out their welcome. 

In reply to mtn :

I like the way you think. I even have guitar and bass amps and all the instruments, mics, everything but a PA, and I think the bass amp could do double duty... now to craft a good recruitment pitch. 

In reply to DrBoost :

I'm not sure on frequency specifics coming off a drum kit but there are a few people that sold on its effectiveness controlling sound.

https://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/blog/soundproofing/soundproofing-with-rockwool/

I first learned of the stuff when building a powder coating oven. It definitely needs to be sealed up though.

Just as an experiment, I blanketed the closet up best I could, closed the door, and had folks listen from outside the master window. The snare and cymbals are mostly contained, but the kick drum is way too cool for school. And it's just a baby 20" drum. 
Due to not owning this place and hopefully being somewhere I do own by this time next year, I think I'll forgo any attempt to construct sound barriers. 
Thanks for the suggestions, its just that my feet are too powerful. 

In reply to jgrewe :

It does control sound, to some extent and at limited frequencies. Below about 100 it's not very effective. I used some in the theater I built, but it was encased within a wall, and the bass frequencies weren't a concern (I embraced the boom lol). Since he's talking temporary, I assume he's not opening up walls to encase it.
It's an interesting little project with the constraints he has to work with. It'd be a fun challenge.