The Auswine Forum

Hi Guys,

It's been years since I posted anything, but I have a question related to vibration and its impact on wine storage.
I have a good, well insulated cellar (double block and core filled).
It’s fairly close to a room that my son is now using as a drum room (also the same construction) and he’s a fairly keen drummer.
Do you think the vibration from the drumming would have any effect on the wine given that it is not constant (about an hour a day and a few on the weekend)??
You don’t actually feel any more vibration than you would from a loud stereo but I’m guessing there would be more of a shock wave from the snare and bass drum than a stereo would deliver.

Thanks,
Dan

Hey Dan, not sure how much specific evidence there is on the effects of vibration on wine. Certainly you wouldn’t want constant vibration, hence why good wine fridges try to reduce vibration from the compressor, but intermittent isn’t likely to cause too much in the way of noticeable effects in my opinion, at least in the short to medium term. You could look at additional padding underneath the kick drum which is where most of the shock forces get transmitted (via the kick itself, or the toms), Some kind of gym mat for example, which would also cover the separate snare as well. As long as it’s still going to ensure the kit is kept solidly in place, which may be tricky. And either way, a lot will depend on your floor and how it’s built. Anyway do you have much choice, he loves drums, you love wine!!

P.S Electronic kits these days are superb, and sound fabulous in headphones with a bit of extra reverb. Great way to practise without upsetting the wine or the neighbours. Obv you get what you pay for in terms of kick pedal feel etc, but even for under 1K, they're pretty darn impressive.

Constant vibrations are definitely an issue, but I don't think anyone knows what happens with less frequent vibrations and what the threshold is at which point damage occurs. I've always wondered about this myself as I'm moving boxes around my off-site cellar on a weekly basis.

There's a study from 2008 that's frequently referred to when talking about the impact of vibrations. I've attached to this post for those interested in reading all the details. It doesn't answer your question, but it's an informative read on the topic.

Could be the next John Bonham...let him rip Dan!
Cheers craig

All i can say is look up Tommy Lee's floating mid air drum kit.
Motley Crue may not be your thing but the enginneering involved in sending
a drum kit out over a stadium of people is impressive.
Would surely reduce vibration as the kit would be 80-100 ft in the air.
Would impress the shit out of the neighbours.

Guy walks into a shop and says to the shop attendant “Give me three sets of guitar strings, half a dozen plectrums, a reverb pedal, a guitar strap, an amp, a couple of leads, and the latest Fender guitar to go with it !”
The shop attendant says to the guy “You’re a drummer, aren’t you”
The guy quite surprised says “Yeah, how did you know !?”
The attendant replies “Because this is a fish and chip shop”

TiggerK wrote:P.S Electronic kits these days are superb, and sound fabulous in headphones with a bit of extra reverb. Great way to practise without upsetting the wine or the neighbours. Obv you get what you pay for in terms of kick pedal feel etc, but even for under 1K, they're pretty darn impressive.

This was the option I was thinking of for home use (the acoustic kit can be for rehearsal spaces) if it has a serious impact on the wine, but it seems to be inconclusive. I do prefer the acoustic kit (plus just invested in new cymbals), so maybe the suggestion of rubber matting under the kick drum could be an option (only a rug on tile floor at the moment), was also thinking of lining the walls with heavy curtains.

Thanks for the feedback... PS, John Bonham rips!! Seems to be on more of a Travis Barker & Vinnie Paul path at the moment though. Fingers Crossed for more JB though.

I think if you could do a scientific experiment of this situation with a placebo wine, no one would ever tell any difference.
If anything, get a roll of regupol or other equivalent sound insulation covering and lay it down on the floor from wall to wall. If you want to go the whole hog then tack it up from floor to ceiling on the wall facing the cellar. Depending on the experience of the muso’s, you may have to embark on some scientific arguements if they complain in deadens the sound to much. Just tell them Phil Spectors wall of sound was so 1980’s and somwhere no serious musician of today ever wants to go

How much vibration is transmitted through the floor is the key aspect here, so stick to padding the floor. Sound deadening the walls won't do much to actually reduce vibration in the wine next door, and will also make the drums sound less like Bonham, and no-one wants that.

Bucket of water on the floor of the wine room, play the drums hard, and have someone see how much vibration is in the water...... ??

cuttlefish wrote:Guy walks into a shop and says to the shop attendant “Give me three sets of guitar strings, half a dozen plectrums, a reverb pedal, a guitar strap, an amp, a couple of leads, and the latest Fender guitar to go with it !”
The shop attendant says to the guy “You’re a drummer, aren’t you”
The guy quite surprised says “Yeah, how did you know !?”
The attendant replies “Because this is a fish and chip shop”