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Apartment and hard pad
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Weston
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0. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 10:40 am    Post subject: Apartment and hard pad Reply with quote

I can't find a thread that addresses this, so I'll just ask...

As a college student, I now live in the third floor of an apartment complex, the nearest DDR arcade is an hour away, and the only time I'll get to play on my hard pad is on some weekends where I drive home. Needless to say, with the release of SuperNOVA (PS2) coming soon, I want to be able to play more.

Has anyone found a good way to muffle the sound so my downstairs neighbors won't hear stomping for an hour (Actually, I don't even know if anyone is there often, since I never see their bedroom light on)? Since it is a high raised hard pad, I was hoping the pad itself would absorb most of the noise since the footsteps are on the panels, and not focused directly on the floor like a soft pad. I was thinking I could put a thick foam pad or something underneith it. Suggestions or anecdotes?
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videoCWK!
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1. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try this. Get one of those wooden pallete thingies, put some foam stuff on it like you just said, then put your pad on top of the foam. And maybe the people downstairs are vampires.
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killingscum
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2. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

videoCWK wrote:
And maybe the people downstairs are vampires.


I concur.
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Weston
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3. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If that were the case, I could put stakes through their hearts and the problem would be solved.
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videoCWK!
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4. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weston wrote:
If that were the case, I could put stakes through their hearts and the problem would be solved.


I guess that would work. You should do it while they're asleep. So remember, vampires sleep during the day. And make SURE you bring garlic. Just bring a few cloves so it'll insteatly be too weak to get up and then put in the steaks. Mmm, steak.
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ChilliumBromide
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5. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Heh, sounds similar to the problem I have with my guitar amp.
My room's right above my grandparents' room, and I like to play at 75% concert level (which is pretty loud), so what I do when I don't want to disturb them and I can't find my headphones is move it over to the carpet, grab my spare blanket (which I've only used twice as an actual blanket btw), fold it up to the size of the amp's base, then I set the amp on top.
That way, the vibrations are absorbed.
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videoCWK!
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6. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DancingTofu wrote:
Heh, sounds similar to the problem I have with my guitar amp.
My room's right above my grandparents' room, and I like to play at 75% concert level (which is pretty loud), so what I do when I don't want to disturb them and I can't find my headphones is move it over to the carpet, grab my spare blanket (which I've only used twice as an actual blanket btw), fold it up to the size of the amp's base, then I set the amp on top.
That way, the vibrations are absorbed.


Yeah, but then the pad would be extremly hard to play on, and even a little dangerous. It wouldn't stay in place, it'd move around on the blanket.
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Weston
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7. PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My pad weighs over 100 pounds, I would estimate.
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ChilliumBromide
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8. PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

videoCWK wrote:
DancingTofu wrote:
Heh, sounds similar to the problem I have with my guitar amp.
My room's right above my grandparents' room, and I like to play at 75% concert level (which is pretty loud), so what I do when I don't want to disturb them and I can't find my headphones is move it over to the carpet, grab my spare blanket (which I've only used twice as an actual blanket btw), fold it up to the size of the amp's base, then I set the amp on top.
That way, the vibrations are absorbed.


Yeah, but then the pad would be extremly hard to play on, and even a little dangerous. It wouldn't stay in place, it'd move around on the blanket.
Not really.
The weight of the pad would flatten the blanket down to no more than 0.7 inches.
Even if it was a comforter or something thick like that.
So you'd just be adding a centimetre or two of shock-absorber.
One thing that might still be a problem is shaking.
I tried to play SM upstairs once and the whole house shook whenever I stepped (even if I only stepped lightly) due to the lack of concrete foundation directly under me.
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The Wise Fool
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9. PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

videoCWK wrote:
Weston wrote:
If that were the case, I could put stakes through their hearts and the problem would be solved.


I guess that would work. You should do it while they're asleep. So remember, vampires sleep during the day. And make SURE you bring garlic. Just bring a few cloves so it'll insteatly be too weak to get up and then put in the steaks. Mmm, steak.


Haha, I find it hard to believe this post is in a topic about dance pads in dorms.

Also, is your pad seriously 100 pounds?
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Weston
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10. PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's hella heavy.

I think the floors are concrete on each floor, so maybe it won't be terribly loud. I believe the dance pad will absorb most of the sound, and I'll try putting a foam pad under that to further muffle the sound and prevent shaking.

Oh, and I did get the change to meet the neighbors below me. They were familiar with the game and I said they could stop by and play sometime. Maybe this will work out. If it still shakes too much, I'll just play softer or play when they're not around.
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Weston
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11. PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even with the blanket/comforter, there is still some shaking.

I'm not giving up though. I still have some memory foam that I don't use for my bed anymore. I also want to try putting the pad on a 4/5 peg design, seeing as that's how a lot of furniture sits (and arcade DDR pads).

The idea is to have the pad on pegs in the corners and the foam under the middle. I'm hoping to get this to work, and I'll let you know how it turns out.
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ChilliumBromide
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12. PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I'll just make sure to get a 1st-floor apartment when I go off to college. xD
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Weston
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13. PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do it early and specifically ask for an apartment on the first floor.
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ChilliumBromide
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14. PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weston wrote:
Do it early and specifically ask for an apartment on the first floor.
That's the plan. E15.gif
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shurf
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15. PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weston wrote:
Even with the blanket/comforter, there is still some shaking.

I'm not giving up though. I still have some memory foam that I don't use for my bed anymore. I also want to try putting the pad on a 4/5 peg design, seeing as that's how a lot of furniture sits (and arcade DDR pads).

The idea is to have the pad on pegs in the corners and the foam under the middle. I'm hoping to get this to work, and I'll let you know how it turns out.


Weston, please tell me how it works out. The thing is, I was literally seconds away from making an identical thread and then I find this. Only my case is worse. The neighbors actually came up and complained because of my friend who cant seem to play without stomping (he's not playing in my apartment anymore, BTW). But even I need to play hard for some 10s and 11s and then soon 12's. If you have a solution and it works, please post it.

By the way, I have a modded softpad thats about 3/4 of an inch. I was thinking of the corner pegs/cushions thing but I'll wait and see what you do first.

Cheers and good luck!
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Weston
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16. PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I put pegs on the pad now, which by itself doesn't help a whole lot, but it does keep the pad balanced on a soft surface because the weight is focused on the pegs. I put a comforter under the pegs to further muffle the sound. This does help a bit, but not as much as I'd want, since stomping still shakes the floor a little.

What is needed at this point is shock absorbtion on the pegs. I think a high density foam would surely help, or making a shock absorber similar to what a car has (I have no idea how this would be done, and it sounds like overkill) would help too.

In a nutshell, I don't think there is an easy solution... but the best solution is to find a place where the pad would be on ground level. I could ask the owners of the apartments if I could move the pad into the recreation areas so anyone could play, or I could ask a friend in another ground level apratment if he would be willing to share it.

Lastly, if you're interested in my peg design, I used:
3/4" floor flanges (this is attached to the pad, and the pegs screw into it)
3/4" diameter and 2 1/2" long threaded piping (actual peg)
1" rubber chair tips (cover the base of the pegs)
1" long wood screws (attaches flanges to pad)
Marine epoxy (attaches flanges to pad)

There are 5 pegs total, and each one is removable.
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ChilliumBromide
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17. PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the rec room idea sounds really good, as long as it's not too large of a community and the crime rate isn't too high, because getting your handmade DDR dance platforms stolen from a rec room would be a real bother.
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shurf
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18. PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like I'm gonna have to go to a friends house whenever I want to play. He's on the first floor, but he plays like everyday so I guess its cool.

DDR+Above ground level apartment = nono.gif and frown.gif
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Joshua B
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19. PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Weston wrote:
In a nutshell, I don't think there is an easy solution... but the best solution is to find a place where the pad would be on ground level. I could ask the owners of the apartments if I could move the pad into the recreation areas so anyone could play, or I could ask a friend in another ground level apratment if he would be willing to share it.


I think you've come to some good and responsible conclusions.
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