Rock Band, why do you hate me? (Alternate title: My noisy upstairs neighbors)
So as a sane and rational student who has to wake up for work on occation, I like my sleep. Even on weekends I tend to hit the sack around midnight or so (unless I've found a particularly engrossing game). So it was not completely out of the ordinary for me to decide to turn in around 11:30PM last night. It was also not completely out of the ordinary for me to be woken up at 3:00AM to the sounds of some rock tune being beat to death with a wooden mallet.
My upstairs neighbors are big fans of Rock Band. Within the first week of release they owned the game (believe me, I know) and they play it frequently. They're usually pretty good about not playing too late on weekdays but they have parties which feature the rhythm game almost every weekend.
As a fellow gamer, and owner of Guitar Hero III, I understand the attraction to the game. I'm also happy to see that they are exposing others to gaming who might not otherwise be exposed (i've been known to have a GH3 party in my day). But I also like my sleep, a lot. So watching Olympic badminton at 3:30AM with a soundtrack of a less than accomplished vocalist attempting System of a Down is not my idea of a good time.
So any suggestions for how to encourage my neighbors to keep it down without being a dick?
I hate you soo much Phil Collins!
Pharacon wrote:
AmazingZoidberg for President! ... +1 Pharacon comment rating score.
PSN = AmazingZoidberg
When they go quiet at 5AM, you break out Through the Fire and Flames on Guitar Hero and show them who's the boss!
That might, however, break the 'without being a dick' rule
Alternatively, ask them politely or bribe them with beer. Or cookies.
So hell did freeze over after all; Welcome to Skjold!
Some friends of mine have the same problem, but from the other perspective - they too only played it at reasonable times, and were pretty sure that they weren't making much noise, but it turns out they were wrong. The main thing not to do is act as their neighbour did, who pretty much went crazyballs at them with no previous warning or polite requests to keep the noise down. As long as you're reasonable, maybe hint that getting some drum pads could help reduce the noise (and 'improve the feel' of the drums - that's a selling point you could use)... perhaps employ a three strikes and you're out rule, with a third strike resulting in a call to 'the authoritahs'.
Pistols for two and coffee for one.
Gamertag
Yeah, just ask nicely once or twice. Don't get medieval on them unless you have to.
XBLive: Thin J
PSN: Thin_J
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You let them know that 3am is for sleeping, not being dicks. If that doesn't work, you tell the landlord. Or whoever's in charge, if you're in a dorm. I've had my share of noisy neighbors.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
They may not know that you can hear it, much less that it's loud enough to keep you up at night. It's at least worth trying a polite note or conversation.
Some apartment buildings, especially older/cheaper ones, aren't built with enough sound-dampening material between the floors. I've lived in places where every step of the people above, no matter how light, sounded like thunder.
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hmmm, everyone does like baked goods.
Good point, my apartment building has a central column for heating ducts that goes through every apartment and I think the sound it carrying through that more-so than through the actual ceiling.
It is one of my life's goals to be a crotchety old man, but alas I do not own a lawn to vigilantly defend. If I did I probably wouldn't have upstairs neighbors.
I hate you soo much Phil Collins!
Pharacon wrote:
PSN = AmazingZoidberg
Yeah, this isn't a Rock Band issue. This is a basic respect issue. i.e. Don't be a douche bag during sleeping time, neighbors. If you are one not only will I call the landlord, but if there isn't a landlord (like when my wife and I have rented townhouses) I'll just call the police over and over again. Eventually you'll get sick of the police coming and knocking at the door and harshing your mellow at 3am.
XBox Live: DSGamer GWJ | PSN: DSGamerGWJ
Earplugs. And if you talk to them about it and they still won't fix the problem themselves, talk to your RA (who is surely in touch with their RA, if those are different people).
But that's kinda college. People are loud. People are douches. People are used to living with mommy and the idea of respect for their community hasn't really sunk in yet.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
First, ask nicely. You usually can't tell in older apartments you're being too loud.
Second, if they are being a prick, or just ignore you... Fire and Flames, volume all the way up (earplugs or so if you must, but as loud as possible is a requirement), during _their_ sleepy time.
Third, if that doesn't work, call the landlord/authorities.
I say fight fire with fire first, because you also hit the possibility that by just showing them that it's not fun, some are more likely to listen.
And if they decide to be an ass, tell them you asked politely, and that before you called the authorities, and got them in trouble, and the whole mess, that maybe showing them that it's not fun would make them more inclined to listen, with less hostility.
Fortunately for me, while my neighbors upstairs are loud (running kids and a dog, it sounds like), my apartment is well built, so it's not too loud. I also sleep like the dead.
St.Hillary wrote:
Commence your hatred, gentlemen.I have no ideas, but rather I commiserate with you.
My upstairs neighbors (just part of the general public, not in school) like to play house music. All the time. So I hear umps-umps-umps-umps all the time. Sometimes there is the recorded sound of a lady moaning over it.
So yeah, I feel your pain.
"I can't knife you right now. I have a chair and some pants."
As a once college going adult on a budget, I can sympathize as well, but in the two-and-a-half years I lived in pseudo-student housing I never found a satisfying solution. I hate to say it, but it sounds like college to me. Makes you look forward that much more to getting a place to live that doesn't involve students.
"I think Elysium has the right of it" - Certis
I can say, living in a college town, that quite a few don't ever really comprehent that "respect for their community" part.
Quote:
XBL Tag: Prederick
"If it's too loud, you're too old."
I'm sorry, but that's just rock fact.
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Science tidbit: birdshot will not penetrate most ceiling/floors in dorm rooms. Buckshot has a better chance.
Rock Band Name Generator!... too funny to merely be coincidence.
"Truly, this mishap has set back the swamp sciences several years." - H.P. Lovesauce, lamenting a tragedy.
I have more or less the same problem....
2 years ago I purchased a lovely 100 year old home at A steal of a price. The home was in great condition and its real value was being horribly underestimated at the time because a DR had convered it into a semi DR office. I thought Wow I got to buy it....
Now I understand why it was undervalued... Its the neighborhood....
Fortuantely the drug dealer next door is gone now but they have been replaced with a middle aged woman and her teenaged son. Who every evening (and I mean every evening) has his friends from across the street over for some rock band...
I had a "heart to heart" with him last week and things finally got quiet around the house. My suggestion is go talk to the kids. Then call the cops if you have to.
I used to have these next door neibors who used to blast Various Hard core Rap thumping bass songs through the wall and i simply retailated by finally pushing my speakers to the wall and playing Vagner and Bethoven you might be surprised that Ride of the valkeries is the solution to a lot of musical annoyances
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As I've noted many, many times, I was an RA and I never heard of this ever working. Ever. Not on any of my floors and not from any of my co-workers. It's possible it has worked (and worked well enough that it was never brought to the attention of an RA) but I wouldn't bank on it.
If you're dealing with someone clueless, they'll just think YOU'RE annoying. If you're dealing with someone immature, escalation will only make things worse.
Also remember that your building has more than two rooms in it. Everyone else around you also has to put up with the noise and if you start firing back it's totally unfair to them. Then when the complaints about YOU start pouring in, I somehow the "they started it" defense will make you look like the more mature party.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore