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Crappy neighbors

coonmanx said:
Well I do have an extra unused system with a powerful amp. I would have to find the most annoying music, crank it up to 11 and then just leave. LOL. Really not wanting to go that route but I can if necessary. (...)
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Honestly: Forget about that route. It makes no sense, as for the rest of the neighbours you'd just turn into another unpleasant neighbour.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
The absolute $hit show of poor management. This was at a previous place where when I moved in the roaches showed up. Yeah, last year when I moved in here there were roaches everywhere. And I know how to fight them. Diatomaceous, bait, spray, traps. The whole nine yards. At the old place we were able to get rid of them in about two weeks time.

Anyway as far as poor management at the last place. Our "property manager", and I use that term loosely, always would talk about how hard it was to get a judge to throw someone out and you always needed evidence. So I took dB readings and recorded them. I used my phone to record the music coming through his door. I gave her evidence and then she tried to claim I shouldn't be down there in the hall downstairs. Hey, I live in this building. Show me where the lease says I can't walk down the hall. After all, maybe I was just walking to the front door that way. She just didn't want to be bothered. Typical crappy don't give a crap management. Full of BS... Lazy and yet somehow overworked.

The guy downstairs finally did move out. We outlasted him. But then the bed bugs showed up and we said "Hasta la vista" and GTFO of there...
 
I did let loose on the electric guitar just a bit. Turned the fuzz and overdrive pedals up and then pointed it at the wall. Tried to get some good feedback going but it didn't do a whole lot that way. It was fun for a moment but I probably won't repeat it. But the whole getting woken up at 1:30 AM $hit has got to me and my niceness factor may have faded just a bit. But tomorrow is just another day. If the guy wants to talk then let him talk but he first has to recognize his role in being in the building and trying to be a good neighbor. It's not that hard and frankly knowing your neighbors and being in their good graces is important to me. I don't know about this guy yet. Have not figured him out. I'm not asking for much. Just a small downward twist of the volume knob or some sort of room treatment or something.

I really have nothing to apologize for. I was woken up at 1:30 AM. And it was too loud. If only there had been somebody that I could have called. Who else lives in a city where cops don't do whole lot. Conveniently they are always too busy to show up. Right now it's almost 12 hours since I called and I doubt they are coming at all. Will the phone call arrive from them later? Who knows... Frankly, every city needs dedicated sound cops, literally "on the beat".

What does a bass guitar sound like with feedback and overdrive? LOL. Hmmm... So many thoughts. I need to stop thinking...
 
Praying for a good night's sleep tonight. Maybe his kids can help him mellow out and recognize...

I'm tired and fading out for the night...
 
lini said:
Good.

And of course post #22 wasn't supposed to mean, that I couldn't understand a certain desire for revenge in form of an equal nuisance. But in an apartment building fighting a loud neighbour by turning into another loud neighbour really isn't a good strategy.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
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And I recognize that. Will see what happens tomorrow. I need to get some sleep now. I'm sure my phone is going to wake me up at 1 AM with a callback from the police. That would not surprise me. Currently going on twelve hours since I called them. It's comical. Who can we replace the cops with when we need someone to do an audio check?

Sound cops...
 
What is the truth about dB meters and bass? Because I was laying in bed and heard and felt the bass. And I am completely on the other side of the apartment from that wall. Yet when I was in that room the bass was very present and loud. Maybe I should have placed the meter closer to the wall. Or maybe the meter is not weighted for bass properly.
 
Well that sounds like a relief for downstairs anyway. - edit- I got a bit confused there, but now I understand the new bad neighbour is still in place. Uch.. But people who don't respond to signals (asking nicely) tend to dig their own graves eventually. Like, by not paying rent for instance. There ough to be a better way to deal with this sort of thing, however "outlasting" them can be the best option you have.

My downstairs neighbor pretty much wheeled me in to my current apartment, so she was sure to have an upstairs neighbour that she was happy with. She did the same with the other apartment on her floor. Pretty good strategy right? You might want to look real quick in your broader network to see if anyone is looking for a place.
 
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That's a rough situation. I consider myself lucky in that I'm on a rural property where it's quite a walk to get to any of my neighbors. I still try not to play music loud past 10:30 or so. Unfortunately I think that living in an apartment these days and expecting quiet neighbors is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Complaining isn't going to change culturally-ingrained and generationally-ingrained issues related to entitlement. Maybe there are some exceptions. I know some apartments are senior-only, so if you can qualify, then living mainly with other seniors might give you a more quiet experience.

coonmanx said:
One thing I looked up was that dB meters often don't measure bass properly. That seems to be the case here.
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Sort of. Measuring using dBA will dramatically under-represent bass, because dBA is a metric that is mainly focused on evaluating potential hearing damage when exposed to local noise sources. Human hearing is much less sensitive to bass frequencies. Most meters measure dBA by default. While it might seem logical to use dBA for the purposes of a hearing complaint, since it's focused on frequencies that humans are more sensitive to, that isn't taking into account the fact that you can also FEEL bass, or the fact that lower frequencies have dramatically better penetration through walls.

dBC is more true to the actual output across most of the frequency range. If your meter can measure dBC instead of dBA, try it.

dBAdBC.jpg
 
Time to get a dBC meter?

I am at least going to let the property manager know that I understand that my dB unit may not properly read bass levels and that I am willing to buy a dBC unit if necessary. To let them know that I understand sound and its propagation and how to measure it. Facts matter. Always document everything. Let them know that I will always keep a record of everything. More and more I find that central to crappy apartment living. Document, document, document... It's all they understand. And then try to be nice.
 
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coonmanx said:
Well I do have an extra unused system with a powerful amp. I would have to find the most annoying music, crank it up to 11 and then just leave. LOL. Really not wanting to go that route but I can if necessary.

Cops are completely useless. They don't even show up.

I am going to keep bugging management and also letting them know that I will be looking for a new place if nothing changes. And I will demand that they let me out of my lease if I find a place. I will also remind them of wording in the lease that states that you can't disturb your neighbors (I don't remember the exact language but it is in there).

One thing I looked up was that dB meters often don't measure bass properly. That seems to be the case here.

Maybe I should start trying to learn how to play bass with a very loud amp...

The problem with moving is that you move into the next place and it could be better or it could be worse. It's a real gamble in this city. Plenty of slumlords and crappy property management companies. The previous property management company here got fired. This one seems to be just a bit better. But often they don't want to be bothered with this kind of thing.
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Learn to play the drums. They take lots of practice.
 
coonmanx said:
What do you do when you have a neighbor who has no sense of how loud the music is and no sensibility when it comes to not pissing off neighbors.
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Fortunately, I've never been in that situation. The one time I can recall experiencing on-going, excessively loud music, a friendly exchange with the neighbor ended the problem.
coonmanx said:
This guy just moved in. First he woke my son up at 2 AM playing loud music. Then this past Friday night it happened again at 1:30 AM. I took my dB meter out and the bass was coming through the wall at over 50 dB. Saturday it happened again during the day and was even louder. Notified management and they said they would put a notice on his door tomorrow. He has already been notified once and I was not the only one complaining either. Finally this morning at 9:30 AM it started up again. I was in bed in the bedroom on the other side of the apartment from his unit and I could hear it. Sure enough my son heard it as well and it woke him up.
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I understand not wanting disturbance at 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning, but 9:30 AM is practically the middle of the day!
coonmanx said:
Tried to knock on his door and he didn't answer. Cops were called but they didn't even bother to show up (as usual). Pretty clear that the guy is just an A-hole. Thinking about taking him to small claims court if all else fails...

Why do such people exist in this world? I don't get it. I listen to music and never bother anyone because my stereo is on an internal wall and the sound level rarely goes above 60 dB. He is clearly listening at a much louder level. And the fact that he has already been contacted by management once but hasn't changed is not a good sign either...
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Just kidding about the 9:30 AM crack above. My first landlord's rule on music and television was that if you're in your apartment and the sound level would make you raise your voice to carry on a normal conversation, then it's too loud. The later purchase of a sound pressure meter told me that I had gotten into the habit of 50 dB average volume with peaks occasionally reaching 60 dB. I also used speaker choice and/or tone controls to limit frequency response below 60 Hz. Maybe they're all just being nice, but my neighbors in three different shared-wall living situations have told me they never hear a thing from my music system.

Of course, there are just the normal sounds that living beings make, such as occasional barking from a dog or a child's clarinet practice, and my downstairs neighbor says he knows when I'm moving furniture for sweeping and mopping (and says he's happy that I sweep and mop!), but, as my lease puts it, these sounds are "a normal part of a multifamily living environment." Obnoxiously loud music is a different matter entirely.
 
I went back to college after 4 years of army service. for two years, I lived next to a Kappa Sigma fraternity house. They played loud music at all hours of the night and day, there was a basketball hoop outsider my bedroom window that also saw frequent use at random hours. I was 24 years old and had no patience for their shenanigans: I had #911 on speed dial and the moment I heard their music, I called the po-po. I won't call the cops for most instances, but in this case, I had no compunction making law enforcement work for me against the demographic they protect and serve. It proved effective and after a while, they began leaving fliers in the foyer of my building, inviting residents to their parties. I appreciated the gesture, but still called the cops anyway. Once, I came home from the bars at 2 am to ear split tingly loud music emanating from their house. I was in no mood to wait for the cops, so I went over there and pounded on the door, but received no response and there didn't seem to be any activity in the house. I checked the door and it was unlocked, so I entered and walked towards the disturbance. I found a black Kenwood amplifier and a pair of Cerwin Vega D-9's cranked and the frat bro passed out unconscious on the sofa. I grabbed him by the shoulders (keep in mind I'm 6'8" tall and built like a linebacker) and shook him while screaming "wake the **** up" loud enough to be heard over the din of music. Bro woke up to an absolutely livid giant screaming at him to "turn that ****ing **** down!" and may have pissed himself. I could have just tuned out off and walked back to my apartment, but I had a point to make. I don't think I ever heard loud music from the house after that.

The basketball, however, was another matter. However, they kept leaving their balls outside, so I'd steal them. They'd get another, leave it outside again, and I'd steal that too.at the end of the spring semester, I'd stolen a dozen basketballs, which I'd kept in a closet in my room. I was moving, so I arranged a donation on their behalf to United Action for Youth, the organization that ran the local rec center. no doubt the bros were confused by the thank you letter they received.
 
Just pound on his door. When he opens the door, drag him out and beat the **** out of him. He’ll get the message. If not, repeat as needed. If you aren’t able, hire someone to do it for you.
 
I found a black Kenwood amplifier and a pair of Cerwin Vega D-9's cranked and the frat bro passed out unconscious on the sofa. I grabbed him by the shoulders (keep in mind I'm 6'8" tall and built like a linebacker) and shook him while screaming "wake the **** up" loud enough to be heard over the din of music. Bro woke up to an absolutely livid giant screaming at him to "turn that ****ing **** down!" and may have pissed himself. I could have just tuned out off and walked back to my apartment, but I had a point to make. I don't think I ever heard loud music from the house after that.

I remember you posting this in another thread. Funny as hell!!! Dude woke up the next morning, thinking, that was the worst nightmare ever:rflmao:
 
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