So today I was practicing out in my backyard on my new snare drum and some1 called the cops so the police came to my house and told me someone had complained and that I had to stop......In my opinion it wasn't too late.....8 30 pm with SOME daylight.......what can i do about this issue to further prevent complaints??And can anyone help me out on what the noise regulations are for a residential area??Also if u have similar experiences I would like to hear them....Thanks a bunch.

My personal recommendations are:
-Pad it up
-Take it inside. Wear some hearing protection and jam. There is an older thread on here about dampening sound indoors, and the things you could do to make it work.
-Talk with the neighbors and compose a compromise with them, and make sure that you have a complete understanding with them as do you.
As for the noise regulations, you could contact your city and they should be able to help you out. All I know from experience is that you can't have a good amount of sound if you can't see the sun. Hope this all helps.

Maybe you could talk to your neighbors about practicing 30 minute a day during late afternoon or something. Then practice on a slimpad or hard side of the Real Feel the rest of the time. Neighbors are something you will have to deal with unless you live way out in the country or have a studio.

stuff a pillow in the drum. It may not make it sound good, but it does quiet it down

play during like 2:00 to 5:00, it's the middle of the day so from what i've heard, your neighbors can't complain.

Actually they can. There's a level of noise that's acceptable during the day, and there's a level of noise that's never acceptable. You'll have to check your local regulations obviously, but I've had the cops show up at 6 pm when I was playing my kit. Although I bet a kid in the back yard playing a snare is no louder than lawnmower...

from what I know, all the authorities can do is tell you to stop being so loud, unless it is a constant thing.

A lawn mower is something that HAS to be done outside, and a snare drum can be done in a garage, or if you have earplugs, indoors.

A lot of communities have noise ordinances on the books, so you really could get in trouble. And if a cop really wanted to throw the book at you, he could use California Penal Code 415 (Disturbing the Peace), which prohibits "maliciously and willfully disturb(ing) another person by loud and unreasonable noise." You could argue about the meaning of "maliciously" or "unreasonable", but I wouldn't want to be making those arguments in a courtroom.

If it is a written ordinance as a law in the area, then you wouldn't have much luck inside either. Personally, if there is one, I wouldn't be able to practice outside, and there is a sheriff that lives 5 houses down from me that passes by everyday several times. I believe the poice would be reasonable and sign a warning or a reduced fine if it was a first time, assuming the policeman is not the Starsky of the deparment. Like I said, if his parents knew about a noise ordinance, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be out there.

Use a practice pad for a good chunk of your practicing, then break out the snare for some detailed work. As for the noise, as long as it is not late in the evening and you are not playing for long extended periods of time, you should be okay. Try to keep it to 30 min. or less and NOTHING past 8 pm. I have a young child at home and she goes to sleep around 8...someone slamming on a snare drum would get me upset. You might also take the snare into the garage with some hearing protection. Have a box fan on hand if it is warm and keep some clothes pins to tack your music down.

maybe they complain because you cant play well. :P
but in all seriousness, you should talk to your neighbor like others have suggested and find out what is acceptable for him. when i play drumset i try not to play past 6:30. I do practice tenors in my house and nobody seems to complain though. But if youre playing past 6, i would take a pad inside. Or you can muffle your snare with a sheet or something as long as it doesnt mess up the rebound.

My band was playing at a party this one time and the people had told the neighbors we were going to play to make sure that they were ok with that. So we started playing and about 2 hours later the cops came up and said someone up the hill was complaining about my drums. it was lame. we had to stop.

ok.......that day i was only out there for about 45 mins and it was mostly 8's and a double beat ex. that i was working.....i must admit it was getting kind of late but i prefer not to pad it up because im always on my pad at work during breaks and lunch......and then i get home and i wanna throw some stuff on the snare.....but i bought it for that reason, so i could practice on it and lately i have been playing in my room with ear protection and my parents dont complain.....but the other day i went outside at noon on a day off i had and no complaints......it might have just been too late that day....it was 8 30 pm and out here is socal it starts getting dark at round that time......thanks for the advice everyone and im thinking if tbat ever happens again that i will ask who complained and try to set up a deal with them.....thank you all.

Pretty much keep it to during the day, or keep it inside. I keep my set in the basement, you can actually hear it out in the front lawn. Drums can get pretty loud.

What I did with my tenors was take them out right in the middle of the day in the backyard, and practiced, Of course, after about 15 minutes I started getting some dirty looks from my old neighbors, so I just took them in without muffles. You'll be suprised how much noise reduction a wall will make.

You have a problem with that snare, simply because its exactly that, a snare. You can hear a drumline warming up from a mile away (literally) So people are going to hear your snare. Try taking it inside, throwing up a lot of foam on the walls, and wearing ear protection. Gradually start introducing a regular schedule outside, try and keep it regular, so people will know when to expect it. In that way it may be less "annoying" for them.