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.