This pack has no cymbal mute and no bass mute, so those surfaces stay at normal volume until you buy separately. It also won’t cover a 10-inch tom or a second 14-inch drum without extra pieces.
Best Drum Mutes: Removable Options for Acoustic Practice
Start with the drum sizes you already have in front of you, not with a brand. Most mute sets are sold as fixed-diameter covers, so the useful first question is whether the pack’s pads match your kit before you spend. For drums sized 12”, 13”, 14”, and 16”, the easiest first choice is usually the Evans SoundOff Standard Drum Mute Pack: four covers that drop onto the heads and lift off when you’re done. If your kit is 10”, 12”, 14”, 14” with a 22” bass drum and you also want cymbals covered, check the Vic Firth Drum & Cymbal Mute Prepack instead.
There’s a bigger difference hiding in that advice: four drum covers do not mute your cymbals or bass drum. A single RTOM Black Hole covers one drum. The table below makes that box-by-box coverage explicit before we get into the individual picks.
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A quick photo note before the table: product photos may show drums, pedals, or cymbals that are not included. These are mutes only; check what’s in the box against the manufacturer’s component list.
Mutes compared by what’s in the box
Compare the mutes.
Match the exact package and the tradeoff to your setup before you buy.
Under SKU MUTEPP4, the manufacturer lists a 10", 12", two 14" drum mutes, a 22" bass mute, a hi-hat mute, and two cymbal mutes.
It’s one 14-inch mesh overlay for one drum. RTOM’s page warns that die-cast or wooden hoops may need optional attachment hooks. Top-mount suspension systems are incompatible; contact RTOM about any exceptions or a manufacturer fitting arrangement.
It’s designed to sit between the kick drum and the beater, so it quiets the beater contact point while the rest of the kit still needs its own treatment. This mute addresses the struck bass head; it doesn’t remove floor-borne thump or pedal movement by itself.
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| Pick | When it fits | Drum coverage | Cymbal/bass coverage | Critical check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evans SoundOff Standard Drum Mute Pack | A 12”, 13”, 14”, 16” drum setup | 12”, 13”, 14”, 16” covers for drum heads only | None: cymbal and bass mutes are separate | Confirm all four drum-head sizes before ordering; four covers are not a full kit. |
| Vic Firth Drum & Cymbal Mute Prepack | A 10”, 12”, 14”, 14” kit with a 22” bass drum | 10”, 12”, two 14” drum mutes, 22” bass mute | Hi-hat and two cymbal mutes; exact cymbal diameters not listed by manufacturer | Confirm actual pieces/variant with seller; verify pack matches SKU MUTEPP4 because listings may show inconsistent model or item-count fields. |
| RTOM Black Hole 14-inch Practice Pad | One compatible 14” snare or tom you want mesh feel on | One 14” overlay; existing head stays installed | None: other drums and cymbals need separate treatment | Check die-cast or wood hoops for optional hooks; top-mount suspension is incompatible. |
| Evans SoundOff Bass Mute | A bass drum you want to quiet without replacing the head | Bass beater-contact pad only | Bass only; no tom, snare, or cymbal covers | Confirm pedal/beater contact and manufacturer fit; no confirmed universal diameter range. |
The picks, by fitting task
Evans SoundOff Standard Drum Mute Pack: four-cover start
The Evans SoundOff Standard Drum Mute Pack is the least complicated way to start if your drum heads are exactly 12, 13, 14, and 16 inches. The four pads sit on top of the batter heads (the top heads you hit), so you don’t remove or replace anything. Lift them off and the acoustic kit is ready again.
The obvious gap is the rest of the kit. This pack has no cymbal mute and no bass mute, so those surfaces stay at normal volume until you buy separately. It also won’t cover a 10-inch tom or a second 14-inch drum without extra pieces. Check your actual head sizes, then treat cymbals and kick as their own purchase.
Vic Firth Drum & Cymbal Mute Prepack: fuller coverage for a 10/12/14/14 kit
The Vic Firth Drum & Cymbal Mute Prepack is the fuller-coverage candidate when your kit is 10”, 12”, 14”, 14” with a 22” bass drum. Under SKU MUTEPP4, the manufacturer lists a 10”, 12”, two 14” drum mutes, a 22” bass mute, a hi-hat mute, and two cymbal mutes.
That’s the clearest one-box starting point in this group for covering drums and metal at once, but two checks matter. The current manufacturer page does not list the exact cymbal diameters, so confirm the cymbal mutes will match the cymbals you actually own. Some store pages also expose contradictory model or item-count fields, so confirm the actual pieces with the seller rather than relying on a marketplace title to overrule the manufacturer’s pack contents. If you have a 13-inch rack tom or a 16-inch floor tom, one or both will still be uncovered.
RTOM Black Hole 14-inch Practice Pad: one-drum mesh overlay
The RTOM Black Hole 14-inch Practice Pad is not a kit set. It’s one 14-inch mesh overlay for one drum. It sits over the existing head and hoop (the ring the head sits in), so you can pull it off quickly when you want full volume.
The mesh can be tension-adjusted with a tuning key, and the pad includes a sound patch and rubber rim. That gives you more adjustment than a simple rubber cover, but it also comes with fit conditions. RTOM’s page warns that die-cast or wooden hoops may need optional attachment hooks. Top-mount suspension systems are incompatible; contact RTOM about any exceptions or a manufacturer fitting arrangement. This is also not the Black Hole bass V2 or an LV replacement mesh head; it’s a single 14-inch unit.
Evans SoundOff Bass Mute: the kick add-on
The Evans SoundOff Bass Mute is a standalone bass add-on, not another full set. It’s designed to sit between the kick drum and the beater, so it quiets the beater contact point while the rest of the kit still needs its own treatment.
A label like “universal” in a store title is not the same as verified fit for your drum and pedal. The current manufacturer page does not confirm a universal diameter range, so check the pedal/beater contact and the manufacturer’s fit guidance before buying—especially with a double pedal or bass drum riser. This mute addresses the struck bass head; it doesn’t remove floor-borne thump or pedal movement by itself.
Whole-kit checklist before you order
Work through this with the kit in front of you. It’s faster than returning a pack that misses one drum.
- List every drum’s nominal head size. Use the marking on the head or the manufacturer’s fit method, not the outside hoop diameter. Count how many drums you actually have.
- Note each cymbal type and diameter. Hi-hat, crashes, and ride. Cymbal mutes are diameter-specific, and not every pack specifies which cymbal sizes it includes.
- Record your bass drum size and beater position. Then decide whether the pack you’re considering includes a bass mute or whether you need a standalone add-on.
- Map the pack contents to your list. Mark anything still uncovered. Four 12/13/14/16 covers won’t cover a 10-inch tom or a second 14-inch floor tom; a 10/12/14/14 pack won’t cover a 16-inch floor tom.
- If you’re considering the RTOM Black Hole, check hoops and mounts. Die-cast or wood hoops may need optional hooks. Top-mount suspension is a known fit barrier.
- Verify the live listing’s pack contents and return terms. If the title or model fields conflict, use the manufacturer SKUs (SO-2346, MUTEPP4, BLKHOL14, SOBASS) and the manufacturer’s current component list.
- Judge the room honestly. Mutes lower the struck drum sound, but stick impact, cymbal attack, pedal tap, and sound moving through floors or walls don’t disappear just because a cover is on the head.
What changes under your sticks
Mutes change the playing surface. Rubber-style covers sit directly on the head, so the stick meets a different surface than an open head; the RTOM overlay uses tension-adjustable mesh. We did not perform independent rebound or decibel measurements for this piece. Treat any quietness ranking as a product claim until you can test the kit in your own room.
Removing a cover or overlay returns the acoustic head. A replacement mesh head would be a different install job, and gels or rings only control ring and overtones. They aren’t a substitute for full-surface practice coverage. If you only need one small practice surface, our guide to drum practice pads narrows that decision. If the remaining floor and pedal thump still makes the room impractical, the acoustic vs. electronic guide compares the bigger switch.
Quick fitting questions
Which pack covers a 10”, 12”, 14”, 14” kit with a 22” bass and cymbals?
The Vic Firth Drum & Cymbal Mute Prepack matches that drum layout on paper, but confirm the included cymbal diameters and check the live listing against SKU MUTEPP4. The Evans SoundOff Standard Drum Mute Pack isn’t the right fit for that layout because it skips the 10-inch tom and includes a 16-inch pad instead of the second 14.
Will mutes make the kit silent enough for an apartment?
They lower the struck-head and cymbal sound, but they won’t remove stick impact, pedal tap, or sound traveling through floors and walls. In a thin-walled room, that remaining noise can still be a problem. Mutes are a practical first step, not a silence guarantee.
Method and source limits
We checked current manufacturer product pages on October 20, 2026, and matched SKUs and pack contents against live listings. This is a fit and coverage comparison, not a hands-on test. We did not measure rebound, decibel reduction, or room transmission, and no pack here is a universal silence guarantee. Use the checklist to confirm your drum and cymbal sizes, then re-check the live listing’s contents and return terms. More on how we verify a spec is in our method note.