I decided to purchase a violin mute when I moved into my apartment complex, just to avoid any noise complaints by neighbors. The mute does its job well. It cuts the sound by about half which is really great for playing later in the day or early on weekends. It does lower the quality of the sound a bit but nothing too really complain about. I'd definitely recommend this if you want a quieter practice session with the violin. It's price is pretty great too, cheaper to order on here than to buy it at a music shop.