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Frequently Asked Questions – ClearSonic

Frequently Asked Questions

Please feel free to contact us if your questions are not fully answered.

I'm in Canada (or another country) and cannot complete my purchase.  Do you ship to Canada (or other international locations)?
We do not ship to customers outside the U.S., though we have many dealers throughout the world who can help. Please check our International Dealer List to find a dealer to assist you.

How soon will my order ship?
We keep all parts in stock, but we build our products to order.  Manufacturing time depends on the amount of orders currently in place and can vary day-to-day.  Please contact us to determine current lead time.  Orders placed directly on our website are usually processed within 1-2 business days.  

Will putting a shield in front of the drummer fix our problems?
Usually not by itself. If you do not have any acoustically absorbent objects to the sides and behind your drummer, you may end up with a very roomy sounding drum set in the audience areas.

We strongly recommend the use of our S2224 Sorber sound absorption panels on the lower half of the ClearSonic Panels along with several S2444x2 or S2466x2 Sorber panels behind and beside your drummer to soak up all that excess acoustic energy. You may even need to use our LID System.

What is the best way to mic the drum kit?
First, don't go out and buy a bunch of mics if you have not already. We have found that in most church applications, a kick mic and at least one overhead mic is all that is needed to give the sound person control over the drum volume.

This works well for a couple reasons:

1) It's inexpensive
2) It's easy, and
3) you don't have a bunch of mic stands and cables to fight with in a tight area.

Use a small mic stand to mic the kick drum or just lay a mic inside the drum on some type of cushion. If you have Sorber Lid panels that are Velcro receptive, you can apply a few strips of hook Velcro on the back of a standard PZM (see Crown or Audio Technica) and attach it above the snare on the Lid Panel. You can use a few more strips of Velcro to drape the cable over to the side of the booth and then down to the floor. This mic will pick up the entire kit and eliminate the need for a mic stand.


What is the average diameter of an IsoPac?
The IsoPac A will yield about an 8 foot average diameter whereas the IsoPac B is about 7.5 feet. Most of the time, the systems are setup in a more "oval" configuration so that the width is less than the depth. Our support bars work best at a 6 to 7 foot span.


How do I get in and out of a ClearSonic system? Is there a door?
Good Question! Because the Sorber panels don't actually connect to the acrylic panels, you can simply use one side of an S2466x2 (two sections hinged together) as a "door". Click here for a picture of the door explanation.


How do the part numbers correspond to what I'm ordering?
The A stands for Acrylic, the first number designates the panel height, and the second number tells us how many sections you want in your system.
i.e. A2466x4 means an Acrylic 5-1/2 feet tall system consisting of 4 panels.
AR (i.e. AR2466x4) stands for Abrasion Resistant acrylic, S (i.e. S2466x2) stands for Sorber, C (i.e. C2466) stands for Case.


What are the sizes I can get, and how many sections can I get?
We offer two standard drum shield heights, 4 feet and 5.5 feet. Each individual panel is 2 feet wide. You can order up to 7 panels in your pre-assembled system. A2466 ClearSonic Panels are 66-inches high because many drummers have cymbals that high and lower panels are not nearly as effective. After all, aren't cymbals a BIG part of your volume problem?

It costs us a lot more to add that 6 inches because it's a non-standard size, but we do it because we feel that it is very important to provide our customers with the highest possible system that will ship by standard FedEx ground service. Higher systems have to ship by truck at a much greater cost, so beware of 6' or higher systems. If you feel you need more height, see our drum shield Height Extenders. Our 2 and 3 foot tall amp shields for guitar amps have 4 sections that are 1 foot or 1.5 feet wide each. 

Which size drum shield should I get, and how many panels should it have?
Good question! Drum set placement, drum volume vs. cymbal volume concerns, ceiling height, existing wall and floor surfaces all play a part in determining the best setup. Speaking directly with us will help you devise a plan of attack ensuring that you receive the correct system to handle your situation. Our best selling systems are listed under Large Isolation Booths.

What are the panels made of?
The standard drum shields are made of 1/4-inch thick American made acrylic sheet, similar to Plexiglas™. Our AR models are made of acrylic that have been treated with a scratch resistant coating.


Will the hinges hold up?
Our full-length heavy-duty plastic hinges have been improved several times since 1995 and are holding up very well. Our latest design incorporates a "tooth" that snaps into a groove along the long edge of each panel, ensuring that the panels will not come apart. This unique hinge also allows our systems to fold "accordion style" for easy transport.

The flexible part of ClearSonic hinge is at least 0.06-inches thick, almost twice the thickness of our competitor's catalog bought hinge. We own the die for our heavy-duty extruded hinge. No one else has it. Don't settle for some flimsy, off-the-shelf hinge from a competitor that may be only 0.038-inches thick or less at the flexible part that will split and fail in short order. Ask for a sample of their hinge. We will be glad to send you a sample of our hinge for you to compare.


Do I need to add more acrylic sections if the volume is still too loud, or should I add acoustic treatment, like your Sorber sound absorption panels?
Many people ask if more panels will help, and sometimes it will, although sometimes less acrylic and more acoustic treatment is necessary. Adding more acrylic will reflect more direct energy, but that energy still needs go somewhere.

Don't just trade a loud direct drum sound for a loud roomy drum sound! ClearSonic Sorber panels greatly improve the effectiveness of acrylic drum shields by soaking up much of the direct and reflected sound coming off the drums and shields. See our Sorber page for more details. Speaking with us will help to determine what setup is best for you.


Can I add or remove sections if the system I ordered isn't quite right?
All of our systems are designed to accommodate panel add-ons. We include instructions on installation with your add-on order. Our hinges are designed to be permanent and so removing a panel would destroy the hinge. Keep in mind that the end panel can be folded back onto the adjoining panel to save space.


How will my system ship?
We normally ship FedEx Ground.

Is your drum shield factory-assembled and packaged well enough to take the abuse of shipment?
Our drum shields ship fully assembled in a heavy duty box that includes extra packing materials. Once again, it costs us more to do this but we feel that drum shields won't do you much good if they arrive broken.


What is my return policy?
Our drum shields ship with paper masking on the surface of the acrylic to prevent scratches during transit. Please do NOT remove the masking until you are sure you will keep the panels! If you decide you would like to return a drum shield and the paper masking has not been removed, we will refund your purchase cost less shipping and a 10% restocking fee provided the panels return in new condition. If the masking has been removed, the panels are not returnable.
Please note, all products from our Blem list are sold 'as-is' and are NOT returnable.  Click here for return instructions.