ClearSonic Drum Shield Panels

Usually not by itself. If you do not have acoustically absorbent treatments 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 sound absorbing panels on the lower half of the ClearSonic Panels as well as panels behind and beside your drummer to soak up all that excess acoustic energy. IsoPac systems that utilize the lid system provide the most reduction in sounds.

First, don’t go out and buy a bunch of mics if you have not already. We have found that in most 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 few reasons. It’s inexpensive. It’s easy and uncomplicated, and 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 the Lid panels that are Velcro receptive, you can apply a few strips of hook Velcro on the back of a standard PZM microphone 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.

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.

Good Question! Clear Drum Shields are usually set up in a manner that allow open access. In IsoPac systems the the absorptive panels don’t actually connect to the ClearSonic Panels, you can simply use one side of an S5-2 (two sections hinged together) as a “door”.

The standard ClearSonic Panel systems are made of 1/4-inch thick American made acrylic sheet, similar to Plexiglas™.

The full-length heavy-duty plastic hinges have been improved several times since 1995 and hold up very well. The 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″ 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.

Many people ask if more panels will help, and sometimes it will, although sometimes less acrylic and more acoustic panel 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! Sound absorbing 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.

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.

ClearSonic Panels ship 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. If your shipment appears to be damaged on arrival, be sure to note the damage with the carrier and contact us immediately.

ClearSonic Panels are shipped with the paper masking on the surface of the acrylic to prevent scratches during transit. Returns are not accepted if the paper masking has been removed. Returns may be considered if the product is unused and in its original packaging. Returns will be handled on a case per case basis and are subject to restocking fees and return shipping costs. Original shipping costs are non-refundable.