GENERAL FAQs
1. Is it safe to purchase in Skum Acoustics?
Skum Acoustics SLU is a trading company legally incorporated in Barcelona (Spain). We comply with all demands, regulations and agreements established by law in relation to e-commerce, personal data protection and consumer and user protection. We guarantee that all transactions carried out in Skum Acoustics are 100% safe.
2. Are my data protected?
Skum Acoustics guarantees the safety and confidentiality of the data furnished through the registration forms, the enforcement of its obligation to keep personal data secret and its obligation to store them and take all necessary steps to prevent them from being altered, lost, processed or used without authorisation.
All operations that involve the transmission of bank account details are carried out in a safe environment provided directly by the bank which manages the transaction (Virtual POS). At no time does Skum Acoustics have access to and store any information related to credit cards.
3. Can I pay for the order when it is delivered to my home?
No, due to the logistical particularities of our products (large volume), it is not possible to pay for them on delivery. All purchase operations must be paid for immediately on confirming the order. Please consult the details and available payment methods in the ‘Payment methods’ section.
4. How long will it take for my order to arrive?
Orders confirmed before 13h bound for the Spanish mainland or before 11h bound for European countries are normally prepared and shipped the same day. The transit time until delivery depends on the destination and the transport firm making the shipment. Please consult delivery terms in the ‘Shipments and delivery terms’ section.
5. Can I return the goods?
Of course! As long as they remain in the original packaging and the product has not been used, you have 14 calendar days from receiving the packages to withdraw from the purchase operation. Bear in mind that expenses incurred in returning the products (shipments to our warehouse) must be paid by the purchaser. Please consult the terms and conditions for returning products in the ‘General Terms and Conditions of Sale’ section.
6. What should I do if I have doubts about how and where to install the products?
Our Customer Service department will be pleased to help you settle any doubts. You can contact them by e-mail, through the form or by telephone*.
* At present, we can only respond to telephone queries in Spanish and/or Catalan. For queries in other languages please use the e-mail or contact form.
TECHNICAL FAQs
1. Are acoustic foams acoustic absorbers or acoustic insulators?
Acoustics foams are lightweight, flexible materials with a porous structure which have excellent properties as acoustic absorbers.
Acoustic insulators are normally very dense (heavy), more rigid, less porous materials that do not offer good sound absorbance, but on the other hand, have a high capacity to prevent sound from passing through them.
2. Do the acoustic kits prevent the sound from leaving (or entering) the studio?
No. The acoustic treatment is not designed to soundproof the studio (prevent the sound from leaving or entering the room). Soundproofing treatment must be applied by building acoustic walls, ceilings and floors to improve the acoustic insulation of the premises and prevent the sound from being transmitted from one space to another.
The Skum Acoustics kits are used to improve the sound quality inside the studio, but they do not increase the insulation capacity of the room.
3. What changes will I notice in my studio soundstage after installing an Acoustic Kit?
You will hear a more precise sound that is better defined and with a more coherent response at low frequency. You will notice a more muffled atmosphere, with less reverberation and sound nuances that were previously masked.
Your recordings will sound more controlled and professional and you can transfer your mixes to other spaces with higher quality.
4. How can I improve the acoustics of my studio?
Installing an acoustic kit is the first step in acoustic conditioning for your studio and provides a global, balanced treatment. You can improve the room’s response at low frequency, adding more bass trap units in vertical and horizontal corners. In addition it is advisable to use a Fötter supports kit to improve the precision of your near-field monitors, as it isolates and disconnects them from the surface that supports them, thus preventing the transmission of vibrations and stopping the surface from booming, which distorts the listening.
5. What product colours are available? Can I paint them or cover them with fabric?
The polyurethane foam products are available in charcoal grey. In the case of melamine foam (fireproof) they are available in pearl grey and white.
Acoustic foams should NOT be painted as this blocks their pores, considerably reducing their sound absorption capacity.
But they CAN be covered with fabric, provided the sound can pass through it; the more translucent the fabric, the better the passage of the sound.
6. How can I install the products?
Thanks to the lightness of the foam you can use many methods to install it, just decide whether you want the installation to be permanent, temporary or fully detachable.
For a permanent installation you can use our Skac Adhesive, a mounting adhesive specially selected because of its cleanness, ease of use and because it is odourless! Or you can use standard contact glue.
For temporary installations or ones which can easily be detached, we have the Ögla system, a set of self-adhesive Velcro-like pads that allow you to easily change and transfer the treatment.
7. I will need to cut some panels to adapt them. How should I do this?
Acoustic foam is easy to cut with a cutter. The difficulty lies in maintaining a firm grip to obtain a clean, straight cut ;)
8. How much of the surface should I cover with the acoustic absorbers?
Less than 100%, that is unless you are building an anechoic chamber%! Normally, depending on the use made of the room, between 20% and 80% of the surface area of the walls and ceiling. This is a very wide range and for this reason, for each product we have developed a guide providing information about the necessary quantity, depending on the use made of the room and its dimensions. At all events you can contact our acoustic specialists who will recommend the best option for your particular project.
9. What is the difference between the Skum Acoustics acoustic foam and other foams?
Two cornerstones upon which the development of our products is based are (a) quality and (b) performance. Among other characteristics, our products are made of (a) self-extinguishing or fireproof foam, which has a better reaction to fire. Your safety is of the utmost importance.
(b) the formula of our foam has been specially developed for acoustic treatment: it allows 4 times more volume of air to pass through it with respect to standard acoustic foams available in the market, thereby achieving a better sound
absorption performance x volume of material; in addition it is more resistant to oxidation (fading of colour along the edges).
Other foams are formulated to be used in packaging, upholstery, for household use and they do not have the same grade of safety, quality and acoustic performance as the Skum Acoustics products.