Traveling with Location Recording Gear

[smsjr]

For those who do extensive traveling with their location recording gear, what have you found to be the best way to travel with your gear? Do you pack it all up in Pelican Cases and check it in at the airport? What do you carry on the plane, if anything?

I'll be traveling with a SD744, Mixer, several mics, boom pole, wind protection, mic stand, and possibly a Mac Mini computer setup, as well as all the cables and accessories that go along with it all.

I have never travelled with all this gear, so I'm a bit in the dark on the process.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[smsjr]

The thing I am mostly worried about is whether they will give me a hrad time bringing the 744 with me on the plane and what I have to do to pack the rest of it safely so that when the guys throw the stuff on the tarmac it doesn't get damaged.

I know some of you have been through this a million times. Just hoping you could give me some advice and things to be aware of.

Thanks!

Steve

[doug_hti]

put what you can in the pelicans with at least 2inch of padding in them. Pelicans are your best friend for traveling. I would be a little nervous of the mac mini being checked (pelican or not).
If you want to carry your mixer on the plane than that is fine. I check in lots of audio (in 3 pelicans) and carry on a 3 space rack and a couple microphones. I NEVER have a hard time with security, although I will get attention from it about 35% of the time (further checks). It's not a big deal at all!!! I travel between 50k-100k miles a year (read=LOTS).

The only thing to get nervous about is for international, then be careful with size AND weight of carry on and checked. North American airlines really don't care about weight that much for your carry on items, but they do care somewhat about size.

have fun

[minister]

C'mon Pelican!

[charles maynes]

Fed-x


it is cheaper and it is insured.

charles maynes

[pollyserial]

I carry on when possible, because you just never know when stufff might get lost. That's not a ton of gear you're talking about there (unless of course you want to bring some clothes : ) ) The one thing I've had to check is boom pole + mic stand.

[charles maynes]

Having shoots get screwed due to my luggage not getting connected correctly, I NEVER carry the gear any more- I ship it and then call ahead to make sure it arrived before I get on the airplane- If I have to rent replacement gear it gives me enough time to get the gear to the location ahead of me-

depending on your boom pole and mic stands, depending on what type they are, it wil likely be cheaper to ship them- I had to pay $100 to carry a 3ft pole on a flight once- It cost $20 for UPS to bring it back for me-

Mic stands are cheaper to buy and abandon in most cases if they are outside your carrying limit.

charles maynes

[smsjr]

Thanks for the help guys.

Tom, Pelican will be my choice of cases for sure if I go that route.

Charles, I had thought about shipping. My only concern is that I will have to call the hotel to check on their policies for shipping stuff to them. Have you had any problems shipping to hotels?

I think I will carry on the 744, Mix Pre, and some mics. The computer and supporting gear will be what gets shipped. Have you guys had any problems getting that kind of gear on the plane, i.e. have they questioned you about microphones?

Speaking of microphones I'm having trouble deciding what MS microphones to use. My choice of rentals locally are a Neumann 191, and a Schoeps MS config with a MK41 and MK8. I could try to rent either the Sanken handhelds or Sennheisser (MKH30/40 combo) but that would have to be out in California. I'll be in the San Fran area. I'll be recording ambiences and some natural foley. Currently I have an AT825, Senn 815, Senn 416, Oktava MK012 Hyper/Omni, SM57, AT2020, and Sony ECM77(2).

Thanks for the help!

Steve

[charles maynes]

Steve-

there are a number of options you can look at for receiving-

You can have Fed-x hold the package at one of their terminals (which might be near your airport) or you can make arrangements for a mailboxes shop to receive the package.

The hotel should be good to go if they are aware of the incoming packages- they deal with that sort of stuff regularly...

cheers-

charles

[smsjr]

Thanks so much for the info Charles! That certainly gives me many options.

Any leads on where I might be able to rent microphones in the San Fran area? I've never done any business out there, so the names I'm coming across are unfamiliar. I know the ones in the LA area.

Steve

[Nerve Nickels]

Aluminum laptop case

Carbon Fiber

[smsjr]

Very cool!

Only thing is, the $2300 for that carbon fiber case would certainly be put towards purchasing the MKH 30/40 combo instead. thumbsup

But good links to have just in case I have the extra cash to spend on some really fancy cases at some point.

Steve

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by Nerve Nickels

Aluminum laptop case

Carbon Fiber

I think you need to have at least one front tooth with a gold crown to own these-

serious bling...

I would not put that in the back of a USMC Humvee...


charles maynes

[smsjr]

In that case, I'm all set. Got the gold tooth, my 24K gold Microphone, and with this case, I'll be in business.

Steve

[minister]

Originally Posted by smsjr

Tom, Pelican will be my choice of cases for sure if I go that route.

what advice? i was quoting SCARFACE.

[smsjr]

Originally Posted by minister

what advice? i was quoting SCARFACE.

Say 'ello to my little friend!

[philper]

I recently did a shoot where I had to arrive and start recording immediately, 18 to 20 tracks on computer w/ backups. I managed to get a MOTU Traveler, a MOTU 8Pre, several mics, a Sound Devices 702T, a Tascam HDP2, power supplies and 16 XLR Y cables into a standard size carryon, with the computer and 3 drives+cables etc in my briefcase. I couldn't take the chance that the airlines would delay my gear, and was glad that decent quality multitrack recording has become so miniaturized. I love the idea of shipping everything ahead and NOT dealing w/ gear on the travel day, but that's never worked out for me due to time and rental contraints. In the old days (pre 9/11) I traveled internationally with as many as 45 cases of sound and camera gear, but today the baggage overage charges wold be really brutal and the airlines might decide to not send it all at once anyhow, due to space constraints. We tried freight forwarders but had bad experiences that resulted in extra rental charges and lost days.

Philip Perkins

[doug_hti]

well everyone has to go for what works for them....
that being said, I've had three missed luggage pieces on well over 300 plus flights. One of those times was from the Germans in Frankfurt that promised to us up and down on my way to africa that luggage travels so much faster than the passengers on tight flight connections. Fortunately it was always my clothes bag, not gear.

Since 9/11 the incidents of lost luggage have gone WAY down, which sucks for jumping on earlier flights standby, but great for luggage following you on your flight as it is tracked electronically.

Again, the security does not care about what you carry on in terms of mics, etc.

[charles maynes]

I would say Doug's comments are worth considering-

I am personally tired of having to explain the gear ad-nauseum and the chemical residues that are on the kit, Which is why I do things in the manner I do.

charles maynes

[smsjr]

Are the luggage fiascos minimized by direct flights?

I'm starting to think I can actually fit most of my stuff into the carry ons. The recorder and mixer, batteries, maybe a couple of mics can fit into my Portabrace audio organizer bag which will fit under the seat. The other bag should be able to fit the computer, a small screen, other mics, wind protection, and odds and ends. It will be a tight fit, but I'm trying to work it so that most of the stuff goes on the plane with me. The only thing I'll have to pack in my luggage would be a boom pole and my tool kit which has knives.

Steve

[doug_hti]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

I would say Doug's comments are worth considering-

I am personally tired of having to explain the gear ad-nauseum and the chemical residues that are on the kit, Which is why I do things in the manner I do.

charles maynes

Charles, Do they really get after you for chemical residue?

One time immediately after 9/11 a month or so, I was on a return flight and going through security the second time (when they had an additional one outside of one gate or a wing of gates), something triggered off the chemical machine and I was quickly manuevered to the side with people surrounding me.

The new machine and new worker weren't quite the match working together and there was an error in the system. But that was 5 minutes of fun.

Here are a few things that work for me:
-avoid connections if possible, if there is one, make sure it's longer than 40 minutes
-be in the checkin line no later than 80 minutes out for domestic
-checked equipment shouldn't be so light that they handle the equipment like a pillow and toss it, yet so heavy that it alwasy gets dropped the final 6 inches. 40 pounds is a good weight.
-when asked what you have in checkin and security, it's "Professional audio equipment" (25% you'll sign the release)
-on regional jets (the smaller ones), (they will try to gate check your bag on the tarmac or end of gate), just say "it fits under the seat and they will leave you alone after that...



I hate to keep beating an almost dead horse and don't know why I am, but I do both remote gigs and also road manage for a international touring artist that I have to bring multitrack playback, vox efx, and a vox and ear rack. I have a number of redundancy plans, but I rely on this method over and over again to make sure I get a paycheck at the end of the day.

[smsjr]

Originally Posted by doug_hti

-avoid connections if possible, if there is one, make sure it's longer than 40 minutes

Both flights will be direct flights.

Originally Posted by doug_hti

-be in the checkin line no later than 80 minutes out for domestic

I almost always get to my flights 90 minutes before hand these days.

Originally Posted by doug_hti

-checked equipment shouldn't be so light that they handle the equipment like a pillow and toss it, yet so heavy that it alwasy gets dropped the final 6 inches. 40 pounds is a good weight.

That's good to know

Originally Posted by doug_hti

-when asked what you have in checkin and security, it's "Professional audio equipment" (25% you'll sign the release)

Release? Not sure I know what you mean.

Originally Posted by doug_hti

-on regional jets (the smaller ones), (they will try to gate check your bag on the tarmac or end of gate), just say "it fits under the seat and they will leave you alone after that...

Do they give you a hassle about those small carry on luggage bags? Mine would be right on the border for size and it will have a computer (Mac Mini) in it. Will they make me take it all out?

Originally Posted by doug_hti

I hate to keep beating an almost dead horse and don't know why I am, but I do both remote gigs and also road manage for a international touring artist that I have to bring multitrack playback, vox efx, and a vox and ear rack. I have a number of redundancy plans, but I rely on this method over and over again to make sure I get a paycheck at the end of the day.

Not a problem. Sounds like a cool gig you got there.

[smsjr]

By the way, I apologize that this is not a post production specific thread. I know there are some location recordists on this forum, which is why I figured I'd take a shot. Most of my time is spent in a mix room, but every once and a while I get to go out and play too.

Steve

[soundguydave]

Do not check any expensive electronics on a plane. We checked a $1,500 lighting kit that never made it. No big deal, we rented one when we got out there. Well, when we tried to get reimbursed from AA, they were all ready to cut us a $1,500 check, until they found out it was electronics, which apparently they won't cover. So in my opinion, that gives the luggage guys a license to steal any electronics they want, since their company doesn't care. Fedex it for sure.

[pollyserial]

Originally Posted by smsjr

Thanks so much for the info Charles! That certainly gives me many options.

Any leads on where I might be able to rent microphones in the San Fran area? I've never done any business out there, so the names I'm coming across are unfamiliar. I know the ones in the LA area.

Steve

I've used

AUDIO GEAR FOR RENT

.....good luck!

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by smsjr

By the way, I apologize that this is not a post production specific thread. I know there are some location recordists on this forum, which is why I figured I'd take a shot. Most of my time is spent in a mix room, but every once and a while I get to go out and play too.

Steve

No worries, this thread has been moved to the Remote & Location Recording Forum where it should be...

Enjoy!