Traveling with Portable Studios

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Permalink Reply by Jeff McNeal on July 9, 2009 at 11:58am

Diane,

I have a small, rolling bag that easily stows on board the airline in the overhead compartment or under my seat. It contains everything I need. I would never entrust the airlines to my gear by putting it in a regular suitcase. But that's just me.

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Permalink Reply by Diane Merritt on July 9, 2009 at 12:08pm

so they don't question "equipment" Di

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Permalink Reply by Jeff McNeal on July 10, 2009 at 12:25pm

They'll want you to have your laptop out of the bag, that has been my experience, but the rest seemed to go through the x-ray without much fuss. Then again, it has been a long time since I've flown with my setup, now that I think about it. Last couple of trips have been car based.

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Permalink Reply by john driscoll on July 10, 2009 at 7:31pm

I bought an Airstream Bambi and rolled my Porta-Studio into it, Voice-Booth in a Box and ISDN (APT-X & TELOS Zephyr) I order ISDN lines in sweeps (Seattle,Portland,San Francisco,Malibu,San Diego,Denver,Austin, St Augustine FLA, Myrtle Beach, Washington D.C. and now here on Cape Cod.....the accoustics are superb and the view is not bad either! All the Best, John Driscoll
http://johndriscollvoiceoveramerica.blogspot.com/

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Permalink Reply by John McCalmont on July 11, 2009 at 5:38pm

I have been flying a lot lately with my portable set up, I have it all including computer and audio gear in a back pack that I carry on with me, I bring my 416 in the travel pack and always take it out, no pun intended :) it always gets me pulled aside if I don't, I definitely would not check any of it.

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Permalink Reply by John Taylor on July 17, 2009 at 7:56pm

Hi Dianne!
416 and MIC port pro in foam lined Sennheiser case and laptop and Mic clip all packed into my carry on back pack. I often have to open the MIC case to show TSA security folks. Make sure you to ask to open the case yourself.....if they open it upside down the mic will fall out. YIKES!!!!! I put each cable, USB, MIC cord, Power Supply into it's own separate 1 gallon sized clear plastic Ziplock zipper bag. This keeps the cords organized and in easy fiew for TSA agents. My carry on is a Swiss Army backpack. I try and keep it small enough to put under the seat in front of me. Often the overhead storage is at a premium. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Luis Garcia on July 20, 2009 at 1:19am

I have traveled on planes with gear several times, and always take it on board with me in a back pack or hard case. Never trust your valuable equipment to the baggage handlers. It could end up in pieces or in another city with a lost bag! I've always been pulled aside by security to check all the cables and electronic gadgets. I guess it's reasonable with all the cables, so that will add a few more minutes to your security check. If you travel with a laptop you will have to take it out of your bag before going through the x-ray machine. I've even traveled with small monitors, but that can get heavy, so now I just take some good headphones for playback and editing. I use an mbox mini, which is the perfect weight and size for airplane travel. Keep Your mic protected and use a pencil box for cables, mouse, adaptors and other miscellaneous items. I'll be traveling to Puerto Vallarta next week for vacation and will also carry my gear, making sure it's protected from humidity and sand at the beach front hotel. Hope some of these tips help.
Happy travels!

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Permalink Reply by Mike Harrison on August 9, 2009 at 12:29pm

I flew to Zurich last year with my MacBook, Firewire audio box, mic, desk stand and cabling. I kept the MacBook with me in my carry-on briefcase, but everything else was just packed deep inside my clothing in the checked soft-sided suitcase. I had no trouble leaving the States via Newark airport. However a week later, as I waited to board the plane in Zurich for the trip back home, I was asked to open my suitcase.

Security personnel were unable to identify via X-ray the Firewire audio box or the cast iron base for the mic desk stand. The security people were very polite but understandably very concerned about these items: the Firewire box, a small metal enclosure containing electronic circuitry; and the mic stand base, a very heavy piece of solid metal with a threaded hole in it.

As the Security people did not speak English, it wasn't until I assembled it all and used the word 'narrator' that they finally understood. Thankfully, because all the gear was stuffed inside the single soft-sided case, I was able to quickly unpack and assemble it, explain, and then disassemble and re-pack it without holding up the flight.

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