Recording - May 2016 - 72

It's A Big World Out There

Guest editorial by Scott Dorsey
Someday you'll be called upon to
work outside of the US. Maybe you'll be
on a tour, maybe you'll be just going
and playing a concert or studio date
somewhere. I've been on tour with a lot
of musicians playing abroad; I urge them
(and you) to remember that things are
different in different parts in the world.
1. Electricity is different: Make sure
your gear runs on 240V, the standard in
much of the world, but in some places in
Japan you'll need to make sure it runs on
100V. A lot of modern equipment with
switching supplies will just run on 240V
with no changes. Some will require
swapping some connections inside. If
that is the case, make sure you not only

won't see them in your hotel room. You'll
see round blue IEC connectors used
where we'd use stage tricks and twist
locks. Just as stages and studios are
havens for weird connectors here in the
US, you'll see weird connectors everywhere else... but different ones! Scout
things out beforehand.
2. Wireless is different: Wireless frequencies can vary from country to country. There are places where they will
confiscate wireless systems that are perfectly legal in the US, while in other
places you'll just be prevented from
bringing them across the border.
Sennheiser has a very handy website
(www.frequencyfinder.eu) that will keep
you from getting into trouble. Festivals or
events with a lot of different performers
may well have a Frequency Coordinator
who can help you.
3. Microphone threads are different:
In the US, microphone clips and shockmounts all use 5/8-27 thread. In much
(but not all) of Europe, they use the
smaller 3/8-16 screw mount (which they
sometimes call 10mm even though it
isn't). People will tell you "it's normal
microphone thread" but what they think
is normal isn't what you think is normal.

6. Watch your baggage weight: Most
airlines will charge extra for bags over
50 lbs., and some won't accept any bags
over 70 lbs. So don't try and pass that
Fender Rhodes as checked baggage.
7. Money is different: The numbers on
the money don't correspond with what
you intuitively think it is worth.
Sometimes because of economic differences, it might be worth more or less
than the exchange rate makes you think
it is. Just don't be like those people who
think of foreign currency as some sort of
Monopoly money and just throw it
around everywhere... until they discover
later how much they spent.
8. Don't expect everyone to speak
English: Learning a few set phrases in a
local language can help a whole lot, and
people are very happy to see you try to
speak their language. Learn how to say "I
am with the band" and "I play the tuba"
or whatever it is that you play, how to ask
for the bathroom, yes and no, and a few
other little things. My Editor tells me he
has found it useful to be able to say
"thank you" in as many languages as
possible, and I can't argue with that.
9. Watch your passport: Make a copy of
your passport, give it to the tour manager.

You can probably sneak that Telefunken 251 through in your
shaving case, but it's safer to do the paperwork properly.
have it set up correctly but also have the
documentation with you to change it.
Some equipment will require an external transformer, and you can get a light
autotransformer or a heavier isolation
transformer that also provides some
noise isolation. Not all transformers are
the same and there are some extremely
lousy ones out there. Transformers are
cheaper in Europe than in the US; make
sure you don't get caught needing one
and not having it.
The line frequency is also different.
These days, unless you have a
Hammond organ or something, you are
not likely to have any problems with
that. But AC motors will run 20% slower
and sound different, and if you are used
to everything humming a B note, in the
50 Hz world the air conditioner will
make a G instead and it can be very
disconcerting at first.
Connectors are different... and in a lot
of places, people don't use the official
connectors. On stages in the UK and in
India you'll find the Europlugs used in
continental Europe, even though you
72

RECORDING MAY 2016

You should have gotten adaptors with
your mic clips, and if you did, hopefully
you didn't discard them.
4. Bring what you need: If there is a
thing that you absolutely need to do
your job, be it a microphone or a
processor, a monitor or an instrument,
take it with you. You might not be able
to rent it locally.
5. Get a carnet for it: If you are leaving the country with expensive equipment, you don't want to pay duty to
import it to the country you're going to,
and more duty to import it back to the
US. Before you leave home, have an
ATA carnet filled out which lists all of the
equipment you are taking with you,
which you can hand to the folks at the
border.
Yes, you can probably sneak that
Telefunken 251 through in your shaving
case, but it's better and safer to do the
paperwork properly. There are some
countries for which carnets aren't available, and in that case there are various
procedures that allow you to put up a
bond. Find out first!

If you lose your passport, it can help you
get a new one. And no matter what they
say at the hotel desk, don't let anyone else
touch your passport.
And make sure your passport doesn't
expire while you're on tour. When it happened to John Lennon, everyone at the
embassy knew who he was. Don't count
on everyone knowing who you are.
10. Learn basic local customs: In
Thailand, the "thumbs up" sign is considered rude. Making a circle with a thumb
and forefinger means "okay" here, but it
means "zero" in France. In some places it
is rude to blow your nose in public. In
every place in the world it is rude to tap on
the microphone and ask if it's on. Don't be
the Ugly American-find out what is considered normal behaviour before you go.
Oh, and leave your illegal drugs at
home. Seriously.
Scott Dorsey (dorsey@recordingmag.com)
once miked an entire orchestra on one day's
notice using equipment he scrounged in a
foreign country. Read about it in our May
2015 issue.

http://www.frequencyfinder.eu

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