AIRPORTS, GEAR, TERRORISTS...bad idea?

[elloweez]

Anyone traveling with gear this holiday season? I have a DAW AKAI 16 track that i want to take with me but i am a bit worried about getting it onto the plane. There is NO WAY i am checking it in so I plan on packing it in a backpack (lots of padding) and walking through customs with it. I guess my question is will those raditaion beams they use to x-ray your stuff mess with my DAW in any way? Also should i be worried about airport security taking apart my machine and checking for weapons of mass destruction? I heard they do this with laptop computers somtimes.

[joelpatterson]

Maybe they'd cut you some slack if you slapped a "Bush/Cheney" sticker on it?

[Scodiddly]

You might bring along a pair of headphones so you can play back content? I dunno. They do see people bringing all kinds of crap through, climate of fear notwithstanding.

I myself went in with a copper pipe-based microphone a couple weeks ago, and they were too busy with that bomb-residue swabbing thing to X-ray my suitcase. Plus there were two wacky-looking ergonomic keyboards and all sorts of computer adapters and wires.

[Mr. Dipity]

You might bring along a pair of headphones so you can play back content? I dunno. They do see people bringing all kinds of crap through, climate of fear notwithstanding.

Don't forget the power supply, too. Chances are that's the worst it will take.

[bluntphunk]

when i was working with a cruise line i had to go through airport security many times since 9/11, i also had to take gear with me. eith you can check it in your luggage (which if you do make sure its really secure and protected.) it will go through the standard x-rays and manual searches to see whats inside. if you take it as part of your carry on, security will have you put it through the x-ray. they will see that it has a hd (or a big black space that could be explosives) and want to see it on and working. take headphones and the ps with you so security cann see it turn on. they will be fine with that.

[bluntphunk]

and take shoes that you can get on and off quickly. they make everyone do that since the jack ass that hid the explosives in his shoes tried to light his feet on fire.

[inverseroom]

I had to bring that exact same DAW (dps16, I assume) to Portland with me for a session with friends (2000 miles!) so I bought a hard case for it on eBay, packed it very well, and sent it ahead via UPS, along with all my stompboxes. My luggage on the plane was a briefcase with underwear and shirts in it, and I wore Converse low-tops, which have soles thin enough to prevent their making you take your shoes off.

Lovely trip.

[Scodiddly]

and take shoes that you can get on and off quickly. they make everyone do that since the jack ass that hid the explosives in his shoes tried to light his feet on fire.

Nope.

We're starting to need civil disobedience here, folks. Be nice, be respectful, follow orders, and wear boots that take 10 minutes to take off and 20 to put back on.

[djgout]

the year before last i was going through dulles with an mbox and a pair of sm57s in my carry on. the mbox they didn't mind, but the sm57s had the mic clips still attatched, so they looked kinda like guns.
so they kept asking me what was in my bag, wouldn't let me really explain or show them that the clips slide off......so i had this huge altercation that ended up with machine gun totting guards escorting me and my bag to their supervisors office where he took one look at them and said they were microphones and started laughing. the entire thing took about 30 minutes because the damn security guards were somehow scared shitless of me and my 5'4" 110lbs of pure physical violence.

nation of fear.

[JASIII]

Scodiddly, was that a Placid Audio Copperphone? at least you didn't close down the airport with it!

[Scodiddly]

Scodiddly, was that a Placid Audio Copperphone? at least you didn't close down the airport with it!

Nope, it was one of my own DIY mics. But I was definitely thinking about that Copperphone incident when I packed it.