Floating With A Wireless Unit

By: Scott Woodward, Voodoo Cowboys ~ Bass & Vocals

Leaving your cord on shore

One thing I have found out working on a cruise ship, besides the bathrooms are too small and the shower curtains are very friendly is that using a wireless system on a ship can be either a blessing or a nightmare.

The Stages are either so small you can’t fit the drum kit or they are so massive your cord won’t reach from the backline to the front of the stage (some have ice skating rinks inside them) Let me say first I use my wireless because I’m clumsy and always tripping over my cord’s, not because I want to run around and jump off the P.A. system. So here is what I have come up with for using wireless unit’s on a cruise ship.

Make sure you can change the frequencies.
I was using a cheaper brand wireless when I first started out working on cruise ships and one night to the horror of the production manager my bass was coming through the house system during a really quit part in a production show in the main theater. Just imagine how the singer’s in the show felt when in the middle of their big number “I Believe I Can Fly “my bass comes ripping through the P.A. system with higher ground (the red hot chili peppers version). And on the other side, the band I was in was playing a very popular theme night in the main theater and right in the middle of a song an announcement from the cruise director came through my amplifier saying the buffet will be closing in 10 minutes. You need to be able to change your frequency because there is so many other wireless things are being used on the ship at the same time.

Bring plenty of batteries
Keep a supply of batteries it’s really inconvenient to run out, you can’t just swim to 7 – 11. My system for my bass take’s AA’s so I can sometimes get them from the sound man. But don’t rely on him, He may be busy and forget to get them for you. I also use wireless in-ear monitors and those take 9v batteries. Don’t expect to see those on the ship. Go to your local Enormo club and get the mulit-pack’s of them it’s cheaper than Wally world.

Have a back up plan
It’s always good to have a spare belt pack and cord ( I use the shure u-2 series and my unit is a double unit so I have two complete unit’s in one and I use one side as my back-up. But most important always bring a cord just in case. You never know when it’s going to be just easier to use a cord.

So that being said I love my wireless system. Clumsy people rejoice. Stage nomad’s yell it out. We love our wireless systems!!! We just don’t like the cruise director making announcements through our amps.