Probably a dumb question but . . .

[MGTLT]

I live in North America and am considering a job probably in Europe, but perhaps in the Far East.

That said, does "CE" marking, among other things, mean that a piece of audio recording gear -- in my case an Avid Digidesign 2, an ART preamp, and an ART compressor -- will operate safely and efficiently in Europe, with its 220-240V/50-60Hz electrical standards?

I appreciate that the sockets/plugs are different and that I'd need new power cords or adapters if I am able to use my gear there.

Actually, I guess the broader question is whether the major manufacturers of recording gear generally design their hardware, in terms of its electrical needs, for the global market such that it works within the different standards.

Is there anything else that I, being too dumb to even know how dumb I am, should be considering here?

Thanks in advance . . .

[KevWind]

"CE" by itself is a quality standard listing in Europe like the "UL" listing in the States
It is not a functionality cert. If the appliance has a switch for changing from the US 110 -120v/ 60 hz to the European 220-240v/50 hz then you will simply have to get the plugin adaptors . If it does not have that function You can get a portable voltage adaptor to convert 220 to 110 .

[bobby b]

Originally Posted by MGTLT

Actually, I guess the broader question is whether the major manufacturers of recording gear generally design their hardware, in terms of its electrical needs, for the global market such that it works within the different standards.

Some yes some no. In my experience ( I work in Film and TV Audio Post Production ) most equipment that uses any sort of external power supply will work 100~240 / 50Hz~60Hz and will be stated as such on the supply.
Some other gear I have encountered has a switch to go between the two, I cant say it is the norm though.
If you are using a piece of gear that is 110-120v 60Hz then use MUST use a good external power transformer(not the cheapie POS's that you find at the airport) that will give you the required voltage/Hz, don't forget wattage too, it can add up with multiple pieces of gear. These can be heavy so if needed I would check what is available where you are going.

Which ART Pre and Comp are you using?
The ART Pro-MPAII pre states in the specs "USA - 105 to 125 VAC / 60 Hz. Export units configured for country of destination"

The Avid/Digidesign 2....do you mean an Mbox 2? If so it may run off usb or firewire ....one or the other.