Sound Expeditions

To anyone who looks at one of Greg’s expedition brochures and is tempted even a little, I say GET ON IT! I couldn’t have imagined the incredible time I would have learning the inside tips of ‘audio personality’ Greg Simmons, experiencing his infectious enthusiasm in the field, recording and listening to some talented and chilled local artists, creating some great friends, hiking up and down a giant mountain, and all in an absolutely breath-taking country: Nepal.

I urge anyone with a sense of adventure, a desire to travel and an interest in audio engineering to go on one of Greg’s recording adventures. It’ll change your perspective on life, I promise!

The expedition with Greg Simmons was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By the time I left Bangkok to join Greg and his team in Kathmandu, I was already an experienced traveller and had spent a reasonable amount of time in Nepal and India. I was at the end of my audio production studies at SAE Bangkok and had heard about the expedition from a Nepali friend. I was obviously in doubt with the value of the expedition since I had been travelling for years with a featherweight bag and a minimum of expenses, but the project was very appealing to me and so I went for it.

The journey ended up being absolutely priceless. Not only for the talented musicians we got to record in breath-taking locations, but also for the people I met and the many crazy and magical moments we shared together. Greg’s audacity and astonishing connections brought us to otherwise unattainable places. The expedition was without a doubt a fascinating and unique adventure. Truly recommended.

I recently spent two weeks in Nepal on a recording expedition with Greg Simmons and three other keen audio travellers. We recorded, mixed and mastered an album of traditional music in a recording studio for a local musician, and then we trekked into the Himalaya to capture some truly ethnic music among some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable.

From the moment I arrived until the day I left, Greg’s generosity in sharing his 30 years of experience was both a constant delight and worthy challenge to us all. Unlike a lot of ‘industry experience’ opportunities, at no time was I left standing off to the side watching; Greg had me elbows-deep in the gear and pushing all the buttons. In addition to helping us facilitate each recording, he made a point of ensuring that we understood the ‘why’ behind the methods being used. His insights, stories and ideas kept us thinking on the job and chatting and laughing around a meal until the early hours.

He knows the food, the people, and the places – not just the audio! His calm leadership, local knowledge, warm humour and seemingly endless list of in-country friends and contacts ensured that the whole trip ran quite smoothly. Even when the unexpected occurred, nothing was a problem for Greg and his team: he found a horse up a mountain for an injured traveller, he sourced a second 4x4 vehicle in minutes for an eight-hour journey the same day, and he ran a professional studio-based multitrack recording session at 24/192k using batteries and candles when the power went out.

I’ve been overseas dozens of times for work and play; this was one of the smoothest and most enjoyable ‘holidays’ I’ve ever been on. There is quite simply no comparable experience on offer that I know of. After talking to others who have done similar expeditions with Greg, we agreed that taking part in one of his expeditions will set anyone apart from the crowd at university, in the studio or on location.

If you’re looking for real hands-on time with excellent gear under the mentorship of one of the industry’s best, in a variety of unmatched situations, this is the trip for you. The end result for me was not only a fantastic set of recordings, but also a wealth of memories from an amazing adventure.

I made the decision to join one of Greg Simmons’ expeditions with a lot of hesitation and not much money. My primary concern at that point was, ‘how much will this cost me?’ How very wrong I was taking such an attitude! The six weeks I spent in Nepal and India with Greg was by far the most enlightening and rich experience of my life. For reasons unknown to me, when I arrived home and was asked how the trip went by a close friend, I broke down in tears. I could not explain the effect it had on me, but it was clearly profound.

The recordings were a revelation to me as a guerrilla home studio musician; microphone placement and direct-to-stereo recording were areas I had never given much thought to, but Greg’s guidance and mini-lectures before every take really helped me grasp concepts that were previously foreign.

The journey is not only about microphones and boom poles, however – I had some of the best conversations, revelations and hangovers of my life on that trip, and learned so much about my own journey.

There are far too many memories to list here but I will share my fondest, one that takes mantle as a perfect time in my life: hanging out the door of an Indian train smoking a cigarette as the sun goes down over the ranges, no real idea where we are other than heading south and getting warmer, swigging on some White Stagg whisky and wondering where this adventure was going to take us next. This is my image of India, and a beautiful one it is; until Greg comes past on his way to the toilet and ruins it with a joke that even a six year old would be ashamed of!

Having said that, Greg is the man. This trip changed my life. I may still be working in a hotel but in my mind I’m anywhere but. Don’t even hesitate on going wherever Greg’s crazy mind is planning to go next; he could say “I’m going to Baghdad to record bombs exploding” and it would be worth the effort.

If you’re reading this you’re probably thinking about heading on a recording expedition with Greg Simmons. Well, stop thinking about it! Just DO IT!!

Having been to Nepal and India on two occasions now (one independently with my partner and the other with Greg), I must say that although Greg’s expeditions may seem like package-style pre-planned trips, there is actually nothing else like them. The only similarity with package-style trips is that the travelling and accommodation is organised for you, which leaves you with more time to enjoy and soak up the culture and landscapes. As you may know, the trip is centred on the recording of indigenous/traditional music and instruments in the studio and out in the field in some pretty amazing locations, like on a star-lit boat floating down the Ganges!

Travelling with Greg gave me many experiences that would otherwise be very hard to come by. The trip is a great opportunity to get involved, record and experience music and culture that no mainstream tourist gets to experience. Overall, it’s an unforgettable journey through the music of another world. Highly recommended!

I have been making a living from audio in the freelance world for a considerable time and my expectations were high. Having done the Nepal/India expedition I have to say that my expectations were met and, at times, surpassed.

Greg Simmons and Mr Dil Gurung – his right-hand man from Nepal – steered the expedition smoothly through some very challenging terrain. Greg and Dil’s knowledge of the two countries and their ability to negotiate the bureaucracies of the third world is second to none. They are both well practiced at organising excellent musicians and amazing locations; you will be pinching yourself at times to make sure it is not a dream! The travel experience is intense, but to balance it out there is plenty of free time to look around on your own and discover the rich cultural diversity of Nepal and India.

If you have a passion for recording, if you’re interested in people of different cultures, and if you want the opportunity to explore unique experiences in life, this expedition is definitely worth doing.

I owe a large part of my personal understanding, growth, humbleness and success in the music industry to the experiences and exposure to parts of the world that Greg Simmons has so selflessly shown me. This is a statement that not many people would wholly understand, and I know this because what I experienced on Greg’s expedition has been an invaluable addition to my own unique understanding, involvement, learning and tastings of places I would honestly not have decided to visit.

The places stated in the itinerary were merely names of regions to be visited within foreign countries; until you travel by jeep, bus, train and even camel through such places, you haven’t a clue about the immense depth of culture, sights and bombardment of senses you will absorb.

I stay in contact with those who came on this trip with me. Each of us shared the same experiences but what we took away from them varies, and with good reason. The highlights I remember were being in the barren ice deserts of Tibet and coming across the naturally beautiful hardened souls that cling to their land. But when I ask the others, it could have been Bundu Khan’s village in Rajasthan, or the local musician recordings made in the villages of Nepal, or Gypsies in the Thar Desert.

Once again, they are only the names of places until you have walked through them, shaken the hands of the people who live there, shared their food, and paid attention to your surroundings.

If you have even the slightest curiosity and questioning of the world around you, I strongly advise you to take the plunge – talk to Greg, book the flight and, for goodness sake, pay attention to everything about these trips! They are truly priceless and I seriously doubt you will find anyone more capable and transparently vivid in offering you an inside view of places most of the western world doesn’t even know about!

I entered the Myanmar expedition with a background in electronic music production and a formal education in audio engineering at the Australian Institute of Music.

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Greg’s expeditions had been on my mind for many years, as I’m interested in investigating cultures through music. I have a specific interest in abstract electronic music – bordering ‘sound design music.’ To my delight, the traditional marionette music of Myanmar shared many similarities with the music I’m interested in due to its tonal palettes, rhythmic fluctuations and dramatic shifts in chaos and order.

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A highlight of the trip was the recording session in Mandalay, in which an eight-piece ensemble performed traditional marionette music, live-to-multitrack in an unusual L-shaped space. The challenges posed by capturing unique instruments with the selection of microphones available at the studio, and controlling spill via microphone and musician placement, made for a memorable session. To observe Greg’s process, and assist in setting up, was fascinating and further illustrated his expertise in sound recording. Throughout the session he highlighted the idea of utilizing a microphone’s polar response to reject spill from other instruments. I found this to be an important shift in perspective on polar responses. Hearing back the recording is always exciting and rewarding, as it brings back vivid memories associated with fantastic music!

I personally enjoyed every aspect of this expedition because all the experiences were novel and rich in meaning. Ferrying down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bagan was a captivating experience; doing so with a team of like-minded individuals made for a fun and thought-provoking journey. The sleeper train from Bagan to Yangon was the most difficult part for me – I have fond memories of staring up at the stars while surrendering to the bump and rock of the train, and of passing through small towns as the warm sun gradually appeared over the horizon, but in those last few days of the expedition it became apparent just how physically draining that train ride was.

I will definitely participate in another recording expedition as I enjoyed myself greatly! The importance and value of traveling in a group of interested and focused participants is readily apparent. I would recommend Greg’s expeditions to musicians and sound people alike.

I recently joined a small group of audio students on a recording expedition through Burma with Greg Simmons. My motivation was to experience a new culture and new music; I was itching to get away from city life and immerse myself in a new adventure! The entire trip was filled with opportunities to record sound and music. One of the highlights for me was a recording session in Mandalay. It was very spontaneous in the sense that we didn’t know what to expect, so we had to make on-the-spot decisions on the best ways to capture the sounds of musical instruments we had never seen or heard before.

As an audio engineering student, this trip gave me the opportunity to apply skills that I’ve learnt in the classroom as well as learning new things from Greg and the other travellers. I had an incredible time, and developed a newfound love of non-western music and all its intricacies.

Travelling and recording in Asia with Greg Simmons was an unforgettable experience!

I was a bit unsure about going on one of Greg’s recording expeditions, as they seemed somewhat targeted towards audio students. I had already finished my study and was working in a recording studio full time. I had no need to worry, however, as I got so much out of this trip and learnt a great deal – not just about audio and recording, but about the world and myself as a result.

Greg’s trips are packed with amazing experiences. I would often have one of those moments where I’d think ‘Wow! I’m amazed that I’m here right now doing this!”

If you are thinking about going on one of Greg’s trips, I say, “go for it”!  Invest in yourself and your recording skills. This experience has been one of the best in my life; I cannot wait to join Greg on the road again.

The Nepal/India expedition was a grand, eye-opening experience for me. I really enjoyed it and tried to make sure that I took as many of the experiences available as possible.

Truthfully, I do not think that I completely appreciated the trip at the time. Looking back now at all the things we did - being the first Westerners to visit some remote villages in Nepal, travelling on a row boat in Varanasi listening to a local boatman singing folk songs, hearing the sitar and tabla used in conjuction with each other, and having an all round adventure seeing new places - was most definitely worth the travel for!

I would highly recommend to anyone who is not entirely sure, you will appreciate it more as you have time to think back on it later. I am definitely hoping to travel on another trip some day soon.

The recording expedition with Greg Simmons was an amazing experience, to say the least! How many people have the opportunity to travel around India and Nepal with a bunch of like-minded professionals, recording traditional music? Not only did I pick up an abundance of invaluable knowledge that I use throughout my audio career, I met friends for life.

I obtained so much audio knowledge by travelling with Greg and the other audio buffs from around Australia. I use that knowledge now on a daily basis in studios and on location - I couldn’t have learnt it any other way! In fact, going on the expedition helped me snatch up a job assisting Audio Directors in the Television Broadcasting Department of the ABC.

I would definitely recommend this trip to those who have an interest in music, travelling and culture. It will blow your mind!

I have travelled with Greg Simmons on two different expeditions, first to Nepal and India, and later that year to Myanmar (aka Burma).

Not only were the expeditions an excellent education in various recording techniques, they were truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences! I got to meet amazing musicians and see them perform in their local environments, all the while travelling off the beaten track to have experiences your typical tourist will never be part of.

As a traveller and as an audio guy, I can’t recommend these trips highly enough.

I went on a recording expedition to Nepal with Greg Simmons, and got to explore Kathmandu and the Langtang region. I love to travel but hadn’t really thought about seeing Nepal before; if it wasn’t for this trip, I might never have.

Nepal was so different to anywhere I had ever been before. Kathmandu is chaotic and loud and colourful while the Himalayas are breathtakingly beautiful. I had so many wonderful experiences on this trip. We recorded an album of traditional music from a local artist and I got given lessons on some traditional instruments. I went trekking for the first time ever, and walked more than I have ever walked before! I was welcomed with raksi (Nepalese home brew) and cultural performances in tiny villages, and I woke up at four in the morning to go and record monks chanting and playing unusual instruments that I had never seen before.

I chose to go on this trip because I study audio engineering and wanted some more experience, which I definitely got! Everything from cleaning and maintaining audio equipment after a trek, to recording and mixing an album and working with local artists. We also recorded the sounds of thunderstorms, cowbells, rivers, buzzing power lines, and the singing and dancing from local villagers. I got to spend time with others with similar interests and learnt a lot about music and gear from them.

I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who loves music and travelling and those interested in learning more about recording. I hope I can go on another similar trip one day.

I had always wanted to go to India and I love music and travelling, so when I heard about Greg’s expeditions I knew that I had to go! How often does an opportunity to combine all those things come up? I spoke to Greg about the trip, booked my ticket and got on board. I’m so glad I did!

The experience was absolutely incredible. We met some amazing musicians; one of my favourites was a sitar player we recorded on the bow of a small boat whilst floating down the Ganges.

I could go on for a long time but I should probably stop here – it is really hard to think of what to write because there are so many good stories! Point is, the trip was amazing and if I could afford to do it all again I would in a heartbeat.

Greg’s recording expedition to Burma was the only thing on my mind during the last two weeks of exams, prior to the trip!

Greg was my teacher for a couple of audio units at AIM, so I had come to really enjoy his teaching, his way of thinking and his cheesy jokes. I knew I was in good hands for this expedition.

The journey lived up to my expectations. I made new friends, gained invaluable knowledge about recording and mixing techniques, and came back with many stories to share.

I travelled with Greg through Nepal and India in 2011 – 2012, a musical trek that took eight sound engineers on a recording trip of a lifetime!

We travelled throughout India and Nepal, visiting villages and cities and collecting a vast library of amazing recordings. It’s pretty hard to sum up this trip in words but I can safely say it has been the pinnacle of all the travel experiences I’ve had so far. I had such a good time with everyone and wouldn’t hesitate to go again.

For anyone thinking about joining Greg on one of these trips, I can highly recommend it!

One word… GO! If you’re undecided, I’m pushing you to breathe in and say ‘Yes’. For me it was an instant decision; call me crazy but I actually had a dream it was going to happen. I’d heard of Nepal before but had no idea about its culture, and I must admit that India wasn’t on my ‘must–go-to’ list. All I can say about both is ‘WOW’; a real eye-opener and an amazing experience.

Kathmandu is a city, not the same as we’re used to, but busy, busy, busy! It’s not long until you’re trekking through the Himalaya ranges, swimming in rivers made from the same snow as Mount Everest, and sleeping with buffalo (well, not quite; they sleep under the houses). The Nepalese people are one of the most beautiful and kindest folk you’ll ever meet, and the food… mmm!

India was crazy, crazy beautiful and a totally spiritual country. Floating on the Ganges sipping Chai (brought to you on a boat by a little boy trying to earn money for his family) while watching the ceremony that gives thanks to the bringer of life. Hearing the ‘Call to Prayer’ echoing in every direction in every city is a nice reminder of the beauty in the human voice. Visiting the house of the Dali Lama, my god... well he’s not, but I fell deeply in love with the Tibetan people and their culture, to the point of getting a fresh tattoo in Tibetan script to remind me of the way I felt whilst there.

As far as my personal experience of the journey is concerned, I’ve realized I’m more mature and capable than I thought I was. I can handle people better, I have more appreciation for what I have, and a better understanding and empathy for people with less. You definitely don’t find so many smiles in Sydney! Take a recorder, and get into everything!

The recording expedition with Greg Simmons was the best thing I could have done after completing high school. Not only was I able to discover a new culture with some great people, but I was also able to be part of a great audio project and get some great experience. Highly recommended!

I can easily say that this was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on! The total immersion into a very foreign culture was fantastic... Riding and bathing elephants in Chitwan National Park, visiting the Dalai Lama’s ‘house’ in McLeod Ganj, and riding on top of buses through the foothills of the Himalaya were some of the exciting things that happened.

I had an amazing time with the people I met on the trip and in the areas we visited! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and an eye-opener into a spectacular world.

They say that travel opens your mind. I’d say that it not only opens your mind, but it might also steal your heart. It stole my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever get it back!

We never remember the exact date or time, but we remember those rare moments that took our breath away. I remember that overwhelming feeling of joy when I looked up at the millions of stars in the Himalayan night sky, the smell of the fresh morning air when we emerged from our huts, the bright sun that blinded us when we looked up to the mountains, and the salt on my lips that I was tempted to lick off. I remember sitting in a circle, passing around a bottle of Johnny Walker as we drifted down the Ganges. Watching the moon rise over the mountains from a rooftop in McLeod Ganj. Watching the sunset slowly sink away while hanging out the door of a train racing across India. I remember waking up to the sound of a flute as the man played his usual tune, the cool rush when I jumped into the Rapti river in Sauraha, and drinking beer by a bonfire. Listening to music that will forever change my life, walking over an hour just to get my own watermelon, the pain through my knees as I descended a Himalayan mountain, and the air rushing past me while I rode on the roof of a bus with my hands in the air and smiling in my own cherished freedom. There were too many moments to remember. This trip changed my whole life!

There is something amazing about being in a totally desolate and isolated place. It’s exciting because it’s kinda scary. Hundreds of kilometres from anywhere. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible driving through the Himalayas at sunset was… entirely breath-taking.

I feel privileged to have been able to go to places that so many people will never get the chance to go to, or bother to go to, because they are so far away.

The Nepal Trip with ‘World Wide Simmo Lama’ [our nickname for Greg Simmons] was definitely the trip of a lifetime. Walking around Kathmandu, riding rickshaws and buying Coca Cola for 30c a bottle; awesome! If you think that’s great, wait until you get into the mountains and the high altitude – it’s absolutely beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. It far surpassed my expectations.

If you ever get the chance to do it – do it! Never will you get another opportunity to go to such remote and interesting places with a man like Greg. He has the experience and the know-how and is a top bloke. You won’t regret it.

Stop reading this and go talk to Greg.

My trip to Thailand, Nepal, and Tibet with Greg Simmons was absolutely brilliant! I loved every minute of it. I was immersed in the amazing culture of those countries and became further involved in it through the recording experience.

We made numerous recordings around Nepal and Tibet, including a fantastic 5.1 surround recording at 6:30am, in pitch black and minus temperatures, outside a monastery in Tibet with a massive gong being hit on the roof while feral dogs ran around barking at us!

As well as the recording side of the trip, I got to experience so much more. My highlights include trekking amongst 8000m+ Himalayan peaks, climbing one of the highest mountain passes in the world, trekking through the deepest valley in the world, walking on a frozen lake, bungy jumping, paragliding, flying along the Himalayan ranges and passing Mt. Everest, eating a yak burger, and visiting Everest Base Camp on the Tibet side. I made many friends, both locals and other travellers, whom I will keep in touch with for life.

I recommend that everyone consider travelling to these countries with Greg as he is a wealth of knowledge and we wouldn’t have known what to do without him. I look forward to the day I return to the Himalayas; I'm sure I'll see Greg there somewhere, running around with a  microphone!

Floating down the Ganges after dark, recording sitar and tablas by candlelight. Fighting with monkeys. Beating drums with monks in Nepal. Dawa, Dill, Krishna, Bhim, Ram, Suresh and the rest… An unbelievable experience all around, far too intense to do justice in a paragraph!

When travelling with Greg you get to see something that you will not get from other tours. It is a unique opportunity to hear and record music that would not otherwise be so accessible. In many cases we stayed with the musicians in their villages, where we had the chance to get to know them. This intimacy exposed us to a side of both India and Nepal we would not of otherwise have seen.

I have travelled the world for many years, yet I still couldn’t prepare myself for the beauty of Mustang [northern Nepal]. I met many people who will stay in my memory for a long time.

As for the recordings, this made me convinced I finally found something that could connect my interests for travel, music, recording, photography and writing. I truly found myself on that journey.

At first, the idea of spending my four weeks annual leave in a landlocked third-world country didn’t appeal to me very much at all! Two months earlier I had booked a three-week surfing trip in Fiji that fell through as a result of my travel agent going bankrupt. Fortunately I was refunded for the trip to Fiji and the offer was put on the table from Greg to do the Nepal trip. I was reluctant to accept at first because I had imagined myself sitting on island beaches for three weeks, drinking cocktails and surfing, but being a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I jumped aboard – the thought of missing out on a trip like this was something I didn’t want to regret in the future.

Nepal was much different then I expected. The people were friendly, the food was good and the sights were amazing. It has definitely changed my outlook on life after seeing how people live in the Eastern world under poverty with so little material possessions and remain so happy in their lives. We had much fun spending time with musicians in Kathmandu and recording various sounds and people on the 10-day trek we did through the Annapurna region. The trek alone is worth the cost of the expedition, as you will see picture-perfect sights all day long!

This trip is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone looking to work in the recording industry. While gaining invaluable experience in audio, you also get to experience a culture much different to our own.

As quoted from the fourth century visionary Saint Augustine: “The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only a page”

The expedition with Greg Simmons was an ideal adventure for me, combining my two main passions: travel and audio.

India and Nepal are such amazing countries, visually and culturally, and Greg and Dil did an amazing job of making sure we got to experience it all – the recordings, the sights, the local people, and a bunch of surprises along the way. I have some truly memorable stories and experiences from this trip!

So… sell your belongings, get a job, stop spending your money on booze and buy that ticket. You won’t regret it!

Taking the trip to Nepal was an amazing way to finish my studies at JMC. To travel the Himalaya is something that I have always wanted to do, and to have the chance to combine the travel experience with pro sound recording gear gave a very exciting and valuable touch to the trip.

If you love music, and if you have ever wanted to travel, this is an amazing way to see it all. The things gained from an experience like this can never really be written down or fully explained, but all I can say is that it’s worth giving yourself the chance to discover it for yourself, it was totally unforgettable.

I was lucky enough to be on the 2012/2013 expedition through Nepal, Tibet and India, invited along by Greg with the promise of a life-changing experience. Upon landing in Kathmandu, Nepal, it became obvious to me just how truthful this promise would be.

I have travelled many times in the past but never so far outside of the familiar, like stepping onto an alien planet. After one week in Kathmandu I was certain I was in for an experience to remember.

The expedition was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life; I saw and experienced much more than I had imagined. I found myself climbing mountains and trekking to remote villages with populations of less than fifty people who welcomed us, cooked food for us and shared their culture and lifestyle with us – that alone was an experience unlike anything I had expected. We travelled through village festivals and were embraced into the celebrations. We walked across the bridge connecting the borders of Tibet and Nepal as the sun set, filled with that blood-red colour only seen in that part of the world, and we climbed into a jeep that eventually brought us to the train station where we boarded a train to Kolkata. Throughout the entire trip I was overjoyed to be a part of the recording of so many local musicians, who were all more than happy to share their rich culture and history in the form of expertly performed ethnic music.

The trip was truly a rare experience that formed memories and bonds that I will hold for the rest of my life. I very much suspect that I will join another of Greg’s expeditions in years to come.

In August 2014 I embarked on a journey that I will never forget: a sound recording expedition through Myanmar (Burma) led by audio expert Greg Simmons.

For the first few days we stayed in a cozy hotel in the city of Mandalay. We used a local studio to record a group of traditional Burmese musicians playing amazing music that my ears had never heard before. The recordings were brought back for mixing and mastering in one of the hotel rooms that Greg had somehow managed to turn into a functional control room! During our free time, myself and one of the other travellers hired bikes at only $8 a pop and we were off like two kids who had just been released into Toys R Us! We rode everywhere we could in Mandalay, from the Royal Palace to the top of Mandalay Hill, where we sat overlooking the city we had just spent the day adventuring.

After a 15-hour boat ride down the Irrawaddy River we were in Bagan, the most beautiful city I had the pleasure of touring throughout my travels – all I could see from the balcony of my room was dozens upon dozens of pagoda all the way out to the horizon, a view that inspired my inner explorer further! We hired electric bikes to head out and explore the ruins of the ancient temples and pagodas and generally absorb the history of the place.

From Bagan we took a wobbly overnight train ride to Yangon, otherwise known as Rangoon. It was certainly the busiest place we had seen in Myanmar. We spent a day in a local studio recording another group of crazy talented musicians. The music and instruments were similar to those we recorded in Mandalay, but still very much intrigued my inexperienced mind. We also took time to walk the streets and take in the sights of this densely populated but amazing old colonial city. What an invaluable experience I had! It was like crossing into another world altogether.

This trip definitely took me outside of my comfort zone, which is what really made it enjoyable. If I were asked to go on another trip with Greg Simmons, I would undoubtedly say ‘yes’ – money permitting, of course!

With Greg’s expeditions you’re not just another tourist standing on the outside looking in, you’re standing on the inside looking around and rubbing shoulders with some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. As a first time international traveller, I had many experiences at both ends of the spectrum and had my mind opened, warped and filled. Greg will keep you busy, on your toes and entertained at all times.

The expedition has boosted my music collection, my sample library and my appreciation of professional audio to such unimaginable heights.

What I went through just to get on to the expedition was an event in itself. I was a chronic bass guitar junkie with more gear than space in my room – and I wasn’t even in a band! I was disillusioned about my career in the audio industry and I was in debt. I sold almost everything I owned to go on this expedition; all that was waiting for me when I got back home were my books and CDs, but not even a CD player!

This expedition made me do things I never thought I’d do and made me think better of things I always thought I’d do. I even converted to Macintosh! If you’re not sure if you want to go or not, keep enough in your wallet for a deposit on the airfare as you go about your daily life and see if you walk into a travel agent one day and book your flight. That’s how I decided!

I had an awesome time in foreign lands doing things I wouldn’t normally get the chance to do.

I climbed a mountain before sunrise to record the morning prayers of Tibetan monks, I trekked the Himalayan foothills and watched the sun rise while standing above the clouds, I floated down the Ganges on a boat, I found myself in the deserts of Rajasthan and in the mountainside town of McLeod Ganj (home of the Dalai Lama), and I had the chance to record amazing musicians and artists on first-rate recording gear. My only regret is not buying the Mohan-Veena I had my eye on in Varanasi!

I would definitely consider joining Greg on another recording expedition.

Life sometimes offers us the chance to experience something truly rewarding and memorable, and my journey through Tibet and Nepal to record folk music and environmental soundscapes with Greg Simmons was one such experience.

Although at times tough, the journey was one that built character, especially against the challenging climates and harsh environments. This was all made worthwhile due to the amazing people we met along the way, who were always accommodating and hospitable and more than willing to help us with our endeavours.

If I had the opportunity to take this journey again, I would without hesitation. I would urge anyone considering such a trip to make the same decision I did, regardless of financial cost, as this was heavily out-weighed by an experience of a lifetime.

Just do it! That’s all you really need to know, but let me elaborate...

This is definitely one of those ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ things. There is no way you could ever have an experience like one of these expeditions without the time, effort, and inside knowledge that Greg puts into organising it.

Some of the best moments of my life I had on this trip. Things I will never forget include drinking home-brew in tiny Nepalese villages, canoeing through national parks, chasing rhinos on elephants, recording musicians in the deserts of Rajasthan (and being swarmed by their camera-loving children), recording Tibetan monks at dawn… the list goes on!

So seriously, just do it. Go down to a travel agent and book your flights!

To anyone thinking of venturing off to India and Nepal with Greg Simmons, I strongly recommend it.

You’ll get to work hands-on with professional recording gear in intense locations, from squashing together on top of an elephant to rural villages overlooking the Himalayas. Nothing beats getting out in those locations, and it looks awesome on a resume when you’re going for an audio job!

I’m still paying off the loan I took to go on the trip and probably will be for the next few years, but ask me about it anytime and I’ll tell you it was worth it.

Culture shock, musical enlightenment, connecting with amazing people... This was an experience I will never forget and will always want to re-live.

Nepal felt like a home away from home. The weather was awesome, the bars were heaps cool and the locals were heaps of fun! The village trek blew my mind; release all inhibitions and be absorbed by the simple ways of a beautiful people.

India was the most amazing place I have ever seen. It smelt like crap, the people were rude, the alcohol was terrible, and I wanna go back there ASAP!! It was so amazing being an alien amongst these people, seeing the mythology and spiritual culture down every street; nothing like anywhere I’ve ever been before.

The recording side of the project was awesome! We got to use amazing gear, learn from a team of great individuals, make valuable contacts and get great experience. Most people put their hands up for different jobs so you rarely had to do something you didn’t want to, and even then it was fine because you were recording an amazing band, group or performance. I can’t wait to get back to Nepal and India!

What really amazed me with our expedition was the amount of bonus magic moments, such as: floating down the Ganges River on the top deck of a houseboat to enter a lit up Varanasi at night; getting up close with about 30 elephants and then recording an elephant race day in Nepal; paragliding, with a microphone; riding on top of buses, with a microphone; canoeing past crocodiles, with a microphone; capturing late night ambience of rice fields near the Buddha’s birth place, with a microphone; walking through the Taj Mahal… and that’s only a fraction of the good stuff. Not to mention Greg’s off-the-cuff organisation of 40 flutists and 10 drummers for something extra to record in Kathmandu.

I can’t recommend Greg's expeditions highly enough!

Travelling to Nepal and India with Greg Simmons was one of the best things I have done in my life. It gave me a chance to escape my Western life and go to places where things are done in almost completely different (and sometimes comically wrong) ways.

While I was travelling with Greg and the other audio students I gained real world experience doing location recording and working in local studios, all the while having an awesome time trekking through the Himalayas and seeing places I’d never imagined myself to be in. It really was a life changing experience.

Going to places like Nepal and India will be an amazing adventure for anyone who goes, I can certainly guarantee it. You’ll see things you’ve never seen; you’ll learn a lot more things about yourself and experience something a hundred times more interesting than watching TV at home.

An amazing life experience you won’t regret. Go into it with an open mind and an open heart; when you return you’re guaranteed to see the world in a new light and have a new perspective for your own life.

Can I do it again? Please? I had so much fun on the trip (Greg’s Dad Jokes aside) that I want to do it again and I’m trying to convince my girl to do it with me.

The best way to describe it is as a holiday with benefits. We got to go around Nepal and India recording some of the best talent from the area. We learnt a great wealth of knowledge from the sonic man himself (Greg Simmons), and had the greatest time with 10 other people. (Where else in the world can you get applause for spewing down the side of a bus?)

I could have done without the trekking through the mountains, but, hey, the views were worth it, the food amazing and the people were friendly. Also, how many people do you know who can say that they bungee jumped off the second highest bungee tower in the world, 160m above white water rapids and 15km from the edge of Tibet? Not many, if any!

Just take some earplugs for Greg’s jokes…

When I got back from spending the best part of two months traveling through Nepal and India with Greg Simmons, my mother asked me "What was it like to see people live like that?" to which I asked, "Live like what?" She didn’t know about the amazing diversity of cultures that make up these two countries.

From the intensity of peak-hour Kathmandu or Varanasi, to the sub-tropical jungle of Chitwan or the steamy atmosphere of Chennai, each place we went to was like stepping into a different nation with its own language, fashions, customs and, of course, music!

If you like the idea of recording instruments you’ve never seen before, if you’re into hiking and seeing some incredible scenery, if you love living in amongst the animals (in and out of the cities), if you’re not afraid of a few cold showers and warm beers, if you’re okay with being squashed in with total strangers on packed trains and bouncy busses, if you want to pay next to nothing for some of the best food you’ll ever eat, if you’re bored with popular western music (as Greg and I certainly are) and if you want to make friends with any of the 33,000,000 gods that inhabit the area, then buy yourself a plane ticket and get yourself onboard!

Travelling through Nepal and India with Greg Simmons was awesome, even on a very tight budget. After two months of travelling I had heaps of great stories and experiences to share with my friends, who, in return, had one great story from a night out and did nothing much else for the rest of the time that I was away!

It was a great way to see a great country… oh, and also India. I met some awesome people and got some great recordings (good for assignments and resumes, by the way).

What else would you be doing in your holidays? F**k all, I bet! So go to Nepal and India, and wherever else Greg fancies taking you. It’s an awesome experience, even if you’re travelling with people you don’t know very well or have never met before; you may just forge some great friendships. I was lucky enough to be travelling with seven friends from JMC… oh, and Greg, who is basically tolerable (and, to be fair, his Dad jokes aren’t too bad).

It really is a fantastic experience, so what else are you going to do for a month or two? You could be recording and trekking in the Himalaya, staying in mountain-top villages, travelling on the roofs of dodgy buses, riding and swimming with elephants, recording sitar and tabla under the moonlight on a rowboat on the Ganges and, well… this message isn’t big enough for all the awesome things that we did. Or you could just stay at home, watch some sitcoms, go to the shitty pub down the road, whatever. The choice is yours. Go on the trek and have fun, you won’t regret it!

P.S. Don’t worry, you don’t have to spend too much time with Greg and his Dad jokes – maybe sharing a room in a village with him for one or two nights at the most…

I can’t thank Greg Simmons enough for Nepal. Countless times the otherworldliness of the experience would hit me. Whether we were recording the stick dance of the Tharu villagers, sitting in on the morning prayers of Tibetan monks at the Monkey Temple, or hiking through beautiful and unfamiliar landscapes as a stranger to unfamiliar people, I’d often marvel at where I was and how I got there, ever mindful of Greg’s integral role. And, notwithstanding the disappearance of “the man in the leopard-skin hat”, Greg’s ‘Race Around The World’ styled orientation to Kathmandu remains a highlight for me!

I went on a two-week recording trip through Myanmar with Greg Simmons in August/September 2014, starting in Mandalay and passing through Bagan before ending in Yangon. We spent about three days in each place, and got to experience the lovely culture that each place had to offer.

As Myanmar hasn’t been engulfed by tourism yet, I felt that we got a more authentic experience of the country and the culture – and the food was absolutely fantastic!

Two studio recording sessions where planned for the trip, both of traditional Burmese instruments and music. Through these recording and mixing sessions I got to experience a type of music that I've never come across before, as well as observe the recording and mixing techniques of Mr Simmons himself. In addition to these planned recordings I got to organise an impromptu recording expedition in Bagan, where Greg and I took off on electric bikes and recorded some gongs at one of the beautiful pagodas, and some bats that were living in one of the larger temples.

I can highly recommend this trip to anyone with a passion for music, recording and travelling.

For my 21st birthday my parents offered to help me off on an adventure of some description. I’d travelled a fair bit before, but was feeling the urge to go somewhere a bit more far out. About three days after my birthday, Greg Simmons mentioned that he would be heading off on another trip. It sounded like an amazing opportunity, and exactly what I needed to do. It was, and it was...

Arriving in Nepal was such a culture shock, but after a couple of days I started to settle in and understand how things work. Kathmandu became like a home to us – early morning walks to the Monkey Temple to record the monks chanting, followed by Tibetan tea then breakfast from a street vendor on the way home. Chilling out in local recording studios, recording amazing musicians, drinking tea and eating momos!

India was amazing, too; much more intense than Nepal, but just as fascinating. Some of the highlights include recording sitar and tabla at night on the holiest river in the world in one of the oldest and holiest cities in the world, and a week chilling out in McLeod Ganj to record the Gyuto Monks of Tibet performing their amazing harmonic chanting. There are too many stories to tell!

Greg Simmons is a decent chap, although make sure you get plenty of time away from him – as little as an hour a day can help avoid inheriting too much of his sense of humour! (I’m sure most of us thought we weren’t going to make it out of that 44-hour train ride from Varanasi to Chennai…) But seriously, as bad as his Dad Jokes can be, he has a vast amount of knowledge that you can juice out of him, and some top stories. I learnt a huge amount – not just about direct-to-stereo recording, but about acoustics, microphone placement, and the state of the industry. Most importantly, I really learnt to use my ears, and to hear stuff that I wouldn’t have even considered at the beginning of the trip.

So just do it. Your friends will still be around when you get back. There will still be parties. You will have plenty of other Christmases chilling with friends and family with a plate full of prawns in front of you, a beer in one hand and a beer in the other. The beach won’t disappear. This might, however, be your only chance to record such amazing musicians in such amazing countries.

I can’t recommend Greg’s expeditions highly enough.

I recently had the pleasure of travelling through Nepal and India with Greg and his team. For me, it was a life-changing experience. The people, the sights, the smells, the music and culture will stick with me for the rest of my life. It’s not until you see how the rest of the world lives that you realise how great home is, but that’s not to take anything away from this part of the world; it truly is a special place and somewhere that everyone should see for themselves. I personally fell in love with Nepal and can’t wait to go back!

From an engineer’s perspective, you will gain a greater appreciation for music (particularly culturally significant music) and the production of music in general, as well as countless tips, tricks and techniques that you can’t learn from a book, online or sitting in a classroom.

Most importantly though, you will learn a lot about yourself: who you are, where you’re going in life, as well as what motivates you. It possibly may help you to determine what direction your career will head in. Not to mention a heap of great stories, experiences, life lessons and friends that you make along the way.

If you are in two minds about whether to do the trip, bite the bullet and take a chance. You truly will not regret it.

To anyone thinking of going to Nepal with Greg Simmons, do it and do it now! When I found myself in your position, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go halfway around the world to a country I hadn’t even heard of! I can’t even begin to tell you what you would be missing out on if you decide not to go. Greg’s local knowledge and contacts in Nepal will show you every inch of that beautiful country. Not only did I see amazing mountains and jungle, I met some really welcoming and kind people. Not to mention the exposure to world music from a variety of cultures.

The recordings alone were a learning experience, but it was also very cool to record traditional musicians who haven’t been tainted by the outside world.

In short I repeat to you: do it and do it now! I guarantee you’ll have an unforgettable experience!