What to Know Before Your First International Tour.

Things to know before on your first international tour

Before you take the leap and the long flight over to europe heres some common “gotchas” that you should consider and know as a tech before doing your first euro tour. 

Carnets

When bringing gear into or out of a country more often than not you’ll need what’s known as a carnet. A Carnet or ATA Carnet is an international customs document that is used to clear customs in 90 countries and territories without paying duties and import taxes on merchandise that will be re-exported within 12 months. 

This documentation is incredibly important as it allows gear to be used and not taxed on its full value. However, allowing a carnet to expire and not be closed can be an expensive process to have remedied so always remember to keep up with your paperwork.

For more information read here: https://www.easycarnet.com/solutions/what-is-a-carnet?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23065269117&gbraid=0AAAAA_SOlI3A7MZhrmNqxa10Mg7WtlEyq&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5uDIBhDAARIsAOxj0CHE5FAwP87qD3SklBBxOFZvGp_x92MPiIvcsotPsI1LkgxihLP9SsAaAgVbEALw_wcB  

When it comes to actually doing the gig it’s important to know that overseas power is different. When spacing gear consider that the standard for power in Europe is 220v and 50Hz whereas the US is 120v at 60Hz. So this means that if you are flying over gear from North America check that it is voltage agile or that you have an appropriate transformer as otherwise you’ll blow something up. 

Additionally their “feeder” is called powerlock. It has a different color scheme where the ground is still green but blue is the neutral. Keep this in mind when tying in power in the mornings. Additionally almost all of the power connectors across the pond are locking. Whether it’s the small metal pin on the powerlock that you need to push in, in order to be able to disconnect the cams, or if it’s cee-form there will likely be a collar that gets twisted around. In terms of cee-form it’s important to note that red cee-form is three phase, while blue cee-form is single phase, and yellow cee-form (less common) is often rated for 110v.  

Apart from power don’t be surprised to find yourself facing large fire lanes, minimal venue storage (depending on the day) and of course at times language barriers. 

Additionally most European countries have strong health and safety laws. This means much like Canada PPE (personal protective equipment) such as helmets and steel toed shoes are required during load-ins and load-outs, as well as anytime there are actively riggers in the air. 

Furthermore there are often laws regarding SPL of concerts and live shows. These laws can vary per country. For example, everywhere in Germany the national law is that concerts and other live events cannot exceed an SPL limit of 99dB LAeq 30 at the loudest point in the audience. 

This means that often a health and safety official may come by and speak to your system tech. The system tech will then play pink noise at 85dBa continuously while the official walks around with a hand held meter until they find the loudest point in the audience. This point is then compared to FOH and entered into a formula and calculated as an offset that is entered into a SPL measurement system. So if your loudest point in your system is 3dB louder than FOH. When your SPL meter at FOH says 99dBa, it means that it’s 99dBa at the loudest point, and only 96dBa at FOH. This is part of why having a low variance system is so important. It means that having a variance of only one or two dB allows your show to have the greatest impact possible. Having a high variance system can also make for a very quiet show for everyone but a few people. This can lead to noise complaints and potentially refund requests. 

However, Germany is known to have some of the strictest SPL laws in Europe. In other countries it can vary based on the audience. For example in Sweden concerts may not exceed an SPL limit of 100dB a weighted, unless there are children under the age of 13. In which case the SPL limit is decreased to 97dB a weighted. The time limit may vary depending on the venue. Some countries have A weighted laws, others have A weighted and C weighted laws. The important thing is that you’re aware that there are often strict SPL limits that can change daily so having a good working knowledge of the different SPL weightings, and how to calibrate a system can become hugely beneficial in trying to consistently have the same sounding and feeling show every night. 

For more information on international SPL laws read more here: https://live-dma.eu/sound-regulations-in-europe-2/ 

https://www.igvw.org/wp-content/uploads/WHO-global-standard-for-safe-listening-venues-and-events.pdf 

Finally we have the RF considerations. Many countries in Europe require licenses to operate devices like walkie talkies and wireless microphone and in-ear systems. Once again the laws can change per country. For example some places require that you only have a license per channel while others such as the UK give you frequencies to use to prevent interference in specific areas. Companies such as DarkSky Communications can help coordinate and handle RF licensing for full tours that go through several countries in order to make it a streamlined process for large productions. 

Learn more here: https://sls-audio.com/darksky-communications/?srsltid=AfmBOortMR2NUwEAGRhPUhckUv64AA0PZmgU4jUaOPMi3GLGxG-l28Mr 

Overall the major differences between touring in North America and Europe can be power, language barriers, health and safety and RF coordination. People are people no matter where you go, but doing some research ahead of time to ensure you are as prepared as you can be can help prevent some potentially expensive mistakes from being made, and make for a great time seeing new places on your first overseas tour. 

Common Mistakes First-Time US Tour Techs Make

• Assuming all venues have shore power specs similar to US arenas.

   

• Expecting American-style open truck docks (many are street-level unloads).

   

• Not accounting for strict SPL caps.

   

• Bringing only imperial tools.

   

• Assuming RF bands are universal.

   

• Forgetting to get VPN access for payroll, banking, etc. while abroad.