Stage plots, riders, and input lists

Plot helps you make three things: a stage plot, a rider, and an input list. They're different documents with different audiences, but they work best when they travel together. Here's what each one is for and how they fit.

Three documents, one story about your show.

Stage plot

A stage plot is a picture of your stage. You drop in your musicians, their instruments, monitors, mic stands, and anything else that needs a specific spot. The venue's crew looks at it before you arrive so they know where everything goes.

• Who reads it: the stage manager, backline techs, the monitor engineer.
• When you use it: as soon as you're confirmed for a show. It usually goes out with the advance — the round of emails a venue sends before the date to sort out details.
• Why it matters: a good stage plot means you walk into soundcheck and the stage is already set roughly right, instead of spending the first twenty minutes pointing at things.

Rider

A rider is a written document that explains everything about your show that isn't obvious from a poster. Technical needs, hospitality, catering, dressing rooms, parking, load-in times, travel — whatever matters for you to do your job well.

• Who reads it: the production manager and promoter at the venue.
• When you use it: it travels with your booking agreement. If you've signed for a show, the venue expects your rider.
• Why it matters: a clear rider prevents a thousand small problems. It's the difference between "we'll figure it out" and "everything was ready when we got there."

Input list

An input list (kanalliste in Norwegian) is the spreadsheet the FOH engineer — the person mixing your sound out front — uses to set up the console. Each row is one channel: kick drum, snare, vocal, keyboard left, and so on. It says what goes where.

• Who reads it: the FOH engineer and the monitor engineer.
• When you use it: it lives alongside the stage plot. Usually the two get emailed together.
• Why it matters: without it, the engineer is guessing. With it, the console is patched and ready before you even plug in.

When to use which

• Only doing a small acoustic show? A rider might be all you need.
• A full band with a tech setup? All three — stage plot, rider, and input list.
• A DJ set? A short rider and an input list are usually enough.
• A festival? All three, and the festival's production manager will love you for it.

How they link together

You don't have to make all three at once. Start with whichever one you need today. When you're ready, the others slot in alongside it.

What's next

Ready to see where all of this lives? Take a quick tour of your dashboard.