Stage plot and input list for your band — how to make them

The stage plot and input list are the most important part of a technical rider – and the part the sound engineer actually looks at. The stage plot shows where everyone stands on stage; the input list shows what goes into the desk and in what order.

This guide walks you through making both from scratch, with no prior experience – including a ready-made example. At the end there's a checklist of the most common mistakes.

A stage plot is a simple top-down drawing of the stage: who plays where, and where the amps and monitors are. An input list is a numbered list of every source going into the desk – instruments, microphones and lines.

They belong together and usually travel in the same attachment, as part of your technical rider. You send them to the venue ahead of time, as part of advancing. When they're in order, soundcheck is fast and nothing has to be sorted out on stage in a rush.

Draw the stage plot top-down (bird's-eye), as if you were looking at the stage from the ceiling. The single most important mark: clearly show where the audience is – for example the word "AUDIENCE" along the bottom. Without it, left and right get mixed up and the monitors end up on the wrong side.

Mark every element and number the monitors:

• Players – name or instrument (vocals, guitar, bass, drums)
• Amps – guitar and bass amps
• Monitors – each floor wedge numbered, or a note for in-ear systems
• Drums, keys and anything else in their places

The most important monitor info for the engineer isn't the number of speakers but how many separate monitor mixes you need and what goes in each (e.g. "Mix 1 for the singer: own vocal + a little guitar"). Also say whether you use floor wedges or in-ears – and whether the in-ears are mono or stereo (stereo takes two sends per player).

The symbols don't have to be official – they just need to be clear, with a small legend on the side. You can use free tools or draw by hand and photograph it.

A stage has four standard directions, and they're worth knowing. They're all read from the performer's point of view, standing on stage facing the audience:

• stage right – the performer's right
• stage left – the performer's left
• upstage – the back of the stage, away from the audience (the name comes from old raked stages where the back was higher)
• downstage – the front of the stage, close to the audience
• center – the middle of the stage

The key realisation: because a stage plot is drawn with the audience at the bottom (the audience's view), stage right appears on the left of the diagram and stage left on the right – that's the bit that trips people up. So label "AUDIENCE" at the bottom and nobody reads the sides wrong.

An input list is a numbered table with four columns: number · source · mic or DI · note. Keep the order logical and consistent: drums first, then bass, guitars, keys, and vocals last. Drums usually take several channels (3–10, depending on how many mics), so bass comes after them. The key thing is to keep your own order the same at every show.

Mic or DI, as a rule of thumb: bass, keys, an acoustic guitar's pickup, backing tracks and click usually go via a DI box; drums, guitar cabs and vocals are miked. In the note column, mark whether a channel needs +48V phantom power (condenser mics, active DIs) – and if a channel must not get phantom (passive DI, ribbon mic), mark that too, because the wrong +48V can damage gear.

Remember stereo sources: keys and backing tracks take two channels in stereo, left and right. If you run backing tracks or a click, list them separately.

Here's what a finished input list can look like for a four-piece band:

#	Source	Mic / DI	Note
1	Kick	mic
2	Snare	mic
3	Hi-hat	condenser	+48V
4–5	Toms	mic
6–7	Overheads L/R	condenser	+48V
8	Bass	DI	active → +48V
9	Guitar	mic
10–11	Keys L/R	DI	stereo
12	Vocals	mic

When you play abroad, the engineer's first language isn't yours. Make an English version of the stage plot and input list (or a bilingual one), so the markings are understood right away. Use the standard terms: stage plot, input list (not "channel list"), monitor, DI, vocals.

• No audience direction. Without a "where the audience is" mark, left and right get mixed up.
• Monitor needs left unsaid. Say how many monitor mixes you need and what goes in each – the monitor positions alone aren't enough.
• No legend. Symbols nobody else understands are useless – add a small legend.
• The input list doesn't match the line-up. 16 channels listed, but a trio shows up. Keep it current.
• Phantom power left out. Clearly mark which channels need +48V.
• Sent too late. Send the stage plot and input list as part of the rider at least 1–2 weeks before the show.

The stage plot and input list are two simple but decisive documents: the stage plot shows where you stand (with the audience side marked), and the input list shows what goes into the desk (logical order + phantom notes). Keep both current, send them as part of your technical rider well in advance, and make an English version for shows abroad.

In KIERTUE you can attach the stage plot and input list directly to a show, so they travel along with the whole band and with advancing.