A stage plot is a bird's-eye drawing of where everyone stands and what gear is where. An input list is the table that says which microphone goes into which channel. Together they let the sound engineer set the stage before you load in, instead of asking "wait, where's the second guitar going?" while the crowd watches.
Bands that send one get soundchecked faster, mixed better, and invited back. It's the cheapest professional move there is.
What goes on the stage plot
- Every person and where they stand, facing the audience. Label with instrument, not name: "Vox/Gtr", "Bass", "Drums".
- Amps and cabs, drawn where they actually sit, with a note if they're mic'd or go direct (DI).
- Drum kit with a rough piece count: "5-pc kit, 2 crash, 1 ride, hats."
- Monitors (wedges) where you want them. Number them. If anyone uses in-ears, say so.
- DI boxes and anything electronic (keys, backing tracks, laptop, sampler). Stereo or mono matters.
- Power drops: where you need outlets.
- Which way is the audience. Sounds obvious. Isn't, at 2 a.m. when they're reading it.
What goes on the input list
One row per channel, in the order the engineer would patch them (drums first is standard):
| Ch | Source | Mic / DI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kick | Beta 52 or house | |
| 2 | Snare | SM57 | |
| 3 | Hi-hat | condenser | |
| 4 | Rack tom | ||
| 5 | Floor tom | ||
| 6–7 | Overheads L/R | ||
| 8 | Bass DI | DI | from amp head |
| 9 | Gtr L | SM57 | |
| 10 | Gtr R | SM57 | |
| 11 | Lead vox | SM58 | lots of reverb |
| 12 | Backing vox | SM58 | |
| 13–14 | Tracks L/R | DI stereo | from laptop |
You don't have to own the mics. "House" means use whatever they have. The point is the count and the order.
Monitor mixes
A line per wedge saying what that person wants to hear. Keep it short: "Vox wedge: vocals, a little kick. Drum wedge: vocals, bass." If you've got a click track, say which wedge gets it and that it must not go to the house.
Keep it to one page
Plot on top, input list below, band name and a phone number in the corner. Save as PDF. Attach it to every booking confirmation and bring two printed copies to the show; one for the engineer, one for the stage.
Make one in five minutes
RigPlot is our free stage plot designer. Drag the gear onto the stage, fill in the input list, download the PDF. No account, no watermark.