How To Create A Stage Plot
Written by Mike Harmon
A solid stage plot and input list can or break your gig.
If you’re an artist that has a gig coming up, you should provide the sound engineer with a stage plot and input list at least a day before you get to the venue. This will give the engineer important information about your band’s stage setup, instrumentation, and how they’ll organize inputs into the PA. If you don’t provide the sound engineer with a stage plot and input list beforehand, you may run into a few snags with equipment, stage layout, or even how the front-of-house mix will sound.
It is best to build your stage plot and input list on a large scale, as if you were playing a large venue. That way if you’re playing at smaller venues, the engineer can use their better judgement as to what won’t be used (for instance, they might not mic up the whole drum kit in a smaller venue). Another important point of your input list is to list the instruments in order that they would likely be put into the PA; make sure to keep instruments and microphones that are related to each other in consecutive order. For example, group the drum mics in together, as well as the vocal mics.
Bands on a larger level may have full EQ and monitor levels detailed on their input lists, while smaller bands may only have a plot where each of the amps/instruments need to be placed. Both are helpful, and the more detail you can give the engineer about your setup and sound, the more seamless the technical side of your show will go!
Check out the sample stageplot below, and try building your own design free over at freestageplots.com and stageplot.com.
Lady Abadishes Stage Plot: