Creating a Tech Rider (with Template): Practical Guide for Bands

Twelve wedges, sidefills, and a separate monitor console appeared in a copied rider from a regional cover band. It had little to do with their actual production needs. The promoter took these demands accordingly seriously: not at all. This case is described by a musician in a discussion about tech riders for smaller bands.

The other extreme helps just as little: We're five people and need normal sound. With that, the technician can neither prepare the stage nor estimate whether enough inputs, DI boxes, and monitor mixes are available.

What is a Tech Rider?

A tech rider (also technical rider) is the technical requirements document for your live show. It shows the venue and technical crew which lineup is performing, what equipment you're bringing, what needs to be provided on site, and how your setup works. The rider forms the basis for stage preparation, soundcheck, and the technical coordination before the gig.

A useful tech rider answers three questions: Who's on stage for this gig? What does the band bring? What must the venue provide? The stage plot shows where everything goes. The input list shows which signals arrive. More pages don't automatically make these details better.

Tech Rider, Stage Plot, and Input List Have Different Jobs

The three terms are often mixed up. For coordination with the technician, the separation is helpful:

Document	Purpose	Typical Content
Tech Rider	Describes the technical conditions of the show	Lineup, contacts, stage, PA, monitoring, backline, band equipment, minimum requirements
Stage Plot	Shows the setup on stage	Positions, instruments, vocal mics, monitors or IEM, DI boxes, power, risers
Input List	Shows the signals for sound and monitoring	Signal source, microphone or DI, phantom power, stand, special notes, who provides the equipment

A patch plan goes one step further and defines a concrete channel assignment. That makes sense when you arrive with your own console, fixed monitor mix, or splitter. Without your own technician, the house crew needs to know your signals but doesn't necessarily have to adopt your preferred channel numbers. This is exactly where the recommendations differ in a Musicians' Board discussion about technical requirements.

Start with Lineup and Contacts

The technician must first recognize which version is in front of them and whom to reach for questions. The first page should therefore include:

• Band name and tour or show name if applicable
• Rider version date, for example September 27, 2026
• Name and mobile number of the technical contact
• Show day contact if that's a different person
• Current lineup with names and instruments
• Additional crew: own FOH, monitor, or lighting technician, backline tech, or stagehands
• A clear note if you're without your own technician

Date and contact should remain findable even when individual pages are printed or forwarded. In a discussion about a rider for an eight-piece ska-punk band, the concrete recommendation is therefore: Date and contact details on every page.

The lineup must match the gig. If an additional singer is coming this time, the keyboardist needs two outputs instead of one, or a dep plays a different setup, that's not a minor detail for soundcheck. Update the rider before you send it.

If someone needs step-free access, additional space, or help with load-in, clarify that early with the venue and production as well. Such requirements don't only affect arrival; they can determine whether and how your setup gets on stage at all.

Draw the Stage Plot from a Technical Perspective

The stage plot isn't a band photo from above. It must show where signals, power, and monitoring are needed. First, clearly mark the stage front and audience, so left and right aren't read from the wrong perspective.

Then include in the plot:

• Position and name of each musician
• Minimum usable stage dimensions
• Instruments, amps, keyboard or percussion setups
• Vocal and instrument microphones
• DI boxes and other audio connections
• Wedges with number or monitor mix, or IEM positions
• Power outlets where you actually need them
• Drum riser, keyboard riser, or other fixed stage furniture
• Space for your own rack, splitter, playback computer, or digital console

The current Musicians' Union recommendation also mentions names, instruments, positions, DI, XLR, phantom power, stand types, power, and monitoring as relevant details. MusicNSW lists in its 2026 published rider template additional required keyboard and guitar stands as well as brought and required backline.

A symbol without labeling helps little. Don't just write Keys, but when needed Keys L/R, own DI. Don't just write Voc, but Anna – Lead Voc – own wireless mic. This way the crew can read the plot without knowing your band.

For drawing the stage plot, there are also free browser tools like TecRider or Stage Plot Pro that allow exporting as PDF.

Write in the Input List Which Signal Actually Arrives

An input list doesn't have to start with the kick drum just because many consoles are patched that way. What matters is that no signal is forgotten and the technician knows how it's handed over.

A useful line can look like this:

Signal	Source	Connection	Requires	Band Brings
Lead Voc	Wireless receiver	XLR	Tall boom stand	Wireless system
Acoustic Guitar	Own pedalboard	XLR	–	DI output
Keys L/R	Stage rack	2 × XLR	2 channels	Own DI
Playback L/R	Audio interface	2 × XLR	2 channels	Interface and laptop

Add where phantom power is needed or explicitly must not be applied. Also mention short or tall boom stands, stereo signals, talkback, click, timecode, and separate playback feeds if your setup actually uses them.

With your own monitor console, the handover to FOH must be clear. A current example is provided by the Technical Rider 2026 of cover band The Kolbs: The band mixes their IEM via their own digital console, brings an analog splitter, and describes where FOH takes the signals and which console provides the phantom power. In this setup, a fixed patch plan isn't decoration but a prerequisite for both consoles receiving the same signals.

Separate Minimum Requirements, Preferences, and Brought Equipment

The sentence PA must be professional clarifies nothing. Instead write what the show functionally needs and who provides it.

Use three clear labels:

• Must be available: Without this point, the setup cannot be operated as agreed.
• Preferred: You have good experience with this; an equivalent alternative is possible after consultation.
• We bring: The equipment travels with the band and doesn't need to be provided on site.

For monitoring, that doesn't just mean four monitors. Clarify:

• How many separate monitor mixes are needed
• Who needs a wedge and who needs an IEM feed
• Whether you bring transmitters, receivers, and earpieces yourselves
• Whether your own monitor mix or split is available
• Which signals are actually necessary on which mix

For backline, write just as concretely what's on site and what you bring. With a shared drum kit, Drums available isn't enough. Clarify shell set, number and size of toms, hardware, and whether snare, cymbals, kick pedal, and throne are brought. With guitar and bass amps, it must be clear whether only a cabinet is shared, a complete rig is available, or everyone sets up their own.

The Right Level of Detail Depends on Your Setup

Not every band needs the same rider:

Acoustic Duo or Small Club Setup

Often a clear page and a simple stage plot are enough: two people, instruments, vocals, required DI boxes, two monitor mixes, power, and information about what you bring.

Cover Band with Multiple Vocals, Keys, and Horns

Here stage plot and input list become more important. Multiple stereo signals, wireless systems, additional vocal mics, instrument changes, and various monitor wishes must be known before setup. The band Hot Stuff publishes for promoters, for example, a combined package of Technical Rider, stage instruction, stage plot, and channel assignment 2026.

Band with Own IEM, Playback, or Console Setup

Describe the complete signal path until handover to FOH. This includes split, inputs and outputs, phantom power, required space, power, and the person operating the system. When tracks, click, or timecode are running, it must be visible which path goes where and what the venue receives from it.

Special lighting, video, or effect requirements only belong in if they're part of your show and must be technically clarified in advance. A long list of wish-list gear doesn't make a normal band setup into a larger production.

What Doesn't Belong in the Tech Rider

The tech rider may reference other documents but doesn't have to replace them. This information normally remains separate:

• Band biography, press photos, audio samples, and promo links belong in the EPK or band application.
• Arrival, setup, soundcheck, show times, and load-out belong in the show schedule.
• Navigation address, hotel, and catering belong in the show information or a separate hospitality rider. Loading dock, stairs, elevator, or other stage access belong in the technical coordination when they affect setup.
• The complete stage setlist belongs on stage. Only relevant FOH, lighting, or track cues need their own version for the technicians.
• Detailed operating instructions for your own equipment belong to the person operating it. The technician needs the connections and handover points.

Don't copy a brand list just because it appears in another rider. If a specific console, microphone, or system is essential for your setup, name the technical reason and clarify possible alternatives. If it's just your preferred solution, label it as such.

Don't Just Send the Rider – Clarify the Deviations

A tech rider is the basis for technical coordination, not its conclusion. The Musicians' Union recommends sending a current version tailored to the specific gig early. MusicNSW also describes the next step: The venue responds with the available technical capabilities or names deviations. Then you clarify with the technician what gets implemented and how.

Therefore ask concretely:

• Who is our technical contact person?
• Has the current version arrived?
• Which minimum requirement cannot be met?
• What alternative is planned?
• Which backline is actually ready?
• How many setup, changeover, and soundcheck minutes do we have?
• What changes for a multi-band evening compared to our normal setup?

Write agreed changes into the rider or into the show information. An email saying should work isn't a useful answer to a missing monitor mix or an unavailable DI box.

Tech Rider Template to Fill Out

To make getting started easier, you can use this simple template as a starting point. It covers the most important areas without creating unnecessary complexity:

Download Tech Rider Template:
- Word Template (.docx) – for editing (also opens in Pages, LibreOffice, Google Docs)
- PDF for viewing/printing
- Copy as Google Doc – creates your own editable copy in Google Drive (free Google account required)

For ChatGPT & AI assistants: Download Markdown version – paste the template into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI chat and describe your band's setup. The AI will fill in the rider for you.

Example prompt: Fill out this tech rider for a 5-piece cover band (Lead Voc/Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keys, Backing Voc). We bring our own amps and keys but need a drum kit from the venue. Standard PA for 150 people.

The template contains placeholders for:

• Band name, date, and technical contact details
• Lineup and traveling crew
• Stage plot sketch
• Input list with signal sources
• Monitoring requirements
• Backline (brought vs. required)
• Power and space needs
• Special notes

Adapt the template to your actual setup instead of using it unchanged. It's a framework, not a binding form.

Check This Version Before Every Send

Open the PDF and go through the specific gig:

• Is the lineup correct?
• Do instruments, vocals, and stereo signals match?
• Are deps and additional crew considered?
• Is it clear what you bring and what the venue must provide?
• Do stage plot and input list match each other?
• Are minimum requirements and wishes distinguishable?
• Are date, version, and reachable contact in the PDF?
• Is the filename clear, for example BandName_Tech-Rider_2026-09-27.pdf?
• Have deviations been clarified with the technician?

Avoid filenames like Rider_final_new_3.pdf. They don't tell the recipient whether the version is newer than the PDF from the last gig.

Keeping the Agreed Rider with the Right Show

If you use Gixtra, the tech rider can be attached directly to the relevant gig. A band member with the Technician role can update the technical field and tech rider attachment without being able to edit the entire gig. Lineup, schedule, and technical file thus stay with the same show.

After coordinating with the technical contact person, store the agreed version with the gig. This way band and technical crew find the same rider for exactly this show. How you keep rider, stage plot, backline, and other show information together is shown in the article Stop Losing Gig Details in WhatsApp.

The next useful step isn't a prettier layout. Take your current rider, set up the actual setup in the rehearsal room, and check every line: Is it on stage, does it arrive as a signal, or must someone provide it? What answers none of these questions can probably be removed.