Stage Plot and Input List for Bands: A Practical Example

A stage plot answers a simple question for the venue: what will be on stage, and where? The input list answers the next question: what must connect to the sound system? Sending one without the other leaves the production team to guess. The Red Room at Berklee, for example, asks booked bands for both a stage plot and an input list as part of advancing a show.

You do not need a beautiful drawing. You need a legible, current handoff that lets the house engineer compare your needs with the room's stage, channels, microphones, DIs and monitor outputs. This guide gives you a concrete starting point for a four-piece band; replace every assumption with your actual rig before sending it.

The two documents do different jobs

The stage plot is a view from the audience toward the stage. Mark the positions of people, drums, amplifiers, keyboards, playback, vocal mics, wedges and any large risers. Label stage left and stage right from the performers' perspective so nobody has to interpret an unlabeled rectangle.

The input list is numbered signal information: what source reaches each house input, how it is connected, and any special requirement. An engineer may rearrange channel numbers to fit the room; your list is a request, not a promise that the venue owns every mic or cable.

Keep monitor needs beside the plot or on the same handoff. Front-of-house sound and what players hear on stage are separate mixes; Shure's monitor guidance explains that performers' mixes are typically routed from mixer auxiliary/monitor outputs. “Four monitors” is less useful than naming who needs which mix and where each wedge or in-ear feed sits.

A four-piece stage plot example

Imagine a drummer at rear center, bass at front stage left, lead vocal/guitar at front center, and keys/backing vocal at front stage right. Stage left and stage right here are the performers' left and right as they face the audience. Put this information on the plot:

• Rear center: drum kit; note a riser only if you actually need one.
• Front stage left: bassist, bass amp or DI, one vocal mic if the bassist sings, one wedge or in-ear feed.
• Front center: lead vocal mic, guitar amp or modeler/DI, one wedge or in-ear feed.
• Front stage right: keyboard, two DI channels if your output is stereo, backing vocal mic, one wedge or in-ear feed.
• Edges and access: stage boxes, power positions, any cable runs that might cross a walkway, and where the band enters.

The plot should specify your gear versus house requests. “Band brings keyboard stand and stereo DI; venue supplies three vocal stands and three wedges” is actionable. “Keys and vocals” is not. Do not assume power is available at the exact spot you drew; ask before finalizing the layout.

A starter input list

This is an example, not a universal channel count. If you only need one guitar line, or your drummer brings a different mic plan, change it.

1. Kick — house mic requested; rear center.
2. Snare — house mic requested; rear center.
3. Rack tom — house mic requested; rear center.
4. Floor tom — house mic requested; rear center.
5. Overhead left — house mic requested; rear center.
6. Overhead right — house mic requested; rear center.
7. Bass — band DI or amp output; front stage left.
8. Guitar — mic on band amp or direct output from modeler; front center. Specify which.
9. Keyboard left — band DI; front stage right.
10. Keyboard right — band DI; front stage right. Remove if sending mono.
11. Lead vocal — house mic requested; front center.
12. Backing vocal — house mic requested; front stage right.

If you run backing tracks, click, wireless instruments or an in-ear rack, list their actual outputs and split ownership separately. A playback rig that sends stereo tracks plus a private click is not a generic “laptop” input. Confirm whether the click stays in the band's ears and whether your rack provides its own splitter; do not surprise the house with extra channels at load-in.

Monitor and power notes that prevent a second email

For the example above, write: “Mix A: lead vocal/guitar at front center; Mix B: bass/vocal at front stage left; Mix C: keys/vocal at front stage right; Mix D: drummer at rear center.” Then say which are wedges and which are in-ear feeds. If two musicians can share a mix, say so. If they cannot, do not imply that one wedge serves both.

Mark any equipment that needs AC power and whether your band supplies a power strip. Confirm the venue's available outlets and safe cable path. For an outdoor or festival show, ask about changeover time and whether the house requires a specific plot format. The final production advance should reconcile your ideal layout with the venue's actual stage and inventory.

Before you send it

• [ ] Band name, contact and show date appear on the document.
• [ ] Stage orientation and every performer's position are labeled.
• [ ] The input list matches the current lineup and actual rig.
• [ ] Required house gear is distinct from band-supplied gear.
• [ ] Monitor mixes, power and special routing are specified.
• [ ] The version or revision date is visible; old copies are retired.
• [ ] The venue contact has been asked to confirm any unanswered requests.

The venue may have its own patch sheet and may change your channel numbers. That is normal. Your job is to make the band's requirements clear enough for a productive conversation, not to dictate the console layout.

BandSlate's signed-in Stage Plots workspace lets an authorized band member create a visual layout and download its PDF. Use the checklist above to review the output against the real gig before sending it. For the rest of the production handoff, use our show advance checklist. If the band is still negotiating the date and fee, start with the gig quote calculator.