GigPenguinFree tools
Free tech rider maker
Updated
Everything a venue or sound company needs before the gig, as one document: who to call, when you arrive, your stage plot and input list, the backline you bring and need, monitors, power and hospitality. Print it or save it as a PDF. It stays in this browser; there's nothing to sign up for.
An example function band to start from. Change anything, or clear the rider's details with Clear at the bottom.
Advance contact
Who the venue calls with questions before the gig and on the day.
The day
Stage plot and input list
The same plot as the stage plot maker: change it in either and it changes in both.
Add to the stage
Add gear from the list to start.
Swipe the stage sideways to see all of it. Tap an item to label it or remove it.
Input list
| Move | Ch | Input | Remove |
|---|
Notes
The input list starts in the usual patch order: drums, bass, guitars, keys, then vocals. Drag a row by its grip to repatch it, rename any input, or add one that isn't on the stage, like a playback track or a talkback mic.
An input named after a stage label follows it: label a mic with the singer and the channel renames itself, until you type a name of your own.
Monitor wedges and power drops are counted, not patched.
Backline, monitors and power
One item per line. Each line prints as its own bullet.
Hospitality
Tick what you're asking for. Anything unticked stays off the rider.
What is a tech rider?
A technical rider is the document a band sends the venue or sound company before a gig, saying what the show needs to happen: the stage plot, the input list, the backline the band brings and what it needs provided, monitors, power, and the day's timings. Engineers plan the stage from it, so the more of it is right, the shorter and calmer your soundcheck.
What goes in a tech rider
- An advance contact: one name and number for questions, before the gig and on the day.
- The day's timings: load-in, soundcheck, show and any changeover.
- A stage plot: who stands where, and where the gear, mics, wedges and power go.
- An input list: every channel in patch order, so the desk is labelled before you arrive.
- Backline: what you bring and what you need the venue to provide.
- Monitors: how many mixes, who shares one, and what each player wants in theirs.
- Power: where on stage you need it.
Tech rider vs hospitality rider
The tech rider covers the show; the hospitality rider covers the people: water, a meal, a green room, parking, a guest list. Many bands send them together, as this maker does, with hospitality in its own section so the right person can find it.
Tips for a rider that gets read
- Keep it short. A one-page plot and input list beats ten pages nobody finishes.
- Ask, don't demand, especially for a small venue. Say what you can bring instead.
- Send it with the contract or the confirmation, and again a week before.
- Update it when the lineup changes. A rider listing a horn section that isn't coming wastes everyone's time.
Getting the details to the band
The rider gets the venue ready. The band still needs the call time, the address, the attire and what it pays. GigPenguin sends each band member their own gig sheet and shows you who's in. Planning the show too? Try the free setlist maker and the gig calculator.
Made with GigPenguin, free at gigpenguin.com/tech-rider-maker
Send your next gig sheet with GigPenguin
Every band member gets their own text or email, answers with a tap, and you see who's in. No app or account for them.
Your first 3 gigs are free, no card needed. First sheet in about ten minutes.