Explanation - Technical Rider Template for Bands

Introduction

Over the past few years, I have handled quite a few technical riders.
However, they tend to vary wildly in quality—regardless of whether the band has been performing together for years,
or has just recently formed.

It ranges from absolute perfection to 5-page text-heavy chaos or even multiple fragmented documents.

So, I thought to myself: why not create a rider template for the typical (cover) band,
written by a technician, for the musicians.
You can use this template completely as it is, or simply use it to get some inspiration.

This rider is designed exactly the way I personally prefer to see and read them.

Riders with significantly more detailed specifications regarding specific PA systems, separate monitoring setups, FOH, light shows, etc.,
are usually found in larger productions or very specialized events.
But that is a whole different ball game than what we are looking at here 😎

Rider Structure

1. Stage Plan 
Where musicians and equipment are positioned, rough channel routing (XLR/MIC/DI), and your names or nicknames.
The audio engineer will look at this frequently, especially for talkback communication (hence the names) or right at the start of the gig.
Having the input list and stage plan on a single page is highly practical for us, as we have everything essential at a glance without turning pages. 
 
2. Input-Output List + Notes
Your channels & instruments. It is great if we technicians know immediately what you are bringing yourselves and what we need to provide.
We can't possibly know every microphone on the market, so a 48V phantom power designation is highly recommended.
Some channels might be "nice to have" but not strictly mandatory for every single gig, so just add (optional) behind them.
Rarely do we need the exact model of microphone requested; if you absolutely require it, use bold text instead of hiding a long paragraph somewhere in the document.
The Info/Tip column can be used as needed, but try to keep it brief and only include crucial points. (We use gates and compression everywhere on almost everything anyway).

You can add any additional notes in section 2.1.
Providing the total number of vocals and instruments is also very helpful for a quick overview.

3. Requirements & Prerequisites
This section is pretty self-explanatory, I believe. However, here are my notes:
Specifying a particular PA brand rarely makes sense.
As a rule, the local sound technicians know what equipment is required for the venue, except for private gigs with external production companies 😄

The topic of performance rights / licensing (e.g., Gema) should be included. Even if you do not play copyrighted songs,
event organizers often completely overlook this issue.

Also, if you use wireless systems that require frequency registration, it should be stated here (who registers them, etc.).

4. Miscellaneous
Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else—special accessories, pyro effects, backdrops, what you like, what you dislike, etc.
Catering details could also be included here if they don't justify a standalone section.
 

Monitor Preferences

Very important point for us technicians, so we can set up your monitor mix
(roughly) beforehand, which saves a lot of time for both sides.
I have chosen a percentage scale (level) here, as this is the easiest way to express
how high a specific fader should be pushed.
Phrases like "a little bit of bass," "lots of vocals," or "a touch of lead guitar" are very hard to work with.
If you want to be strictly precise, you can certainly use dB values, where 0dB equals 100%,
and everything else is negative, e.g., -12dB.
And no, it doesn’t go above that—there is no 150%, nor is there a +3dB; 100%/0dB means full throttle.

Nowadays, we almost exclusively use digital consoles that feature remote apps, so anyone using In-Ears can mix themselves beautifully.
We will set up your rough mix in advance, and you can handle the fine-tuning yourselves. Feel free to note this down.

Sound

What genre of music do you play, and what do you roughly sound like?
Give us a little bit of context regarding your overall sound and instrumentation.

Band

Band members, names, and any other relevant background information that might be important for us.

Contact

How can we reach you, who does the organizer call, and who do we technicians get in touch with?
 

DOWNLOADS

• Tech-Rider-Vorlage_Jobst-Audio_2025-1.pdf
PDF for a quick preview.

• Tech-Rider-Vorlage_Jobst-Audio_2025-1.docx
Word file for editing and personal use.

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