What Is a Tech Rider? Everything Your Band Needs in One

A tech rider is a short document that tells a venue what your band needs to play a show. It covers your stage layout, your channels, your gear, your monitors and who to call.

It's the one file a venue's production team reads to get ready for you. Send a clear one and you'll walk into a stage that's mostly set. Send a messy one, or none, and you'll spend soundcheck fixing things.

What goes in a tech rider

A good tech rider has a few core parts. You can put them all in one PDF, in roughly this order.

Contacts

Start with who to call. List a main contact for the band, often the tour manager or whoever handles bookings, and a tech contact if that's someone else. Give a name, phone number and email for each.

Line-up

List each member and what they play. For The Night Shift, that looks like:

• Alex – lead vocals
• Jordan – guitar, backing vocals
• Sam – bass
• Riley – drums

This tells the crew how many people to plan for, and who to talk to about what.

Stage layout

Include your stage plot. It shows where each person stands and where the amps, wedges, DIs and power go. Put it on its own page so it can be printed on its own.

Channel list

Next, add your input list. It's the numbered list of every channel, with mic or DI choices and stand types. The sound engineer uses it to label the desk and plan the patch. Make sure it matches your stage plot.

Gear you bring and need

Backline is the stage gear, like amps, cabs, drum kits and keys. Say what you bring and what you need the venue to supply. Be clear about where you're flexible.

For example:

• "We bring: guitar amp, bass head, snare, cymbals, pedals."
• "We need: bass cab and a drum kit with hardware, if available."
• "Happy to share the house kit with other bands."

Monitoring

Say how many monitor mixes you need and who gets what. If some players use IEMs, say whether you bring your own packs and how they connect. If anyone still wants a wedge, note that too.

Power

Note where you need power on stage. Keep it simple, like "power at vocal, guitar, bass and drum positions". If you have any special power needs, ask the venue. Don't assume.

Set length and set-up time

State your set length and how long you need to set up and pack down. If you're a support act, the changeover time is usually set by the headliner or the promoter. Ask what time you get and plan around it.

Also say whether you need a full soundcheck or just a line check. On bills with several bands, support acts often only get a line check. Check with the promoter.

Lighting and extras

If you care about lighting, add a short note. Keep it simple, like "warm colours, no strobe" or "happy with house". The same goes for haze, screens or anything else. Most small rooms will do what they can with what they have.

Requests vs must-haves

This is where many riders go wrong. Not everything on your list is equally important, and venues know that. Help them by being honest.

Split your needs into two groups.

Must-haves. Things you truly can't play without. For most bands this list is short: enough channels for your input list, enough monitor mixes for the band to hear, and power at each position.

Requests. Things that would be nice. A drum riser. A certain mic on the snare. An extra wedge. Write these as "if available" or "preferred".

Why does it matter? If everything is marked as essential, the venue can't tell what really counts. They may skip something big while chasing something small. When you're clear, they can put their effort where it helps most.

Keep it short

Your tech rider is not a manifesto. Production staff read a lot of them. The shorter and clearer yours is, the more of it gets done.

A few rules help:

• Use plain words and short lines
• Use headings so it's easy to scan
• Put the stage plot and input list on their own pages
• Leave out anything the crew doesn't need, like band bios or merch notes
• Keep food and drinks out of it, as they belong in your hospitality rider

A tech rider that fits on a few pages is far more likely to be read in full than one that runs on and on.

Update it when things change

Line-ups change. Someone leaves, a fill-in joins for a run of shows, you add keys, or the drummer moves to in-ears. Each time, your rider needs to change too.

Every time you update it:

• Change the date on the front page
• Update the stage plot and input list together, so they still match
• Check the backline section still reflects what you bring
• Delete old versions from shared folders so no one sends the wrong one

A quick check before every run of shows is a good habit. The RoadCase tech rider builder lets you change the line-up in one place and have the plot and input list follow.

Send it early

Send your tech rider as soon as the show is confirmed, as part of your advance. The earlier the venue has it, the more time they have to find gear, plan the patch and ask questions.

When you send it:

• Send one PDF, clearly named, like "The Night Shift – Tech Rider – Sept 2026.pdf"
• Send it to the production contact, or to the promoter if you don't have one
• Ask them to confirm what they can and can't do
• Follow up closer to the show if you haven't heard back

Then bring printed copies on the day. Hand one to the FOH engineer at load in, and one to monitors if there's a separate desk. Once times and details are locked in, add them to your day sheet so the whole band knows the plan.

What the venue sends back

Often the venue will reply with their own tech specs. These list the desk they use, how many channels they have, what mics and backline they own, and what the stage looks like. Read it closely. If there are gaps between their specs and your rider, sort them out now, not on the night.

If they can't meet something, don't panic. Ask what they suggest. Most problems have a workaround, like sharing gear with another band or bringing a DI you'd normally borrow.

A tech rider is a conversation, not a list of demands. Keep it clear, keep it current, and send it early.