hello again and welcome back to the
channel. for this episode i wanted to
talk about patch order, input lists, and
stage plots.
as you're headed out to your one offs
and festival gigs, one thing that will
make the day go smoother for everyone is
an input list and a stage plot.
that way the production company can
quickly prepare and pin your band for a
smooth and efficient change over as
multiple bands are coming and going on
stage all day long.
first, there is the input list. this lists
the instruments on stage, the drums, the
guitar amps, the keys, the vocalists, and
the channel order.
one area that usually gets a lot of
controversy online is the subject of the
channel order- does it matter?
no...
and yes! very much so!
while the kick drum will sound the same
in channel 16 or channel 48 as it does
in channel 1, there is an industry
standard layout for inputs.
it's not about sound though, it's about
consistency. as you can see by the input
list on screen, they all follow similar
patterns.
this makes it very easy for sound system
providers to turn over bands on stage
with minimal complications.
it makes the onstage patch second nature,
follows a logical order, and it makes
troubleshooting easier.
what i think sometimes happens is
inexperienced band engineers will
usually develop a patch order based on
nothing but the assumption that it
doesn't matter. and you can understand
that thought process.
if you know it sounds the same no matter
how you patch everything, then just
figure out something that seems to make
sense and do that every time and get
used to it.
but that neglects to look down the road.
the question of what is the norm is
something that doesn't get considered.
much of the argument about workflow is
simply what the person has gotten used
to, not some grand idea where they've
reinvented the wheel.
typically, a basic input list will be
drums bass keys guitars and vocals
and usually with instrument groups
flowing from stage right to stage left
and the same for vocals vocals- from
stage right to stage left. that is also
the same order you see them in from your
front of house position- stage right to
stage left. their stage position matches
their fader position.
so there is a method to this madness and
not just something that refuses to
modernize for no apparent reason.
and that is why it makes troubleshooting
easier when chasing lines because they
do follow a logical order that
experienced techs know by heart.
this all brings us to the stage plot.
the stage plot is just a graphical
representation of the position of the
band and their instruments on stage.
this tells the pa provider where to lay
out the lines and monitors on stage for
the band.
it doesn't have to be a great work of
art though. even microsoft paint can be
used.
you can even draw it by hand and scan it
to your computer.
these days there are even online stage
plot generators that you can use.
i'll leave a link below for that.
the stage plot is normally an overhead
view of the stage with the top being the
upstage area, and the lower side being
the downstage area. downstage is the area
closest to the audience. the plot should
show the relevant positions of the drums,
amps, instruments, and vocalists and where
the monitors are needed. and it should
show where you'll need ac power.
make sure you put your contact
information on these documents. ideally a
phone number and an email contact.
try and get your input list and stage
plot to the promoter from the moment you
book the show, but also assume the
promoter won't forward it to the
production company and try and make sure
and do that yourself, if you can, as soon
as you can.
always have these materials with you day
of show as well.
there is another layer to all of this
that you're likely to run across, and
that is the festival patch.
the festival patch is simply a patch
where the sound system provider has
already laid out an input list that
should cover all of the bands, and
surprises, for the day.
extra lines already ran and marked to be
used as needed in different areas or
zones on the stage.
when you're patched in, there may be open
channels that you don't need, but if
you're used to working on a normal input
patch it won't matter. you'll still have
everything in the same general area of
the console, and your instrument groups
will still be flowing in that same stage
right to stage left order. so it'll all
still be familiar.
this all takes on even more importance
if you carry your own in-ear monitor
package with splitter.
that will be the subject of another
video so if you have anything you'd like
to see specifically covered in that
please comment below.
if you're unfamiliar with the various
stage terms like stage right, upstage
downstage, etc. this video explains them
and shows examples. so click here.
if you like information like this please
like and subscribe to the channel... the
patreon page link is in the text below...
check out the other videos, and i will
see you next time!
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