A tech rider (or tech spec) is the band’s list of what they need to put on their show: what goes on stage, what gets plugged in, and how they want it mixed. The hospitality rider is the other half, covering food, drink and dressing rooms. This guide is about the technical one, read from the venue’s side.
What’s usually in it
- 1
Input list
Every channel they need, numbered: what it is (kick, snare, vocal), the mic or DI they want, and stands. The channel count is the first number to check. - 2
Stage plot
A drawing of where everyone stands, where the backline goes, and where they want wedges, power and risers. - 3
Monitors
How many separate mixes, and whether they’re wedges or in-ears. Each mix needs an output on your desk and a wedge or transmitter. - 4
Front of house
The console they’d like, any outboard or plugins, and whether they bring their own engineer or use yours. - 5
Backline
What they bring and what they expect you to supply: drum kit, amps, keyboard stands. Shared backline on a multi-band bill starts here. - 6
Lighting and video
Their own lighting operator, a show file, haze, strobes or projection. Haze and pyro need checking against your fire alarm and licence. - 7
Power and timings
Any special power, the changeover time they need, and the soundcheck length.
How to read it against your room
- Count the inputs and monitor mixes against your stagebox and desk outputs, including the support acts if they share your system.
- Check the console request. Most bands will work on what you have if you tell them early.
- Look for anything that needs a decision: haze, a drum riser, their own engineer needing desk time, or a curfew they haven’t allowed for.
- Check the date. Specs get reused for years, and the band may not tour that line-up any more.
When you can’t give them everything
Riders are often written for the biggest room on the tour, so a gap isn’t a crisis. Reply early with what you have, offer the nearest alternative (a different console, fewer wedges, a shared kit), and ask what matters most to them. Send your own house spec back with it, and get the answer in writing so the engineer on the night knows what was agreed.