Monitor Mixes Explained: What to Put on Your Stage Plot

Monitors are what the band hears on stage, and they shape a performance more than the front-of-house sound does. A band that cannot hear itself drifts out of time and pitch no matter how good the room sounds out front. Yet monitors are the detail most stage plots skip over, marking a wedge here and there with no note about what should come out of it. Getting monitor mixes onto your plot clearly is one of the highest-value things you can do for your own show.

If you are assembling your plot, what to include in your band stage plot covers where monitors fit alongside everything else.

What a Monitor Mix Is

A monitor mix is a separate blend of the band, sent to a wedge or a set of in-ears, tailored to what one player needs to hear. The drummer might want kick and lead vocal, while the singer wants mostly their own voice with a little guitar. Each of these is a distinct mix, built on a separate send from the desk. The number of independent mixes a venue can provide is limited by the desk and the stage boxes, so knowing how many you need shapes the whole conversation.

Wedges sit on the floor facing a player, while in-ear systems feed the same kind of mix straight to earpieces. Your plot should show which you use, since they are set up and routed differently.

How Many Mixes Your Band Needs

Start by working out how many different things the band needs to hear. A four-piece where everyone wants a similar blend might get by on two shared mixes. A band with a demanding front line and a click-driven drummer could need four or more. Note each player's ideal mix on the plot, then mark which players can share if the venue runs short of sends. Sorting this in advance means the engineer builds sensible mixes rather than guessing under pressure.

The stage plot examples post shows how monitor positions and mixes appear on a finished layout.

Note What Goes in Each Wedge

The single most useful monitor detail is a short list of what each player wants to hear. Next to each position, write the two or three sources that matter most: “vocal, kick” for the drummer, “own vocal, keys” for a singer. This turns a vague monitor request into an instruction the engineer can act on immediately. Keep it short, since a monitor mix crammed with every instrument becomes a wall of noise that helps no one.

In-Ears Change the Plan

Bands running in-ear monitors need to flag it clearly, because the routing differs from wedges. Mark who uses in-ears and whether they run from the main desk or a personal monitoring system. A mixed setup, with some players on wedges and others on in-ears, is common and worth showing plainly so the engineer routes each send correctly.

The Dashplan Stage Plot Builder lets you place wedges and in-ear positions, add a note on each mix, and share a live link the venue can read. Update your monitor plan and the link stays current. For sending it on, see how to share your stage plot with a venue.

Spell out your monitors in the Dashplan Stage Plot Builder.