What Is a Wedge Monitor? A Simple Guide for Musicians

If you've ever stood on stage at a venue and noticed a speaker on the floor pointing up at you rather than out at the audience — that's a wedge monitor. They're one of the most common pieces of live sound equipment and one of the least explained. This guide covers exactly what they are, why they exist, and what you need to know as a performing musician.

What Is a Wedge Monitor?

A wedge monitor (sometimes called a floor monitor, stage monitor, or simply a "wedge") is a loudspeaker designed to sit on the floor of the stage and project sound back towards the performers. The distinctive wedge shape — wider at the base, angled up towards the musician's ears — is what gives them their name.

They exist because the main PA speakers that fill the room with sound for the audience are typically positioned in front of the stage, pointing away from the performers. Without monitors, the musicians on stage can barely hear themselves — the drums cover the guitars, the guitars cover the vocals, and the mix becomes guesswork.

Wedge monitors solve this by giving the performers their own dedicated speakers, angled precisely so the sound projects up to ear level while the musician stands or sits in their position on stage.

Why the Wedge Shape?

The angled cabinet serves two purposes. First, it positions the speaker driver at the right angle to project sound towards a standing or seated performer. A flat speaker sitting on the stage floor would fire at knee level — not useful. The wedge angle typically sits between 30 and 45 degrees, directing the sound up to chest and ear level.

Second, the low profile keeps the monitor out of the way. A wedge sits flat on the floor and doesn't obstruct the performer's movement or the audience's sightlines the way a tall speaker cabinet would. For performers who move around the stage, a low-profile floor monitor is much less of an obstacle.

What Do Performers Hear in a Wedge Monitor?

Each wedge monitor carries a separate mix — called a monitor mix or foldback mix — controlled by the monitor engineer (or the front-of-house engineer if the venue runs a combined desk). The mix is customised per performer: a vocalist typically hears mostly their own voice plus the band. A drummer might hear a click track and minimal band. A guitarist might hear mostly vocals and keyboards.

In larger setups, each performer has their own dedicated wedge and their own monitor mix. In smaller setups — pub gigs, small functions — there might be two or three wedges shared across the stage running the same mix.

How Many Wedges Does a Band Need?

It depends on the size of the act and the venue. A duo at a small venue might have a single shared wedge between them. A 5-piece function band at a corporate event might have six or seven — one per performer, plus extras at the drum kit.

A sensible starting point for a 4-piece band is: one wedge for the vocalist (front-centre), one for the guitarist (stage left), one for the bassist (stage right), and one or two for the drummer. Keys and other positions add more. This is the information that goes on your stage plot — the venue's sound engineer uses it to set up the stage before you arrive.

What's the Difference Between a Wedge and a Side-Fill?

A side-fill is a larger monitor speaker positioned at the sides of the stage (stage left and stage right), pointing inward across the full width of the stage. Where a wedge is pointed at one specific performer, a side-fill covers the whole stage with a broader wash of sound.

Side-fills are common in large concert setups where performers are moving across a wide stage. Smaller venues and function gigs typically use only floor wedges, which are more precise and easier to manage per performer.

Wedge Monitors vs In-Ear Monitors

In-ear monitors (IEMs) are the modern alternative to wedges. Instead of a speaker on the floor, the performer wears a small earpiece — often wireless — carrying a personal monitor mix. In-ears have become increasingly common because they dramatically reduce stage volume, which improves the front-of-house mix and makes life easier for sound engineers.

The trade-offs: in-ears cost more to set up properly, they feel different from hearing sound through the air, and some performers miss the physical "feel" of a wedge on their legs. Many bands run a hybrid — some performers on IEMs, others on wedges. The full wedges vs in-ear monitors comparison covers the decision in detail.

Wedges on Your Stage Plot

Your stage plot should show where each wedge monitor goes and who it's for. This is one of the most useful pieces of information you can give a venue's sound engineer — it tells them how many monitors to set up, where to position them, and whether each performer needs their own mix or can share.

Include the number of wedges, their positions (front of stage, stage left, stage right, drum riser), and any notes about what each performer wants to hear in their mix. A clear stage plot with monitor information means a faster soundcheck and fewer problems on the night. Dashplan's stage plot builder lets you position wedges on a visual stage grid and add notes per monitor.