Choir Stage Plot: Microphones, Risers, and Input List

TL;DR — A choir stage plot should show the real singer formation, riser sizes, conductor position, soloists, microphones, monitors, piano or playback, access routes, and every audio channel. Group singers by named section, dimension the occupied footprint, and keep microphone coverage separate from monitor placement. Confirm the final microphone count and positions with the responsible engineer because room acoustics, choir size, stage volume, and available equipment change the solution.

Table of contents

1. Define the choir configuration
2. Draw the formation in six steps
3. Plan microphone coverage
4. Build the choir input list
5. Document risers, monitors, and access
6. Advance the setup with the venue
7. Common mistakes
8. FAQ

Define the choir configuration

Do not start with a generic block labeled CHOIR. The receiving crew needs to know how many people occupy the block, how they are grouped, what they stand on, and which positions create audio inputs.

Record the configuration that will actually travel:

• total singer count and named sections;
• number of rows and approximate people per row;
• standing, seated, or mixed formation;
• conductor and music-director positions;
• featured soloists and whether they move;
• riser quantity, deck sizes, heights, rails, and stairs;
• piano, keyboard, organ, playback, or accompanying instruments;
• wired or wireless vocal inputs;
• choir microphone zones;
• monitor or IEM destinations;
• accessibility and safe-entry needs.

Use stable section names such as Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass, or the ensemble’s own labels. Do not assume that every choir uses SATB formation or that every section is equal in size. If the lineup changes by show, make each approved configuration explicit rather than presenting a range that the venue must interpret.

The plot should describe location and footprint. Put microphone model preferences, channel details, phantom power, stand types, and provider responsibility in the input list. This keeps the drawing readable while still giving the engineer a complete handoff.

Draw the formation in six steps

1. Set the stage orientation and usable size

Mark audience direction, stage left, stage right, upstage, and downstage from the performers’ perspective. Add the measured stage dimensions and the minimum clear footprint the choir requires.

Separate total stage size from usable space. PA ground stacks, curtains, projection surfaces, piano, stairs, cable paths, and fire exits can reduce the area available to singers. If the choir has a minimum formation, give its width and depth rather than assuming the venue can infer it from headcount.

2. Draw each riser deck

Represent the risers as individual rows or decks, not one unexplained rectangle. Label:

• deck width and depth;
• height of each tier;
• number of decks;
• stairs and handrails;
• supplier;
• any seating or chair count;
• required clear paths.

Riser construction and loading are venue and supplier responsibilities. The rider should state the formation and approved equipment requirement; it should not invent structural ratings or authorize an improvised platform.

3. Place singer sections

Draw a labeled zone for every section and note its singer count. If exact standing positions matter, show individual performer markers. For a large flexible choir, labeled section zones with row counts are often clearer than dozens of overlapping icons.

Keep the formation consistent with musical direction and sightlines. Every singer should be able to see the conductor without leaning into another section or microphone stand. Leave enough room for normal breathing, folders, and safe movement.

4. Add conductor, soloists, and accompaniment

Place the conductor downstage of the choir with the required stand, podium, or music light. Show the clear space needed for movement and confirm whether the conductor needs a microphone or talkback.

Add each soloist at the position used during the show. If a singer walks from the choir to a solo microphone, draw the destination and describe the move in notes. Add piano, keyboard, playback, or other accompaniment with its inputs, power, seat, stands, and monitor destination.

5. Add microphones and monitor destinations

Give every choir microphone a zone label and channel reference, for example Choir L — Ch 1, Choir C — Ch 2, and Choir R — Ch 3. Add solo and conductor microphones separately. Draw the stand or hanging position only after confirming what the venue can safely provide.

Show wedges or other monitor destinations at their physical positions. Keep them out of the primary pickup direction when possible, but do not promise a feedback-free layout: microphone pattern, loudspeaker position, gain, room reflections, choir level, and other stage sources all affect the result.

6. Add paths, cables, and notes

Mark stairs, accessible entry, emergency exits, piano movement, and any aisle used by soloists. Identify the likely stagebox side and keep cable runs away from riser stairs and walking routes.

Finish with a small legend and revision date. The drawing should still be understandable when printed in grayscale. Use labels, not color alone, to distinguish sections and audio zones.

Plan microphone coverage

Treat the choir as zones, not one input per singer

Most acoustic choirs are reinforced with a small number of area microphones rather than a microphone for every singer. The useful count depends on ensemble width, row depth, room, required level, microphone pattern, placement options, and nearby loudspeakers.

More microphones are not automatically better. Overlapping pickup can introduce phase-related tonal changes, and opening more channels can reduce available gain before feedback. Start with the minimum coverage plan that the ensemble and engineer consider workable, then confirm it in the venue.

Do not turn a rule of thumb into a guarantee

The 3:1 rule is a common starting guideline for reducing interference between microphones picking up the same source: adjacent microphones are spaced roughly three times as far apart as each microphone is from its nearest singers. It is not a substitute for listening, and it does not determine the correct number of microphones by itself.

Record the intended zones and approximate positions in the reusable rider. Let the responsible engineer adapt height, spacing, angle, and final placement to the room and available microphones during setup.

Separate area and close inputs

Create distinct rows for:

• choir left, centre, and right zones;
• featured soloists;
• conductor speech or talkback;
• piano or keyboard;
• playback;
• ambience inputs used for IEMs, if applicable.

A solo microphone is not interchangeable with an area microphone. Give the soloist a stable source name and state whether the microphone is fixed, handheld, headset, or shared. If the soloist moves, document the route and mute responsibility during the advance.

State phantom power accurately

Many condenser area microphones require phantom power, but the requirement belongs to the actual device, not to the word “choir.” Record 48V per input after the microphone or active device is confirmed. Never guess based only on shape or mounting style. See What Is Phantom Power? for a safe documentation workflow.

Build the choir input list

The stage plot and channel table should use identical zone and performer names. A practical example for a medium vocal ensemble might be:

This is a documentation pattern, not a universal microphone recipe. Replace every example with the ensemble’s confirmed source, device, and responsibility.

Before sending:

• Every plotted microphone has one channel row
• Choir zone names match between plot and list
• Soloists are separate from area zones
• Stereo sources occupy two clearly paired channels
• Phantom power reflects the confirmed device
• Artist- and venue-supplied items are separated
• Stand or mounting method is feasible
• Monitor destinations use the same IDs as the plot
• Any show-specific omission or substitute is recorded

For the full table workflow, use How to Build an Input List / Patch Sheet.

Document risers, monitors, and access

Risers

State who supplies, assembles, and approves the risers. Give the formation, deck layout, stairs, rails, and requested setup time. If the choir can perform in an alternative flat formation, provide a separate approved plot rather than asking the venue to improvise.

Monitors

Choirs often need less monitor level than amplified bands, but the requirement depends on accompaniment, room, repertoire, and performer needs. Identify the content and destination instead of writing “choir monitor.”

Examples include:

• one conductor cue wedge;
• low-level accompaniment coverage for the choir;
• a soloist wedge with a dedicated mix;
• wired or wireless IEMs for selected performers;
• no wedges, when the choir has approved an acoustic workflow.

Area microphones and loud wedges can be a difficult combination. Plot the relationship and let the monitor engineer establish a safe working level. Never guarantee that a requested level is achievable before the room is tested.

Accessibility and movement

Document step-free access, required aisle width, seating positions, rest needs, and any performer who cannot use the default riser path. Treat this as a production requirement, not a last-minute note. Keep microphone cables and stand legs out of every marked route.

Advance the setup with the venue

Send the rider early enough for the venue to confirm inventory and stage fit. The advance should resolve:

1. exact choir count and formation;
2. usable stage dimensions;
3. riser inventory, layout, stairs, rails, and setup responsibility;
4. microphone inventory, stand or suspension options, and channel count;
5. monitor plan and acceptable stage level;
6. piano, keyboard, playback, and soloist inputs;
7. load-in, rehearsal, line-check, and soundcheck time;
8. access, dressing-room flow, and case storage;
9. approved substitutions and unresolved owners.

Use a dated PDF for the crew’s offline and print workflow, plus the current view-only link when appropriate. If a choir director, production manager, or engineer owns part of the document, invite them to edit the same Rider. Editors can open it, make changes, save, and inspect history.

Common mistakes

Drawing one rectangle for the entire choir

The crew cannot derive section counts, row depth, riser layout, conductor sightlines, or microphone zones from a single block. Divide the formation into useful named areas.

Specifying a microphone count without a footprint

“Three choir mics” does not explain what those microphones cover. Show the ensemble width, row depth, zones, and approximate positions, then allow final placement to respond to the room.

Putting wedges directly into the coverage plan

The microphone and loudspeaker relationship affects feedback margin. Show both clearly and avoid treating high monitor level as guaranteed.

Forgetting non-singer inputs

Piano, playback, soloists, conductor speech, and ambience feeds can add several channels. Put every actual source in the input list.

Leaving risers to verbal agreement

Riser deck sizes, tiers, stairs, rails, supplier, and setup time affect both safety and stage fit. Record the confirmed arrangement.

FAQ

What should a choir stage plot include?

Include stage orientation and dimensions, singer count and sections, rows or risers, conductor, soloists, microphones and channel references, monitor destinations, accompaniment, power, access routes, stairs, rails, and provider responsibilities.

How do you place microphones for a choir?

Start with named coverage zones and the minimum practical number of microphones. Height, distance, spacing, angle, and pickup pattern must be adapted to the choir, room, loudspeakers, stage volume, and available equipment by the responsible engineer.

How many microphones does a choir need?

There is no universal number based only on singer count. Ensemble width and depth, required reinforcement, room acoustics, microphone pattern, placement, and feedback constraints all matter. Confirm a coverage plan during the production advance.

Where should choir monitors go?

Place monitors where performers can hear them while keeping loudspeaker energy out of the microphones’ most sensitive directions as far as practical. The engineer must verify the final positions and safe level in the room.

How do you write a choir input list?

Create one row for every choir zone, soloist, instrument, playback output, and other audio source. Include channel, stable source name, microphone or DI, mounting, phantom-power status, supplier, monitor destination, and notes.

Build one readable choir handoff

Create the choir stage plot and input list in Techrider.live, keep zone names consistent, and share the current Rider with the venue before risers and microphones are committed.

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Last updated: 2026-07-26 · Reviewed for practical choir layout, microphone, monitor, and venue-advance workflows.