Formatting Matters

How a rider looks is just as important as what it says.

Technical crews — especially sound and light engineers — often have just a few minutes to skim through a rider. Good formatting helps them find what they need without frustration.

Basic Structure

• Use clear section titles for AUDIO, LIGHTS, VIDEO, and HOSPITALITY.
• Make sure each section starts on a new page if exporting to PDF.
• Keep all related items grouped together (e.g. input list + stage plot in AUDIO).

Layout & Readability

• Use bold or colored headers to define sections.
• Use bullet points or tables for clarity.
• Don’t cram everything into one paragraph — white space helps.
• Use fixed-width fonts for input lists (e.g. Consolas, Courier New).

Visual Cues

• Group channels in the input list by musician, using color or shaded rows.
• Assign a unique color to each monitor mix and reflect it in the stage plot.
• Use consistent labels: if you say “Lead Vox” in the input list, don’t say “Main Vocal” in the monitor section.

Summary

Don't make your rider look like a random text dump.
Good formatting = faster setup, fewer mistakes, happier techs.