I do a lot of monitors. It's one of my favourite jobs on a show because when it goes well the band plays better, and you can hear it from front of house. It's also the job where a few minutes of prep from the band makes the single biggest difference. So this one's written for you, the band, not for other engineers.
None of this is complicated. It's just stuff that's easy to forget when you're loading in.
Send an honest input list
Not the one from two years ago. The one for this show. Every source, in stage-plot order, with what it is — “Kick in”, “Kick out”, “Vox Sam”, “Vox Jess”. If you use a laptop for tracks, say so and say how many outputs. If the guitarist has a wireless, mention it so I've got a receiver ready.
The input list is what I build the whole desk from before you arrive. If it's right, soundcheck is fast. If it's a surprise, soundcheck is a rebuild.
Make the stage plot match reality
If the plot says drums centre-back and the drummer wants to be stage left, I'd rather know now than when the wedges are already run. Draw where people actually stand and where each wedge should point. Little arrows help a lot.
Know what you want to hear
This is the big one. Before you walk on stage, have a rough idea of what you want in your mix. “Mostly my vocal, a bit of kick and snare, a little guitar” is a great brief. “Everything” is not a mix, it's a wall.
If you don't know, that's fine — say so and we'll build it together. What slows a soundcheck down is nobody being sure and everyone asking for a bit more of everything until it's all loud.
Wedges or in-ears: decide before the show
Both are great. They're just different jobs on my end. In-ears need a properly balanced stereo mix and they're unforgiving of a bad one. Wedges need to be rung out for the room and they're going to put spill into the vocal mic. If half the band's on ears and half on wedges, tell me that too — it's normal, I just need to plan for it.
If you're on in-ears, bring your own. Please. The venue’s spares have been in a lot of ears.
Talk to me during soundcheck
Point at the wedge, then thumbs up or down for level, or hold up fingers for how much. Use the talkback mic if there is one. What doesn't work is shouting “more!” into your own vocal mic while I'm trying to hear the thing you're asking about. It's not rude, I just genuinely can't tell what you mean.
And tell me if it's good. “That's great, leave it” is the most useful sentence in a soundcheck.
During the show
I'm watching you the whole set. If you need something, look at me and signal — I'll get it. What I'm listening for is whether the vocalist is straining, whether the drummer's rushing because they can't hear the click, whether the guitarist keeps turning up because they can't hear themselves. Fixing those quietly is the job.
One more: if the wedge starts feeding back, step off the mic for a second. I'll deal with it. Turning the mic towards the wedge to “find it” makes it much, much worse.
Why any of this matters
A band that can hear themselves plays with confidence, and you can hear that confidence out front. The best mons I've ever done weren't because I did something clever at the desk. They were because the band knew what they wanted and told me clearly. That's it.
If you've got a show coming up and want to talk it through beforehand, I'm always happy to. It makes my day easier and your show better.