Stage Monitor article
Stage Monitor for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A stage monitor gives you something to hear on stage while the PA handles the room. Here's what you need to know as a beginner: how it works, how to set one up, and how to communicate with your engineer.
If you have ever played a gig and struggled to hear yourself over the band, you already understand the problem a stage monitor solves. It is the floor-mounted wedge speaker pointing up at you, playing back a mix of what you need to hear in real time. Without it, you are reacting to sound that has already left the stage and hit the back wall.
What You Are Actually Listening To
The main PA system sends sound out into the room for the audience. From the stage, you hear very little of that — the room is the wrong direction, the stage is loud, and there is always a delay as sound travels. A stage monitor gives you a separate feed, positioned right in front of you, with a mix dialled in for your needs specifically.
That mix is controlled by the front-of-house engineer (or by you if you are running your own sound). You tell them what you need: more of your own voice, less guitar, more click — and they adjust accordingly. Every person on stage can have a different mix from a different monitor. That is why you will often see multiple wedges on a stage, each playing something slightly different.
The Basics of Setup
A typical floor wedge takes an XLR input from the mixing desk's monitor output. If it is an active (powered) unit, it plugs into the mains and that is largely it. Passive monitors need a separate power amplifier between the desk and the cabinet.
Position the cabinet at around your feet, angled upward toward your face. If you are singing into a microphone, make sure the wedge is not pointed directly into it — the speaker should ideally sit in the microphone's null zone (the area the mic rejects), which in a standard cardioid mic is the rear. Your engineer will position it correctly if they know what they are doing.
Key Settings to Know
When asking for changes to your stage monitor mix, being specific helps the engineer. Instead of "more of everything," tell them exactly what you need: "more vocals," "less guitar," "the guitar up a bit," "can I have some kick in there." Most consoles have dedicated monitor sends and the engineer can adjust quickly if you communicate clearly.
Volume is the thing most beginners push too far. A very loud monitor mix can cause feedback — that shrieking tone that shuts everything down. Your engineer should ring out the monitors with EQ before the show to maximise gain before feedback, but you can help by not asking for more volume than you actually need.
When You Graduate Beyond the Stage Monitor
In-ear monitors (IEMs) are the next step up from floor wedges. Instead of a speaker, you wear earphones connected wirelessly to your own personal mix. IEMs eliminate feedback entirely, protect your hearing by reducing stage volume, and let you hear everything with far more clarity. The downside is cost — a decent wireless IEM system is significantly more expensive than a single floor wedge — and some performers find them isolating. Many artists use a mix of floor wedges and IEMs.
For first-time buyers, the complete buyer's guide covers what to spend and which brands to consider. And the full technical overview explains the specifications in more depth.
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