Modules · Technical production
You usually hire in the technical side, but the direction stays yours. Here the riders, the stage specs and the power plan come together, so the technical company knows exactly what needs to be there and you know what it costs.
A glimpse of this module
with sample data, liveTechnical production shares data with Programme & stages, Suppliers & contracts and Safety & permits. Change one thing and they move with it.
Nineteen modules, one system. Change it here and it stays right everywhere.
What it does
Every act submits requirements through the programme module. Tech turns them into one list per stage: what needs to be there, who supplies it, what is missing.
Stage dimensions, PA, lighting rig, FOH position and backline recorded per stage. The supplier builds what is written down, not what they assumed.
Generators or a fixed connection, distribution per zone, and what food and drink, light and sound each require. Linked to sustainability for the consumption and to safety for the inspections.
The technical schedule runs alongside the block schedule: soundcheck order, changeover times and who is at the controls then.
The hired company lives as a supplier with a contract and load-in slot, your technical captain is in the run sheet. Everyone knows who to call when there is a hum.
The dB limits from your permit, the measurement arrangements and who may step in. Tech and safety look at the same standard.
The technical production of a festival covers sound, light, stages and power. You usually rent that equipment in from a specialised party, but the direction stays with you as the organiser. That means keeping an overview of what has to be on each stage, who delivers it and what it costs.
It starts with the technical riders of your acts: the requirements for sound, light and backline. You translate those per stage into a list, so the supplier builds what is specified and not what they assumed. Alongside that, the stage specs record the PA, the lighting set and the FOH position, the soundcheck and changeover schedule runs next to the block schedule, and the power plan guards the distribution per zone. The dB limits from your permit are included, so technical production and safety look at the same standard.
Technical production is one part of festival.productions, the operating system for festivals, and it shares data with the programme, suppliers and safety modules.
Frequently asked questions
A technical rider is the list of technical requirements an act supplies: the sound, light, backline and stage layout it needs. The organiser or the technical party translates that rider into what has to be on each stage. In festival.productions every rider comes in through the programme module and is merged, per stage, into a technical list.
A changeover is the switch time between two acts on the same stage: the previous act clears out, the next one sets up and checks sound. Changeovers that are too tight make the whole day run over. In the system the technical schedule runs next to the block schedule, so the switch times and the soundcheck order add up.
FOH stands for front of house: the mixing position in the middle of the audience from where the sound engineer runs the room mix. The FOH position belongs in the stage specs, because it takes up audience space and sightlines. Per stage you record the FOH spot next to the PA, the lighting set and the backline.
That depends on your site and your consumption. A mains connection is often cleaner and cheaper if one is available; a generator gives freedom on a bare site but needs fuel and inspection. The power plan distributes the capacity per zone across hospitality, light and sound, and the inspection certificates go into the safety file.
The sound standards, usually a dB limit measured at nearby residents, are in your event permit and differ per council. You record the measuring arrangements and the authority to intervene in advance. In the system, technical production and safety look at the same standard from the permit.
Most organisers rent sound, light and stages from a technical party, because buying, storage and maintenance do not pay off for a few days a year. You keep the direction over the specs, the budget and the point of contact. The hired party lives in the system as a supplier with a contract and a load-in slot.
Everything in one place
In festival.productions, Technical production feeds straight into Programme & stages, Suppliers & contracts and Safety & permits. You change it in one place and it stays right everywhere, from the budget to the event day.