Plotnik 2026 Guide
Plotnik is the modern standard for creating professional technical riders and stage plots. From festivals to club gigs, ensure your team and the venue know exactly what you need.
Accounts & Cloud Sync
Creating an account unlocks the full power of Plotnik. While you can try the editor anonymously, an account allows you to save unlimited projects to the cloud and access them from any device.
Cloud Storage
All your work is automatically saved to the cloud. You never have to worry about losing unsaved changes. Use File > Save As to create copies or versions of your plots.
Project Sharing
Each project has a unique ID. Pro users can generate public links to share read-only versions of their plots with venue staff or bandmates instantly.
Interface Overview
Plotnik features a flexible, panel-based interface designed for maximum canvas space.
Instruments (Left)
Your equipment library. Categories include Drums, Amps, Keys, Brass, and more. Simply drag and drop items from here onto your stage.
The Stage (Center)
This is your main canvas. It represents the physical stage layout. It automatically dimensions itself to standard A4/Letter ratios for perfect printing.
Properties (Right)
Context-aware settings for your selected items. Rotate, scale, label, and Color-code your instruments here.
Channels (Bottom)
The master input list. See exactly which mics and DI boxes are assigned to which instrument.
Stage Interactions
Smart Positioning
Drag items to move them. Plotnik provides Snap-to-Grid and Smart Guidelines to help you align everything perfectly.
Multi-Select
Click and drag on the background to create a selection box. You can move, delete, or duplicate entire groups of instruments at once.
Rotation & Scaling
Selected items have a bounding box. Drag the corner handles to resize, and use the top rotation handle to angle monitors or amps exactly how you want them.
Properties & Channels
A stage plot is more than just a drawing. It's a data source. Every instrument you place acts as a container for Input Channels.
In the Properties Panel:
- Label: Rename "Guitar Amp" to "Lead Guitar" for clarity.
- Channels: Add mics or DIs. E.g., for a Drum Kit, add "Kick", "Snare", "Overhead L", etc.
- Phantom Power (+48V): Mark channels that require power (condenser mics, active DIs).
Virtual Patch Bay
For advanced users, the Patch Bay allows you to route your stage inputs to specific hardware devices, like stage boxes or digital snakes.
Enable it via Window > Patch Bay. You can drag connections from your logical channels to physical stagebox inputs, helping the system engineer patch the console correctly.
Pro Features
Upgrade to Plotnik Pro to unlock the ultimate toolkit for touring professionals.
Public Sharing
Share live links instead of static files.
AI Assistant
Ask Plotnik to "Add a standard 5-piece drum kit" or "Set up a jazz trio," and watch it build the plot for you.
White Labeling
Remove the Plotnik watermark from your exported PDFs for a cleaner, branded look.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Show/Hide Grid | G |
| Toggle Snap to Grid | S |
| Select All | Cmd + A |
| Duplicate | Cmd + D |
| Copy | Cmd + C |
| Paste | Cmd + V |
| Cut | Cmd + X |
| Undo | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Delete | Backspace / Del |
| Save to Cloud | Cmd + S |
Freqently Asked Questions
Does Plotnik work on mobile?
The editor is optimized for Desktop and Tablet use due to the complexity of the canvas. However, the Public View (shared links) is fully responsive and works great on phones for checking plots on the go.
How do I change the PDF orientation?
Go to File > Project Details. You can toggle between Landscape (best for wide bands) and Portrait layout there.
Can I import my own images?
Currently, we offer a curated library of high-quality vector assets to ensure your plot looks professional and scales perfectly. We are working on a custom upload feature for a future update.