Show dictionary · Audio
Soundcheck
Soundcheck is the working session before doors where performers play and the audio team builds the show: input by input, then monitor mixes, then the house mix, usually ending with a song or two run as if live. It is rehearsal for the sound, not the show.
In practice
A full soundcheck runs a predictable arc: line check confirms every input passes, the monitor engineer builds each performer’s mix while FOH shapes the house, and the band runs material until both sides stop asking for changes. Headliners check last on multi-act bills so their settings stay on the desk.
The distinction from line check matters in scheduling: support acts often get no soundcheck at all, just a line check during changeover, mixing their show live from the first downbeat. Riders specify soundcheck length because it is stage time someone must pay for.
How you’ll hear it
"Band on stage for soundcheck at 4; we need two full songs before the room opens."
Related resources
Part of the eventools.io Show Dictionary, a free glossary of live event production terminology.