How to Prepare Your Stage Setup for Summer Touring

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minute read

In Short

Getting your stage setup ready for summer touring comes down to a solid touring gear checklist that starts with reliable live sound monitoring. Checking your cables alongside upgrading to Custom IEMs and chatting with your Monitor Engineer or Front-of-House (FOH) Engineer early will help you get set up for stress-free summer shows! Taking a little time now to organise your audio gear means you won't be caught out when the heavy touring schedule kicks off.

The Ultimate Touring Gear Checklist

Gear failure just isn't an option when you're travelling from city to city or country to country on tour across sweaty indoor venues and massive outdoor festivals. Staying on top of your equipment maintenance is the boring truth for any successful touring crew! While your backline crew and technicians will be on hand for instrument changes, re-tunings, or tech issues, it can be a huge help if you’re on top of your in-ear monitors!

Checking Your Audio Cables and Wireless Packs

Cables are usually the first to fail in any live rig. Before you begin rehearsals, take a good look at every cable in your setup for fraying, kinks or dodgy connections. The combination of sweat, jumping around on stage, and throwing things into flight cases during the stage breakdown every night will quickly wear down cheap wiring. At Cosmic Ears, we always recommend carrying spare detachable cables for your set. Having a backup ProQ or ProX cable in your bag means a pretty minor issue won't ruin your set.

Securing Backup Accessories

A well-prepared artist knows that things will go wrong. What that means in reality is that your gig bag should always include a dedicated maintenance kit. Make sure you're stocked up on cleaning tools alongside fresh silica gel pouches to fight off moisture from humid festival stages or clubs, and a solid protective case like our Apollo Case to keep your gear safe.

Optimising Your Live Sound Monitoring

What you hear on stage completely dictates how well you play. The whole show suffers if you can't hear your pitch or timing properly.

Upgrading Your Custom IEMs

Spring is the perfect time to upgrade your live sound monitoring, especially if you've been relying on stage wedges or entry-level universal earphones. Our Cosmic Ears C4A are a brilliant choice for artists seeking a crisp, bright sound that easily cuts through a busy live mix. Featuring four balanced armatures per side, it's a big favourite among keyboard players, vocalists and string musicians who really need that pristine clarity. Or if you’re a guitarist or singer, head for the C6A, which offers exceptional depth and sonics. And for bassists and drummers in the rhythm section, look no further than our flagship C8A, which delivers massive low-end headroom that cuts through heavy outdoor stage bleed.

Our step-by-step guide on How to Buy Custom In-Ear Monitors will walk you through the whole process, from getting your ear impressions done to designing your dream set, if you're new to the world of custom monitors.

The Role of the Monitor Engineer

This is a lesson you should learn from the very start: never underestimate your touring or audio crew! A great Monitor Engineer is the absolute unsung hero of your touring party. They rely on you having high-quality isolating earphones so they can build a precise and tailored mix. Giving them a reliable acoustic canvas like the industry-standard models in our Best IEMs for Sound Engineers guide gives them exactly what they need to make you sound incredible.

Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset

It's incredibly easy to get caught up in the excitement and drama of a summer tour while watching your favourite bands from the wings or checking out main-stage headliners like RAYE or Fontaines DC (yeah, we just named-dropped two of our clients). But spending too much time around those massive PA systems can cause lasting hearing damage.

Custom Hearing Protection for the Crew

Every single person on the touring roster, from the artists to the Tour Manager and the guitar techs, needs to be wearing proper ear defence. Investing in Custom Hearing Protection means your ears are protected while you still hear the music exactly as it’s meant to sound. Trust us when we say the best way to enjoy the festival season is without the ringing ears the next day!

Preparing Your Design and Aesthetics

Summer tours are always a great way to boost your branding, including new merch, stage designs and promo shoots. And your IEMs are a big part of your stage look. A lot of artists use this spring prep time to order a new set of Cosmics that match the colour palette, branding or look and feel of their latest album or release.

Summer Touring FAQs

How far in advance of my summer tour should I start the ordering process for Custom IEMs?

To make sure your new live sound monitoring setup is ready for your first soundcheck, we recommend starting the process 4 to 6 weeks before your tour or summer festival season kicks off. This leaves plenty of time to book an audiologist appointment, get your ear impressions to our lab and allow our technicians to build, test and ship your custom monitors.

What type of ear impressions do I need to get for Cosmic Ears?

We need high-quality ear impressions taken by a qualified audiologist (we accept both physical silicone moulds and 3D digital ear scans). For performing musicians and vocalists, we strongly recommend requesting "open-mouth" impressions using a bite block. This means your IEMs will have a perfect acoustic seal, even when you’re singing or moving your jaw on stage. Check out our recent audiologist feature for more info!

How often should the silica gel pouches in my touring gear checklist be replaced?

During a heavy, sweaty summer touring schedule, you should replace or reactivate your silica gel pouches every 2 to 4 weeks. If you spot the indicator beads changing colour, it means they’ve stopped picking up moisture, and it's time for a fresh pouch!

What dB level is recommended for the crew's Custom Hearing Protection?

It depends on their role on the touring roster. We offer interchangeable filters for different environments:

FOH Engineers & Tour Managers: Typically prefer 15dB filters to balance crisp acoustic clarity with safe volume reduction.
Backline Techs & Stage Crew: Often opt for 20dB or 26dB filters for maximum attenuation while working in proximity to loud amplifiers and side-fills.

Are Cosmic Ears compatible with standard festival wireless systems worldwide?

Yes. All Cosmic Ears models use industry-standard connectors and terminate in a gold-plated 3.5mm jack. They are fully compatible with all professional wireless bodypacks (such as Shure, Sennheiser and Lectrosonics) commonly provided by global festival production crews.

Don't wait until the week before your first gig to check your gear. Looking over your setup now, replacing worn cables and making the jump to Custom IEMs will set you up for the best touring season of your career!

Your Touring Gear Checklist

Check Your Cables: Double-check every cable for fraying or loose connections, and pack spare detachable ProQ or ProX cables in your gig bag.
Check Your Wireless: Check the battery terminals for corrosion, test the antennae, and confirm frequency compatibility for international dates.
Check For Excess Moisture: Stock up on fresh silica gel pouches to pull moisture out of your drivers after humid festival and club sets.
Check the Travelling Set-Up: Make sure every band member has a dedicated travel case or a toughened-plastic case to protect their equipment during transit in the van.

Make sure your rig is tour-ready. Explore the Cosmic Ears Range to build your ultimate monitoring setup.