iOS vs Android versions

[Newfie]

Hi All,

I only discovered that software like Set List Maker existed about a week ago ... whoa ... talk about being behind the times.

I've been researching and was trying to find out if there is any difference between the iOS and the Android version. From older posts I see that the Android version doesn't have the same editing capabilities as iOS. But the posts seemed to have ended over a year ago. I gather that Android development was started after iOS.

Can I assume that both are the same now, like it is on the home page? If so, that'd be great, since I would rather buy a cheaper Android tablet with the ability to have its own storage instead of buying into the iOS closed architecture.

If there are subtle differences, where are they listed? If there are more pros for the iOS version, then that might make me choose iOS.

For those of you who use Android, did you buy a tablet with the 4:3 ratio (Samsung makes one), like the iPad, or does Set List Maker work fine on the skinnier android aspect ration; 16:9; which seems to dominate Android screens.

Thanks and take care,
Newfie

[arlo]

The iOS and Android versions have almost the same capabilities; any differences should be listed here:

http://www.arlomedia.com/apps/setlistmaker/main/features.html

Adding documents and recordings requires a different process on each platform, but the capabilities are the same.

I think nearly every Android user has a 16:9 screen, which I personally think is less useful than 4:3, but there are no hard limitations from that. The Google Pixel C is a nice tablet with a similar aspect ratio, but costs more than some iPads.

[Newfie]

Thanks Arlo,

I missed the (iOS) references on the linked page when going over it; thanks for pointing it out.

And yeah, I agree that the thinner aspect ratio of 16:9, for me, is less desirable than the 4:3 ratio.

The ability to edit more formats in iOS is appealing since most of my music is in Word (docx) format.

What is the best workflow considering my songs are in Word? Would I import the Word file, then format as ChordPro in SLM? Since I have not used the software yet, the process looks a bit hazy to me. Would there be a video or further instructions on how to do this? With my introduction to this "new" way of storing songs electronically I've become aware of free editors that I can manually use to put songs in ChordPro format; I'm not sure though if that's the only route to go. Would SLM be all I need in terms of editing/formatting songs?

Also if anyone else has used both please chime in.

Thanks and take care,
Newfie

[arlo]

If your lyrics/chords are already in Word, you can either export those files as PDFs and attach them to your songs, or copy and paste their contents into the Lyrics fields of the songs. Pros and cons are here:

http://www.arlomedia.com/apps/setlistmaker/tutorials/compare_lyrics_documents.html

If you take the second route, I'll suggest BandHelper instead of Set List Maker because you can do that setup from your computer instead of doing everything on the tablet:

http://www.bandhelper.com/main/SLM_comparison.html

[Newfie]

Do I need to buy two copies of SLM if I want to use it on my android phone and tablet? I'm not sure how licensing works. I'm buying an android tablet and if I can only use it on one device with my Google Playstore, then I'll just use it on the tablet.
Thanks for your help so far,
Newfie

[arlo]

You need to buy it once for each platform -- so, one purchase covers your Android devices, but you'd need a separate purchase if you also want to run it on an iOS device. Also, each person you want to sync with needs to buy it -- so any bandmates would buy their own copies.

In contrast, BandHelper uses a subscription for the whole band, so one purchase covers all the iOS and Android devices for you and all your bandmates:

http://www.bandhelper.com/main/SLM_comparison.html

[Newfie]

Thanks Arlo for all of your fast responses.

I'm off to buy it now.

Take care,
Newfie