Venue Advance vs Patch & I/O
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Venue Advance
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Prepare the next show before the van reaches the loading dock. PlotCue Advance turns one master stage setup into a venue-specific show advance. It keeps the venue contact, day schedule, technical limits, patch sheet, packing counts, change decisions, and open questions in one local workspace. SEE WHAT IS READY TO SEND Add the venue contact, load-in, soundcheck, and show times. A six-part readiness checklist shows exactly what is confirmed and what still needs attention. The percentage reaches 100% only when the required venue facts, input patch, conflicts, and questions are resolved. BUILD A PATCH SHEET FROM REAL INPUTS Every patch row comes from an audio source you entered. Review channel, source, connector, capture method, and performer-perspective stage zone. PlotCue never creates a microphone, DI, or channel just because an instrument icon exists on the diagram. PACK FOR THIS SHOW PlotCue derives cable, DI box, mic stand, wedge monitor, and power-drop counts from the venue variant. Use the pack list as a practical check before departure. ADAPT ONE MASTER TO EACH VENUE Record stage size, available inputs, monitor mixes, power drops, supplied backline, access notes, and venue questions. Resolve capacity conflicts while preserving the original tour master. Compare the variant with the master to keep removals, substitutions, and channel changes visible. SEND A COMPLETE ADVANCE PACKET Preview a PDF with the schedule and contact, readiness, patch sheet, packing list, adapted stage diagram, input list, revision decisions, and unanswered questions. Confirmed questions leave the open-question page without deleting the underlying venue facts. BUILD THE STAGE PLOT Place performers, instruments, microphones, DIs, monitors, power, risers, and custom items. Add explicit sources and keep technical details tied to the visual stage. Start with Quick Setup or an empty stage. TRY THE CORE WORKFLOW Create a stage plot, preview the rider, and export the first standard PDF free. PlotCue Pro weekly and yearly subscriptions unlock unlimited saved plots, clean PDF exports, and JSON backup tools. Live localized prices and renewal terms appear before purchase. Restore Purchases is available in Settings and on the paywall. LOCAL AND ACCOUNT-FREE Show advances stay on your device unless you choose to export or share them. No band account or cloud workspace is required. Terms of Use: https://smartaitomation.com/termsplotcueapp.html
Patch & I/O
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Input list, patchbay and stage plot in one app. Type the sheet and the signal flow diagram draws itself, and the app tells you when a mic that needs phantom is sitting on an input that cannot supply it. One show is one project. Fill in the channel sheet, lay out the patchbay, draw the stage plot, and print the paper you hand the crew ā all in one app. ā I/O LIST CH Ā· SOURCE Ā· PICK UP Ā· STAND Ā· REMARKS, the way the sheet looks on site. Live and recording need different columns, so they are separate kinds ā recording shows PREAMP, INSERT and DAW TRACK as well. Mics and stands are counted by model into their own list. No counting when you pull gear from the store room. ā WHAT IT CATCHES - A source that needs 48V phantom on an input that cannot supply it - Phantom reaching a ribbon mic or other gear it can damage - A speaker-level output going into a line input - The same channel number used on two rows - Connector families that do not mate, so an adapter is needed ā SIGNAL FLOW The sources and mics you typed become the diagram. Identical models are merged and counted (x4), and tapping one channel follows just that path. Chains that do not fit a channel sheet ā outputs and monitors, clock, power ā are drawn by hand. Drag block to block to connect them, or draw the line with Apple Pencil. ā PATCHBAY 24, 48 or 96 columns. Draw a segment and the jacks in that range get names and numbers; normalling is set per segment too ā full normal, half normal, thru. Label strips print at actual size. That is the paper you cut and slide into the bay window. Jack pitch differs by model, so you measure and enter it, and the sheet carries a ruler mark to prove your printer did not scale the page. If it is not 100 mm, print again. Note: the default pitch (9.5 mm for a 48-point 1U bantam bay) is a reference value. Measure your own bay before printing. ā STAGE PLOT Place, rotate and resize drums, amps, wedges and stands. Put things on risers, and attach channel numbers from the I/O list to any symbol. Draw the venue's standard layout once, then copy it for each show. You can mark it up with Apple Pencil (view-only on Mac). ā ON PAPER I/O list, patchbay sheet, label strip, signal flow, stage plot ā all export as PDF. Long channel counts split across pages, and when the inputs overflow they flow into two columns so you use less paper. ā LEARN (ALL FREE) Photographs and pin tables for nine connectors: XLR, TRS, TS, bantam, RCA, Speakon and DB25. Cable wiring diagrams, and a practice mode where you connect the pins at each end yourself. The things that catch people out on site are written down ā such as how to handle pin 3 (cold) in an insert Y-cable. ā WHAT THE FREE VERSION DOES - Build and view every screen. No limit on channel count - Two each of: live projects, recording projects, patchbays, diagrams, stage plots - PDF export works (with a watermark) - All of Learn - iCloud sync is free too. Change devices and everything is still there The lifetime unlock removes the document limits and the watermark, and adds CSV import/export and actual-size label strip printing. It is not a subscription. Buy once, and it opens on your iPhone, iPad and Mac under the same Apple Account. ā FROM THE MAKER Built to use on the job. If something is missing or wrong, tell me.
Screenshots
Verdict
Venue Advance and Patch & I/O are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters ā price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them ā neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Venue Advance sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and Patch & I/O sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Venue Advance | Patch & I/O |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | ā | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac ā better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 18.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smart Automation SRL | HYO SEOP LEE |
In-app purchases
Venue Advance
- PlotCue Pro Ā· Weekly$8.997 Days
- PlotCue Pro Ā· Yearly$89.991 Year
Patch & I/O
- Lifetime Unlock$11.99
Questions
Is Venue Advance free?
Is Patch & I/O free?
Do Venue Advance or Patch & I/O have ads?
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