Brace yourselves, because this is one of those “I remember where I was” moments, because Serato have just announced that Serato DJ 1.5 will be DVS enabled, which also signifies the retirement of Serato Scratch Live. Yes — an epic announcement, but not before time. This does however mean that the Rane exclusivity has finished, and there’s a remixed Pioneer DJM-900SRT, a new Rane Sixty Four, and a DDJ-SP1 sample controller. And it’s all neatly condensed into this one story. Don’t worry — we’ll pull it all apart in detail for you.
First, the video:
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So let’s get to it — the full length version of Serato’s historic announcement:
SERATO ANNOUNCES VINYL/CDJ CONTROL FOR SERATO DJ
Serato is proud to introduce Vinyl and CDJ control to Serato DJ.
Serato DJ 1.5.0 inherits our world class NoiseMap™ DVS technology, refined for over 10 years in Serato Scratch Live.
Coming October 2013, Serato DJ will support a number of brand new hardware devices, designed specifically for use with Serato DJ. Support for a number of existing Scratch Live devices will come to Serato DJ in February 2014.
Combined with the long list of new features and improvements to Serato DJ over the past year, the addition of vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ signals the future for the platform, as our top end professional DJ software.
For existing Scratch Live users with supported devices, DVS support in Serato DJ will be a free upgrade in February 2014. There will also be a public beta period coming later this year.
Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “Today’s announcement is a very special day for Serato. It represents the final stage of years of planning and development. We’ve done a huge amount of work to re-engineer Serato DJ, to deliver a new platform, with a new but familiar look for existing Scratch Live users. Today is also very exciting as we announce a range of brand new hardware specifically designed for seamless plug-and-play connectivity with Serato DJ. The Pioneer DJM-900SRT and Rane Sixty-Four mixers will both have Serato DJ support built-in. DVS support in Serato DJ will give our existing Scratch Live users a great opportunity to take advantage of the many new and impressive features Serato DJ has to offer. The new
Pioneer DDJ-SP1 add-on controller is natively mapped to Serato DJ and packs a powerful punch to any existing Serato DJ, DVS or controller set-up. This is just the beginning of much more to come in the future for Serato DJ”.
New Hardware For Serato DJ 1.5.0
Pioneer DJM-900SRT mixer for Serato DJ
The Pioneer DJM-900SRT is the very first mixer from Pioneer to ship with seamless plug-and-play Serato DJ integration and with support for Serato NoiseMap™ Vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ. Connection is simple, via easily accessible USB on the top of the mixer. All the high performance features from Pioneer’s extremely popular line of DJ mixers are included.
- Six Color FX (Space, Dub Echo, Gate/Compressor, Noise, Crush, Filter), Thirteen Beat FX with tempo matched to your tracks BPM in Serato DJ and with intuitive X-PAD control.
- Mix with up to 4 decks with fader start and built-in switchable 3-band equalizer (+6dB to -26dB) and 3-band isolator (-6dB to -∞dB).
- High quality 24bit, 96kHz sound card for high quality audio output and recording.
- Available October 2013.
For more information please visit serato.com/hardware/pioneer-djm-900srt
Rane Sixty-Four mixer for Serato DJ
The Rane Sixty-Four is designed for seamless plug-and-play connectivity and integration with Serato DJ.
A professional, four-channel club mixer with dual USB ports, it allows two computers to be connected simultaneously, making for effortless DJ changeover and back-to-back performance. Building on 10 years of collaboration with Serato, the Sixty-Four supports Serato NoiseMap™ Vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ, and is built to Rane’s high standards of quality and performance.
- Serato DJ software controls built-in. Control Cue Points, Auto-Loops and Loop Rolls, browse through Crates and load tracks, engage Sync, Slip Mode and trigger samples with the SP-6 Sample Player.
- As well as the natively mapped Serato DJ controls, there are two custom MIDI layers that can be mapped to your own preference.
- Powerful hardware FX (Filter, Flanger, Phaser, Echo, Robot, Reverb), individual channel filters and a USB insert to take advantage of the post fader software FX, powered by iZotope.
- The Rane Sixty-Four also features faders and EQs natively mapped for Serato Video control.
- High quality 32bit floating point, 48kHz sound card for great sound output quality and recording.
- Available October 2013.
For more information please visit serato.com/hardware/rane-sixty-four
Pioneer DDJ-SP1 add-on controller for Serato DJ
The Pioneer DDJ-SP1 is a brand new add-on controller designed to be a portable but powerful companion to your primary Serato DJ setup. Perfect for any Serato DJ users that want to get the most out of Serato DJs advanced features. The DDJ-SP1 is an exciting addition for new users of the Pioneer DJM-900SRT, or any other Serato DJ set-up.
The DDJ-SP1 comes with tightly pre-mapped controls for the exciting performance features of Serato DJ software including:
- Hot Cues, Loop Roll, Slicer, SP-6 Sample Player, Auto Loop, Manual Loop, Velocity Mode for the SP-6, Slip Mode, Sync and also Hot Loop.
- Hot Loop, triggers an Auto-Loop when you hit one of your 8 cue points.
- Directly matched controls for the Serato DJ FX, powered by iZotope. Select, load and control your FX in both Single FX and Multi FX mode.
- Each FX unit can also be switched to be dedicated to Serato Video FX controls.
- Available October 2013.
For more information please visit serato.com/hardware/pioneer-ddj-sp1
Serato DJ with DVS – Supported Devices & Public Beta
With the release of Serato DJ 1.5.0 this October, Serato DJ will support Serato NoiseMap™ Vinyl and CDJ control (DVS) for the Rane Sixty-Four and Pioneer DJM-900SRT mixers. The natively supported Pioneer DDJ-SP1 add-on controller, and Novation Dicers will also be supported from October.
A public beta version of Serato DJ to support DVS for a number of existing Scratch Live devices will be available later this year. Devices to be supported include the Rane Sixty-One, Sixty-Two, Sixty-Eight, SL2, SL3 and SL4.
Key Serato DJ 1.5.0 Features and Additions
Library Management
Like all Serato DJ products, your existing Scratch Live library is compatible. Your crates and songs will be automatically read, and all the classic Scratch Live library functions are there like, iTunes library compatibility, prepare and history. Serato DJ is also interoperable with your iTunes library and offers support for your Whitelabel.net files.
Serato DJ 1.5.0 also adds a new bright blue “played track” color option in the setup screen, to see your regularly played tracks more visibly. Users will still have the option to choose grey as their played track color if that is your preferred option.
User Interface and Virtual Decks
Serato’s famous user interface and virtual decks have been improved to give Scratch Live users an even better visualization of your tracks waveforms, and an improved work flow. Easy to read BPM, time remaining/elapsed, track progress, pitch information and cue point indication are all clearly displayed on the Virtual Deck, and the option to work in REL, INT or ABS modes at the click of a button.
iZotope FX
The FX in Serato DJ are hugely improved, and powered by industry leaders iZotope. You can now use the new FX modes in Serato DJ. Choose Single FX mode to get in-depth and have control of a range of parameters, or use Multi FX mode for simple and powerful control using one knob to control 3 separate, chained FX per unit.
Expansion Packs and Accessory Support
All Serato Expansion Packs are supported in Serato DJ 1.5.0. Including Serato Video and the powerful iZotope FX Expansion Packs. Choose from up to 10 standard FX, developed in partnership with industry leading FX developers, iZotope. As well as the standard offering, you can unlock our new FX Expansion Packs within the software. Unlock the Wolf Pack for free, a classic pack of basic effects and standards from other Serato products, or pay USD19 to unlock the Back Pack, a dub pack of analog & old‑school effects. There’s more to come in the future too.
The release of Serato DJ 1.5.0 this October will also work with the natively supported Novation Dicers.
Sync
Sync is finally here for vinyl/CDJ DJs that want to use it. Hit sync to quickly get your tracks in time and give yourself more time to focus on other parts of your mix. If you’re not a fan, then Serato DJ with DVS gives you the option to disable sync and never see it again. Serato DJ 1.5.0 comes with Simple Sync for Vinyl and CDJ control, which matches the tempo and transients of your tracks. There’s also an added “Snap to Beatgrids” option, for using Beatgrids in Simple Sync so you can use features such as the Slicer.
Slip Mode
Brand new to users coming to Serato DJ from Scratch Live, slip mode works in a similar way to loop roll. Engage slip mode and scratch, trigger cue points, and engage loops. Stop scratching or disengage the loop and the playhead jumps back to where it would of been, allowing you to always be on beat.
Cues and Loops
Serato DJ has 8 cue points, compared to the 5 found in Scratch Live, so you can mark up and trigger even more.
In Serato DJ 1.5.0, you can choose to display cue points or saved loops and scroll through all 8 within the on-screen virtual deck area.
Sample Player (SP-6)
A fresh but familiar look for the SP-6 in Serato DJ for Scratch live users. The SP-6 has two view modes, an advanced mode designed for preparing and complex control, and a simplified mode with the minimum controls so you can focus on what is important in your performance.
For further information on Serato DJ with DVS please visit serato.com/dj/dvs
You can view this video message from Serato CEO, Sam Gribben for more information on the future of Scratch Live now Serato DJ with DVS is here.
Wow. There’s a lot to take in, so let’s try and bullet point this for you in easily digestible lumps:
DVS comes to Serato DJ: Aka Scratch Live is being retired. Because of the vast user base, it’ll be supported for a couple of years but then you’re on your own. Our advice — jump ASAP and stop putting it off.
SYNC comes to Serato DVS: Yes, that day has arrived, one that for most is very much of an “about bloody time” moment, while for others, it’ll yield all manner of knee-jerk end of DJ days comments, with a few claiming to give up DJing or a fundamental shunning of Serato DJ and a jump ship to Traktor. Yeah, using that DVS software that’s had sync for years will really teach them a lesson. Get over it — DJing just got better, not worse, and sure as hell isn’t going to die.
New Pioneer DJM-900SRT: When I say new, without detailed PR, I’m struggling to see exactly what is new bar being plug and play with Serato 1.5. I’m sure we’ll be able to shed more light on that very soon. Looking forward to seeing how the Traktor certified DJM-900Nexus and Serato DJ certified (is there a proper term for this?) fight it out in the market. Yes, I know, there should just be one and the user should have the choice, but business doesn’t work like that.
New Rane Sixty Four Mixer: On face value, almost identical to the existing Sixty Eight. We’ve poured over both mixers and only note a handful of differences. Like the Pioneer, expect a full story on its own in due course.
New DDJ-SP1 controller: About bloody time too. Essentially it’s the DDJ-SX without the decks and mixer, and offers direct access to the Serato DJ features that the DJM-900SRT doesn’t have. A separate story will follow.
What we think
As announcements go, this is pretty concise, but at the same time epic beyond what you’re skimming over to get to the bottom. What you’ve just witnessed is the culmination of many events that has allowed Serato to redefine its future. They now have a single platform, something that offers a considerably more optimised development and delivery experience for everyone. All the pain, suffering and crap that Serato and their users have endured over the last few years has led to this moment in time.
So to sum up, Scratch Live’s 10 year existence is being wound up, and Serato DJ 1.5 will be Serato’s single platform, with Serato DJ Intro being a subset derived from this feature set. This also signifies the end of the exclusive relationship between Rane and Serato meaning that a wider range of vendors will be able to offer the DVS experience. But the SL-1 and TTM-57SL won’t be supported. And DVS got sync.
Buyers of the new hardware will get Serato DJ 1.5 capability in October i.e. launch, with existing SL-2, 3, and 4 owners plus Rane Sixty One, Sixty Two, and Sixty Eight getting it after a beta test period that should deliver in February.
There’s a huge amount to take in and digest. We’ll hold your hand through every detail as this all unfolds.
Your Turn
Our opinion is that this is the very best thing that could have happened. But reading the info above, what are your thoughts? Are you glad it’s finally happened? Do you dread having to use the alleged toy-like Serato DJ? Are you ready to embrace the change and march forward into this brave new world? Or will you have an extended period of mourning for Scratch Live that you all called Serato anyway?