dj software jump ship
mark Settle·
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Are you really going to switch DJ software?

dj software jump ship

The never-ending race for software supremacy continues, with each player constantly one-cupping their offer hoping to capture the hearts and wallets of DJs. But with increasing regularity, DJs are saying that they’re tired of waiting, and that the newly announced feature in the rival software is making them jump ship. But are you really going to switch lanes?

So I had this long piece written

…and I realised that I left nowhere for you lot to take it. I used a race analogy to explain that Serato DJ has got the lead, Traktor is suffering cramp but will be sprinting ahead with Traktor Pro 3 in due course, Virtual DJ 8 is leading in its own mobile race but is looking to jump lanes into a head on sprint with the big two, and Mixvibes Cross is capable and doggedly determined to keep pace with the others but not enough people are cheering for it. Then I wrote about the difficulties of changing one library to another, and the complications of expecting one software to work with disparate hardware.

But I changed my mind, and at the same time was able to ditch the expensive stock photography to use the last comment that came in as the story image. I want to know exactly why you’re thinking of changing lanes to run with a different software. What does that choice offer, and how easy will it be for you to make that change from a hardware and software perspective? Or in all honesty, do you have a low boredom threshold and just want new toys to play with when the reality is that you’re just going to ride the A to B merry-go-round and use a filter from time to time?

See also

So yeah… I’ve come to realise that spewing SEO-friendly long form editorial pontificating from the DJWORX pulpit works, but we’re more interested in your thoughts. So I pose the question:

ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO SWITCH?

Are you serious or just knee-jerk reacting? And be honest.

78 Comments

  1. So I’m kind of in the middle lane right now (or should I say I’m driving on the line?). I bought a z2 because my SL1 can’t handle SeratoDJ and the price of an SL3 is $500. With the holiday sale, it’s $100 more to get a mixer with an built-in interface and I can also ditch my dicers or use them for something else.

    At the moment I’m still learning Traktor. It is way more complex than Serato for damn sure and I’m still trying to learn how to utilize remix decks and effects and whatnot. I’m eventually going to make the full switch, but it’s a little more daunting than I thought it would be. All the videos I watched on Traktor made it seem very exciting, especially the way all the hardware came together like the X1 and what have you which is another reason I made the switch. Hope it was the right choice.

    1. Interesting point. See this wasn’t a problem for djs who were already using vinyl or cdjs. I was so late on Serato. I didn’t officially get it till like 09-10. Meanwhile all my friends had already switched. Might’ve even been ’10. I was still bringing records to parties. So I didn’t need any additional gear then other than a SL box. But I will say the transition was easy because I used it in absolute then relative mode. So it didn’t really feel like I was learning software to dj. I have to admit my few attempts at traktor were a bit frustrating due to it being so software involved.

      I still have a license around from unopened from the DJM-T1. I owned a Scratch Duo a few years back but I couldn’t get down with Traktor then either. It’s a great piece of software and does a lot of amazing things, but for me the more the limitations the easier it is for me to experiment. The more options I have to more likely I’ll just get lost in all the functions. For me back then Serato was definitely the right choice and I still feel that way due to it’s simplicity. Especially if you just wanna spin records, scratch and mix. All the other stuff is there if you need it, but it’s not all in your face or in the way, in reference to the GUI. Also, the midi mapping on traktor was a huge turnoff fro me back in the day.

  3. Yes I really am going to switch, the software I have used for the past few years has gone in the wrong direction. The competition have gone more in the right direction. There are probably people on the other side of the fence thinking the same and going the other way round.

  4. That Denon DS 1 is sure making me think twice about it. I’m thinking it’s about an 80% probability I switch to Serato. My love for the Kontrol X1 is making me cling to Traktor but at that price point for the Denon interface and Serato free are a big temptation. Anyone have any recommendations as far as the equivalent of an X1 for Serato? I would like to avoid the MIDI mapping route.

    1. There really isn’t one yet. At least nothing that offers the same level of control. (Maybe the upcoming K1?) I’m on Serato and I’m still waiting for an X1 equivalent. I’m sure it’s on their roadmap though.

      1. Yeah, I’ve done my fair share of research and nothing turns up that convinces me. I’ll keep my head up for that K1 although I’ve not heard anything. Thanks for the input!

          1. Except as far as I know you can’t adjust tempo using the AFX (kind of a deal-breaker for me). Plus the transport controls are through a Shift layer.

  5. It’s a (mostly) empty threat to switch software. You’ve already given them your money anyway. People do it just to register their frustration over bugs/missing features. Grass is always greener…

  6. It makes no sense for me to do it. I’d have to find a way to move EVERY grid, cue point, and saved loop to Serato from Traktor. No way am I going to do that for 3K+ songs. As much as I wish NI got off their asses and would at least try to keep up with Serato, it literally makes no sense for me to switch.

          2. Ok, wow. If that’ll easily move all my tunes with grids etc over then yeah, I’d seriously try Serato out. I’ve always liked how clean the interface looks in comparison to Traktor.

          3. Unfortunately still no sign of Rekord Buddy v2. I saw the BPM demo, was suitably impressed – there will be a Windows version (eventually) and it will work with Virtual DJ too.

            Offered my beta testing services – still waiting.

  7. I really like the way effects sound in serato, I really like the flexibility of vdj, but my workflow is so tied to traitor at this point I couldn’t possibly switch.

  8. I made the switch to Serato last year. It was a hard leap to make. I had been using Traktor since 2002, so I wasn’t sure I could adjust after 12 years. I really wanted to get back to moving platters, so I bought the NS7II. I’ve been fortunate in that it has opened up some new opportunities. I got a gig at a place where video makes a lot of sense. If I was still using Traktor it wouldn’t be an option, but now it has opened me up to a bunch of new experiences. The big thing I miss from Traktor is being able to advanced midi mapping. With video I would love to be able to map an effect to turn on to a certain setting with one button. I did a gig on the weekend with Virtual DJ for the first time and it didn’t completely suck the way I thought it would

  9. I was using Serato & Traktor interchangeably for a little while because they were both installed in different clubs I was playing, but finding music in Traktor was difficult with a large music collection (10000+ tracks). I eventually resorted to using a thumb drive with about 500 tracks when I was playing Traktor. Perhaps part of it is that Traktor is terribly cramped on a 13-inch 1280×800 resolution laptop screen and trying to play tracks while searching your library is tedious. If I was playing house or tech house with songs that were 6-9 minutes long, it wasn’t too bad to find the next track, but when playing genres with 2-4 minutes songs, forget it.

    My current rig is VCI-380, MacBook Pro, Serato DJ and occasionally Serato DVS at some venues. I love that rig and I am very comfortable with it. However, if there is one thing I could change I would want to make the rig smaller and more portable, which I believe means moving to a tablet for my DJ computer.

    If I was to change that now, it gives me some problems at the current moment because Serato doesn’t do iOS and/or Apple doesn’t do a MacOS tablet. So either I would have to switch to Traktor on iPad or switch my Mac laptop to Surface Pro 3. Inside, I am secretly hoping that Serato will come out with an iOS DJ app or that Apple will come out with a Mac OS tablet. Everything I have is still working for me as-is, so no harm in waiting a little longer, right? But unless something changes for Apple or Serato, at some point I am going to have to make a choice in which direction to go.

  10. Just like Apple took over my house without me noticing, NI have locked out my own gear completely; Z2, X1 Mk2, Fi hooked up with my 1210’s.

    I’d like to see NI play nice with others again – HID support improved, better attitude towards Traktor certification for non NI hardware. Make it feel like the customer is the priority again rather than trying to be a bit aloof and morph into another Apple clone (thats how NI are making me feel just now).

    I can’t see me binning all my kit anytime soon. NI and me are stuck together but thats not a reason for NI to be complacent and assume I’ll be loyal……… all it takes is for me to buy a controller bundled with Serato and I could be using it in an hour.

    A touch screen controller than can utilise USB sticks without a macbook hooked up and at the right price (below Pioneer tax levels) could be enough to swing me to Serato, unless NI make the product I’d like off course (the S8 is close but not quite what I want)

    1. Cross DVS, the cost is $130.00 and it will use any soundcard… Rand, NI, it doesn’t matter. I’m in the same boat as you. Z2, X1 MkI, 2X F1 and a pair of CDJS00’s. Mapping the Z2 shouldn’t be too hard, but Mixvibe already has support for the X1. I’m watching the open beta of Traktor 2.7.4 which should clean things up a little, of not I can definitely see myself switching. It’s not like buying a different software voids your Traktor license.

  11. I’m not a crazy library guy, I like it to be organised, but yeah… I’ve gone from Traktor Scratch to Serato Itch to Traktor Pro 2 to Serato DJ… the transition wasn’t that hard.

  12. I just want a vinyl emulation player (cdx, v7, ns7, denon 3900 whateva)
    that works, and doesnt sound digital. it seems if i go with one of the
    players that can handle the audio without serato, they havent mastered
    the digital sound when scratching, yet serato sounds wonderful when
    scratching (at least gets higher points then the stand alones)

    unfortuantly
    serato is tied to a computer, which has way way way way too many of its
    own things going on (as minimal of a system as you can have, such as i
    have osx and the only program I installed is serato, the computer is
    still doing other things in the background, things idgaf about) I just
    want a unit that emulates the feel of vinyl and doesnt sound like shit.
    Its sad they cant bring something like that to the market. The cdx was
    wonderful for its time, unfortunatly i knew it sounded digital when i
    used it, and isnt acceptable anymore (nor could i keep up with
    replacement parts)

    Please whoever is making this stuff, know we
    are djing because we like djing, nobody would stop djing tomorrow if
    they COULDNT use serato, after all serato doesnt really do much then
    have playlists, cue/loops points, and plays the audio. (if your the guy
    who says they would quit djing without serato know your not a dj, your
    laptop is your just pushing the buttons)

  13. I been using traktor since I started djing (2006) and I love traktor but lately feels like NI is just focused on its own hardware and has no improvements. I’m just waiting to buy a new mixer or controller and switch to serato dj with DVS.

    I gonna miss traktor a lot but serato is in every bar or club and traktor isn’t what it used to be.

  14. I moved from Serato when I changed from V7’s back to turntables. With general AB club mixing I really don’t see the difference between all the software’s, USB’s, Vinyl or CD’s or whatever.

    But I moved to Traktor for my original performance gigs. Being able to sequence my own drums with a MIDI Fighter Twister, load my samples and instruments with an F1, scratch my choruses with vinyl TC and rap my verses at the same time in the same program, isn’t doable with Serato.

    So it doesn’t make a difference what hype is generated in the press about new hardware supported that does the same thing as the old hardware, it literally can’t do what Traktor does.

  15. As a bedroom dj, I simply keep my Cross dj software. Easy to use, with a mixvibes Umix control pro 2. Works well on iPad too.

    Note a controller killer, but, small fun stuff, that I can connect to my 1200s for DVS.

  16. i love my mixvibes cross . how ever there are a few controllers that they do not work with that i want them to do so . like the ns7 numark nv and the s8 . mixvibes would be a better if they worked with one of these . also they lack fx . i still love them and if i can im going to use mixvibes for my live streams at hitbox.tv now there is someone on mixvibes that has the midi mapping for the ddj sz to . mixvibes cross needs to work with the new controllers bad. i see them ahead of the others in part right now as they seem to be the only one that offer 64 bit

  18. While digital DJing continues to be tied to laptops I have no particular desire to use one software more than another. That extra link in the audio chain is a major inconvenience for me and the sooner hardware can integrate with software without the need for a laptop running in the background, the better in my opinion. Once that happens – and it’s starting to happen already with hardware like the Pioneer XDJ-XR – I’ll plant my flag in the sand with whoever does that well. Until then, I’m happier using an iPad.

  19. You have to love the fact that Serato is working with everyone…hey I might build a controller!
    The fact is that Serato is allowing other controllers to their game.
    As a Traktor user it kills me that NI is making hardware and not supporting other controllers or cdjs.
    Seems to me that NI forgot about the djs that just want to mix 2 songs and not pursue “the future of djin”.

  20. Yes. If Traktor doesn’t get seriously better with the next version, I’m over it. Serato keeps adding consistently useful features like flip and colored cue points, instead of Traktor’s incremental updates that add very little. NI seems to be constantly hobbled by their own codebase. The only reason I haven’t switched is the sunk cost of having given NI so much of my money over the years.

    1. It seems that NI is starting to do a bit of listening at the moment 2.7.4 has a 64bit kernel. I was personally going to give them 6 months to clean things up before I switched to Cross. $130 and all your old gear is still usable.

  21. I need the features I need. Sick of switching between 2 softwares. Club kit , Serato Video, and beatjump in 1.7.4 finally put all the things I need. No brainier, leaving traktor.

  22. I used Traktor until I got a NS6. I thought it would work with both Serato & Traktor (it did – sort of) but the jog performance with Traktor was terrible! So I used Serato (Itch). I then changed to Mixvibes when Itch was dying. If you’re a dj, you should be able to play on any medium/platform that’s put in front of you. So for me the transitions have been relatively easy (apart from re-analyzing 1000’s of tracks. This really boils down to which software allows you to have the most fun & gives peace of mind when using it. As long as Serato keeps listening to their customers (like they are now) I highly doubt I would change over. I still use Mixvibes with the cdj’s at the club which works great, however I just seem to enjoy using Serato more.

  23. I am looking at software at the moment. I started using DVS with the original Stanton unit then switched to serato. I’m still using the sp1 and want to update. Due to all the added features, it will probably be as painful to switch to serati DJ or traktor. Feature wise, both have interests but I an leading towards serato as the are now more open and the features are DJ orientated where traktor seems a bit more production. I don’t think I will get much use with the remix decks although they look interesting but I do think I’ll get something out of being able to re arrange tracks in serato, even if it is just extending an into. I’ll decide on midi controllers once I know what I decide on. I will hopefully be able to integrate my 2 numark orbits with a more dedicated controller or two

  24. I switched from Traktor to Serato 4 years ago because of Serato video. I was waiting for video plug in such a long time … but nothing new about NI.

    Now, I switched to Rekordbox because I’m non longer use video a lot, and I love that I don’t go to mix in club with a laptop, in fact the software is in the CDJ and is very “unbug” and professional also. I love this set up now.

    I just bought 2 XDJ 1000 for practicing @ home, and find same layout when I’m at club with CDJ. ;)

    If I’m mixing audiovisual sometimes, I use Mixemergency with Midi Clock sync for audio to video bp sync.

    For me, the leaders are Serato and Pioneer Rekordbox now.

  26. I`m still using Traktor 2.6.8 due to the fact that NI has been repeatedly releasing sub-standard code that refuses to run on Windows. This is not a selling feature when you advertise it as an upgrade because you want to push the S8 before Christmas. If they want to base their business model as marketing, get out of hardware and software and turn yourself into an advertising agency instead. One more month and Cross will be on my laptop running all your gear.

  27. My only real switch has been from using PCDJ sofware (the original version of Red, up through PCDJ FX, Reflex and Dex) to Atomix Virtual DJ.

    I do however also have Traktor, Dex, RPM, Flow, Mashup, OneDJ (demo), Rekordbox (not really DJ s/w) and Serato DJ on my system should I need them.

    Traktor I only bought to try out the Remix Decks when they were announced. It was cheap enough to do that. Rekordbox and SDJ are only there in case I need to use hardware I don’t own.

  28. Def a cheerleader for Mixvibes Cross here – it’s awesome, amazing track browsing, DVS built in, very through midi mapping and runs video native.

    I started with Tractor Pro 2 and an S4 enjoyed it, but had already started to jump ship to Pioneer for my club and bar work (got an XDJ-Aero fror rekordbox prep).

    Then Cross came up with their Rekordbox sync I checked it out and really liked it and got on board (and was able to map my Aero pretty good even though no midi template), and now with version 3 video is in there and I’m enjoying just how flexable it is – such as the parrallel wave beatmatch strip that can be turned of/off at the top of the screen

    When the Reloop 7000/8000 turntables came out I got a pair of 7000s and timecode vinyls and have been using it ever since. Still like Traktor and use it occasionaly, and think it still has the edge in FX, but for all else much prefer Cross. Odd that it doesn’t seem to get many mentions compared to Traktor and Serato

  29. I switched from VirtualDJ to Serato about 5 years ago when I got my Numark V7s (I have since switched to an NS7ii). I prefer software that “just works” with a certain number of controllers instead of “sorta works” with every controller.

  30. I recently sold my CDJ-900s (which I used with Traktor) and switched back to vinyl. Not an easy choice, but the good one for me.

    I have a mate who can cut quality polyvinyl records so it makes it much easier for me to have what I want on wax. I’m still using Traktor as a DVS at home to try some tunes before cutting them etc… but I play vinyl at gigs. I will not refuse a gig if there’s no way to play vinyl, however. I know how to use CDJs so if needed I’ll fill in a USB stick, but only with the tunes I have on vinyl.

    The reason I did this is that I’ve been DJing and collecting records for the last 20 years and I missed the touch and feel of vinyl etc… Also, I was tired of always trying to get the freshest news just before a gig, and mixing them badly because I never tried them before. Now I do it the old way : I really choose my tunes because they really cost me money, I pick those that will stand the test of time – not the latest big thing that will be obsolete in 2 weeks – and I learn them.

    And I’m happy again as a DJ.

    1. Out of interest, what does it cost you to get records cut? I buy the odd bit of vinyl here and there. One thing I’d love to do is record my son talking (when he can) and get that cut onto a couple of records, to pass on to him when he’s older.

      2. 20€ for a 12″ with one tune on each side. Not cheap but I do not buy a 10€+ 12″ for just one side. And I buy “real” records obviously.

  31. already switched from software to standalone hardware + guitar pedal fx. Couldn’t be happier tbh. Will not be going back to software anytime soon, I grew up with it but its lost its appeal to me over the years.. Only reason to do software anymore is if you want to do high channel count multitrack live remixing ala ableton, 2/4 deck mixing can be done just as well with contemporary hardware IMO.

  34. Been a Traktor user since 2009, as long as it keeps working the way I need it to and with the kit I use I won’t bother changing. That said, it would appear that NI’s business model is stacked against me in that regard but if Traktor 3 doesn’t work with my stuff then I’ll simply stick with Traktor 2.
    I’m no fanboy and I owe no allegiance to any manufacturer so I will happily swap if the need arises. As for the amusing Traktor update situation I just don’t bother updating. v2.6.4 works hunky dory.

  35. I currently use Traktor (Primarily), Virtual DJ 8 (Pro Infinite Lic.), and Serato DJ Intro. Of the three I really like Traktor the best. I could most likely configure some of my Traktor items to work with Virtual DJ similarly to how I use them with Traktor however I’m not interested in doing so. Traktor just works for me.

  36. I made the switch from Serato to Traktor around 2 years ago due to upgrading hardware. I sold my Numark NS7 and wanted to move back to 1210’s so I bought the Z2 because it was SO much more affordable than the Rane scratch mixers! Switching software in my case was purely to enable me to move back to a decent 2 channel DVS scratch mixer with vinyl, not for any other reason. To be honest I liked Serato’s simplicity and would probably move back if I could justify the extra cash for a Sixty-Two but can’t transfer track information from Traktor back to Serato (!?). That issue around thousands of track marks and loops is a biggie to..

  37. I’m thinking about switching to Serato for a couple of reasons. The main one is their mixers and sound cards with dual usb. I mix with friends back to back or do small 20 minute sets, switch have a beer/smoke or two and then jump on again. Not a big problem when playing wax but when a friend or myself want to play digital tunes it’s easier to bring over cdj’s, use usb’s and have the 1200’s set up as well, but that means we have more cables and a huge over the top club sized set up. It would be a lot better if we could just plug two laptops into a mixer and have have the 1200’s set up.

    Another one is control vinyl for Serato is so much cooler and if I could bet on a company to stay with DVS and cater more to traditional DJing long term it would be Serato/Rane. Basically all I want is solid software that lets me mix 2 tracks together. I don’t use sync and don’t use the bpm counter, my laptop is set up out of site and I only use it to browse tracks. F1 controllers and midi mapping does not excite me at all. For me solid gear and simplicity appeals more to me then complex midi and bells and whistles. I want to focus more on being a quality selector than a technical wizard, at least at this stage.

    One feature that would probably trump all of this for me is if Traktor partnered up with Spotify. Some of the playlists I have made on there kill me because I can’t mix them on a full sized setup. I’m sure its coming in the not to distant future.

  38. Once djay PRO by algoriddim starts working with My Numark NS7ii I will say goodbye to Serato.
    djay PRO has built in Spotify.
    Now I have my personal Library of 30,000 songs and Spotify with over a million songs
    Any request?

      1. Do you think a party full of high school kids really cares about 320kbps?
        Or do they want to hear the song they requested ?
        Besides my 6000watt amp and dual 18″ Peavey speakers makes even 128kbps sound awesome…

        1. I was just pulling your leg :)

          I know its a handy feature and I hope spotify / beatport and other streaming services allow files to be “buffer streamed” at a respectable higher quality in the future and on other software platforms – no doubt its in the works somewhere for Serato / Rekordbox and Traktor.

          I’d be happy enough to jump ship if the ipad version of Djay was midi mappable – but alas its not, which is a shame as its smooth as butter even on an ipad mini

          Those Peaveys don’t make 128k sound awesome though … they just make 320k sound exactly like 128k hehe

          1. Djay Pro (Mac version ) is midi mappable and also does Spotify.
            I have been collecting music since 1978 I pretty much own most of the music in Spotify but sometimes at a gig some kid requests that one song that’s not in the library and if that kid happens to be the one who’s parents are paying for the gig then you might as well forget ever getting hired again.
            Spotify is not for club gigs…

  39. I’ll probably give VirtualDJ 8 a shot, simply because I don’t have to worry about any cue points to move over, and it has native support for Shoutcast streaming. oh, and it works with my Z2.

    Or I’ll just go back to regular, plain jane vinyl.

  40. I’m placing my money on Serato. By the time they reach SDJ 1.8 they will most probably cover any missing gap with Traktor (i.e. sample banks). NI tried to go for an Apple-like strategy but failed to see the possibility that Serato might open up their software – which they did. NI wasted valuable time developing controllers and not their software. Now they have to rush Traktor 3, which will most probably lead to a half-arsed update.

  44. I switched from Traktor to Serato about 2-3 years ago, and never looked back. NI kept on adding stuff that I couldn’t care less about, and Serato kept adding little things that made my life easier/more fun!