Serato DJ 1.5 released Rane Sixty Four demo
mark Settle·
News
··
Last updated:

Serato DJ 1.5 released — one Serato DJ to rule them all

[youtube id=”jeQDLNJJwlg”]

Just before BPM 2013, Serato dropped the bombshell that many had expected for a long time — Scratch Live was being replaced by the all singing all dancing rebuilt from the ground up Serato DJ 1.5. And now it’s here — still not as a replacement for Scratch Live, but ready for the forthcoming Rane Sixty Four and Pioneer DJM-900SRT, as well as the all new Numark NS7 II.

It’s not just about spanking new stuff, but also about compatibility with existing gear and some bug fixes. All the words from Serato HQ:

SERATO RELEASES SERATO DJ 1.5 WITH VINYL & CDJ SUPPORT

Serato is proud to announce the release of Serato DJ 1.5, available to download now from serato.com/dj/downloads.

Serato DJ 1.5 comes packed with support for a number of brand new and existing devices, including the Rane Sixty-Four and Pioneer DJM-900SRT. These are the first professional, four-channel club standard mixers that are specifically designed for plug-and-play integration with Serato DJ, using our world class NoiseMap™ DVS technology.

Serato DJ 1.5 also includes support for the Pioneer DDJ-SR and Numark NS7II controllers, plus, accessory support for the Pioneer DDJ-SP1, Novation Dicers and the Pioneer CDJ-2000 & CDJ-2000nexus – to be used in conjunction with a supported Serato DJ device.

Serato DJ 1.5 is the first in a series of releases associated with the migration of our software platform from Scratch Live to Serato DJ.

Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “It’s very exciting to be releasing Serato DJ 1.5 with vinyl and CDJ control, and get it out into the hands of our users. Today’s releases brings us another step closer to migrating our software platform from Scratch Live across to Serato DJ. We’ve worked hand in hand with our hardware partners to deliver support for some impressive new products that are specifically designed for Serato DJ 1.5, and it’s great to finally see all the planning and hard work come to fruition. Being able to offer vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ for new devices is just the first stage of much more to come from Serato in the future, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next.”

Supported Devices in Serato DJ 1.5

Rane Sixty-Four mixer for Serato DJ

The Rane Sixty-Four is designed for seamless plug-and-play connectivity and integration with Serato DJ 1.5.

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. The Sixty-Four supports Serato NoiseMap™ Vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ.

Pioneer DJM-900SRT mixer for Serato DJ

The Pioneer DJM-900SRT is the very first mixer from Pioneer to ship with plug-and-play Serato DJ integration and with support for Serato NoiseMap™ Vinyl and CDJ control in Serato DJ.

Numark NS7II controller for Serato DJ

Numark’s flagship all-in-one DJ controller and the evolution of their classic NS7. It has all the feel and experience of the original and with impressive new features and enhancements. The NS7II is designed specifically to control the performance features within Serato DJ.

Pioneer DDJ-SR controller for Serato DJ

Designed with the highly popular DDJ-SX in mind, the Pioneer DDJ-SR offers high performance and advanced control in a smaller package, as well as some new and unique features of its own.

Pioneer DDJ-SP1 accessory for Serato DJ

The Pioneer DDJ-SP1 is a brand new accessory designed to be a portable and powerful companion to your primary Serato DJ setup, and comes with tightly pre-mapped controls for the exciting performance features of Serato DJ and Serato Video software.

Pioneer CDJ-2000 & CDJ-2000nexus accessory support for Serato DJ

Serato DJ 1.5 includes accessory support for the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-2000nexus, in conjunction with a supported Serato DJ device. Leave your Control CDs at home and connect directly to your computer via USB to control the software. The CDJ-2000 and CDJ-2000nexus have the tightest 2 deck control, with anti-skip performance and tight low-latency integration with Serato DJ.

New Features in Serato DJ 1.5

Alongside the wide range of new hardware support, Serato DJ 1.5 also has some impressive new features that all users can take advantage of, including:

Simple Sync with Beatgrids

See also
  • Sync is finally here for vinyl and CDJ DJs that want to use it.
  • Includes the Snap to Beatgrids option, for perfectly snapping your tracks in time.
  • If you’re not a fan of Sync then Serato DJ 1.5 gives you the option to disable Sync and never see it again.

Played Track Color Change

  • Due to popular demand, Serato DJ 1.5 adds a new bright blue “played track” color option to make your played tracks more visible. Users will still have the option to choose grey as their played track color if that is your preferred option.

Streamlined User Interface

  • We’ve optimized the user interface for a more streamlined experience.

Serato DJ 1.5 Bug Fixes

Serato DJ 1.5 also includes bug fixes to continue the unparalleled level of stability and performance that Serato software is renown for.

For a full list of bug fixes and other changes see the Serato DJ 1.5 Release Notes 

Serato DJ 1.5 is available now from www.serato.com/dj/downloads

[youtube id=”KAkESUeb5Ig”]

One True Serato

So 3 become 1, with Scratch Live and ITCH all rolled into Serato DJ. Everyone will soon be able to work within the same unified interface and stop the incessant moaning about the pros being ignored while the toys get all the new features. It’s worth having a glance over the release notes so you can see exactly what is coming, what has changed and what has been fixed. This is after all a very important release.

The irony hasn’t escaped me that this release, no matter how monumental and epic, has little use right away, as it’s generally for a whole load of yet to be released hardware. We at DJWORX however are in the very fortunate situation of having both the Rane Sixty Four and Numark NS7 II in the worxlab right now, so we’ll be able to give Serato DJ 1.5 a good workout and deliver a couple of detailed reviews pretty quickly.

I’m just looking forward to having some more dock space on my 13″ screen and not having to guess which icon is which.

The S Word

I do have to chuckle to myself when reading the bit about sync. Serato is definitely treating this as a handle with care topic, whereas every other software vendor is much more of a “sync is here live with it” attitude. But it’s just a matter of time before the introduction of sync will be forgotten, and actually disabling it will be seen as nothing more than a symbolic gesture of rebellion.

Serato DJ 1.5 released Rane Sixty Four demo

The Final Countdown

The hardware that Serato DJ 1.5 is specifically aimed at is imminent. I suspect it’ll be a matter of weeks, and possibly even days before you’ll be able to lay your former Scratch Live happy hands on the Rane and Pioneer mixers. And for everyone else, it’s a matter of waiting for Serato to push out betas in the new year that work with the existing hardware. My advice — embrace Serato DJ 1.5, or you’ll find yourself missing out on all the good stuff that we have yet to see.

42 Comments

      1. The fact is that usb 1.0 is NOT to slow to control MIDI efex that are handled in a a computer. The older soundcard is 16 bit which is the quality that all cds were encoded in so there is NO reason that the old hardware would be a problem. Its a scam to force upgrading to newer more expensive hardware.

        1. The SL 1 and TTM-57 SL are both USB 1.1
          It can handle MIDI and proprietary protocols without a hassle but alongside with lossless audio it may struggle.
          And you should consider the chips and controllers on the hardware as well.

          And let’s not forget: How many SL interfaces could Rane sell if Serato kept supporting the old interface for another decade? Now with the SL 1 being discontinued the ones who want to use SDJ have to buy a new interface which means loads of fresh money to Rane and Serato. This is how business works.

        2. The biggest problem with supporting 1.1 is that laptop manufacturers have dubious USB 1.1 compatibility, especially when it comes to real-time audio. Being such an old protocol, it’s probably not worth their time to bother giving USB 1.1 much love and this has a flow on effect to those who make real time audio applications that use USB.

    2. do u srsly not get the advance in technology or r u just trying to be one of those whiners.

      They both support USB 1, if u srsly want a mixer like the ttm57 grab a
      sixty-one.

    3. You should consider switching only if you’re unhappy with Serato software. To switch out of spite because your old tech isn’t supported is a bad move. What we really do need are more cost effective 2 channel Serato mixers to combat the Z2.

  3. I’d love to use Serato, but after the heavy investment in NI kit I can’t. I wish these two players would open up the software so all of us could play. No more locked down controllers etc. simple manufacturing, unified drivers …..

  6. good vidoe!
    but why o why the changes in software???

    suddenly gray is not the proper color to tag tracks as played. why didnt serato listen or test with their customers before they release? it was oky in serato scratch, green. now blue colors are hurting eyes!!

    suddenly taking buttons away from screen. why didnt serato listen or test with their customers before they release?? it was oky in serato dj older version.

    suddnly wayveforms moved from one place to another. why didnt serato listen or test with their customers BEFORE they release??? it was oky in serato dj older version.

    why constantly change things? for Rane serato scratch this gui is ugly!!! it was oky in serato scratch. new colors looking ugly.

    i can understand serato has to move on but ever heard of conistency and permanence? why change things from one version to another version and then back and forth? THEY ARE CONFUSING CUSTOMERS!!!

    1. They are going for consistency. You must bear in mind that Scratch Live and Serato DJ were quite different, but now they are the same. And as for asking customers — software is tested and trialled in private beta. The changes won’t be made just because one person at Serato said so. All companies take such things very seriously. You might not like the changes, but I bet that the majority of users are perfectly happy with them.

      Obviously there will be a transitionary period, where Scratch Live users will feel a little out of their comfort zone. It’s only natural, but it will pass very quickly.

      1. yeah yeah….. Serato 1.5 crashes all the time and older versions don’t…….. what kind of test they did….?????? WTF worst realese ever……….

  7. “Serato DJ 1.5 includes DVS support for the new Rane Sixty-Four and Pioneer DJM-900SRT mixers, as well as the Numark NS7 II, Pioneer DDJ‑SR and Pioneer DDJ‑SP1”

    Taken directly from serato website… I wonder does this actually mean the controllers will have plug and play DVS support also?

      1. Yes it is a scientific fact. Traktor has a higher frequency and information denser vinyl. That is not even arguable. Seratos new performance records they released this year are nice but still not as good as traktor.

        1. At the risk of totally oversimplifying this, the NI timecode that is cut into the their vinyl is totally different to what is cut into Serato vinyl. Therefore, the algorithms used to find out the position and velocity of the needle on the vinyl is totally different. This difference means that “frequency and information denser vinyl” does not correlate to an algorithm’s speed/efficiency at detecting position and velocity. You’ll find that Serato vinyl is incredibly good at detecting position and velocity info, especially at slow speeds, and is also very quick at detecting needle position when performing a needle drop. The lower frequency Serato vinyl is also easier on the ears when one accidentally plays the control tone out the monitors :)

          1. From what I remember, NI have stated that Traktor’s time code is higher resolution than Serato’s noise map, which provides a stronger, clearer signal. Whether or not this makes any real difference is not clear. To be honest both work extremely well so it really doesn’t matter if NI’s time code is better than Serato’s noise map..

            My friends that use Serato say that the noise map mediums just work a whole lot better (i.e. no calibration issues) than Traktor when setting up in a club environment.

            (I am a Traktor Scratch Pro user)

            1. To use a cliche, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. The encoded grooves cut into NI and Serato vinyl are completely different and thus require different algorithms to interpret. Serato’s vinyl doesn’t need a high frequency signal in order for their vinyl tracking algorithm to quickly detect needle position and velocity. This is in contrast to NI, who appears to have an encoded signal that, unless they have high frequency data, won’t be able to track efficiently enough.

    3. Can only speak for myself, but….

      I prefer the izotope effects. I prefer serato library management. I’ve had better experience with their support. But for me – the big one – has been seratos stability over traktor.

      Loop rolls forever too. So hawt.

  14. I just downloaded and tested Serato DJ 1.5.0

    Do yourself a favor and stick with 1.3.0. The latest version is full of issues, bad design decisions, and especially full of crap!

    3 random crashes in 30 minutes on OS X 10.8.5 and lots and loads of other bugs. I don’t think there has been any beta testing at all… I can’t find ANY other explanation for such a messed up release!