Serato Remote scratch Live Serato DJ iOS ipad iphone
News

Serato Remote — goodbye laptop leaning

[youtube id=”XFjTIkBTZqI”]

Today, Serato responded to the burning question about what are they doing for iOS, by announcing Serato Remote, which by definition needs no explanation whatsoever. But for those who really cannot work it out, it’s a remote control app for Scratch Live and Serato DJ.

Press release follows and then we’ll have a chat:

serato remote iOS iPad iPhone app scratch Live Serato DJ

15th July 2013

For Immediate Release

INTRODUCING SERATO REMOTE

Serato is proud to announce the release of Serato Remote – Serato’s first official App for iPad®.

Designed to compliment an existing Scratch Live or Serato DJ setup, Serato Remote will connect seamlessly to your Serato laptop software and work with all supported Scratch Live and Serato DJ hardware.

Serato Remote lets you see and perform all of your favorite Scratch Live and Serato DJ functions without needing to touch your laptop. Control Cue Points, Loops and Samples. Load tracks and manipulate FX in ways that weren’t previously possible. See Serato’s famous Virtual Decks and Track Overviews so you can focus on the crowd and free yourself from your laptop. 

Have control at your fingertips and enhance your Scratch Live or Serato DJ performance. Serato Remote can be connected wirelessly freeing you to move around the stage or connected over USB for ultra low latency. We’ve designed the app with real world performance in mind, using big easy to hit buttons focusing on only the most important features. The design is clean, simple and functional. We looked at what makes up a DJ performance and kept the functions on each performance tab to a minimum allocating space to buttons and pads that compliment one another.

Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “Today is a very big day for all of us at Serato. We’re extremely excited about the release of Serato Remote, our first App for iPad. For our first app, we’ve worked closely with professional DJs to find out what they really need. The result is a product designed for working conditions, tight DJ booths where physical space is limited, and quick and reliable access to key features is paramount. Serato Remote has also given us an opportunity to create some innovative ways to control Serato DJ and Scratch Live – we can’t wait to see how DJs put it to use.” 

Serato Remote is available now and can be downloaded direct from the App StoreSM for USD19.99.

To watch Rui from Serato use Serato Remote with Scratch Live 2.5, and for more information visit www.serato.com/remote 

Serato Remote Features

• Control Scratch Live or Serato DJ FX: The FX performance tab gives you an easier and more creative way of controlling Scratch Live or Serato DJ FX. Select your favorite FX and control them in either latched or temp modes. Trigger Loop Rolls and FX simultaneously using our new Roll Mode. Combine all of your favorite FX into an easy to manage list using the Edit Fav FX function. This gives you quick access to the FX you use most often during your set. The QFX function available in the Virtual Deck area allows you to quickly manipulate FX while using the Pads or Sampler tabs.

• Control your Cue Points: Trigger or delete Cue Points with the tap of a finger. Serato Remote lets you control 5 Cue Points in Scratch Live and 8 Cue points in Serato DJ. Use big easy to hit buttons to control them on the fly.

• Control the SP-6: The Sampler performance tab truly opens up the Scratch Live or Serato DJ SP-6 sample player. The 4 banks of 6 sample slots are easily accessed in either Virtual Deck or Extended Mode. Adjust the volume and playback of each sample individually or use the Master Sampler Volume. Trigger, Hold and On/Off Playback Modes are available for each sample slot along with Loop. Serato DJ also allows you to Sync your samples.

• Auto Loops, Manual Loops and Loop Rolls: The Pads performance tab gives you control of your Auto Loops and Loop Rolls in the Virtual Deck View and in Extended View you can also access Manual Loops and Samples.

• SUPER FAST Instant Doubles: It’s never been so easy! With the flick of a finger you can drag and drop one virtual deck onto the other to perform Instant Doubles on your iPad.

• Informative Virtual Deck Displays: Serato Remote gives you two separate view modes for the Virtual Deck area on your iPad. Select between either Virtual Deck View for displaying BPM, Time Elapsed/Remaining, Platter Position and Track Progress Indicators, or use Track Info View to see Artist and Track information. Serato Remote also provides a Waveform Overview area to show the current playback position, as well as any cue points or loops.

• Navigate and Control your Serato Library: Your Serato software library on your laptop is controlled by the Library Nav icon in the centre of the two virtual decks. Use the up and down arrows to navigate your tracks and TAB to crates, files or folders and touch and drag to either virtual deck to load. Holding down the arrow takes you into fast scroll view where a two-finger drag loads tracks.

For more information on Serato Remote please visit www.serato.com/remote

Download Scratch Live 2.5 or Serato DJ 1.2.1 direct from www.serato.com/downloads

Getting this out of the way first — it’s not a standalone DJ app like djay or Traktor DJ, but is a remote app for harnessing controls within Scratch Live and Serato DJ. It can work wired or wirelessly and gives you direct access to key features within the app. But I don’t care that it’s not standalone — I need a remote app to put all the laptop features right next to my mixer, so this is infinitely more valuable to me than a standalone app. I actually think this is a smart move by Serato.

Serato Remote scratch Live Serato DJ iOS ipad iphone

You know what this means right? That really annoying movement of leaning across to your laptop to do Serato-ish stuff has pretty much been eradicated with an iPad and the remote app. Everything you need is there, on a small screen, right in the heart of your DJ gear.

It’s also rather cool that they kept things simple. By splitting things across screens, Serato have made the buttons big, like pad sized, and instead of trying to squeeze as much into the limited real estate of an iPad screen, Serato have kept things simple and accessible. Top marks for that.

For me, this opens some interesting avenues for the remote app. It is essentially a visual mapper, something that I’d love to see opened up for custom mapping that can be shared in the vibrant Serato community. The SP-6 for example is way more complex than just hitting a pad, and really needs more user control. I still can’t fathom why someone hasn’t brought out an SP-6 hardware controller. This does go some way towards filling that need.

Side note: Anyone else notice the use of a Pioneer mixer in a Serato video?

Price wise, it’s not the cheapest app in the world. Coming in at $19.99/£13.99, it’s as much as a full standalone DJ app. But when you consider how little you have to pay to almost eradicate the scourge of digital DJing aka the laptop lean and get your focus returned to your DJ gear, it’s money very well spent.

The PR doesn’t mention it, but you’re going to need an iPad 2 or above, an iPad mini and also be running iOS6. You’re also going to need updated Scratch Live and Serato DJ, but it’s 1am and I’m off to bed. More on those in the morning.

Tags
Mark Settle
The Old Owner
I was the editor around these parts for the first two decades of the DJWORX journey. I’m on a creative journey at The Worxlab, and drop in occasionally here. Expect the odd article from me every now and again.
Related
buying records charlie brown worxlab studio art (13)
Previous “Buying records cheers me up”… immortalised on my studio wall
mojaxx TV serato remote view first look demo review
Next VIDEO: Serato Remote first look from Mojaxx

53 Comments

    2. +10000

      I saw it and I was like YES and then my heart sank, Serato didn’t need this as nice as it is, ppl already have dicers etc. IMO it does however really need a more elegant way to edit beatgrids, especially if you are stretching the elastic grids for non quant music, this takes time.

          1. Are you talking about using an app just to do grids? Do you see an advantage in using a touch screen over a laptop? It’s important to remember that Traktor DJ and Serato Remote are totally different apps. Traktor DJ uses music directly from your iPad, where Serato Remote simply controls SSL and Serato DJ, with no direct access to your music.

            1. Yes, setting grids using an ipad with TDJ has been a really nice experience so far, and it would be great to have something like that with Serato. Same sort of funcitonality as Recordbox or TDJ in that you can set hot cues, add loops, fix the grid etc (tho it would require a little more thought to find a way to allow for the stretching)

              1. Rekordbox does it right….because it works on iPhone AND Android. It’s just a preparation tool. I listen to music on my commute to work, and it would be really nice to be able to make beat grids, notes, loop points, cue points and analysis of music. Serato needs to do more market research; they are really falling behind in terms of innovation.

    3. some interesting replies to this comment, can i add that i had a go at setting a beat grid when i bought serato dj, i got half way through the first track and realised how boring it is. whether this would be made easier by touch screen im not sure but the idea of touching the area where you want the grid to set is great providing it is accurate enough. ive stuck with beatmatching for now im not sure i love djing enough to have the patience of beat gridding :)

      1. Its’ not that the touch screen would effect the boring beatgridding experience, but it would allow me to do it more freely and prepare tracks on the train and other times when I don’t always have my MacBook pro on me.

        1. im just not sure in the precise world of matching music by speed and timing your finger is going to be accurate enough to place the grid in the perfect place, a mouse pointer is extremely accurate

          1. I would imagine that clicking “grid edit’ would pull up a window with set and delete markers and then coarse/fine adjust on screen buttons for both slip and adjust just like in the DJ software… tapping to shift left and right and not actually using the touch screen to position an individual point.

  15. Luving the iPad stand! Does anyone know what that particular modell is called?

    Or is it truely build by serato (not just a sticker on top) and not on the market yet?

  19. I find the use of a Pioneer mixer in this video very interesting! At first I thought it’s likely due to Serato wanting to better showcase the features of the Remote app; it’d make less sense to use Remote with a Rane 62, but then why not just use a 61 for the video?

    Then I noticed the image Serato used on Facebook to post about the update to DJ… it appears to be running with a Rane 62. I know these images are created in Photoshop, but it makes you wonder.

    I think it’s been known for some time that Serato are aiming to streamline their software offerings, potentially merging Scratch Live and DJ, and I’d imagine the exclusivity deal with Rane would have to come to an end for that to happen. That’s why Itch was created in the first place, right? Now I’m not so sure about my initial explanation for the use of a Pioneer mixer in the Remote video…

    I know this a little far fetched, but it’s fun to speculate! :p

  20. I was just thinking that, Serato was to clever to jump into this Market, beacuse too late. And they also have the braveness to sell this for USD 19,99? Actually I was right….

  21. Am I the only one who thinks that this is a solution looking for a problem? You have a laptop and an iPad? The main problem being solved here is that a DJ doesn’t have to lean over to use the laptop? I like Serato; I really do. I just think heads would have seriously turned if they had put in the DVS engine (using the SL 2/3/4) instead of doing this remote.

    1. Possibly, but shoehorning the full Serato experience into an iPad is one hell of a tall order. DJ Player has the basics, and it does it very well, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised is Serato don’t have a bare bones version working in their labs.

      As for solution looking for a problem – I disagree. This is very valuable addition to SSL/SDJ, and offers features that really come alive with a touch screen. I’m still torn between using a track pad and a controller for library navigation, if only because I can point directly rather than have to scroll down a list. But for everything else, I love the fact that it can sit right above my mixer and much of Serato’s feature set is right there, with need of secondary controllers.

  22. First thoughts (as a Traktor user who converted from Serato after version 2.1) is that this seems to be the biggest and only decent update since I switched. I would have loved this a few years ago especially when the reason I switched was serato being useless for midi mapping and iPads.

    Problem now is; most SL DJs use a MacBook which has 2 usb sockets. You’re now either making them use yet another USB socket in their laptop. 2 CDJs on HID, SL box and now this. Alternatively you use wifi but then that’s sucking up lots of processor.

    It would be fantastic though if they could design a new SL box that you simply plugged the ipad directly into and didnt need a laptop. 32/64gb ipad is easily enough for most of us when we think of the tracks we actually play.

  23. pretty dope, it seem to do a one to one mapping of all of serato’s features. Using the switching screens idea is great, meaning that it will have a smaller footprint that a hardware controller. The only down side is that you need a laptop AND and ipad – to things that kinda do the same job and aint cheap.

  24. Far out what a fantastic looking app! Loving the big buttons and layers. Well done Serato. I can see controllers being striped back to the basics, and advanced features, features that evolve over time, like looping, hot cues, sampling, and effects been moved to the iPad.

  25. great article as always Mark. i was really excited about this until i realised it is 14 quid to buy. now £14 isnt much money in the grand scheme of things (about 5 months xbox live) BUT ive just spent nearly 70 quid on serato dj complete (the LE version is shocking, i tried managing with it but just couldn’t), i also paid 500 for my SL3 so my dedication to serato is fairly proven and seeing as i have both pieces of software and some rane equipment to run it through id like to have seen this as a free upgrade.

    maybe im wrong but just feel they shouldnt be charging for this, as Mark stated in the article its more than most stand alone dj programs

  27. Just tried it. I don’t like it, but maybe it’s just that I don’t like touchscreen controllers.

    I just don’t think they compare to something with “real” buttons like MIDI Fighter.

    rs