Serato DJ 1.5 DVS rip scratch live Pioneer DJM-900SRT Rane Sixty Four DDJ-SP1
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Scratch Live scratched — becomes Serato DJ 1.5 with DVS

Serato DJ 1.5 DVS rip scratch live Pioneer DJM-900SRT Rane Sixty Four DDJ-SP1

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:

[youtube id=”QkMZpmKf-i0″]

So let’s get to it — the full length version of Serato’s historic announcement:

Scratch Live scratched — becomes Serato DJ 1.5 with DVS

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

Scratch Live scratched — becomes Serato DJ 1.5 with DVS

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

Serato DJ 1.5 DVS rip scratch live Pioneer DJM-900SRT Rane Sixty Four DDJ-SP1

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

Scratch Live scratched — becomes Serato DJ 1.5 with DVS

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.

See also

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?

74 Comments

    2. yeah I know, I was just commenting on the omission of the word ‘scratch’ from the product’s name, and going for ‘DJ’, which to me suggests appealing toward a wider market of the broader DJ community, rather then the niche of turntablists. Not that thats a bad thing either. I just remember when new DJ technology was more often then not advertised with remarkable scratching capability and demoed by DMC champions etc, where its has now arrived (progressed?) to a point which includes not only scratching but mixing, sampling, looping and whatnot.

    3. and it’s a natural progression, because there’s a limit to what you can do with just two records. we haven’t reached it yet, but we’re getting so close that DJ battles look like 100m races where 0.01 seconds make a difference. personally, I live to see and do future shit, so I love that serato are doing this even though I use traktor scratch – this will certainly raise the bar (or rather, even it out between SSL and TSP) in battle categories that allow digital trickery. if you think about it, this means that turntablism is MOST relevant :)

  8. Izotope….all I gotta say! One thing for sure, I suspected something like this was going on. But I didn’t expect it to be this soon TBH. Plus didn’t you mention something similar some time back Mark? Or suggested that they should do this???

  11. I’ll just say it: BOOOOOM. The world has changed… for the better. The DDJ-SX and NS7-2 are now the undisputed kings of controllers… period. The DJM-900 now has a split personality and should be resolved with next year’s DJM-950 (both TSP and SDJ certified). I now wonder how vinyl purists will react to both Technics and SSL being discontinued…

    1. Woah, woah, woah… Stop the clock. DVS support for controllers has NOT been announced yet. The Kontrol S4 needs competition in this area. It’d be great for DJs if their NS6s, DDJ-SXes, and NS7-2s could use the DVS from devices directly connected to them… like the S4 can. THAT’S why I said that the DDJ-SX and NS7-2 were kings… but I may have had a premature vocalization.

      1. No, it definitely hasn’t been made official, more like Serato of old caving when pressured and speaking a little prematurely moment. It appears to be an “on the list” feature, but no confirmation at all as to what or when.

        Side note – I’m unboxing an NS7 II tomorrow.

        1. Are you serious? NS7ii. Please post preliminary pictures and video. Put that controller to the test because I plan on buying it. Like the VCI-380, can you turn On/Off your saved loops without jumping to it? Is there a button to Expand/Contract a crate without touching the computer. Can you run the spinning platters in 33 1/3 and in 45 rpm? Does the Akai Pads live up to the Hype? How do you engage SLIP mode? Is there a way to Beat Jump forward and reverse? On Serato DJ controllers, you have to hold down SHIFT and Rotate the platters for Beat Jumping.

  13. 1. no need to panic. if you feel like sticking to serato scratch live, it’s not as if the program is just gonna stop functioning.

    2. it’s not as if it’s the first time something is getting phased out and working ’till 2015 is not a bad product life for a mixer. Not a bad time to upgrade, and now pioneer is a native option. AWESOME!

    3. Scratch Live has always and will always have terrible FX. #truth

    4. SSL has it’s own set of bugs, multiple bugs, forcing them to continue to split a small team in half in order to support 2 products would actually be anti-productive. Squashing one program, down-scaling the ssl team and putting full focus on SDJ means more things get done quicker. Including bug fixes!

    5. Yes, Mixer Envy, I am already preparing to sell my 62…

    6. I too want that controller.

    7. I don’t see how turntablism is no longer relevant based on this story.

  14. Yup! It was obvious to me. It shows exactly why Serato have been a little quiet on SSL and focus has been on SDJ of late.

    Now I just want to see direct DVS support for my VCI-380 (and other controllers with suitable hardware) without an unnecessary secondary sound card. I will happily pay for the plugin!

  15. Pretty interesting,
    Seems like in the last few months Serato have basically ticked every major box for the people that were threatening to jump ship to traktor for certain features- yet now they’ve got it a bunch more people are threatening to jump ship to traktor because ‘serato added sync’
    Plenty of amusing comments to be read.

    Either way, good to see this finally done. It’s obviously been a long time coming and can only mean good things for speed of updates and features for SSL/SDJ users.

  17. NOOO I hate change but it had to happen and they choose the Serato DJ interface to move foward with one platform was hoping the other way around anywayss… Its like those people stuck to vynyl and can’t move on… Gotta get used to it

  18. This just shows how far ahead NI has been by offering a unified solution for years. Pity Serato is putting the interests of its hardware partners over that of its customers by making them wait to use features the software will have much sooner.

        2. I suppose you look down on the countless big-name Techno DJs that run four decks and two X1s in Traktor? They are laughing all the way to their yearly Ibiza residencies (in their chartered private jet).

  20. ^ there is still a foreseeable issue with OS updates.. once the transition is complete, Serato will no longer support SSL, you could easily update Windows or OSX and cripple your rig… unless you plan to maintain a machine with the last known OS that it remains stable on.

    question. will the update be free? has Serato mentioned any consideration made for legacy hardware owners of the SL1 and TTM57? ..appears they are being left out in the cold with little choice but to invest in new hardware. the high cost of Serato hardware could result in ex-SSL users turning convert to cheaper (and arguably more robust) options like Traktor.

  21. Oh mother effer. I still have my SL-1 which means I’d have to buy a new interface and for $500 I might as well spend an extra $300 on a Z2 to get a mixer/interface combo. Dang it, Rane, release something comparable so I don’t have to transfer all my music and re-do cue points and whatnot. I was super excited to see that I could attempt to integrate an X1 with Serato, but not with my hardware.

      1. I get that, but I use my stuff until it actually breaks on me. I got my SL-1 in 2005 I think so looks like it’s running on 8 years. It would’ve been nice to use the software and go for another 8. DJing hardware isn’t cheap! I also get that Rane is made in the USA and their hardware is SUPER well built, but for anyone else like me who has to upgrade there SL box, the Z2 is an extremely attractive alternative.

  24. Serato products are in or nearing the decline phase of their life cycle. Other companies such as NI have been more innovative for years. Now, Serato is copying those competitors to milk their cash cows a little longer.

  26. This was an inevitable move and I guess it had to come sooner rather than later.
    I’m still not a fan of the Serato DJ interface, it really does look a little untidy and babyish doesn’t it? Glad my SL3 will continue to be supported, can’t afford to invest in Traktor for the time being…

  27. I, FOR ONE, WELCOME OUR NEW ROBOT OVERLORDS.

    it’s a logical progression; imagine if NI were keeping traktor and traktor scratch separate… while I understand the purist approach to this discussion, I don’t agree with it because there’s a limit to what you can do with just two records. we haven’t reached that limit yet, but we’re getting so close that DJ battles look like 100m races where 0.01 seconds make a difference.

    personally, I live to see and do future shit, so I love that serato are doing this even though I use traktor scratch – this will certainly raise the overall bar and at the same time level the playing field between TSP and SSL in battle categories that allow digital trickery. also, dear purists: you don’t HAVE to use sync and effects just because they’re there. stop whining.

    turntablism hasn’t lost any relevance – it’s simply evolving. embrace it!

    in case any serato people are reading this: congrats :) if you manage to implement your pitch’n time algorithms for good-sounding live key adjust and don’t mess up the MIDI mapping editor, we may just become friends.

    1. Surely you appreciate that as digital technology, it was never going to last forever? Serato needs to move forward, and supporting old technology cripples new technology. It had to go. Besides, it still works the same as it did before, and will continue to do so for as long as you choose to run it. There’s no need to change at all.

      1. The change is a must, we have to move forward, but ranes are soooo much expensive than NI… They made my choice-i’m moving to traktor. I’ve been stuck with scratch live only because i have a ttm57.

        1. same for me.. i still have the sl1 for the few gigs i play without an existing sl2/3/4 at the location or of a friend and the sl57 at home.. buying all the 500-2000 euro equipment new? no def not..

  30. Logical step. I´m totally ok with the integration in one software and I don´t care if its called SSL or SDJ. As a longtime SSL-User, i would like to have the option to change the layout and /or color – this should not be a hard thing to do and would please many people I guess.

    One thing that concerns me – the lack of support for the old products like SL1. Mark, I´m okay with the statement that old technology sometimes cripples evolution of new etc. I understand that configuring new features for old hardware might be a time-consuming and not really worthwhile process (maybe due to old USB 1.1 vs 2.0-standards, internal Soundcard-issues and whatever etc.) But I guess what people are asking for would be a simple update once in while, some bug-fixes, maybe Support for new OS´s and that´s it – just to be certain they can still rely on old hardware, even if it lacks new features that are designed for next-gen hardware. Let´s say SSL 2.5 is the last official version – even if it runs stable for the next years it would still feel nice not having to hope that this runs well for the next years. For me it has a dull flavor of forcing people to buy new hardware – but I sure don´t know how complicated and time-consuming support for old hardware would be.

    1. Not initially, but they are talking about it… so keep on voting it up on Serato forums (and maybe be prepared to pay a little for it and that might speed up their decision on new features).

  32. They aren’t immediately dropping support of the 57, or the SL1. And they are USB1 devices. If you’ve had them for a long time then you had to know that they would be going obsolete eventually. Those of us who purchased Final Scratch, back in the day, were in a similar boat to SL1 users, and that product hasn’t been supported for YEARS. And I still needed to rebuy the Traktor Scratch package with the Audio8. So yeah, these things happen to us all.

    As far as the 57 goes, this is what happens. Yeah, it was expensive, and it’s not like it won’t work, but they aren’t going to support it after what? 2015? So… two years from now? You can’t take that time to save, oh I don’t know, 20 bucks a month to buy one of these shiny new mixers? And be solid for another 8 years, if not longer, as even if they aren’t USB3, USB2 has a much higher bandwith than USB1 and should hold you solid for a long time.

    You guys will be fine. The newer line of mixers are better anyway.

  33. Great news! I had a hunch there would be some new non-Rane hardware after the use of a Pionner mixer in the Serato Remote video (see here: http://djworx.com/serato-remote/#comment-962595230).

    It’ll be interesting to see how the 900SRT is priced in comparison to the 900Nexus; if they can match the price of the 900Nexus that’ll be a big win for Serato!
    Lastly, I hope Rane/Serato tweak the 62 cue point controls. They could use one of the five cue point buttons as a bank button (similar to the SP6 controls), creating two backs of four cue points, giving access to the extra cue points that DJ brings without the user having to touch their laptop or use another controller.

  34. It’s interesting to see some of the comments out there about switching to Traktor, as I’m the other way around: I’m thinking about switching to Serato, or at least adding to my current setup! That NS7 has been tempting for so many years, and now that there’s timecode support in Serato DJ I’m curious if the NS7 (or NS7ii) can support timecode…

      1. Pretty much that, although I know I’d be happy with a controller of that size by itself. Only issue I might have is that wow, the NS7ii isn’t exactly inexpensive at a listed price of $1,499 CAD/USD. I didn’t notice that part before.

    1. The Bridge needs to die (reinvented). Running two Memory intense programs at the same time is ludicrous. I liked it, but apparently only a select few used it. I wonder if we are going to get Record to .ALS for Ableton mixes. Livefeed was some next gen stuff, but they dropped support for that as well.

      SP-6 needs to turn into something similar to the Bridge and Traktor Remix Decks without any other software.

  37. Does that mean ill get my bloody money back that i forked out for Serato DJ (even though i already owned scratch live and an SL3) it seems like if i had waited with the lite efition for literally 3 months i could pick this new integrated version up for nothing. this announcement is great and what we have all been waiting for for a long long time but at the moment im feeling a little ripped off

    1. It will only open to full version with official devices connected so you’d still need the upgrade if you was to use the full S-DJ with a controller.
      It would be the full version for the SL3 though soon as it’s plugged in.