You don't need a controller if you don't need one. 900srt, rane 64, akai?

SL2/SL3 are good soundcards. Solid as can be and for a vinyl head it's one of your better routes for going digital. I say forget the controller if you are not going to be dj'ing a lot mobile gigs. You will get much more respect for using real records alongside DVS.

I'm using a Kontrol Z2 and traktor most of the time because i like having effects, cue points, and loops on my mixer. I also dj out a lot and wanted to connect less wires but, you can't really go wrong with the SL2/SL3/SL4

SL3 is still viable and is a good purchase as it supports Scratch Live & Serato DJ. Save yourself a few hundred bucks and see if you can pick up a used one.

Thanks for the feedback. I wonder if the SL3, etc, will have more longevity than the controllers in the same way that vinyl has outlived CDs. They seem to keep their value right now: I can't see too many second-hand bargains!

With your mixer, SL3, and turntables you already have the BEST controller there is. Everything else has come and gone. Turntables are still here, controllers get updated every year.

bought mine the first week they came out. never needed another one through more than a 1000 club gigs.

but.... probably will be an upgrade at some point, but that might only work for sdj and not both sdj and ssl.

isn't the sl3 the (current) ssl device that is compatible the most of the versions of serato?
i've never had a problem with anyone using mine

Yep... you can run SL 1.9.2 with it.

that's what i use (black 2006 macbook works like new)

you still running 1.92?

yup. and hella old iTunes. works solid on my old macbook so i just stopped updating everything.

i probably would have saved 10k if i had never upgraded from 1.92. and a 57.

oh well.

I'd probably be doing the same, if I wasn't playing videos...

Mostly because every new version of iTunes seems to suck more than the last.

Not necessarily true. All about preference. In control TT's will probably always be king. In terms of capabilities even the most basic of controller released YEARS ago offer more than TT's. Both work. It's all about what you are looking to do.

i say a sl3 is a great purchase for your purposes. you could also save a little and grab a sl2 the sound cards aren't going to be dated for while. as well you have the flexibilty to choose whatever mixer you like. i have a 57 and regret selling my sl3 bc of the warmer sound.

I regret getting an SL3, I should of just went with the SL4 😜

Probably trade it in and pick the 4 up in the near future 👌

Agree.
Kinda nice having access to a DJ application that will be supported in two months also no?

i would say the day that you need to replace your SL3 is the day that serato starts supporting hardware upwards of USB 2.0

Seeing as though the new family of Rane mixers, which where released RELATIVELY recently, are all prettymuch 2.0, it's a safe bet that the soundcard family, particularly the SL3, will be safe for some time to come, maybe a few years lets hope.

I also am the proud owner of an SL3 since 2009, and it has never let me down even though its been used thousands of times

lol... i felt the same way about my SL1 before i got rid of it.



that's a good point, I'm interested to see which company is going to be the first to incorporate usb3.0

do we really need usb 3.0 for DVS purposes?

Certainly NOT but in time SOMETHING will justify the use of it.

The cool thing is that (for the moment) Serato has all the older version of the Scratchlive software on the website. If you have to NOT upgrade and stay on Serato version 2.5 - your SL3 will NOT STOP working (only worry is that a computer 5 or 10 years from now will not be able to run software designed for Mac OS 10.6/7/8 BUT but by that time you can buy a cheap used $25 Macbook or iMac and use it just for Serato and play on.

As mentioned above - a few guys here still use the last rock hard stable release of SSL - version 1.92 because it works for them. A controller is more likely to become obsolete - closed hardware before the SL3.

I got my SL3 when it kinda first came out - I still love it.

Unless you're:

1) Doing 4-deck mixing

2) Doing tag-team mixing with someone on a second computer

2a) Setting up an installation to allow seamless DJ transitions

3) Have a library of 96kHz sample-rate tracks

I don't see any big reason to get an SL-4 instead of an SL-3.

WRT 2a, for an installation a pair of SL-3's might be easier for people to handle DJ changeovers compared to using one SL-4 for that purpose.

Anyone able to spell out the differences between 1.9.2 and 2.5.0 and why you like to use 1.9.2 instead?

Also SL4 isn't really needed - 48kHz 24bit processing and output is fine. 96kHz is a bit overkill. You can play a 96kHz source file in an SL3 (rare as they may be, those 96kHz files) and it will process and output at 48kHz and you should still get a quality improvement arguably compared to playing 44 or 48kHz files of the same material through the SL3.

I don't personally feel output at 96kHz is really that important, 44 or 48kHz sounds fine to me.

the archaeologist strikes again

Shame he finds the absolute worst shit to dig up

Well the question is valid, is the SL3 still worthwhile lol.

I only log in every couple of years so it's on time for me hah

Yes, it is still compatible with the latest release of Serato.

SL3 is a rock solid unit, and as good a sound card as you can get for use with other dj software if need be.

Say that again..

That would be me...And I'm on stage with cats who have the latest and greatest Serato software, and on 2 separate occasions, 2 different DJ's had issues where it just froze, or died out for some reason, and luckily I was able to just jump on and keep the party going....

Shhhiiiddddd - it took you 5 or more years to actually buy Serato - I know you aren't gonna jump sahip in less than a decade???

Happy Holidays Ashy Larry.... : )

Me too on occasion. Still rocking my SL3 for when I may have to play in the sandbox with someone using ScratchLive but my main Serato device for playing is the little Akai AMX. So many House DJs have made the jump to controllers and RekordBox or a Serato controller.

I like to use the AMX and ONE Turntable with instant doubles - smaller footprint than most Pro controllers and it has the feel of real vinyl instead of toy jogwheels.

I just bought a micro controller Hercules Starlight because it came bundled with Serato Pro and it was cheaper than buy Serato DJ Pro (off sale). Walmart special for $99 - www.walmart.com

I always wanted a stand alone copy of Serato - just in case - almost screwed me over a few years back when I had to play a festival and the promoters had Pioneer S9s and I needed the Club kit. Had to play with my AMX and it sounded like shit compared to CDJs and Rekordbox

And Serato DJ 1.82 crashed on me earlier this month too. My MacBook Pro is getting old Core2duo) - putting together a "newer" one (2.4ghz i7 2011 I think)

I regret selling my sl3 although I probably used it a grand total of 0 times during the last 5 years I owned it.

Get the 2012 if you can - the non retina 15” was the last upgradable one and has a quad core processor.

2012 was the go to answer as of about two years ago but unfortunately while still behind the standard tends to stay around 6-7 years. As of this writing my (maxed out) 2012 is running fine BUT I am noticing the sluggish behavior in other apps and I expect it any day to be "dropped" from Serato-land (so to speak) any day now just as the 2010/2011's were and the core2duo's before them.

I was doing the same thing for a while. now I'm using the Numark Scratch. I still have the AMX for my 2nd setup and I carry it as a backup mixer as well.

I've been looking at the NuMark Scratch - gigs are slowing down since anybody with a Spotify account THINKS they can be a dj these days.

Will see if bookings pick up,

Controllers did this not Spotify. Spotify is nothing more than a library of music on the internet. Music has been available on the internet long before this. Controllers on the other hand bring the concept of DJing to people who would not have put the time, effort or money into it prior.

LOL - so true. I wanted to say Controllers but decided for a more politically correct wider response. Youtube and streaming services are the new "jukeboxes" - set up a playlist - mixing and transitions are way low on the list - no DJ needed.

On the other end - I spend a little time in some Facebook Serato forums and controller jocks on all levels seem to run the discussions.

We guys that use actual decks are dinosaurs.



Controllers and sync did make the cost of entry and talent bottom feeder low.

Goes with the territory. By default the ones using controllers are the social media generation. I have FB and at times try to jump in the discussions but the questions are almost RTFM or Google rectified and the very least. Laziness in its purest form.