Serato Video General Discussion

Talk about Serato Video and Video-SL.

SL Video and Mix Emergency?

DJ Tracy G. 4:46 PM - 30 December, 2014
If I am using Serato Video what are the benefits of also using ME? I'm also on a PC...
Frankie Glasses 7:04 PM - 30 December, 2014
You wont be able to use ME since you are on a PC. ME is only for Mac.
But EVERYONE will tell ya that ME outperforms and has better features than SV.
DJ Tracy G. 7:07 PM - 30 December, 2014
Understood about PC but what features are we talking about?
Frankie Glasses 7:33 PM - 30 December, 2014
Kind of a moot point if you cant use it....
But here check it out yourself
www.inklen.com
DJ Tracy G. 8:30 PM - 30 December, 2014
I actually have a Mac too and I checked out the site. I'm just wondering what special bells/whistles the ME app has that Serato Video doesn't have. I'm looking but not seeing much advantage. What am I missing?
Code:E 9:06 PM - 30 December, 2014
Download the demo and give it a try. But Serato Video has 2 bells and no whistles well ME has 15 bells and 35 whistles.

Honestly it's like comparing an early 90's CD player to brand new CDJ-2000 Nexus (and them some).

www.inklen.com

ME has so much customizability to it. You could use it in a very basic way and have it no better than Serato Video. Or you could dedicate 10+hours to customizing it and it becomes a whole different beast. It really depends on how smart you are, how much you care about how the video looks and how custom you want it to look. Also its really dependent on what kind of DJ you are. If you don't use the sampler or effects in serato, or any extras well your DJing you might not use anything ME does.

Even if you use ME in its most basic form it still does everything better than Serato video. Less system resources used, higher quality video output, easy to use and understand layout, and a much better screen real-estate layout.
DJ Tracy G. 10:11 PM - 30 December, 2014
thanks for the input. I'll check it out.

So often, some of the functionality is overkill. I just don't necessarily want to switch up my workflow merely for a few features nobody will notice by me.
lvmez 10:30 PM - 30 December, 2014
Quote:
thanks for the input. I'll check it out.

So often, some of the functionality is overkill. I just don't necessarily want to switch up my workflow merely for a few features nobody will notice by me.


Don't bother downloading Mix Emergency. Your already down playing the program without even trying it.

Stay in the minor leagues with Serato Video.
DJ Tracy G. 10:35 PM - 30 December, 2014
you guys are killing me...

I'm just looking for some objective feedback about the program before I start to research myself. if there is someplace in particular where some of the advanced video users think I should explore, I'm open to it. Otherwise, I'll just load it up and figure it out for myself.

I visited a few notable VDJs and watched ME in action and didn't really notice anything special about it - maybe I'm missing something. Perhaps they weren't using some of the features.

I'll take a look for myself.
slimmjimm 1:17 AM - 31 December, 2014
It's hard to be subjective when most of us have abandoned SV so long ago. Trust me, trust everyone, ME is the way to go.
DJ Tecniq 8:49 PM - 31 December, 2014
I don't even have ME but have used the demo and will tell you it's tha shit. Way more video fx and transitions than SV ever had, built in video recording plus a ton of other features not to mention the video quality is 5x better!! Don't knock it till you try it๐Ÿ‘Œ
skinnyguy 3:07 PM - 1 January, 2015
fx grid.
Code:E 1:34 AM - 3 January, 2015
Quote:
fx grid.

+1

For me Mixer Effects seal the deal.
DJ Baby Boy 4:16 AM - 8 January, 2015
There are so many different advantages of using ME over SV as many have mentioned the output is a lot better than SV by a long shot ... If you're using the SP6 sample player you can now assign a picture or video clip to be triggered over the currently playing video in the same manner that the SP6 does with audio ... Mixer Effects were also mentioned which are great as it let's you change certain aspects of the playing or incoming video by use of your eq's and filters ... A HUGE thing for me is the automatic border fill when playing a 4:3 video on 16:9 output or vice versa as I absolutely HATE seeing black bars on videos especially when going back and forth from aspect to aspect ... The FX are second to none as well as the FX sequencer with use of the beat grid in SDJ

Quote:
Honestly it's like comparing an early 90's CD player to brand new CDJ-2000 Nexus (and them some).

Code E said it best right there

Also another thing that is huge is custom transitions which I utilize very much and the recording process is amazing as well ... I can record a full night's set without so much as a hiccup on my system and export it with the settings that I want you're not limited the way you are in SV and as everyone has said already too there is far less system resources being used so it runs 100X cleaner

Quote:
Quote:
thanks for the input. I'll check it out.

So often, some of the functionality is overkill. I just don't necessarily want to switch up my workflow merely for a few features nobody will notice by me.


Don't bother downloading Mix Emergency. Your already down playing the program without even trying it.

Stay in the minor leagues with Serato Video.


This can also apply though still

Even bare bones ME is years ahead of SV in every way possible
DJ Tracy G. 10:19 PM - 8 January, 2015
Thanks Baby boy for the details and some of the major compare/contrast points.

We hear all about Serato vs. Traktor, Crown versus Lap Gruppen, JBL versus EV, etc. and usually the most you can get is "its just better".
Code:E 11:31 PM - 8 January, 2015
Quote:
We hear all about Serato vs. Traktor, Crown versus Lap Gruppen, JBL versus EV, etc. and usually the most you can get is "its just better".

That's because some people believe, that the best way for someone to learn is though personal experance. That way you don't get an unbiased view of the iten/product before you even start to use it. Its an education thing more than anything else (but lazyness is right behind education)
Blackie Lox 12:34 PM - 9 January, 2015
MixEmergency is even listed as "Advanced Video DJing software for Serato DJ and Scratch Live" by Serato themselves on this very site as a Third-Party Expansion pack (see for yourself here serato.com )

If Serato themselves are stating that MixEmergency is "Advanced", what more do you need to hear?
Jordabella 3:36 PM - 9 January, 2015
Quick Question... When you purchase ME, can you use it on 2 laptops?. I have been using one Mac for downloading & analyzing files, while the other I just use at gigs.
Nick 3:38 PM - 9 January, 2015
Yes, you can install it on two (that you personally own), so long as you only use it on one at a time: www.inklen.com
Jordabella 3:48 PM - 9 January, 2015
Nick...Thank you for your quick response. It's time to dive into the ME world. Been using VSL and Serato Video for years.
DJ Tecniq 4:56 PM - 9 January, 2015
Quote:
Nick...Thank you for your quick response. It's time to dive into the ME world. Been using VSL and Serato Video for years.
Agreed i'll be doing the same when i upgrade my laptop soon. The demo had me sold!
Code:E 5:52 PM - 9 January, 2015
Quote:
MixEmergency is even listed as "Advanced Video DJing software for Serato DJ and Scratch Live" by Serato themselves on this very site as a Third-Party Expansion pack (see for yourself here serato.com )

OMG I never new that was on the site anywhere. Is it really old or really new?
djnak 8:08 PM - 9 January, 2015
Quote:
Is it really old or really new?


neither...probably been like that since they announced Me is an official plugin
DJMark 1:58 AM - 10 January, 2015
Quote:
ME has so much customizability to it. You could use it in a very basic way and have it no better than Serato Video.


Even if you use ME in a very basic way, video quality is noticeably better. If you're outputting to any kind of decent screens/projectors, and not playing shit videos, the difference should be really obvious.

I know you kind of touched on that (and the issues of better performance overall) later in your post but just wanted to make sure that point was clear.

Even if ME offered NO additional features, the improvement in video quality and drastic reduction in hardware load would be worth buying it for...that was all I really bought ME for originally (five years ago or maybe six).
djkurve 2:28 AM - 10 January, 2015
Serato even (finally!) approves Mix Emergency!

serato.com

Quote:
From day one Inklen has strived to be innovative within the field of Video DJing. The first to innovate with features such as Random Transitions, Delay Compensation, and a recording system that is second to none - all while refusing to compromise on stability, image quality, and performance. Itโ€™s no surprise that MixEmergency has become the software most recommended by Video DJs.
DJ Remix Detroit 3:00 AM - 10 January, 2015
^ Well, as the saying goes:

if you cant beat 'em.... Join 'em!
djkurve 3:53 AM - 10 January, 2015
Quote:
^ Well, as the saying goes:

if you cant beat 'em.... Join 'em!



+1
the SOUNDINSURGENT 4:25 AM - 10 January, 2015
Quote:
^ Well, as the saying goes:

if you cant beat 'em.... Join 'em!


And that's why SV will never amount to much ๐Ÿ˜œ
DJ Tracy G. 2:39 PM - 10 January, 2015
Thanks - a lot of times the plug-ins and expansion packs are overkill. I use an SL3 and not a controller so some of the features aren't applicable for me.

I'll go with ME just for the output resolution and if you gyus are saying is less of a memory hog than SV, thats enough for me.

Thanks all
DJ Basil S 3:21 PM - 10 January, 2015
Well I recently tried the ME demo just to check it out, as most of my DJ buddies that play videos are all on ME. For me the demo ME was ok, but it certainly has more FX than SV.
I think it comes down to what you personally prefer and what and where you want to go as a DJ. SV has been fine for me personally, but with that being said I am going to get ME if nothing more for the ability to record video. That feature alone is worth the investment rather than screw around with other video capture programs.
DJ Reflex 4:24 AM - 11 January, 2015
I am messing around with ME demo as well. Been using SV with Scratch Live for years and love it (with TTM 57 mixer). There are a few little things I'd like to change - hopefully ME has what I'm looking for. (Easier and more flexible MIDI assignments for key features I use in a set, for example.)
Blackie Lox 1:15 PM - 11 January, 2015
Quote:
I am messing around with ME demo as well. Been using SV with Scratch Live for years and love it (with TTM 57 mixer). There are a few little things I'd like to change - hopefully ME has what I'm looking for. (Easier and more flexible MIDI assignments for key features I use in a set, for example.)


Pretty much everything in ME is MIDI mappable, and the MIDI interface is definitely more flexible and advanced.
DJ Reflex 2:05 AM - 12 January, 2015
Probably a dumb question, but...

Where does ME appear on the Scratch Live screen layout? Serato Video has its own real estate and dedicated panels. Where/how does ME take up screen space? Do you just overlay it on the track listings?
DJ Tecniq 2:08 AM - 12 January, 2015
Quote:
Probably a dumb question, but...

Where does ME appear on the Scratch Live screen layout? Serato Video has its own real estate and dedicated panels. Where/how does ME take up screen space? Do you just overlay it on the track listings?
if I remember correctly yes you just overlay it on top of Scratchlive. You can run both but I don't suggest it. You can pick wether you want to run SV or ME.
DJMark 2:25 AM - 12 January, 2015
Quote:
Where does ME appear on the Scratch Live screen layout?


Wherever you want. The windows all "float", and can be individually turned on/off, so finding a layout that works well is super easy.

I also highly recommend (if you have an iPad) Lemur for MIDI control of ME. Makes use of effects and other features way easier.
DJ Baby Boy 8:53 AM - 12 January, 2015
Quote:
I also highly recommend (if you have an iPad) Lemur for MIDI control of ME. Makes use of effects and other features way easier.


Another one that you can look into as well and is my preffered MIDI control via iPad is Sonic Logic which also runs through bluetooth 4.0 or wifi which works great
DJ Reflex 11:19 PM - 12 January, 2015
Cool guys - thanks for the tips.
Joshua Carl 4:33 PM - 13 January, 2015
ive found over the years theres really only 2 ways to really wrap your head around it.
1. go watch an accomplished user with your own eyes.
2. watch RELIABLE tutorials.

all of us can paint all sorts of pictures and list features.

certain things can surely be expressed quite easily.... like baseline comparisons of quality output, and a Vs of features list...
but certain things are SOOO very different user to user.
like how they might use the sequencer, mixer effects or sample player.... especially the sample player.