Serato DJ Pro General Discussion

Talk about Serato DJ Pro, expansion packs and supported hardware

Best usb-c port to connect DJM-S9 on MBP Touchbar?

Djoseviera 7:38 PM - 10 June, 2018
Hi, I have a 2017 macbook pro 15" touchbar, I use DJ Tech Tools USB-C to USB-B cable and sometimes, I have a issue with my DJM-S9, the music stops, the touchbar doesn't goes black and works, If I connect the mixer in the opposite usb-c port, serato works again (no reboot needed and hot plug works)

support.serato.com

"6. Finally, make sure you are plugged into the "good USB port"*

*Mac computers generally have one good and one bad USB port, try connecting your audio interface to a different USB port and see if there is an improvement."

Anybody know what is the best usb-c port to connect DJM-S9 on 2017 MBP 15" Touchbar? It's recommendable connect the mixer in the opposite usb-c port than usb-c charger?

Thanks (sorry, Im not speak english very well XD )
deejdave 12:59 AM - 24 June, 2018
Traditionally the best ports have been the one's furthest from the screen but any USB-C should be fine due to the huge bandwidth increase............... theoretically :)
RR437T 11:48 PM - 24 June, 2018
""6. Finally, make sure you are plugged into the "good USB port"*

*Mac computers generally have one good and one bad USB port, try connecting your audio interface to a different USB port and see if there is an improvement."

Anybody know what is the best usb-c port to connect DJM-S9 on 2017 MBP 15" Touchbar? It's recommendable connect the mixer in the opposite usb-c port than usb-c charger?"

You would think Serato could come up with a better technical explanation, instead of a good port and a bad port. We can only speculate, but the most likely reason for one of the ports being "bad", is that the internal keyboard, mouse and touch bar are usb devices and share the same bus with one of the usb ports. That would explain why you get better results on one port. If you need to use that usb port, getting a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard may help.

That said, if your computer has a usb 2 port, plug your controller/mixer into it. As far as I know, all controllers are usb 2 devices. There's no benefit if you plug it into a faster port. Also, usb 2 and 3 are on different busses, so they don't compete for resources like they would if you share the connection. Personally, I find that my controller actually performs better on a usb 2 port.
NIckStyles 7:04 AM - 25 June, 2018
I have been having issues with pro the last two weeks myself. The music grinds to a stop and the red light to the processor flashes. I updated from 2.02 to 2.03 and played out today and my waveforms would stop from time to time. Upon further research it says in the known issues for the touch bar macs you need to disable touch bar app control. Going to try it
Djoseviera 1:39 PM - 25 June, 2018
thanks for the replies, I asked in pioneer dj forum, the moderator said: "This is a known issue and our engineers are working to resolve it. Thanks for your feedback and patience!"
Djoseviera 1:41 PM - 25 June, 2018
Another message from Pioneer DJ Forum :

Hi all - a quick update: the engineers have been able to replicate the issue and are working to identify the cause (they do feel it's the drivers), so hopefully we'll see an updated driver resolving this issue soon! Thanks for your patience while they work on this.
Djoseviera 1:43 PM - 25 June, 2018
It's the drivers, because I'm not have any issues with mi DDJ-SX2, but I have many problems with my DJM-S9 and macbook pro touchbar.

My DJM-S9 works fine on my windows laptop.
rayflexent 3:26 PM - 11 September, 2018
Hey everyone I was having same issue with the 2017ntouch bar , newly got the 2018 seems the problem has been fix on the 2018 touch bar
Supagee 2:54 AM - 20 September, 2018
i don't have problems with drops but i do get lots of jitter of the wave forms when playing and using an S9.

I will plug the power cable in the opposite side that i have the mixer plugged into and shut off both wifi and bluetooth and this has fixed the issues other than the really annoying jitter of wave forms.

ps. S9 hasn't had an update on it's firmware in a really long time.
DjSyndic8 8:15 AM - 20 September, 2018
Quote:
i don't have problems with drops but i do get lots of jitter of the wave forms when playing and using an S9.

I will plug the power cable in the opposite side that i have the mixer plugged into and shut off both wifi and bluetooth and this has fixed the issues other than the really annoying jitter of wave forms.

ps. S9 hasn't had an update on it's firmware in a really long time.


if your on windows then its a windows issue but Mac has butter smooth waves
DJ Tecniq 1:47 AM - 21 September, 2018
Maybe you Touchbar users just need a clean install of your OS. No issues with my S9 on Mid 2014 mbp w/Sierra OS. I didn’t care for the Touchbar cause I don’t like using a usb hub nor is that convenient it seems pretty retarded i actually like having 2 USB ports available call me old fashioned 🤷🏼‍♂️
Djoseviera 3:51 PM - 21 September, 2018
Problem solved, I sold the MBP.
DjSyndic8 4:51 AM - 23 September, 2018
Quote:
Problem solved, I sold the MBP.

that's it bro make a stand if you think the issue is your mac then sell it and get a windows laptop good luck bro.
Djoseviera 4:55 AM - 23 September, 2018
My Windows machine runs perfectly with my S9 and Serato.
DjSyndic8 4:57 AM - 23 September, 2018
Quote:
My Windows machine runs perfectly with my S9 and Serato.


Mac and windows will work differently with everyone, I prefer Mac for DJing and it works flawlessly and I use windows for everything else
DJ Tecniq 2:55 PM - 23 September, 2018
Quote:
Problem solved, I sold the MBP.
Lol that’s funny so the new mbp is a no go🤷🏼‍♂️ There’s other users with new Macs w/o issue though. The whole “usb dongle” shit with new Macs I can’t deal with that my Mid 2014 Mac is still the bomb and the specs are basically the same...except for Touchbar which I’m sure no one really cares about.
TheMasterOfCeremony 10:39 PM - 22 October, 2019
Guys... it's 2019. A year has passed since the last message in this thread, and it appears that the issue is still not solved...

I just upgraded from my mid-2012 MacBook Pro to a 2019 MBP with Touch Bar, just to find out that my S9 can't connect to it?

It just won't connect. There's the message mentioning the connection may take up to 1 minute, but then it quite quickly says "unable to connect Audio".

What in the world?


Has anyone found a good solution to this issue?

How can it be that Pioneer, Serato and/or Apple haven't found a solution to this issue yet?


Will a powered USB hub help? Is there any chance this would solve my problem?
It's a pain in the butt just to think about having to spend even more $ to have this working (MBP was 2300 EUR + 2 USB-B to USB-C cables from DJ Tech Tools for about 40 EUR).

If I'm going to buy a USB hub and it still isn't working, I'm probably going to return this MBP, as it is of ZERO use to me.
TheMasterOfCeremony 10:40 PM - 22 October, 2019
Quote:
Guys... it's 2019. A year has passed since the last message in this thread, and it appears that the issue is still not solved...

I just upgraded from my mid-2012 MacBook Pro to a 2019 MBP with Touch Bar, just to find out that my S9 can't connect to it?

It just won't connect. There's the message mentioning the connection may take up to 1 minute, but then it quite quickly says "unable to connect Audio".

What in the world?


Has anyone found a good solution to this issue?

How can it be that Pioneer, Serato and/or Apple haven't found a solution to this issue yet?


Will a powered USB hub help? Is there any chance this would solve my problem?
It's a pain in the butt just to think about having to spend even more $ to have this working (MBP was 2300 EUR + 2 USB-B to USB-C cables from DJ Tech Tools for about 40 EUR).

If I'm going to buy a USB hub and it still isn't working, I'm probably going to return this MBP, as it is of ZERO use to me.


not to mention that I had to purchase Logic Pro X as my previous version isn't working on newer OS anymore. So there goes another 230 EUR for nothing.
popnwave 10:53 PM - 22 October, 2019
#1 roll back to Mojave and you can still use the older Logic Pro X
#2 most USB-C to USB-B connectors should work fine instead of a HUB just get some Chroma cables - store.djtechtools.com

If you REALLY want to play the HUB game, just get a Thunderbolt 3 dock and be done with it. Everything runs fine off of one of those but it's a $300 investment.
Supagee 10:56 PM - 22 October, 2019
you most likely just need to uninstall your S9 drivers and reinstall them again on your new mac book
TheMasterOfCeremony 11:02 PM - 22 October, 2019
Quote:
you most likely just need to uninstall your S9 drivers and reinstall them again on your new mac book


Hi Supagee, I did try that as mentioned on Pioneer’s website but no matter how many times i uninstall the driver and reinstall it, it doesn’t work.

It mentions that normally I should be prompted to allow the access on the new Mac OS, but that never happens... it just installs the Driver without any pop up screen or message mentioning it’s blocking in the Security panel.

I’m getting a bit desperate to understand what’s going on.


FYI, whenever I check the utilities and then software, under disabled software it does mention a DJM-S9 driver that is disabled. Don’t know how to get that removed (like I said, I tried the uninstall file but to no avail)
Supagee 11:05 PM - 22 October, 2019
ah yeah i had the same issue but with my SRT, are you on catalina ?
Supagee 11:07 PM - 22 October, 2019
did you follow the directions on the below file for seeing it in "disabled software"?

www.pioneerdj.com
TheMasterOfCeremony 11:18 PM - 22 October, 2019
Quote:
ah yeah i had the same issue but with my SRT, are you on catalina ?


Yes, just upgraded today when I saw Serato officially supports it


Quote:
did you follow the directions on the below file for seeing it in "disabled software"?

www.pioneerdj.com


Absolutely, that’s exactly the article I was following:


3) Ifthedriverofyourequipmentisshown,[SystemPreferences]>[Security&Privac
y]>[Allow].4) Restart your Mac.
NOTE: If [Allow] button is NOT shown in [Security & Privacy], you must reinstall the driver by following the steps below.
2.2. How to reinstall the driver software 2.2.1. Uninstall the driver software
1) Remove your equipment from your computer.
2) Download the installer of your equipment from Pioneer DJ support page.
3) Unzip the downloaded file [XXXXX.zip] and double-click the unzipped .dmg file [XXXXX.dmg]. 4) Double-click [XXXXX Uninstaller.app] in the mounted disk image to start.
Follow the instructions on the screen. Be sure to reboot after uninstallation.
2nd Edition En 3 / 4

2.2.2. Install the driver software anew
1) Double-click the downloaded .dmg file [XXXXX.dmg].
2) Double-click [XXXXXAudioDriver.pkg] in the mounted disk image to start.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
3) Follow "1. " to allow the driver software installation. 4) Connect your equipment to the computer.




———————-


Maybe I’m doing something wrong, maybe I should try to reinstall MacOS Catalina without transferring any previous data from my previous machine and just transfer the audio files once this is done...

I get a feeling that my old drivers are some how interfering with the new installation.
Supagee 11:28 PM - 22 October, 2019
this is the exact issue i had with my srt and the driver.

i went back to mojave and just did a clean install of OS then used a time machine back up to install everything. I also removed serato and the driver and installed it clean after the back up was done.

i am pretty sure with all the testing i did while trying to get the driver to activate in Catalina it seems the issue is the change in splitting the OS up into two containers and the driver is being seen and serato and the os have allowed it already but really it hasn't been allowed and so the vicious cycle begins.

i tried absolutely everything to get the driver to work and to get the pop up to click allow and nothing worked.

only thing i didn't try was uninstalling the driver and serato, making a back up and then doing a fresh install of catalina and then putting the new time machine back up on the computer and reinstalling serato then the driver.
Supagee 11:30 PM - 22 October, 2019
i did start a support ticket on this and was told and this was on the 15th and yet they released serato being supported just a few days later.


Milan Bryce (Serato)
Oct 15, 21:20 NZDT

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch, and sorry to hear about the issues you've encountered after updating to macOS Catalina.

Unfortunately, Catalina is not yet supported for use with Serato DJ Pro or Serato DJ Lite. More info here

We strongly recommend you get in touch with Apple Support to get instructions on how to roll back to macOS Mojave, as there are significant issues using Serato DJ Pro and Serato DJ Lite with this new macOS update.

We are currently working to ensure that Serato DJ Pro and Serato DJ Lite applications are fully compatible with this update, and plan to announce support for macOS 10.15 Catalina soon.

In the meantime, we recommend that you remain on macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or below until further notice.

NOTE: It may be worth disabling automatic updates, to avoid potentially clicking the "Install update" button in the macOS pop-up notification, via System Preferences --> App Store --> Automatically check for updates (uncheck).

If downgrading, is not an option please send me your computer system report as per the link below, however again please understand that Catalina is not yet supported so the issues may remain unresolvable.

Let me know how you get on.

Regards

Milan Bryce
Product Specialist
TheMasterOfCeremony 11:35 PM - 22 October, 2019
Quote:
this is the exact issue i had with my srt and the driver.

i went back to mojave and just did a clean install of OS then used a time machine back up to install everything. I also removed serato and the driver and installed it clean after the back up was done.

i am pretty sure with all the testing i did while trying to get the driver to activate in Catalina it seems the issue is the change in splitting the OS up into two containers and the driver is being seen and serato and the os have allowed it already but really it hasn't been allowed and so the vicious cycle begins.

i tried absolutely everything to get the driver to work and to get the pop up to click allow and nothing worked.

only thing i didn't try was uninstalling the driver and serato, making a back up and then doing a fresh install of catalina and then putting the new time machine back up on the computer and reinstalling serato then the driver.


I’ll have to see how I can indeed do a clean reinstall of OS Catalina.

I believe that what happened is that I used the immigration assistant to transfer my apps from my 2012 MBP to my now 2019 MBP (some apps couldn’t be downloaded anymore because I didn’t have the download link anymore and the only way to have the download link is through purchasing the software again / no thanks / Mixed in Key & MetaBliss in case you were wondering).

Through the Immigration Assistant, it allowed me to maintain all my apps, but it also transferred the drivers for my old Rane 62 & SL4 so it probably also transferred the S9 driver which I can’t seem to properly uninstall.

I didn’t back up the MacBook I just purchased as it was already a clean install... so I’ll check the web how I can reinstall everything anew....
Supagee 11:36 PM - 22 October, 2019
it's super easy to do a clean install
TheMasterOfCeremony 1:05 AM - 23 October, 2019
Quote:
it's super easy to do a clean install



Problem solved, not through a clean install though.

I managed to find where the driver was located in my files and ran a script in Terminal to delete it.
Please note that the driver I’m talking about is the one from the DJM-S9 that was transferred from my old MacBook to the new one when I transferred my applications with the Immigration Assistant.

The driver itself was a version 1.1 that was not being deleted when I ran the regular uninstall dmg you can find on Pioneer’s website, hence I deleted it through a script in Terminal (which I found through a google search) that created the cache located somewhere on my macbooks drive (I’m typing this on my phone now so I don’t remember the exact location but if anyone’s interested I can let you know when I’m on my computer again).

Once these were deleted I was able to uninstall the driver and reinstalled it as explained in the article mentioned earlier by Supagee.

I was finally able to “allow” the access in my preferences - security.

When I restarted my computer and launched Serato with my DJM-S9 plugged in (a direct USB-B to USB-C cable from the mixer to the computer, no hub used), Serato prompted me that it needed permission to have access to the computer’s microphone.

And voilà, problem solved.

I’ve mixe for an hour and haven’t noticed any kind of drops whatsoever, WiFi & Bluetooth were enabled.
Supagee 1:39 AM - 23 October, 2019
brilliant man, can you fire me over the script you used djjohnnyomega@gmail.com
TheMasterOfCeremony 12:35 PM - 23 October, 2019
Quote:
brilliant man, can you fire me over the script you used djjohnnyomega@gmail.com


FYI, after searching for the drivers I finally found them on following location of my drive:

Macintosh HD --> Library --> StagedExtensions --> Library --> Extensions --> [Drivers.kext]

I searched google how to delete these files, as a simple right click delete didn't work (CMD+Backspace neither).

so I found following article mentioning you could empty this in the Terminal application with following script:

stackoverflow.com

Here is the post that helped me, posted by Hrishikesh Chaudhari.

"There is new way to clear the StageExtensions folder as following

sudo kextcache --clear-staging

This command will clear the /Library/StageExtensions folder. We dont need to go to recovery mode and delete manually this folder in case there are some permission errors while installing software."


after that, I was able to uninstall the driver through Pioneer's own uninstaller, restarted the computer, plugged in my DJM-S9, launched Serato, a pop up screen on the bottom right proposed to install the driver, which I did, I simultaneously opened the System Preferences --> Security & Privacy tab, where I finally got to see that some software from Pioneer corporation was blocked and was able to click on the "Allow" button.

after that, everything worked at last.
RICKY-SEKHON 3:11 PM - 24 October, 2019
So does anyone know out of the 4 USB c ports on a mbp how you should connect your devices?

I have the chroma cable to my mixer
I have a USB c to HDMI because i sometimes video mix
I have a USB c to USB c for external drive (ssd)
I have the original power source USB

Ideally, all ports are being used but im wondering if certain ports are on a bus with the keyboard and mouse.... how do yall think i should plug in the devices?
popnwave 3:55 PM - 24 October, 2019
You should be fine at this point, the dropouts on the bus were associated with the T2 chip and Apple finally fixed that crap in one of the Mojave updates.

Your setup looks fine.
RICKY-SEKHON 4:01 PM - 24 October, 2019
Makes me nervous because I had some serious dropouts and after I turned off all time/date sync options... it went away
popnwave 4:03 PM - 24 October, 2019
Yeah, that was a REAL issue prior to the "fix" in Mojave, not just DJs but people doing music production would get all sorts of hiccups. The only work around was to have a Thunderbolt 3 hub and have that manage most of the bus traffic and just use one of the USB-C ports for all of your devices vs actually being able to use all of the onboard ones :/
popnwave 4:04 PM - 24 October, 2019
Well damn, some people are still having issues:

cdm.link
popnwave 4:07 PM - 24 October, 2019
So the basic answer is anything that uses the USB bus for audio traffic "can" have hiccups. But by using Thunderbolt 3 you can use a different bus to carry traffic and thereby avoid the T2 chip shenanigans. $300 fix for an engineering choice by Apple :(
RICKY-SEKHON 4:38 PM - 24 October, 2019
POS I wonder what is the best model to use before Touch Bar
popnwave 4:44 PM - 24 October, 2019
So the 2016-2017s don't have the T2 chip causing the problems, but you still have to turn off the light sensor and all that jazz.

The truly LAST with no USB dongle life needed is the 2015. I am on the hunt for a maxed out used one of those to replace my aging (but working just fine) mid 2012.
RICKY-SEKHON 7:05 PM - 24 October, 2019
Do you mind sharing the specs your are hunting for? I know there are a few different options.
popnwave 8:44 PM - 24 October, 2019
MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.5 15" Mid-2015 (DG) 2.5 GHz Core i7 (I7-4870HQ)
MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.8 15" Mid-2015 (DG)2.8 GHz Core i7 (I7-4980HQ)

Those are the 2 models with dedicated graphics cards (I play music videos and edit so it helps a LOT to have that).

everymac.com - always on the hunt for this one with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. I'd still need to have an external drive (I have a 4TB SSD in my 2012) but that's ok if my OS drive has 1TB.