Serato Software Feature Suggestions

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 Serato Software Feature Suggestions
"Fixing" drifting beat tracks!
What features would you like to see in Serato software?

"Fixing" drifting beat tracks!

henryb 1:55 AM - 13 June, 2019
This I had asked for many years ago, but so far nothing! :(

There are many old tracks (disco, rock, old house etc etc), and even live recordings that do not have a steady beat. They were not made with software in which 122 bpm is actually 122.00 bpm; more like the "average" tempo is 122 bpm; and the beats are somewhere "around" this tempo. So they don't just "snap-to-beat/grid" just like newer productions do. So forget mixing these tracks together for too long unless you keep correcting the beats with the jog wheel throughout the mixing part. :(

So would it be very hard for SDJ offer a tool that analyzes these tracks, automatically sets beat markers for every single downbeat (which we could manually fix if not analyzed correctly), and then "fix" every beat so that it sits exactly on the correct beatgrid? Even better if we could tell SDJ at what tempo we wanted this "fixed" track to be at! And even better if we could directly export them into a 320kbps mp3 (and if not then we can just play the track when "fixed" and hit Record to, again, end up with an exported mp3 that's on-the-beat)! :) :)

I think people would go crazy over this feature and everyone would be exporting their "oldies" into new "corrected" versions that they could mix like house tracks! :)
cotdagoo 6:43 PM - 14 June, 2019
You can do this with Ableton Live and their warp marker system. It works great for old funk tracks.
Draven1327 3:42 AM - 15 June, 2019
i would love this feature too, but as said above ableton is a good work around for the past couple of years. by now most of my funk and disco library has been fixed.

in my head, i think they may be saving that feature for their serato studio..... or maybe if they perfect it there, maybe they will be able to bring it over to dj.... finally
henryb 2:57 AM - 17 June, 2019
i dont know what this abelton solution is - never heard of it. Anyone have a link that shows this process? Is abelton freeware?
Draven1327 4:31 AM - 17 June, 2019
Ableton is a DAW. It is used to create music. The basic bottom version is free on their website. It’s a very powerful program but the one feature you want to learn is warp markers. It’s a fairly simple process and tons of videos on YouTube. Watch some videos and see if it’s a good option for you.
henryb 4:06 PM - 24 June, 2019
Quote:
Ableton is a DAW. It is used to create music. The basic bottom version is free on their website. It’s a very powerful program but the one feature you want to learn is warp markers. It’s a fairly simple process and tons of videos on YouTube. Watch some videos and see if it’s a good option for you.

If it's a DAW (like Logic Pro X, that I have, is), do you know if I could do the exact same in Logic? What I am looking for is speed & ease ;)
Draven1327 4:38 PM - 24 June, 2019
It’s been a Long time since I’ve touched Logic Pro. But I know it’s as powerful as ableton, so it should be able to. From a quick search I did, research flextime. That might be what you need in logic. Once you get used to a process it shouldn’t take very long.
henryb 5:27 PM - 24 June, 2019
Quote:
It’s been a Long time since I’ve touched Logic Pro. But I know it’s as powerful as ableton, so it should be able to. From a quick search I did, research flextime. That might be what you need in logic. Once you get used to a process it shouldn’t take very long.

ok thanks!! BTW do you know of any youtube videos that you could link that show this "beat-fixing" process in Ableton that you mentioned? (I suppose that just like for FCPX, thousands of videos must also exist for Ableton, so it would possibly take endless hours trying to find specifically (and only) what I am trying to do!) ;) Thanks again bro!! :)
popnwave 9:17 PM - 26 June, 2019
It's just quantizing the track outside of Serato since the baked in stuff can only do so much. Live drumming is always going to be a challenge on older songs, sadly, if you mess with the stuff too much it sounds unnatural ironically.

It's one of the reasons you see silly redrum mixes of some older tracks, to cover up that part.
henryb 10:05 PM - 26 June, 2019
Quote:
It's just quantizing the track outside of Serato since the baked in stuff can only do so much. Live drumming is always going to be a challenge on older songs, sadly, if you mess with the stuff too much it sounds unnatural ironically.

It's one of the reasons you see silly redrum mixes of some older tracks, to cover up that part.
I didn't really understand the solution you are giving with your reply.. :(
popnwave 10:18 PM - 26 June, 2019
Here are some videos that go over it for Logic Pro and Abelton:

www.youtube.com

www.youtube.com
henryb 10:46 PM - 26 June, 2019
Quote:
Here are some videos that go over it for Logic Pro and Abelton:

www.youtube.com

www.youtube.com

thanks but i had seen these videos in the past and they're not really what i'm looking for as they all show multitracks etc etc. I am just looking to find a simple and fast way to fix the beats of an old track or a live one (in which the beat is not steady). So that, I suppose would be a video that shows ONE imported track/waveform (and no other drum/bass line above it. Preferably in Logic as I own it.
(Just like Serato adds analyzes the tracks and sets all these markers on the downbeats app, just to then be able to snap these quantization markers to the beatgrid of the tempo THAT I WOULD THEN CHOOSE, and then export the track into a perfectly-timed new version.
Have you seen such a video that shows just that? If yes, please link it here! :)
cotdagoo 2:00 AM - 27 June, 2019
Watchwww.youtube.com
BigPortion 10:25 PM - 12 April, 2020
You can kinda do what you want by properly beat gridding your tracks and using beat sync to match with the tempo of another track. Put beat warp markers to change the tempo as necessary throughout, it's incredibly tedious when you have to do this almost every bar in a track though.
henryb 5:17 AM - 22 April, 2020
Quote:
You can kinda do what you want by properly beat gridding your tracks and using beat sync to match with the tempo of another track. Put beat warp markers to change the tempo as necessary throughout, it's incredibly tedious when you have to do this almost every bar in a track though.
you mean setting the beatgrid within serato? If yes, I have done this fine, but you only set the beatgrid marker on ONE downbeat, and then serato automatically sets the rest of the markers throughout the track. Butt of course that's no help since the beats are nott steady throughout the track so the rest of the markers are subsequently off...
BigPortion 6:49 AM - 22 April, 2020
Quote:
you mean setting the beatgrid within serato? If yes, I have done this fine, but you only set the beatgrid marker on ONE downbeat, and then serato automatically sets the rest of the markers throughout the track. Butt of course that's no help since the beats are nott steady throughout the track so the rest of the markers are subsequently off...


Serato beatgrids can handle inconsistent tempo though! You place the marker on the first down beat, then place another one when the beat starts to drift. So the grid will be correct between the two markers, and then you adjust the tempo after the second one so it matches the tempo from then onwards. Then if it starts to drift again you place another marker and so on. There are a ton of videos on YouTube. Granted you are not actually "fixing" the tempo but at least then you will know what it is at any given time and can adjust the pitch, or just use sync.

You can go the Ableton route as well but I tried it and it made my track sound weird in places where the waveform was stretched and changed the pitch. I think that route is more if you really know what you are doing.

Have you considered using Serato Studio to make a simple DJ edit with a steady beat at the beginning and end to use for mixing in and out? There are videos on YouTube for that as well. I might give that a try, sounds a lot simpler. Or can just create a short loop in a place where the bpm is steady and its a neutral sounding beat (no vocals etc.) and mix using that.
henryb 7:13 AM - 22 April, 2020
Thanks for your reply! I was under the impression that ANY marker you set in a track on sdj will change ALL the markers (BEFORE AND AFTER the newly-set marker) in the track. So, if I was to set a marker on the correct place in a downbeat at, say 1 min from the start of the track it would set all the markers throughout the track (taking that first marker as a "guide"). But if I set a new marker later on in the track, say at 2.30 mins, when the beat has started to move off the beatgrid markers, then I understood that this new marker-setting would move ALL the markers in the track, again, taking that new marker as a guide (INCLUDING the 1st marker I had set before!!). No??
BigPortion 7:46 PM - 24 April, 2020
Happy to say you are completely wrong :)

The below video is a bit old but all still correct, it should give you everything you need to know about adjusting beat grids, including variable tempos, and how to use sync as well if you want to. Enjoy!

youtu.be
DJ Marv the Maverick 8:11 AM - 2 May, 2020
I did a trial of Melodyne and used to it fix some tracks to a steady BPM

It’s automated as well.

Just another option to consider especially if you plan to be using some of those tracks outside serato eg on standalone

The limitation of fixing the grid in serato is that only serato can use this info

Even when you use conversion software to another dj app , they don’t carry over.

I have gridded many tracks in my serato but now I’m having a rethink as well.
DJ Marv the Maverick 8:14 AM - 2 May, 2020
Quote:
The limitation of fixing the grid in serato is that only serato can use this info


I suppose one can export it through Serato studio hmmm.

Tighten up the grids in Serato DJ

Open up Serato studio

Add an intro and outro

Save as new file

Food for thought 🧐
DJ Marv the Maverick 8:16 AM - 2 May, 2020
youtu.be