I've always thought Serato was created to make DJ'ing easier?

If you feel REALLY REALLY bad, do what I used to do.

Lift and carry a few crates of vinyl records across the room.

That feeling of GUILT goes away REAL QUICK.

: )

Seriously check this if you feel bad about the waveforms: Watchwww.youtube.com

YEAH i feel the same way.

but i can do a lot of tricks i couldnt do before. and not having to carry the records or pay for them always wins in the end.

not paying for mp3s/videos??

It's much cheaper for videos and mp3's than vinyl singles.

I know i was just trying to stir shit up

lmao

Easy fix...

Stop staring at the waveforms and everything will feel more like "the vinyl days". You won't feel cheated.

Your mind is playing tricks on you. it's not easier. you can line 2 records up all day looking at the waveforms, but that doesn't make a good mix. Still takes a good ear and song selection to make the perfect mix. there are no shortcuts.

+1

ssl does make it easier to beatmatch, but that just allows you more time to be more creative. i remember a time when i needed to set up an accapella over an instrumental. that took a while to set up to do live and usually only ended up trying that maybe twice in a set. only since ssl have i been able to beat juggle an instrumental while an accapella is going and the next track is lined up ready to keep the party going. i'm sure there are a ton of other dj's that do this now with ssl, but before you were limited to number of ways to stand out as a dj.

this is so true. i remember when i got ssl, i felt weird having all this extra time between tracks... no turning around to dig thru a crate, no taking the record out and switching to a new one, shit with ssl you don't even have to touch the needle if you don't want to

It seems Serato needs to put an 'AM mode' on the wave forms too. Just have them black out like the song title on AM mode and this point will be solved.

why don't we just name everthing in serato after AM

www.southparkstudios.com

--FF>> to :25 and replace "marklar" with "AM"

jeez let the man rest in peace

Serato Scratch Live makes it easy to carry your music/videos and load/position your needle or cue over to whatever part you need to faster. That's it. It doesn't show you or help you how to scratch, or mix in the songs the right way. It also doesn't provide you with flavor. Without the proper amount of scratching, flavor and song/video selection, you're just another SSL user and nothing more.

Do as I do and start putting your computer off to the side. I only use to stare at it when it was in front of me

D.Range....AM Mode is not DJ AM mode anyway, it's an abbreviation for Anti-Trainspotter Mode.

At home I always have my laptop off to the side out of site, at one of my main spots but there isn't any space (without putting the cables across where I need to be able to walk through) and I do catch myself looking at them just because it's right in my face.

I definitely do find I can work a lot quicker with scratch live, both decks loaded and the next track highlighted to drop straight on. Basically the same as having your vinyl sitting next to the tables in order I guess.

man I didn't pay over 2 grand for a sexyass MacBook TO not stare at

You got raped... macbook or macbook pro?

Damn laz, i guess i got confused about which thread i was in with all the AM talk

proceed...

all i know is that i dont feel like lugging around crates and crates and crates of records so i am down for vynil Serto style. if you want the most real feel for serato when it comes to Vynil just riock it in ABS mode thats about all you can do .

Y'all know what I think is crazy? I feel like Serato actually makes you a lot better on vinyl.

I learned a lot of techniques just from using Serato....for one, learning song BPMs is way too easy just from seeing your Serato crates. On vinyl alone, you may or may not have been the type to get all the BPMs, or even to write them on the vinyl (some feel it's cheating)...but at this point, you can give me a crate of 50 vinyls, and I can probably tell you the BPM on every single on. With that, you don't have to try nearly as hard to beatmatch/mix...I know "I get money" is 91 and "One more chance" is 92, so I'll increase "I get money" by 1.2% or so, and leave One more chance at 92, and I might not even have to proofcheck through the headphones and spend time like I used to. Even if I scratch it in and it's not clean, I know it's where it's supposed to be at.

If there are things you cannot do better on Serato than with straight vinyl, you are not using the technology correctly. Serato changes the game entirely.

This is the philosophy I've always accpeted and taken. I really dont think that ANY dvs product will necessaily just make you a BETTER dj because you still have to have a certain amount of skill and talent for the art. ( YES djing IS an art...for those of you that think we just watch the record/cd label go round in circles...LOL! )

Cheating???

Come on.. This theme is so tired and lame...

Do you go to Taco bell, or do you go hunt your own cow, grind it up into taco meat, and grow your own corn, stone grind it, then bake tortillas?

Why not? You're cheating!

Do you ride in a car, or do you ride a horse to the club?

You're cheating!

Do you DJ in a buckskin loin cloth made from the hide of a deer you killed with a spear?, or do you go buy fresh gear at the mall?

Cheater!!!!

I'm so cool I DJ with 2 gramophones and 78 rpm clay records... Why doesn't serato support 78 RPM? Cheaters!!!! lol

Evolution happens... DJ's can do things now that DJ's could not 20 years ago... I'm sorry, but when someone tells me they're "old school" I don't view that as a good thing.. I view them as someone who has not been able to keep up with the changing tides, and has let technology pass them by either because they were too dense to keep up, or weren't talented enough to integrate new technology into their existing style.

The whole Cheating theme also pisses me off, because by that logic, using serato is cheating.. Of course it makes it easier.... I've been a professional DJ for over 15 years... I started on digital with CD backup in 92' I never had to spin on vinyl... I bought Turntables way back when stanton comped me a pre-release version of final scratch after the international DJ expo. I played with it for a few months, then wondered why anyone wanted to still use vinyl.

I also pee myself laughing when I see some 15 year old kid bragging about how he came up on vinyl... shut up poser... you probably don't even know how to balance a tone arm..

I don't understand why people insist on purposely cutting their legs off at the kneecaps.

Djing is so much more than just playing other people's music in a cool order.

There's a production element now that takes it to a whole new level. I love the hood rats who tell me they're a producer, and that they make beats...

funny, they can never tell me what software they use, or what hardware... often the answer is SErato. Oh really??? you make beats with serato?? I'll have to learn that trick.

Serato has become the choice of posers all over the world.

Great marketing and branding... I'll give you that. However, As a full time DJ who supports a family of 5, pays 3 car payments, a mortgage, a commercial office lease, and a nasty gear addiction, I can tell you that I really don't care what anyone thinks of me while I'm DJing.. I make a better living at it than most who hold a day job 5 days a week. I'll DJ with 2 instances of winamp if I want... it's all about what you do with it, not what toys you use to deliver it.. I personally love being able to hit an auto loop...

Oh, you used to have to beat juggle 2 records to do that? cool.... how did you mix in the 3rd song?... I'm quite impressed, but I prefer the little button.

Everyone wants to seem like a damn DJ Martyr... why?

Embrace new technology... It's like buying the latest trendy accessory... Ed Hardy hat, Coach Bag, whatever..... you might have the gear, but it won't change the fact that you're a complete douche bag. Prove yourself, and the respect will follow...

Simply toting a Mac Book pro with serato on it doesn't make you "Legit"

someone please shoot me before another lamer starts crying about Cheating!....... lol

WOW! C'mon Holden Caufield,....let's go get a DRINK..I'm buyin!

BOOM! HEADSHOT!

I just want to know what dj'ing will become in 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
Im 16 and want it to be around like it is later on but the way its looking, by the time im in my 20s, 30s or 40s it will all be done electronically and be perfect.
Sure, technology cant read a crowd and feel the music like we can but there will be perfect mixes each time. And even if you need a "DJ" anyone could really do it just by staring at a screen or eventually hitting auto sink..

Anyones thoughts?

In 20 or 30 years many Dj's on this board will probably be in their 50's ,60's or even older and scratchlive(if its around) will be fully auto-everything. So you are probably right it will be all done electronically and be perfect. There will probably be no need for a Dj, there will be an iphone app for that...

fml
Im still 16
so when im your ages im f'ed
haha
Game Over

My thoughts:

Sink == basin or receptacle, as in a kitchen or laundry, usually connected with a water supply and drainage system, for washing dishes, clothing, etc.

dictionary.reference.com
otal.umd.edu

Sync == harmony or harmonious relationship
dictionary.reference.com

turntablism/scratching will be around for a while.
even a robot can't really improvise cuts/juggles on the spot...
but who knows what the future holds?

My thoughts:

Sink == basin or receptacle, as in a kitchen or laundry, usually connected with a water supply and drainage system, for washing dishes, clothing, etc.

dictionary.reference.com
otal.umd.edu

Sync == harmony or harmonious relationship
dictionary.reference.com

Ok tehBEN.
Here ya go

I just want to know what dj'ing will become in 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
Im 16 and want it to be around like it is later on but the way its looking, by the time im in my 20s, 30s or 40s it will all be done electronically and be perfect.
Sure, technology cant read a crowd and feel the music like we can but there will be perfect mixes each time. And even if you need a "DJ" anyone could really do it just by staring at a screen or eventually hitting auto sync..

Happy? ;)

LOL =P

It is idiotic to think that even if all programs have auto sync or auto mix that all DJ's will be using it. Do all drivers prefer automatic cars as opposed to shifting on their own?

there are certain times some features would be useful

I drive a car with a manual transmission, I love it but when it's bumper to bumper traffic, there are times I'd rather have an automatic transmission. My clutch foot would get tired when you're in traffic that barely gets up to 2mph for 2 hours.

Autosync would be useful when you forget your immodium and you get hit with the Bubble guts.... enough said. =P

haha nice tehBEN

But if ya think about it most ppl becoming more and more lazy. Machines doin a lot for us now. Don't even have to move to chance channles and for a lot of things we can just talk and something will respond.
The art of Dj'ing will slowly disappear. Maby not so much turntablism but mixing will be more or less done automatically :/

I don't think so. Look at it now. Auto mix or some form of it has been here for years. The lazy fucks or the ones that are just too stupid to know how to mix can take advantage of those features.... the rest of us, really don't care.


lol @ BEN and bubble guts. hahaha

True
But it's going to get easier for everyone as time goes on with the new technology. Ya it allows us to be more creative in some ways but on the other hand who can HONESTLY say they never look at the screen or go down there play list by bpm for an easier mix...

I used to use mixmeister which does pretty much everything automatically, and even then I didnt consider it cheating. Lets face it, beatmatching isnt exactly rocket science and by itself it says nothing to your ability to rock a party. I'm a much better dj now than I was when just using mixmeister, but it really has nothing to do with being able to beat match or release a record at the right time...

Same shit. BPM has been here for years. CD's (vs turntables) have been here for years. Same with mp3's.... you adapt but that doesn't mean you have to sell your soul to whatever new thing comes out.

beatmatching isn't rocket science but at the same time it isn't something that can be done simply because you can "match" two songs. You still gotta watch out for a lot of things when matching AND MOST IMPORTANTLY mixing two songs. This is what escapes a lot of newbies. They think that just because the songs matched in bpm that you can mix them wherever you want. You gotta take hooks into consideration. Keys (at times). etc. Software can't do that perfectly. Let's face it.

Technology is weird. you see so many items out there that are ment to make life easier, than become a "standard", like cell phones, cars, etc. IMO Serato changed the "standard" of djing too, and it's gonna keep on changing, for better or worse.

LOL @ "beatmatching isnt exactly rocket science and by itself it says nothing to your ability to rock a party"

True, it isn't rocket science but it's still a learned skill. Just go listen to any rookie wanna be DJ and count how many trainwreck mixes you hear. Heck, I've even heard crazy trainwrecks with newbies spinning house music. I mean, how can you mess up 2 records with a 4/4 beat pattern and both of them are at 128 BPM? LOL

Yup. Exactly.

I've never heard a DJ who exclusively uses software that beatmatches for you that is any good. Honestly, never. I'm not talking about the big name house producers who use traktor to "dj." I have respect for what they do, but they aren't DJs in the sense I'm talking about. Those guys can play whatever the fuck they want and the crowd eats it up.

I'm talking about a guy who needs a certain skillset to rock a crowd properly. I'm the first to say I don't give a shit about what a lot of you call "cheating" as long as someone is rocking the crowd I don't care how they do it...but like I said, I've NEVER seen a DJ who uses virtualdj or mixmeister and said to myself "damn this guy is dope." It's always, fuck man, this guy is using virtualdj and he still manages to trainwreck." or, "damn, this is a boring ass set."

These dipshits always say things like "I can be more creative because I don't have to concentrate on beatmatching the whole time." Well asshole, if you had learned to DJ properly in the firstplace, you wouldn't have to concentrate on beatmatching the whole time because it should become second nature after you've DJing long enough to deserve to be anywhere outside the bedroom.

Beatmatching is one of the fundamentals of DJing, and while it might not be rocket science, it's a building block to becoming a good DJ, and if you bypass the Basic's (pun intended, as part of the reason for my name is because I believe in importance of learning the "basics") you will never be anything more than a drop in the bucket of shitty DJs who all sound the same.

Tell them how you feel MB. :)

Btw, you brought up a very interesting point too. I also hear DJ's (or so called DJ's) who say that if the software were to automix, that would give them a chance to be creative and so and so... BS. I haven't seen it once.

When Serato eventually has a good "sync" option that comes out of the Ableton partnership I'm gonna enjoy watching the "oldschool elite" blow up on these forums like someone just murdered and raped their whole family in front of them.

+1

SERIOUSLY, DJ's should just load a track to the player and not even have to look at the screen again. Focus on the crowd and energy.

Holden Caulfield for President in 2012!

I was so inspired by his post.

ROTFLMAO. I was just thinking the above last week.

Seriously, since stepping back into the House arena a bit more seriously, I have been surrounded by DJ's using Traktor over the last month or so. One guy who is one of my Mac buddies (early 20's) and takes ANYTHING he does with a unreal seriousness started to DJ and told him to get SSL and some 1200's if he wanted to do it right. He tried it, eventually sold it all and now uses uses Traktor,

Again anything he does, he does it to the utmost and tries to do it right. He bought a $2500 Allen & heath mixer and also bought a Lemur touch screen controller (google it) which he uses mostly now with his Macbook Pro (mapped to Traktor like a Midi controller, no other decks).

I have watched him upclose the last few times and I can appreciate what he is doing and how he does it. Just like we set cue points and loops to be more creative in our mixing, he has all these effects and stuff mapped out and embedded but a lot he does live on the fly. With automix, he has room to be more creative with that next generation hipster non commercial electro style shit.

I wrote it off at first because of the automix/cheating thing, but I can see and appreciate what he does (as a DJ). I wouldn't do it and the crowd probably doesn't give a fuck, but I can see and appreciate what he does.

He is a tech kid that lives and eat code (saw the future of blogging before it blew up, wrote custom code for Engadget, correspondent for Palmsout.net and now also works for a division of Wordpress), If I had to call it, I think he is a sample of the future of DJing or at least part of it.

If he does a set this Tuesday, I'll see if I can youtube it and post it.

i like to keep my laptop off to the side so I can focus on the crowd and force myself to beat match by ear. img.helloitsben.com

I like having the laptop in front of me so when drunk people come up to bother me I can just pretend to be occupied by my laptop. Always works.

get creative... tell them you'll play their song if they bring you a drink : free alcohol can't hurt.

Yeah, except I don't drink on the job. Drinking and driving = bad, its too easy to get to .08 and nothing is worth a DUI

give it to the hottest girl near the booth and take her home when you're done.

i use it cause I dont wanna cut dubplates anymore.....
that and $0.00 to $0.99 tracks >$6.99 to $39.99 vinyl

:-P

amen to that.
it's great to be able to scratch/mix your own productions as if they were pressed on vinyl :)

yessir... also you can do on the fly effects on a sample :-]

As long as the dance floor is packed, your mixes are dope, there is a positive vibe and everybody is screaming when you drop the next track in... who cares if you look at the waves, the bpm or even your grandma's underwear!

besides, last year I was spinning in a small club, where the booth was a bit isolated from the speakers and the night before, the monitors went dead. All I heared was a mushy sound from the speakers in the room. Beat mixing was extremely difficult, close to impossible! "Serato and the cheatty Waves" saved my life that night!

Who told you!? O_O!!

:-P

@ Holden, great post. Hella LULZ

This post alone should be stickied and copy/pasted into Seratoe's FAQs

Btw, all of my suade Pumas I made are from pure raw hide... it is quite difficult to find purple, red, green, and blue cows these days though.

Serato makes is easier for people to become "DJ's
that's a fact.. cue points..whatever... echos effects etc... that's sh** that was done with samplers and most mixers can do that now...
but it makes the creative DJ's better
it opens more doors for the venues that you can play b/c you have a library full of dope music that can cater to everyone
you have thousands of crates in laptop
you can learn to be more versatile.

truth is, when I first started on SL 2 years ago.. I was SO against it. I was like this digital age sh** is kind of wack. Then I did some shows with the X-Ecutioners.... and they were HEAVY ROCKIN. Talking to Roc about SL, changed my mind...
"best part is no record burn"
you still have to DJ, you still have to mix, blend, scratch, and pick the right joints
now you don't have to kill your finger tips looking for that vinyl

So it BPM's for you...just b/c a song is on the same bpm doesn't mean it's a good mix

Just turn the waveforms off mate. Serato doesn't make mixing any easier, the reason I use it is so I can have all my tracks at the click off a button, i get tunes that are released exclusively on digital and I can mix tracks in far faster than searching through a crate of vinyl/wallet of cds.

I've only mixed proper vinyl several times and cdj a few times, my ability was exactly the same. (I use serato, 3 decks, control vinyls)

Old thread is old.

bios.weddingbee.com

djing in itself is cheating.

i go to work and play around for 6 hours, get drunk and party and get paid hundreds of dollars for it...

mobile gigs are hard work - if you don't charge enough you're just cheating yourself

mobile gigs are hard work - if you don't charge enough you're just cheating yourself

is there an echo in here?

What did you say?

Good afternoon !!!

I am a new Mobile DJ and I want to know more about scratching. Is there a software or hardware that I can buy, that can help me achieve the perfect scratch every time? Im trying to figure out how in the hell people can create the perfect scratch from any beat or word? Your recommendations would be appreciated.

there is no short cuts to the scratch game... practice practice practice.. and what the youtube videos..

I use serato but have tape over the bpm's , the small per track waveforms I can see but I can also read waveforms on real vinyl so just because its more eye friendly on a screen doesn't mean its cheating. I have tape all over the beat grid waveforms. I don;t think dvs is cheating at all, if you are that worried switch to traktor pro 3, you can hide all the stuff off screen without using tape

putting tape on your laptop screen if that's what your doing is the most stupid thing i've heard all day, you can press space bar and go into library view and not see them

Or you know.. just not look.

or just use traktor pro 2 or 3 because they make serato look like the crap software it truly is ..........with its pitiful blurry waveforms lol can't believe it has the cheek to have a tickbox to show hd lmao ssl = serato scratch losers

Yes we are losers, yet you are sticking tape on your equipment...

You should just go by Mike because a Mixmaster you are not 🤣

....Not totally sure why you're hating on the software that you choose to use.
But ok.

lol I don't even use serato, lol I strayed here by accident, I use traktor, it's not toy software like serato, you CAN ACTUALLY CONFIGURE it to hide BPM'S,those stupd beat grid waveforms , and all the other crap, serato and it's horrible blurry waveforms lmao

So you see my friend DJ Sparky, I use the same software that Andy C uses and I have it CONFIGURED to be as old skool vinyl as it could possibly be, so carry on using you bpm displays, your parallel waveforms, your keys and all the other crap.

I will USE MY EARS like I did before I switched from Vinyl to DVS, And I will use traktor and ride the pitch like I always have.

I will post a video on youtube of my traktor pro 2 set up and how its configured, then I will show you my 15 second beatmatching ....fully locked , THEN I will switch to REAL VINYL and show you the skills that drip from my bum

And you started a previous post with "I use Serato"

Yeah obviously , I was being polite before that sparky insulted me , the guy (OP)was asking about dvs in general so as a generalisation I said it's not cheating, its just with serato obviously you have to use tape to cover all the cheating stuff up, with traktor YOU CAN HIDE BPM COUNTERS totally , you can have parallel waveforms turned off , yes sparky is right probably you can hit space to hide waves but you still have those stupid virtual spinning decks with the bpm in them , its not even accurate anyway and is distracting.

Traktor is far superior, have you ever used it above version 2 ??? The track waveforms are large and perfect not small and blurry like serato that looks like a windows 95 software program lol , in Traktor you can turn bpm counters off and those stupid virtual decks, like wtf is the point of having 2 spinning decks on a screen when you have 2 real turntables in front of you lol

If you are using real turntables you have wow and flutter so why would you want to look at a bpm counter that is fluctuating constantly ? why would you want a bpm counter ???? I love traktor because its blind, all you are doing is dragging a track to a and b and using it as a media library , no bpm counters, no seeing beats lined up in waves, no keys turned on , just manual pitch riding

Traktor is pro serato is a no go END OF ....PERIOD

I think I speak for everyone when I say we couldn't give a fuck what you use

Now on your bike or traktor in your case

And why comment on software you haven't a clue about because everything you mention you can do in serato, if there is anything worse then a fanboy it's a retarded fanboy that has a clue what they are talking about

Lol you are a total moron, have a cup of go fuck yourself

am I the one going to another forum of software i don't even use and complain about a feature you don't even have to look at

I'd call you a moron but your more like an inbred retarded kid, i bet your parents met backstage at a Jeremy Kyle show and if your going to insult me do it in public and not your lil PM messages

lmao at least I know both my parents

Bow down to your superior mr dj inferior

Well this thread is going nowhere.

@Mixmaster Mike, please keep your comments civil. You're welcome to trash the software but don't forget the first rule you agreed to when joining the forum (serato.com):


@Sparky I've warned you a million times about this but you can't seem to resist.

Thread locked.