Learn: Sticker Lock

Formerly a hidden "easter egg" feature in Scratch Live, Sticker Lock is available in Serato DJ 1.7.2 as an official feature. 

You can download this version and read the full release notes to see what's new.

What is it?

Sticker Lock gives you the ability to align a sticker on your Serato Control Vinyl to a cue point or the start of your track and know exactly where that cue or the start will be without having to look at the waveform! 

Sticker Lock can be combined with other Serato DJ song load and needle drop preferences making it a versatile feature for DVS users.

History..

If you're an old school scratch DJ that performed scratches and juggles, it was common for you to have a sticker/s on your record that marked out where the start, beat drops or phrases were in the track. The start of the track was the most important, and placing a sticker at the either the 12'oclock or 2'oclock (where the tonearm is) position was used to represent the beginning of the track.

How do I use it? 

To turn ON Sticker Lock, head to the setup screen and under the CDJ/Vinyl tab, enable Sticker Lock. 

What you want to do now is find the exact the sticker position on your vinyl. One way to do this: 

1. Turn ON 'play from first cue point' under the DJ Preferences tab in the Setup Screen

2. Load a track to deck in REL mode.

3. Take note of the exact point on the vinyl where the cue point is at the Serato DJ playhead.

4. This is the absolute zero position of your vinyl. This is where you will place your sticker.

5. Now when you load a track, that first cue point will relate to your sticker position.

Remember, depending on what "play from" setting you set in the DJ Preferences tab, Sticker Lock can be applied to either the start of your track or the tracks first cue point. 

Notes

The "Spin Nearest" option, means when you load your track, depending whether the sticker is closer to one side or the other is the direction you will need to move the record to align with that cue point/start of the track.

The "Spin Forward" will mean that you have to always spin the record forward to align your sticker once you load a track. "Spin Backwards" is the opposite - spin backwards!

You can also use this feature with instant doubles and the "drop to cue" feature in the Needle Dropping options in setup.

To see the full release notes and download Serato DJ 1.7.2, head to the public beta forum area.