Thinking of dabbling in the dark arts (Serrato / Traktor - r)
JectWon
(@_@) 1,654 Posts
I have never been a 'vinyl or gtfo' type of DJ, but (for whatever reason) I am yet to get serrato/trackor, etc.
There are some ideas bouncing around in my head (regarding mixes/sets/etc.) that I really feel could come to life with a serrato/Traktor type of interface.
I just want a way to manipulate my beats/re-edits/digitized record collectron with no lag. I need a tool to do whats going on in my head not a crutch that allows me to press play and pretend...
I've messed with Serrato and I enjoyed it. I especially liked the ability to make que points and have them loop while being able to set up the next cut on the other deck (it's kind of like that third hand that I've always wanted when trying to do a long blend on a particularly difficult or unquantized rekkid)
What is yall's opinion on Serrato vs. Tracktor vs. any other solution out there?
Super latte pass, I know.
There are some ideas bouncing around in my head (regarding mixes/sets/etc.) that I really feel could come to life with a serrato/Traktor type of interface.
I just want a way to manipulate my beats/re-edits/digitized record collectron with no lag. I need a tool to do whats going on in my head not a crutch that allows me to press play and pretend...
I've messed with Serrato and I enjoyed it. I especially liked the ability to make que points and have them loop while being able to set up the next cut on the other deck (it's kind of like that third hand that I've always wanted when trying to do a long blend on a particularly difficult or unquantized rekkid)
What is yall's opinion on Serrato vs. Tracktor vs. any other solution out there?
Super latte pass, I know.
Comments
Awesome news, man. I have a brand new macbook and am probably more into cuts/battle routines than I should be. So knowing I can worry less about skippage is awesome.
I just love the idea of being able to flip doubles of my own beats.
I decided after all the years of lugging 5+ crates to gigs I'd earned serato.
I used to beat juggle a lot and buy the time I got to the battle or gig I had to buy news copies because I could barley play the practice copies due to cue burn and skips.
Lots of good reasons to add it to your collection. Only playing actual records as a way to keep it real is about as useful as saying I only listen to mid 90's private press rap. The dark side has it's perks.
Make sure you do have a killer no filler vinyl crate or two at gigs because serato can crash once and a while like any program and you need those records while serato reboots.
From what I gather, there's a hair's width of difference between T&S. There is a video of Q-Bert comparing the two, and he says when performing really slow rubs, you might hear barely noticable digital artifacts with Serato, but it's nothing that really affects performance.
Having instant doubles and being able to cut up your own beats was probably the main reason I dived in, along with the fact that most new music I cop now isn't available on vinyl. I've also gone back to being a real scratch nerd again since copping, and the instant loop function helps me waste hours just practicing cuts.
Cosign on the bringing some backup wax just in case you need a reboot though.
Yea, man...I can see this being dangerous for me...add a blunt to that combo and 4 hours later you end up with my wife poking her head in the lab with a serious 'wtf' looking mug after hearing the same 16 bar loop with me practicing the autobahn scratch over top the entire time.
Thanks for the info. The idea of using tracktor and going up after a Serrato DJ and all the logistical issues that can ensue is a great point I never thought about.
not to mention there is just no way possible for me to get my entire MP3 collection on vinyl (no matter how much money or how hard i tried) and there is no chance that i will ever press anything on vinyl, so this is the next best thing for me...
heres the qbert video mentioned above, i just watched this yesterday oddly enough
I checked this a while back they customized some 1200's and put dicers in them, the video is a bit lame and has that "pimp my ride" feel to it, but killer quality work no doubt..
You're going to put the training wheel on yo' own self and then be all dependent and shit.
How about this, you use that money to buy some haven't-heard-enough-of-recently curds. Dj them live, with one turntable, emphasizing the long silent pause between heaters an call it a night. Maybe save a little sumpin sumpin, too.
So...any idea if dicers need sl-2 or greater to work? I ask because the sl-1 doesn't mention midi interface functionality but the sl-2 and beyond does. I could be totally misreading that though.
Thanks for the help...
the Dicers are midi, and are hooked up with USB to your mac, so the Scratchlive Software actually works with the dicers, has nothing to do with the interface (the box).
Also, I would try to get the SL1's, as with them you have a hardwired THRU connection. With the newer ones, you have to set a THRU switch in the software, which is possible, but it's just easier to flip a switch on the mixer than it is to click the software button.
And as an added bonus to that, if you're playing with someone else, and they want to play off of their computer and you off yours, you can daisychain 2 serato's together with the hardwired THRU connection, with the newers ones you can't. This wont be an issue if the venue has a Rane 62 mixer, but well, that's almost no club, ever.
I've been using serato for the last 4 years, just bought the Dicers, it's GREAT. Just to set up scratch phrases, or playing songs in odd orders the really quick cues are so NICE. Also since they are Midi, you can assign any serato function to the dicer button... Echo out? Sample player, anything. It's pretty handy.
I did DJ with vinyl for a while, but cycling through Amsterdam with bags of vinyl and going up and down stairs.... gets old real quick.
Yo, thank you....I think that about does it. SL-1 with dicers. I can't wait to cop and get some of these current ideas out of my head!
Thanks again, Strut.
It was nice knowing you.
:(
I had been playing some nights with guys rockin serato, and i was on vinyl.. i started brining a usb stick so i could mess with the serato stuff as well.. rockin back and forth vinyl / serato, i was pretty into it.
but serato itself did not exactly blow me away.
Moved on to a gig with another guy rockin traktor and control vinyl...
bought traktor
when i used serato and switched back and forth from vinyl to serato the serato sounded like shit compared to the wax.. the wax was ALWAYS louder, fuller, etc.. i had to JACK the eqs and gain to match serato.. it SOUNDED like what you fear playin mp3s is gonna sound like.
With traktor i feel the interface is just WAY higher quality. I don't notice the difference switching back and forth from wax to traktor.
the interface / features is also a BIG differance between the two to use an apple analogy - serato is like an Apple II.. blackcscreen funny coloured shit.. looks like it came out in 1987.
Traktor is like steppin up to the mac book pro.. just SLICK and feels like you have stepped into the 21st century.
I currently rock traktor control vinyl ad have my Maschine mapped to control it as well.
Ability to play my own productions, custom reedits, fire loops on the fly, the built in filters / mixer, efx etc are all werth switchin to the dark side imo.
ha! i see what you did there, spoken like a true dartmouthian/darksider, lol word!
hahaha TRUTH
I have dicers, but that may be a nice addition down the road instead of an upfront purchase. I don't use them nearly as much as I hoped to when I purchased them. If all you're worried about is cue points, then you can set the software to relative mode and turn on the drop to cue option, and you can get through your cue points pretty quickly. You're not going to be able to chop something up, though, so if that's something you really want to explore then by all means pick up those dicers.
You don't need the actual box to get your library set up. Serato can analyze for BPM and volume, and if you're going to download the software ahead of time you might want to go ahead and do that. First time through your library I would put it on before you go to bed as it can take awhile.
Super intrigued to see what you think. Report back!
I've had a few longer cut sessions on both and I do gotta say that traktor felt much closer to actual records.
That is pretty much what I've encountered. Every dj with a DVS I know uses Serato. I can't imagine being able to bring a traktor setup to a clurb and slide right in when its your time.
Ahhh shit. I need to find a way to compare the sound quality for myself. I keep reading/hearing about people who notice a significant difference in sound quality between Serrato and Traktor.
I'll probably run with Serrato SL-1 first due to price and then re-up to Traktor after a while.
I'm pretty much that Traktor guy.. It's my DVS of choice.. Why? because I'm a self confessed geek, and Traktor lets me do a bunch of geeky stuff to my music on the fly. Great effects and remixing capabilities that far surpass Serato.
But - It's a super geeky piece of software, and not for everyone. When things go wrong (and they do) you need to be able to problem solve the situation quick smart. If you're not a techy / logical / problem solving kind of guy, then Traktor is not for you.
Another downside of Traktor is the size and build quality of it's audio interfaces. My original Audio 8 box stopped working after about a year and a half. I bought the much smaller Audio 4 interface, which has been great. It's smaller than the Serato box however i don't think they sell them any more, and I'm dreading having to upgrade to a larger Audio 6 / 10 / 12 box when the time comes (The Audio 10 / 12 boxes also require an additional power cord).
Serato is great as well. Admittedly it doesn't do a whole lot compared to Traktor, but what it does it does real well. However, I have a bunch of annoyances with the Serato GUI. I hate the screen layout, and hate the fact that you can't customise your own hot keys. The whole thing feels VERY LIMITED compared to what I can do with Traktor, and I feel a little naked when using it. It's simple but it works.
BIG PLUS for Serato is the Ableton / Bridge intergration. I'm looking at getting a Rane TTM just for the studio so I can take full advantage of bridge when I'm doing my mixtapes.
As for the Serato / traktor change over in the DJ booth - Yes it's a headache, But I have my changeover down to about a minute. The Traktor breakout cables are fantastic, and allow me to have everything set up ready for a final "plugin" to the mixer, and I tend to do one song at a time, as the previous DJ hands me the phono cables. Once you are familiar with the procedure it's not such a big deal.
CDJ changeover / setup is a breeze for Traktor now, as most of the clubs in my area now use Pioneer 900 Nexus mixers and CDJ 2000's (Turntables are fast becoming a rarity). Just plug in a USB cable either in to the Mixer, or 2 USB directly into the back of the CDJ's. No audio ineterface required. This can be done while previous DJ is still playing. Changeover is a flick of a switch.
As for scratching / Cutting up etc.. It's pretty much the same for both now days. Traktor have released a new Mk2 vinyl that is tailored towards the scratch DJ. The traktor timecode signal is also twice the frequency of Serato's, making it a little more resilient to skips / knocks etc (The loud frequency cuts out more of the physical rumble from man handling the turntables).
Sound quality: I can't say I have noticed any audible difference between the 2 platforms. I doubt there is any difference at all. Audio quality of MP3's / rips is probably more of a factor with this. Has anyone really conducted a side by side comparison using the same MP3 / Same mixer / Same levels etc?
Worth mentioning that here in Australia, it's pretty much a 50/50 game, with Traktor fast becoming the dominant DVS.