Free custom timecode vinyl? Well kinda sorta…

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AppId is over the quota

I got a mail this morning that caught my eye, perhaps because of the Cloq Werks name and perhaps because it was all about vinyl.   Interest piqued, I dug a little deeper and found exactly what I had expected to. But rather than write a whole piece about timecode vinyl, I am instead going to write about the angle that they’ve taken.

Cloq Werks make custom control vinyl in a plethora of colours to work with Serato Scratch Live. I had to dig hard to find that reference, and it was only mentioned once on their Facebook page and only alluded to as “SL” in the email. Obviously, they’re being very careful not to lean too heavily on the established brand.

Their unique approach is this – because you bought the timecode licence when you bought the Scratch Live package, you’re entitled to have backup copies of that timecode that you already legally own. And Cloq Werks are quite happy to create and supply a backup of your timecodes – for free. You’re actually making a voluntary donation to them for their time and materials to safely backup the recording that you already own. They are not selling you the original timecode signal recording because you already own that. They go to great pains to stress that you’re not buying anything and they’re not selling anything. Allegedly. But I’m not a lawyer though.

Sounds like a plausible spin of the law, and they do seem to have done their research on this. The splash screen on the site lists legal statutes and even links to the scary RIAA as corroboration. Feels more like a leap of faith through a legal loophole than a legitimate thing though.

The “backups” as they’re described are available for donations of between $9.99 for a pair of black ones right up to $39.99 for a pair of white ones. But how do you feel about this? While Cloq Werks may well be exploiting a loophole, or even operating fully within the law for all I know, it doesn’t sit right with me that any money I might spend doesn’t go back to the developers of the original product. I know you really REALLY want those elusive and expensive Serato whites, but is it because you want white vinyl, or because you want SERATO white vinyl?

Given the wide ranging cross section of readers we have on here, is anyone qualified to comment on how legal this actually is?

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Pioneer DDJ-SX — official info, real prices and opinion

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After last night’s Serato induced hullaballoo, it’s time to have a proper look at Pioneer’s new mothership of a controller. The DDJ-SX has been rumoured within the industry for a while. I was led to believe that it was the one controller to rule them all, with no details whatsoever. Then I was informed that it would run Serato’s new software, but still no details. But last night, the rumours took shape and form. And the DDJ-SX really does look to measure up beyond expectations.

Firstly, let’s have Pioneer’s Dave Eserin give us a most welcome walkthrough of the DDJ-SX and all that it purveys:

Some really glossy mouth watering shots:

And finally the official Pioneer Europe words:

4th October 2012: Serato users: prepare to be awed as Pioneer launches the DDJ-SX – the world’s first native controller for the brand new Serato DJ professional software, also launched today.

The DDJ-SX has been carefully designed and developed in partnership with Serato to deliver intuitive control of the included software’s exciting features. Dedicated buttons and dials give pro-DJs plug-and-play control of Serato’s four decks, up to eight Hot Cues, six samples, and ten high-quality FX Powered by iZotope.

Pro-DJ performance is even further enhanced with the debut of Performance Pads: sixteen rubber LED pads that add a new dimension to mashing up tracks. DJs can trigger four modes: Hot Cue, Slicer, Roll and Sampler. And the new Velocity Mode lets them control the volume of samples with how hard they hit the pad.

The DDJ-SX takes performance pleasure even further with Dual Deck Control, which allows DJs to perform live edits on two decks simultaneously; so scratching on Deck A can be applied to Deck C at the same time. Slip Mode silently continues playback while DJs perform loops, scratches and reverses without affecting the original track direction. And the new FX Mode enables sound effects to be applied to two decks at once.

The club-standard DDJ -SX has been built to withstand the rigours of the booth; the aluminium jog wheel and top plate are both stylish and durable. And the unit can be used as a four-channel standalone mixer, giving DJs the flexibility of connecting to CDJs or turntables for even more performance options.

The DDJ-SX, bundled with Serato DJ, is available from November at a SRP of EUR 999/ GBP 809, including VAT.

PLUS the first 10,000 units come bundled with a free licence for the Serato Video plug-in, worth around EUR 116/ GBP 92.

KEY FEATURES

1.      EXCLUSIVE: native control of the new Serato DJ software

Serato DJ combines the popular features of Serato ITCH and Serato Scratch Live, and adds new features that will be popular with lovers of both. Pioneer worked closely with Serato to combine the features of the software with the operability of the hardware to create true plug-and-play compatibility and intuitive control.

In addition to four-deck control, the DDJ-SX has dedicated controls for new features including:

NEW: FX engine Powered by iZotope

Serato DJ’s FX engine, now powered by popular manufacturer iZotope, features ten high-quality sound effects, including REVERB, ECHO and PING PONG DELAY.

Dual Deck Control for advanced live edits

DJs can push a button to enter Dual Deck mode and apply scratches, recall Hot Cues, perform loops, use the Slicer and Slip Mode – all on two decks at the same time. Trigger a Hot Cue on Deck A and one will also trigger on Deck C.

Plus old favourites such as:

Eight cue points on each deckSyncable six slot sample bankAuto Loops, Manual Loops and Loop Roll, for even more loop optionsSlicer to chop up tracks and create new arrangements*

2.      Enhanced performance features for truly hands-on live performances

The DDJ-SX inherits the familiar layout from Pioneer’s popular controller range, with a few updates to make the DJing experience even more enjoyable. Pro-DJs can use a combination of buttons, dials, faders, jog wheels and Performance Pads to stamp their mark on every set.

NEW! Performance Pads make mashing up tracks even more fun

The DDJ-SX’s large, rubber Performance Pads are assigned to four modes: Hot Cue, Roll, Sample and Slicer. The LED illuminated pads’ Velocity Mode means sample volume is controlled by the pressure applied, giving even more control and really putting the DJ back in the performance.

Slip Mode for precision edits

Inherited from the new club-standard CDJ-2000nexus, Slip Mode silently continues track playback during a loop, reverse or scratch and brings the music back at the right point when the DJ exits the performance.

Improved jog wheel enhances scratching pleasure

The DDJ-SX has the industry’s lowest latency jog wheel that has been fine-tuned to ensure DJs always get the scratch response they expect. Plus the controller borrows the backlit-LED On-Jog Display from the club-standard CDJs, showing the playback status of the current track for even greater scratch and reverse precision.

Sound Colour Filters on every channel

Like the DJM-900nexus professional mixer, the DDJ-SX boasts a Sound Colour Filter for each channel. DJs twist the dial left for Lo Pass Filter and right for Hi Pass Filter, for even more creative sweeps, blends and FX manipulation. This works with the software and external sources, with a hardware filter built-in.

3.      Professional build quality and design

The controller has been built with the rigours of professional use in mind. The high-quality faders are robust and durable, while the push-button style knobs were designed with portability in mind. And the aluminium jog wheels and top plate give the DDJ-SX a premium look that will fit right into any booth.

4.      Multiple input and output options for every DJ set-up

The DDJ-SX is equipped with a variety of inputs and outputs, for ultimate flexibility. Four inputs allow DJs to connect the controller to DJ players and/or turntables, to use it as a stand-alone mixer. Two master outputs (XLR and RCA) and a booth output enable connections direct to professional PA equipment. And two MIC inputs open up possibilities for MCing and announcements.

5.      High audio quality 

The controller inherits its high-quality audio circuitry from Pioneer’s pro-DJ equipment. A built-in 24-bit soundcard, low-jitter clock and high-performance DAC ensure a clean, powerful sound with no degradation.

6.      Other features

Channel Fader Start: use the channel fader to control CuesNeedle Search: touch strip for intuitive, fast searchesMaster level and channel level meters: instantly identify levels on each channelMIDI Compatible: control any DJ softwareCrossfader curve adjust: to suit any type of sound

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS

CD x 2 (RCA), combined LINE/PHONO x 2 (RCA)MIC x 2 (XLR&1/4 inch combined PHONE x 1, 1/4 inch PHONE x 1)MASTER OUT x 2 (RCA x 1, XLR x 1)BOOTH OUT x 1 (1/4 inch PHONE)HEADPHONE MONITOR OUT x 2 (front 1/4 inch PHONE, MiniPin)Power source AC 220-240 V     50/60 Hz, rated output DC5 V664 mm (W) x 70.4 mm (H) x 357 mm (D)

Serato DJ System Requirements

32-bit: (CPU) 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, (Memory) 2GB64-bit: (CPU) 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, (Memory) 4GB32-bit: (CPU) 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, (Memory) 1GB64-bit: (CPU) 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, (Memory) 4GB1,280 x 720 or higher resolution

Last night, in a state of utter tiredness bordering on hysteria, I thought I wanted the DDJ-SX sooo bad. But I’ve since slept, showered and had a suitable amount of tea to make a better decision. I now KNOW I want the DDJ-SX more than I’ve wanted a controller since the Numark NS7. I have a list of actual needs, which is small and serviced perfectly by any number of controllers out there. But the DDJ-SX seems to have covered every hankering desire I could have wished for in a new lump of digital shiny.

I’m looking over the specs, and Pioneer seem to have thought of everything. All the cool things you find on other controllers like velocity pads, slicer, touch strips, built in mixer etc etc seem to be included. But then they go a few steps further and add slip mode, a CDJ style centre display, dual deck mode and channel fader start. Open question – has anything obvious been missed? Or are there less obvious things that you’d like to see?

No, not Rik off of Pioneer, but the law that dictates that stuff expands to fill the space available. And there’s no denying that the DDJ is a big controller, crammed to the gills with controls. Beautifully organised of course, but it’s hard to imagine adding anything into this unit, or indeed making it any bigger to accommodate more features.

And this is why Serato DJ allows secondary controller mapping. There’s simply no more room for expansion without turning controllers from portable playthings to draggable mission controls. So should users need more control, they’ll be able to plug in more knobs and buttons to fulfil their complex needs. And this will be the trend for the future too. Now that Serato have wedged the formerly closed door open a little, I’d like to see a new crop of small controllers appearing – ones that service existing needs in different ways, but also offer future expansion.

With the Vestax VCI-400 and Reloop Terminal Mix 4 having a large number of controls, perhaps we can expect them to blossom into the controllers that we expected them to be at launch. Obviously at the time, the decision to add a cropped down 2 channel software to controllers capable of so much more made little sense – I hope it does now.

But there’s one company missing in this equation, and that’s Numark. Clearly they’re capable of making ITCH dance, and I have no doubt that the same will be true of Serato DJ. I would keep a keen eye on the next couple of trade shows, as I’m certain they’ve been just as busy as Pioneer.

I’m still pretty solid on my assertion that controller club standards will never happen though. Even with a Pioneer logo on it, this technology is such a fluid concept what you’re reading about today will be seen as old in 2-3 years time, with the masses baying for more and ebaying their old stuff.

Yeah I know I always do this, but with Pioneer products, we can read about all the new stuff and want it all very badly indeed, but it’s always about just how much we’ll have to fork out for the “overpriced lump of shitty plastic fanboy junk” or similar comments that proliferate the forums.

So here’s the thing – given everything you’ve seen and read, the Pioneer DDJ-SX will come in at $1199/€999/£809 and should be in your favourite retailer from November 1st. Even amongst we industry types, a much higher price tag had been expected. And even without the Pioneer logo, that’s a very fair price. But with it, it signifies a marked change in price points for Pioneer, one that has me wondering if people won’t just save that little bit more and not look at the the lower controllers in the Pioneer food chain at all.

I recently described Pioneer as the company people love to hate and hate to love. But with this new controller, the price and the opening free Serato Video offer, Pioneer are about to win a lot of new fans, and maybe some of those could be the haters. I hope it measure up to expectations.

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REVIEW: Numark iDJ Pro iPad DJ Controller

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Laptop DJing has been possible for ages, but it just wasn’t tactile enough, thus controllers were invented to give the hands-on feel back. But then touch screens came along, and despite offering a greater degree of tactility, it’s still not moving a physical fader or twisting an actual knob. iPad DJing is probably more fun than pure laptop DJing, but it just needs… more.

But the great thing about mobile tech is that is can be grafted right into the belly of the beast, and generally hooked up via a single connector. Behold the next generation of DJing. Ooooh feel the hate. But wait, this is actually rather slick – stick around and I’ll tell you why.

The Numark iDJ Pro is a new type of controller, one that sees Apple’s iPad (any of them) sit inside the unit and act as the brains. Running Algoriddim’s djay software, you get a full 2 channel DJ experience, with all the usual tricks like loops and effects, all crammed into a neat go-anywhere cost-effective box. Everything is built-in with all the ins and outs that a target buyer is likely to need.

Pure Numark. They’ve worked hard to establish a strong brand ID, and the iDJ Pro typifies it perfectly. From a quality perspective, the iDJ Pro is lightweight. From a first look, I had expected something a tad heavier, but it’s easily moveable (thanks to the finger recesses) and feels well above the asking price. The brushed metal faceplate gives it an air of quality, and having a glossy iPad sat squarely in the middle really does lift the perceived quality of an otherwise all plastic unit.

Control-wise, it shares a common DNA with other Numark controllers. Tall knobs, hard plastic buttons and 6? jog wheels – it’s like a Mixtrack thrown up in the air and put back together again. But with a few bits missing. Like faders for example.

The buttons do have a fairly short travel, but they’re not designed to be used like MPC pads. One thing that does work well is the colour scheme and overall brightness and saturation of the LEDs. The Numark iDJ Pro is easy to use in a dark or light environment alike.

The single issue I have with quality it that the faceplate markings are screen-printed, and around the fader area have already started to come off.

Layout wise, it’s like nothing else on the market, and strays a long way from established decades old standards. It does adopt Numark’s stance on symmetry, something that irks DJs, but equally is very easy to adjust to. But the area in the middle, that would traditionally be a place for the aforementioned faders and EQ knobs, is obviously reserved for the whole raison d’être of the iDJ Pro.

This has an obvious knock-on effect for the layout, and has seen some unusual control placement decisions being made. While the jog wheels, transport and loop features are in pretty standard positions, the channel EQs and volume controls have been moved to decidedly non-standard positions. The oddest bravest decision has been to ditch the channel faders completely and change them for large rotary volume controls at either end of the crossfader.

I totally understand this move  - logically putting faders and EQs at the side of the iPad screen would have made the iDJ Pro far too big for comfort. I can only imagine the agonising over where to put these essential controls. But rather than awkwardly cramming them into an ill-suited spot, Numark have instead made a great big feature out of them. Turntablists will weep, but this unit isn’t for them. I may have moved them to the other side of the platter, but then the logical flow of pitch controls would have been disrupted.

The one thing I would have done differently is the front lip. I’d have made it extend a little further so that the whole unit could be lifted up on its front edge and cleared the controls. Outside of that, it’s hard to fault the Numark iDJ Pro for the money.

Now, let’s break this all down in detail, hardware first.

Given that the iPad being plonked in the middle does rather eat up control real estate, Numark have stuck with the same size and style wheels found in their other Mixtrack/Mixdeck controllers. They’re touch sensitive, meaning that pressing and letting go is met with an instant response. And the edges remain available for subtle pitch bends.

Spinbacks are really good too, but I found the jog wheel response to be a little wayward for accurate fast backcueing. It’s brilliant for simple to mid-level scratches, but releasing with even the slightest of pushes doesn’t give a clean release. This however is more of a cautionary note as I don’t expect turntablists to be ditching decks for an iDJ Pro.

It’s a slightly odd sensation being able to use both the on-screen wheel as well as the physical one, and they can be used for obvious showboat DJing, or more usefully incorporating djay’s trademark 2 finger gate scratching. It’s a neat trick, and I sense that multi-touch could be put to great use for other jog wheel based fun too.

One thing to note – while the hand to audio response is instant, the screen display on the wheels lags behind by around 0.25 seconds. The waveform fares much better in this respect.

Overall, I feel that Numark have done incredibly well with the jog wheels given the price and the fact that it runs on an iPad.

Because of the reduced space for controls, a compromise has been the pitch fader. Normally, I’d expect a 100mm one, but the iDJ Pro is furnished with a 60mm pitch fader. It does lack a detent but does have an LED to show zero. And alongside the aforementioned pitch bending on the jog wheel, there are also dedicated pitch bend buttons next to the transport buttons, that give a rather instant and gratifying ±50%.

Djay offers ranges or 8, 10, 25, 50 and 75%, with a minimum resolution of around 0.12%. Some will struggle with such a large resolution, but on the whole the various controls give you enough to keep wayward BPMs in check. There’s always the nasty evil sync button of course, but even that doesn’t help with everything. God knows I’ve got enough original 4 to the floor House music that is all over the place even though it was made with a drum machine.

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NEW: Pioneer DDJ-SX Serato DJ Controller

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Pioneer are an unstoppable new shiny making machine right now. Seems that each month or even week at times brings some new toys that we all covet. And just before The BPM Show, we find ourselves with yet another magical box of tricks to pour over. The Serato DJ press release mentions the Pioneer DDJ-SX, the über controller designed to wrangle all that Serato DJ has to offer, and here it is. And it’s a beast that I want right now.

PRESS RELEASE – SERATO DJ & PIONEER DDJ-SX

October 3rd 2012

Serato is proud to announce the launch of Serato DJ, our newest DJ software for professional DJs at the top of their game. Coming this winter, in a rollout of release dates starting from November 1, this software delivers our best feature set for all-in-one controllers and is the much-anticipated upgrade.

Serato DJ delivers all the features and performance to meet the demands of DJs at the top of their game and sets the new standard for controller DJs.

Serato has partnered with leading-edge hardware manufacturer Pioneer, to design the Pioneer DDJ-SX controller, a professional level controller designed specifically for Serato DJ. This controller brings the best of both worlds together, and digital DJs worldwide can get theirs from 1 November 2012, when the Pioneer DDJ-SX controller launches with Serato DJ.

The most advanced all-in-one DJ controller to date, the DDJ-SX is loaded with features and is built to the same high standard that DJs have come to expect from Pioneer. Coupled with the advanced feature set of the new Serato DJ software, it provides the best combination for Digital DJs looking to upgrade their gear and gives them scope to broaden their skills and knock the socks off their audience!

Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “Our focus is bringing the best DJ software to our customers, and we play to our strengths, having a creative and genius powerhouse of software developers that is leading-edge on a worldwide scale. That’s what we’re good at, that’s where our heritage lies and that’s where we’re going to continue to focus. To us, Pioneer occupies that space in the DJ hardware world. When we began discussions, they were as excited as us to design a controller that supported our software closer than ever before. That could only be achieved by a process that involved both companies prepared to give it their all. The result is the Pioneer DDJ-SX, and combined with the new Serato DJ software, it’s the pinnacle of our work to date.”

Yoshiaki Ide, Division Chief Officer of ProSV Business Division of Pioneer says: “We’ve been in the DJ industry for 19 years. Our company is founded on innovation and premium products. Our reputation depends on our ongoing high standards and our customers demand nothing less.  Serato software has been included as the product of choice in our range of DJ controllers for over one and a half years.  We know Serato and its customers well and we were honored to have the opportunity to work closer with a company of such legacy and enthusiasm for its products and customers. We were impressed with Serato’s level of professionalism, ideas and enthusiasm. Developers from both companies worked extremely hard over several months on the design, sharing ideas and working out the challenges it took to bring the software and hardware into a harmonious solution. We can’t wait to see this product being used to it’s full potential!

Pioneer DDJ-SX: Features 

Tight integration with Serato DJ

Developed specifically for Serato DJ, the DDJ-SX controls are tightly integrated with the software features giving you the best hands on control over your performance.

Performance Pad Section

8 velocity sensitive, Performance Pads to control Cue Points, Loop Rolls, Slicer and the SP-6.

Velocity Mode

You can enter Velocity Mode to trigger the SP-6 Sample Player slots. The harder or softer you hit the performance pads, the louder or quieter the samples sound.

Dual Deck Mode

Developed specifically for the DDJ-SX, this allows you to link two software deck layers and manipulate them as one. Go crazy and layer sounds!

Large, Touch Sensitive Platters

Trustworthy Pioneer touch sensitive platters with platter illumination and a jog wheel display allow for the tightest control of the virtual decks in Serato DJ.

4-Channel Standalone Hardware Mixer

Connect your CDJs or Turntables and have the best of both worlds.

Slip Mode

Keep everything in time and in the groove. Turn on this mode and trigger cue points, loops or scratch. Once you are done, the track will go back to the position it would have been had you done nothing.

Hardware FX Controls

Dedicated hardware controls for the brand new FX Powered by iZotope in Serato DJ.

Slicer

Chop sections of your tracks up and re-arrange on the fly. The Slicer cuts a section of your track into 8 pieces, which can be triggered creatively with the 8 performance pads.

Dedicated HP/LP Channel Filters

A dedicated High Pass / Low Pass filter per channel gives you more control to create smooth blends and interesting sounds.

Channel Fader Start

Start playback of your tracks by opening the channel fader.

Serato DJ will be bundled for free with the new Pioneer DDJ-SX controller and will also be available to download direct from serato.com from November 1. The first 10,000 DDJ-SX units will also ship with a license for the powerful Serato Video plug-in in the box. This will be the first controller to be supported in Serato DJ and delivers all the features and performance to meet the demands of DJs at the top of their game.

Serato DJ: New Features 

Serato DJ launches with the following new features with more to follow throughout winter.

• Great new FX Powered by iZotope

Load your choice of high quality FX including: Delay, Echo, Ping Pong Delay, Reverb, Phaser, Flanger, Distortion, High Pass Filter (HPF), Low Pass Filter (LPF), Combo HP/LP Filter.

• MIDI Mapping

Take full advantage of Serato DJs features. MIDI mapping opens up the software to be mapped with a secondary MIDI controller.

• Brand New User Interface

A greatly improved software layout that looks amazing and is simple to use. The new interface also offers two and four deck view modes for four deck controllers.

• More Cue Points

Set and trigger up to 8 cue points in Serato DJ to quickly jump to different sections in your track.

• Four Deck Mixing

Mix with four decks on supported four deck controllers.

As well as these new features, Serato DJ Intro customers can expect to get all of the same professional level tools we offer including:

• Recording

Make mixtapes and save your nights work to listen to later. Record your mix at the click of a button on supported controllers.

• Looping

Manual Loops, Auto-Loops and Loop Rolls are all available to creatively repeat and loop parts of your tracks in the mix.

• Sync and Auto Tempo Matching

Lock tracks together for seamless grooves. Less time beat matching, more time to get creative.

• Crates and Smart Crates

Make library management a breeze with Serato Crates and Smart Crates. Build playlists, save your sets and organize your music.

• SP-6 Sample Player

Trigger all your favorite stings, samples and loops over your tracks. 4 Banks of 6 sample slots which can be synced to the playing decks.

• Colored Waveforms

See the music with Serato’s ground breaking colored track waveforms.

• Plug-and-Play Connectivity

Less time making it work, more time at the party.

• Interoperable with Scratch Live, ITCH, DJ Intro and iTunes Music Libraries 

• Support for whitelabel.net Files

• Support for Serato Video

Head to serato.com to find out more about the Pioneer DDJ-SX and Serato DJ, available from November 1.

Boom. That’s quite a beast of a player. Just picking out the pad part – seems that it shares a similar feature set to the Vestax VCI-380 (which will run Serato DJ in time), but instead of pad fx offers velocity sensitive pads for samples, meaning that you’ll be able to drum away on the pads and genuinely believe that you sound like Jeremy Ellis or David Haynes.

From the picture, it’s very Pioneer indeed, but still manages to take hints from both Numark and Vestax. That said, it is far and away a much better looking unit than the former big DDJs were – the DDJ-SX looks to be a seriously professional unit.

It’s also pretty cool that it’s a hardware mixer with hardware filters too. If I were to say anything more, I’d be babbling because it’s late, and without proper Pioneer imagery and PR, I’d be wasting my time. I suspect that by the time I get up in the morning, it’ll all be out there in everyone’s timelines and inboxes, at which point I’ll leisurely pull it apart in detail.

More when I have it, by which time, I’ll be wasting my breath anyway. Good night all.

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Numark talk Serato DJ updates

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OK everyone just calm down for a moment. Take a deep breath and change your underwear after hearing and seeing the cavalcade of Serato DJ related news. We have to now turn our attention to existing ITCH and DJ Intro product owners, and probably for the most part that’s Numark’s extensive customer base.

NUMARK ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR ALL-NEW SERATO DJ SOFTWARE IN THE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL

DJ CONTROLLERS

The leading manufacturer of DJ controllers works with Serato to provide updates to NS6, NS7 and V7, and to make available upgrades to an entire family of

Serato DJ Intro controllers.

Cumberland, R.I. (Oct. 3, 2012) – Numark, the world’s leading manufacturer of DJ technology, announces a collaboration with Serato, the worldwide innovator in digital DJ software, to include their new Serato DJ software with select Numark controllers.

For more than 20 years, Numark has set a pace in the world of digital DJing that no competitor has been able to match, empowering DJs with cutting-edge controllers that continually advance the art form. A deep and long-standing partnership with Serato was established more than 6 years ago, and has resulted in an entire range of professional controllers that have eliminated the line between hardware and software. The NS7, V7, and NS6 controllers define the top tier of DJ performance, reigning as the go-to controllers for DJing and setting the standard by which all other controllers are judged.

Building upon that legacy of partnership and innovation, Numark is proud to announce that the acclaimed Serato controllers, NS7, V7, and NS6, will all support Serato DJ, the most advanced DJ software ever created. Additionally, any Numark DJ who already owns an NS7, V7, or NS6, will be eligible for a free update to Serato DJ. Owners of Numark’s controllers that are compatible with Serato’s DJ Intro software will also be eligible to upgrade to Serato DJ for $199.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are about Serato DJ,” said Chris Roman, Product Manager, Numark. Our professional NS6, NS7 and V7 customers will be able to take advantage of a whole new set of creative tools, and the hundreds of thousands of Serato DJ Intro users who own our controllers will be able to easily upgrade to the most advanced DJ software ever created.”

Serato DJ includes a wide range of all-new features and capabilities, including stunning new effects powered by iZotope, ultra-flexible and intuitive MIDI mapping, the ability to set and trigger up to eight cue points, a totally refreshed user interface, four-deck mixing, and more.

Beginning in December, DJs who own the following Numark controllers can upgrade to Serato DJ, and for a limited time this will also include a license for the powerful Serato Video plug-in: Mixtrack Pro, N4, Mixdeck, Mixdeck Express, and Mixdeck Quad. NS6 will begin shipping with Serato DJ in early Q1 2013, with NS7 and V7 to follow shortly thereafter.

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ITCH is scratched – say hello to SERATO DJ

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AppId is over the quota

Just about a year ago this weekend, Serato threw their hat into the entry level DJ ring. Serato DJ Intro finally delivered a solid core feature set that could be licensed cheaply by the manufacturers without having to look at Traktor LE or Virtual DJ LE. If anything DJ Intro offered a little too much, leaving ITCH users somewhat confused as to what this meant to them, and also what was the upgrade path for DJ Intro itself.

So I’ve sat here for a year, with logic telling me that there would be an upgrade path, and being accepted into the very edges of Serato’s impenetrable circle of trust, a much clearer picture was building of the future roadmap for DJ Intro and ITCH.

And that roadmap leads to this – Serato DJ. I’ll allow Serato to tell you all about it, with just words as screenshots aren’t being released at this time:

PRESS RELEASE – SERATO DJ

October 3rd 2012

Serato is proud to announce the launch of Serato DJ, our newest DJ software for professional DJs at the top of their game. Coming this winter, in a rollout of release dates starting from November 1, this software delivers our best feature set for all-in-one controllers and is the much-anticipated upgrade.

Serato DJ delivers all the features and performance to meet the demands of DJs at the top of their game and sets the new standard for controller DJs.

The portability of all-in-one controllers, coupled with the advanced feature set of the new Serato DJ software, provides the much-anticipated upgrade option for all current Serato customers using controller software. Serato DJ’s new features and capabilities give DJs the scope to broaden their skills and knock the socks off their audience!

Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “The release of Serato DJ is the culmination of years of development and testing by our world-class development team of software innovators, in consultation with the movers and shakers of the digital DJ and music industries.  We’re excited to see what our customers will do with the new features and look forward to continuing to be a part of the ever-evolving DJ movement, whether the user is a seasoned professional or just starting out. Serato DJ brings us a step closer to a unified customer experience across our entire product range.”

The Pioneer DDJ-SX controller, designed specifically for Serato DJ, will be the first controller to support the software and will be launched concurrently with Serato DJ on November 1. Serato DJ will be bundled for free with the Pioneer DDJ-SX.

Serato ITCH customers get the Serato DJ upgrade for free. Serato DJ Intro customers can upgrade to Serato DJ for US$199 – and for a limited time this includes a license for the powerful Serato Video plug-in. Serato DJ support for Serato DJ Intro and ITCH controllers will be rolled out in a series of releases this coming winter.

Head to serato.com to find out what it means for your controller and when you can upgrade.

Serato DJ launches with the following new features with more to follow throughout winter.

• Great New FX Powered by iZotope

Load your choice of high quality FX including: Delay, Echo, Ping Pong Delay, Reverb, Phaser, Flanger, Distortion, High Pass Filter (HPF), Low Pass Filter (LPF), Combo HP/LP Filter.

• MIDI Mapping

Take full advantage of Serato DJs features. MIDI mapping opens up the software to be mapped with a secondary MIDI controller.

• More Cue Points

Set and trigger up to 8 cue points in Serato DJ to quickly jump to different sections in your track.

• Brand New User Interface

A greatly improved software layout that looks amazing and is simple to use. The new interface also offers two and four deck view modes for four deck controllers.

• Four Deck Mixing

Mix with four decks on supported four deck controllers.

As well as these new features, Serato DJ Intro customers can expect to get all the same professional level tools we offer including:

• Recording

Make mixtapes and save your nights work to listen to later. Record your mix at the click of a button on supported controllers.

• Looping

Manual Loops, Auto-Loops and Loop Rolls are all available to creatively repeat and loop parts of your tracks in the mix.

• Sync and Auto Tempo Matching

Lock tracks together for seamless grooves. Less time beat matching, more time to get creative.

• Crates and Smart Crates

Make library management a breeze with Serato Crates and Smart Crates. Build playlists, save your sets and organize your music.

• SP-6 Sample Player

Trigger all your favorite stings, samples and loops over your tracks. 4 Banks of 6 sample slots which can be synced to the playing decks.

• Colored Waveforms

See the music with Serato’s ground breaking colored track waveforms.

• Plug-and-Play Connectivity

Less time making it work, more time at the party.

• Interoperable with Scratch Live, ITCH, DJ Intro and iTunes Music Libraries 

• Support for whitelabel.net Files

• Support for Serato Video

Serato DJ is the new and improved ITCH, and the upgrade path for Serato DJ Intro – a double whammy. ITCH isn’t so much showing its age, as it has a solid menu of features, but there are parts of it desperately in need of some love. Let’s have a look at some of the key ones.

Now as much as I love ITCH’s plug and play sensibilities, it’s not perfect. Some people saw the 1 to 1 mapping ideal as a strength, but also ITCH’s achilles heel. Well rejoice people, for your dreams have come true. Sort of. In v1 of Serato DJ, mapping has been opened up for secondary controllers i.e. you can map some of the features in Serato DJ to a secondary controller, just like you can in Scratch Live. But there is a little little light on the mapping horizon as a future upgrade will bring full remapping to Serato DJ. So if you’re unhappy with the way Serato have mapped your controller, you’ll be able to change it… eventually.

And just like ITCH controllers, you’ll be able to map to 3rd party software too. The success of that is as yet unknown, and I suspect not exactly high up on Serato’s list of priorities. They want to you to buy a Serato DJ controller and use it with that software. Given the flexibility seemingly on offer, the need to go looking elsewhere has been substantially reduced.

It would be fair to describe ITCH’s effects as serviceable, edequate, or competent – all words that basically mean “could try harder”. But instead of trying harder, Serato have ditched the old ones and put in some premium quality effects from iZotope. Given Traktor’s acknowledged dominance in the effects area, Serato must have felt that it would be more of an uphill battle than they wanted, thus drafted in a ringer to get them up to speed much quicker. And iZotope is a pretty solid outfit to partner up with. Hopefully this will see people begin to have more confidence in the controller based effects than before.

Just to make this clear – ITCH is dead. The recently released v2.2.2 is the last official upgrade, leaving bug fixes and maintenance updates as the only future for ITCH. But fear not, for existing users get a free upgrade to Serato DJ as and when support for your particular controller has been added in. It’ll take time so be patient. But for those of you with discontinued ITCH controllers… well it might be time for some new hardware as they’re dropped off the compatibility radar.

So here it is – what many thought was obvious all along, but some just couldn’t see it coming, nor understand why the feature set of DJ Intro was never likely to change. It’s called DJ Intro for a reason, and has a specific set of functions that beginners need. That changes as you get better, hence fixing the features and offering an upgrade path. And I use the term upgrade for that’s what it is. DJ Intro is one entry level product, and Serato DJ is another product, thus you must pay.

To step up is going to cost you $199 to get all the cool stuff that Serato DJ offers. Given that Traktor Pro costs just $99, this is quite a hefty fee. But you should then be able to build a more diverse system around your DJ Intro controller and map it all however you wish. This is all about buying into the Serato way of doing things, rather than having the extreme flexibility that Traktor offers at the expense of plug and play.

The official word reads like this:

PRESS RELEASE – SERATO DJ UPGRADE

October 3rd 2012

Serato is proud to announce the launch of Serato DJ, our newest DJ software for professional DJs at the top of their game. Coming this winter, in a rollout of release dates starting from November 1, this software delivers our best feature set for all-in-one controllers and is the much-anticipated upgrade.

Serato DJ delivers all the features and performance to meet the demands of DJs at the top of their game and  sets the new standard for controller DJs.

The portability of all-in-one controllers, coupled with the advanced feature set of the new Serato DJ software, provides the much-anticipated upgrade option for all current Serato customers using controller software. Serato DJ’s new features and capabilities give DJs the scope to broaden their skills and impress their audience!

Sam Gribben, CEO of Serato, says: “The release of Serato DJ is the culmination of years of development and testing by our world-class development team of software innovators, in consultation with the movers and shakers of the digital DJ and music industries.  We’re excited to see what our customers can do with the new features and look forward to continuing to be a part of the ever-evolving DJ movement, whether the user is a seasoned professional or just starting out. Serato DJ brings us a step closer to a unified customer experience across our entire product range.”

Serato DJ can be downloaded direct from serato.com and will be available in a series of release dates specific to individual controllers this coming winter. This will follow the initial launch on November 1 with the Pioneer DDJ-SX.

Serato DJ is a free upgrade for current ITCH customers and is fully compatible with their supported existing controller (Numark NS6, Numark NS7, Numark V7, Vestax VCI-300, Vestax VCI-380, Novation Twitch & Pioneer DDJ-S1). Upgrades for ITCH controllers will rollout gradually this coming winter.

Serato DJ Intro users can upgrade to Serato DJ for a one-off cost of $199USD – and for a limited time this includes a license for the powerful Serato Video plug-in. The software is fully compatible with their existing controller. Customers with a Numark Mix Track Pro controller will be the first to upgrade followed by others such as: Numark N4, Numark MixDeck Numark MixDeck Express, Numark MixDeck Quad, Vestax VCI-400, Vestax Typhoon, Vestax VCI-100 Mk2, Pioneer DDJ-ERGO, Reloop TM4, Reloop TM 2 and Denon MC2000 in a gradual rollout.

NB: Customers with discontinued hardware will be unable to upgrade to Serato DJ, however these controllers will continue to be supported by ITCH 2.2.2.

Head to serato.com to find out when and how you can upgrade to Serato DJ from DJ Intro or ITCH. You can also choose to sign up and be notified when the release is available for you.

Knowing that this particular subject wasn’t so much a hot potato as a colossal fireball from space, I pressed Serato for an official line on support for The Bridge in Serato DJ. What I got back was a single official line:

“The Bridge is not available for Serato DJ.” 

And with ITCH being retired and not being updated, and Serato inscrutably stating the above, we can only hope that something will happen on this front in due course. I really want me some Mixtape action more than awkwardly shoehorning Live into an already small window in Serato DJ on my 13? Macbook Air.

At the time of writing, I can’t even get screenshots, let alone a copy of the application. But Pioneer’s DDJ-SX (more of that in another story) will have it in November, with ITCH and DJ Intro controllers following on soon after.

I have to say that I’m happy to see Serato finally shape up. I think that success took them a little by surprise, and while carrying on doing an efficient enough job of keeping Scratch Live going and developing ITCH, Serato have needed to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and longer term plan. They have been caught with their pants down, and had their arse spanked royally.

But a lot has happened behind the scenes, with key people brought in to sort out the brands and the technology roadmap. I feel that there’s more to come, with more demolishing and rebuilding still to do. But they’ve done it at the right time, and probably just in time too, and if they can continue to build, refine and hone, we users are in for some very interesting times ahead.

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iRig STOMP: "Robust and Versatile!"

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Guitarist magazine has reviewed iRig STOMP in their October 2012 issue.  Guitar gear expert Trevor Curwen likes what he sees: "Not only does the iRig Stomp provide a solid connection between the guitar and iPad...it's also a practical choice should you wish to use one as part of your signal chain".

Here are some more of Trevor's comments:

"The good news is that iRig STOMP, courtesy of its active battery-powered output circuit features noticeably improved headroom."

"It's a robust device for plugging in for a spot of silent practice while listening through the mini-jack headphone output, but it can also be connected to an amp or monitoring system or even integrated into your pedal chain via its standard jack outputs."

"The footswitch mutes the signal from the iOS device, allowing you to turn any sounds that you use on and off, just like a regular stompbox."

Trevor's verdict is:

"Not only does iRig STOMP provide a solid connection between your guitar and iPad or iPhone without having to be right next to the device, it's also the practical choice should you wish to use one as part of your signal chain."

The Bottom Line:

We like: Robust, versatile connectivity connectivity, incorporates iOS into standard signal chain
We dislike: Not much

iRig STOMP receives Guitarists 4/5 star rating

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