serato scratch vs Traktor scratch

smokin' joe said:
taking your laptop and break-out box to gigs and having to dismantle consoles to plug shit in thus disturbing the DJ that is playing before you is a hella pain in the arse.

Plus it causes problems at clubs where the booth has concealed wiring and stuff. I also used it on a boat gig and there was a MASSIVE horrble earthing problem when trying to use the "thru" port.

Just play CDs it's much easier.
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these are all good points. i'll say right up front (as if it hasn't been made clear in this thread already) that i love serato. i think it's awesome technology and i've had a tremendous amount of fun with it. even so, it definitely has its flaws.

plugging/unplugging shit before your set can be a hardship, no doubt. it's not impossible though, and you can definitely get serato set up without any interruption in the music while the other DJ is finishing their set. any DJ that feels "disturbed" while the next performer sets up should fuck right off out of the booth anyway. with all the different ways to approach playing out these days, no DJ should look at you sideways if you need to plug in some gear.

in most normal setups, you should have access to the back of the mixer. this is all you need to get serato up and running. you don't really need to "dismantle" anything; all you need to do is communicate with the DJ a little bit. when they mix out of their second-to-last track, you unplug the unused deck from the mixer, plug the RCAs into the serato box, and plug the serato RCAs into the mixer on that one side. it's simple: 'line' goes into line, 'thru' goes into phono. you're now ready to play on one side, and it should have taken less than a minute to set up.

mix out of the DJs last record into your first track, and then set up the other side while your first track is playing. if you open with any track that's longer than a couple of minutes, you'll have plenty of time to pull this off.

as for your second complaint (boat gig/shitty connections)... yeah, this is a huge issue and it sucks. if the connections or RCAs anywhere in the system are less than perfect, serato can't get a good enough read to function. this can be incredibly disappointing if you have something super dope planned that is based on mp3 files. consider all the extra hoops the sound has to jump through, and it becomes easier to understand how touchy serato can be or how one bad cable can fuck up your whole program.

i've only seen serato not pick up a signal two times. once was at a venue that wasn't really designed for serious DJ action. they had a total fossil for a mixer and a bunch of other busted shit and serato didn't register a signal on either side. the second time was at an outdoor gig/campout - not exactly notorious for the shiniest new equipment - and i was able to get a read on one side but not the other, even when we swapped out a turntable. what i'm getting at here is that serato works beautifully at most typical venues, but if you play anywhere with dodgy gear then you need to have a contingency plan just in case.

the lesson here is to always, ALWAYS bring backup records.

does this defeat the purpose of using something like serato since you have to pack a bunch of vinyl anyways? in my opinion, only a little bit. even though i pack a few records for emergencies, i'm hauling far less than i would normally. and when everything goes according to plan, which for me it has over 90% of the time, it's fucking awesome. i can't tell you how great its been having access to all sorts of different music and getting to play it all from a piece of vinyl. to me, this is key. is it easier to play CDs? i'm sure it must be. however, for someone who doesn't want to give up the central joy of manipulating vinyl on turntables, the ease of CDs or straight up laptop mixing just doesn't do it for me. i'm sorry.

i didn't get into this industry because i thought it would be easy. there are countless ways to make things more convenient for yourself as a DJ, but any of the strategies that include giving up vinyl entirely can kiss my ass. for the other stubborn purists, serato is the best compromise out there. it's far from flawless, but i haven't seen anything else on the market that beats it. being a successful DJ means you're going to have to make a lot of adjustments on the fly, and it's no different with serato. if you can learn how to manage the program's weaknesses you can still be very effective without giving up your precious vinyl. it just might take a little bit of work.
 
@lterEgo, Thanks for the very informative review on serato. I've definitely thought about getting either CDJs or Serato (or some other digital audio file mixing system). And I think I have made my decision to go with Serato. I heard you need a high performance laptop and well I just got one for reasons unrelated to DJing. CDJs are soo expensive and I'm not a vinyl purist per se but I would hate to have to learn to use the CDJs.
 
I think you made a good choice. I have never used FS but I can't imagine anything better than Scratch Live. I make Hip Hop beats, and I have found it useful in that you can scratch up any audio sample without having to get it pressed to vinyl. The visual cues also make beatmixing MUCH quicker and easier.
 
Glad I found this post. My Serato laptop went down recently and I ended up going back to Final Scratch for a few days. I ended up going to the Serato set up simply because a friend of mine hooked me up with it and I initially liked it visually.
 
I currently own serato scratch live, I do wish however that I looked in to m-audio torq and the Native Instruments digital vinyl thing (sorry dont know the name) before I purchased serato. But nevertheless, serato is pretty reliable and fun to play with and there are still plenty of updates to come. The one I am anticipating the most is the MIDI learn function, and hopefully they will come up with an update that will make serato compatible with dj programs like ableton. The only thing I dont like about it is that every time I try to scratch a sample the program seems to be a little less precise than normal battle vinyl. Yet there are plenty of pros that use serato like its no different from vinyl so I guess I need to work on my turntablism.
 
I swear by serato...from playing mash ups to house whatever the show I'm doing serato is hands down industry standard here...My favorite serato dj and friend dj am !!! Go to you tube and watch his serato tricks!
 
@lterEgo said:
with all the downtempo i've been playing and enjoying lately, i've really started to consider some kind of mp3 mixing program. it'a honestly such a pain in the ass trying to purchase and lug around everything you might draw upon for a downtempo set, and so much of that stuff is out of print, or you have to buy the entire album (no singles), blah blah blah... i'll try not to let this degenerate into my own personal woes.

still too stubborn to give up the feel of manipulating vinyl, i'm now very seriously considering picking up serato scratch or final scratch. it's time for me to make the transition towards digital DJing or at least some hybrid thereof. i'm one of those people who likes to wait for new technologies to work out their kinks too, and i think these formats have been around for long enough and seemed to have resolved the latency/unpredictability issues enough for me to trust them now.

i'm not sure which setup i want to purchase, rane or stanton. i've done some general reading, but i'd like to hear experiences from people who actually own or have ever played on one or both of these. pros and cons? similarities and differences? is it worth the investment?

damn, that was a lot of backstory just to ask this simple question:

what should i buy?

1. serato scratch live
2. stanton final scratch
3. some other digital audio file mixing system
4. none of that shit.
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please! support serato, either buy the box or if you got the extra cash laying around just purchase the mixer that has the serato already installed into it. Personally id just buy the box instead of the mixer, save the extra cash for a DJM800. I just use a Macbook along with djm800 and 2 numark ttxs. The combo kills
 
slowintrepid said:
Serato Scratch = Most Reliable
Traktor Scratch = Most Accurate
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I've never had a reliability issue with traktor scratch personally. I love it but I haven't used serato so I don't really have a basis for comparison.
 
update:

I purchased serato several months ago and have been nothing but pleased with it. I regularly play out with it, along with several other djs plugging in their external hard drives into my computer. The program will be running for 6+ hours with nary a glitch. My first experience with it should tell you how easy it is to learn: I showed up to a gig, plugged in my external to another djs laptop, and mixed without any hesitation or issues. the basic function just come natural and the trickery stuff is easy to pick up on as well.

I also use final scratch from time to time on another djs system and I'm not thrilled with it at all. It doesn't automatically build wave forms to read your tracks, I hear plenty of weird audio glitches while playing and sometimes it just up and doesn't want to work. The only think I've seen final scratch do better than serato is it will auto loop any track that is playing - just click the number of beats to loop and push a button. Serato has this feature too, but it only works when you have the track overviews built ahead of time - this requires that the box is unplugged and it takes a bit of time if you have a lot of overviews to build. Not a problem for me since I own it, but for people plugging in, they don't have access to the preset looping.

I love serato and it has allowed me access to a whole world of digital music I never new existed. The only drawback to using it exclusively is that you have to bring a laptop everywhere and plug in the box. Super easy to set up, but there's high risk of the lappy getting damage if drunken idiots are nearby. That said, I think it might be wise to also put all your digital music on CDs as a back up.
 
I'm honestly surprised final scratch is still about given the massive issues it seems to have. Traktor scratch has been around for some time now.
 
I have tried to spin vinyl before but had no one to help me and didnt have much time with the tables but never got beatmatching down. Im messing with virtual dj trying to beatmatch and stuff before spending the money on a setup. Do you think serato would be appropriate for a noob? I have a friend who spins vinyl who could help me........ I have a laptop slightly outdated but I am planning on getting a MacBook pro.... but not for a WHILE......... Or should I get a pair of Technics used and mess with that for a while and then maybe incorporate some software other shit later if I am successful??
 
ChemicalSmile said:
Or should I get a pair of Technics used and mess with that for a while and then maybe incorporate some software other shit later if I am successful??
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this is what i would recommend. serato is a great program but it is still based on you having the existing hardware (turntables or cd decks) and knowing how to use it all properly. if you're in the market for an all-software based program that allows you to mix tracks from your computer then serato is not the answer for you.

if you're looking for a program that will allow you to mix directly from your laptop, it's probably best to stick with mixmeister or virtual dj or pc dj. personally i think learning the (traditional?) hands-on method of mixing/beatmatching first is preferable, but obviously i have some biases. programs like those might be a more sensible solution if you don't want to invest in any gear, and they are almost certainly a better option if you just want to make some mixes for your friends.
 
Wow

There is a lot of hate for final scratch out there. I bought my fs 2.0 used for 300 dollars and it was the best piece of hardware to pair with my turntables and my numark cd players. I dont understand why people are saying it is so unreliable? Maybe I just got lucky. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to use serato, so I cannot make opinions on both systems. I just recently downloaded the new Traktor Scratch Pro and I still think this is the best piece of hardware I ever bought. Still works flawlessly. I do not look forward to ever replacing it as the new stuff is really expensive and I'm too poor for all that noise. Serato sounds like its easier to use, but I dont think the learning curve for traktor alongside of final scratch is hard either. Btw, whoever said it doesnt build peaks while playing? Does so beautifully. I built a mini tower(hate laptops) to carry w/me to my gigs. I have a little dual core/turntables/mixer and comp screen. thats all I carry and it is all very reliable.
 
bump for the digital DJs and those looking to make the switch...
 
final scratch is dead dont even think about that.. I would strongly consider Traktor scratch over serato if youre in those price ranges though, the audio unit that comes with it is f**ckin sexy and can be used for production etc, and I personally think the software looks alot better (being made by Native Instruments who make some of the best VST's in the game).

ni-audio8-dj.jpg
 
yeah, don't waste your time with anything other than traktor.
 
Serato.
Make sure you gotta reliable computer...
dont want dead silence in the middle of a set.
and dont become one of those dj's who stare at the computer trying to match up the beats visually. you got talent in your ear and thats always more respectable imo.
 
yeah, I love the 4 decks feature on serato too. and the slew of onboard effects. and the autoloops that go down to 1/4. and the pitch shifter. and the fully mappable midi functionality. and the flexibility to use either a midi controller or a regular mixer. and the $200 price tag.

oh wait, that's traktor.
 
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