While many of our DJs have been die hard Serato DJ users from the beginning, the lifelong engineers at Sweetwater instantly think of their breakthrough plug-in Pitch 'n Time. It may seem strange that the revolutionary pitch shifting/time stretching algorithm created in 1997 led to the most popular DJ software in the world, but the progression makes sense. It began when Steve West's friend A. J. Bertenshaw convinced him to take the software he'd written to slow down bass parts while preserving their pitch to the world stage. They called this software Pitch 'n Time.
The next major breakthrough came with the development of Serato's NoiseMap, which vastly eclipsed the resolution offered by the standard time code used for video and other music applications. Over the next decade, what began as the Pro Tools plug-in Scratch Studio Edition went through many developments, including a tight relationship with Rane, leading to the vinyl-based Serato Scratch Live in 2004 and the controller-based ITCH in 2008. These two systems finally came together in 2012 with the release of Serato DJ, the inclusive software platform adopted by millions of DJs of all styles around the world.
What makes Serato DJ so powerful? Put simply, it's a combination of its nearly infinite flexibility and its remarkable ease of use. Whether you're just starting off with Serato DJ Lite or embracing the power of Serato DJ Pro, this platform has a ton to offer. For starters, Serato DJ gives you total access to your digital music library and all the basic mixing and performance tools you need for everything from dance to hip-hop. You get up to four virtual decks, automatic beat-matching (if you choose), cueing, looping, sampling, and so much more, and you can define the layout however you like. What's more, this platform is as stable as software can be, which is one of the main reasons professional DJs (including those of us working at Sweetwater) swear by it. It also works flawlessly with many of the best hardware controllers on the market, which makes it extremely accessible. But there's a lot more to Serato DJ than that.
So far, we've gone over the side of Serato DJ that came straight from ITCH, but the Scratch Live side of it is no less impressive. It's called the Serato DVS, which stands for Digital Vinyl System, and it takes the amazing NoiseMap technology Serato developed around 2000 to the next level. Whether you're a traditional turntablist or want a better way to integrate your CDJs into your rig, this is it. While DVS takes you back to a more old-school way to DJ, Serato Video opens up this amazing platform to VJs. What's even more amazing than just integrating video playback into Serato DJ is that it's as smooth and intuitive as manipulating audio. Serato Video supports a broad array of video file formats too, so you're free to use the clips you love, including karaoke files! What's more, you get a sizable library of video content as well as killer effects to play with.
Need more tools? Serato has them! For starters, there's Serato Flip. Flip redefines the way you perform with your digital DJ setup to record and play back complex series of commands, essentially capturing actions and re-creating them on demand. You can loop these actions and set up additional mix elements, or recall them with the push of a button. Basically, it's a unique way to develop and pull off amazing remix tricks while freeing up space for the next part of your performances. If you want to spice things up, grab Serato FX packs and load up your rig with cool collections of effects developed by iZotope. Better yet, buy the full suite from Sweetwater, and get all five packs at once, including Flip, Pitch n Time DJ, DVS, and Serato Video. Grab the Serato Remote app for your iPad, and you have the most complete digital DJ system out there.
