A new version of Serato DJ – 1.9.6 – went in to a public beta last week. There’s a number of features in this new update to the popular DJ software, especially for DVS users. To get a better handle on what the new features are and how they can be enabled, DJTT contributor PDot offers a full explanation.
Update 3/8/17: The final release of Serato DJ 1.9.6 is out now – get it here!
Serato DJ 1.9.6 – Biggest New Features
There’s a number of new features in this update to Serato DJ, but here are the biggest ones as covered by PDot in the video above:
- Anti-Drift: this is a new function in Serato DJ that detects the wow and flutter (which causes BPM movement during playback) of your turntables and attempts to correct for them. In practice, this means that Serato will take a few moments to discover the small changes in your turntable and lock in at a more stable BPM.In the video, you can see that the track still takes about 10-15 seconds of playback before the Anti-Drift compensation becomes really effective.
- Favorite FX Banks: You can now use three new buttons in the FX panel to save and recall two different FX configurations. This just applies to which FX are in which slots, and if it’s a multi or single effect unit. If you’re hoping for individual FX settings to be saved/recalled, that feature is still not in Serato DJ, despite it having been in Serato Scratch Live.
- Chronological Loop Sorting: Serato DJs have been able to resort their hot cues in chronological order – now loops can also be sorted by time as well.
- Smart Crates by Key: Smart Crates are one of the most powerful library features in Serato DJ – and with this new update, they can now have a key filter parameter added to them.
- Improved Needle Drop Sensitivity: Serato DJ DVS users can use Needle Drop (moving the needle between different section on a timecode record) to quickly jump between cue points. In this new update, there’s much higher sensitivity, making this a more reliable feature.
- Smart Sync for DVS: Smart Sync has been added to DVS. When this mode is enabled, it will synchronize the BPM and the beatgrid on the playing tracks. You also can move the pitch around on the master deck and all the other decks that are synced will follow with precision.
Take part in the Serato DJ 1.9.6 public beta by signing up here on their website.
WARNING! As always, please remember that new releases and beta version of DJ software are dangerous to install and start relying on without your own testing. Always test new software for a few hours at home before going out and using it live!
