Serato in the past year has continually developed the software to include a multitude of features from HID support with the XDJ-100os to Serato Flip. With the new beta version, 1.7.4, there is support for industry-standard mixers from Pioneer and Allen & Heath, along with a handful of new features.
Club Kit License for Serato DJ Now Supported
Serato DJ 1.7.4. will now support club equipment that is commonly found in clubs around the world. The new update includes support for the Pioneer DJM-900NXS, DJM-850, and Allen & Heath Xone: DB2 and DB4 mixers. DJs can unlock the functionality by purchasing a “Club Kit” license as announced at NAMM 2015.
This software add-on will also come with Serato DJ and DVS Expansion Pack licenses. DJs who already own both of those license will be able to connect Serato to the newly supported gear and use DVS. DJs who just own Serato DJ can still use Club Kit hardware and the CDJs in HID mode or MIDI map them to the software.
There’s also a trial – you can use the Club Kit for free for 14 days before purchasing the license.
Check out Ryan’s Tutorial on Using CDJs in HID mode.
New Features in Serato DJ
Serato DJ will also host a mix of new features that will advance the way DJs can mix music and video. These features include improvements to scratch response for CDJs in HID mode along with added master video effects for Serato Video DJs. Along with software improvements, Serato has also added hardware support for Club Kit hardware, the Numark Mixtrack Pro III, and the Allen & Heath Xone: K1. The highlighted new features include:
- MP3+G File Support (these are karaoke files)
- EQ Colored Waveforms
- Disable Needle Search During Playback Option
- Language Support for German/French/Spanish/Chinese/Japanese/Portuguese
Important Bug Fixes
Serato DJ 1.7.4 has also performed some house cleaning and fixed several bugs from previous versions of the software. A few of the big ones include improved CDJ support, library data management, and controls for the software. CDJs are more responsive to Windows 8 machines when in HID mode and the CDJ HID platter LED position is no longer glitchy. Also, the reverse feature on the Pioneer CDJ-2000/CDJ-2000 Nexus is now mapped to censor.
Library now appears in Serato DJ along with the ability to sort library columns. There has also been an improvement to how tracks and their metadata is displayed. Serato DJ 1.7.4 is more stable with many other fixes regarding the usability of software features such as loops and MIDI mappings which now allows for pitch sliders to be MIDI mapped for controllers.
You can read more about the update and sign up for the Serato DJ 1.7.4 beta here.
