Traktor Scratch vs Serato Scratch

electrogrimey

99% sure I'm gonna buy a DVS in the next week or two, and am trying to decide between Serato and Traktor.

From everything I've seen and read, Traktor Scratch is better than Serato in basically every way, so it seemed Traktor is the obvious choice.

However, I've never once seen someone use Traktor Scratch, only ever pro, and everyone I know using a DVS is using Serato. Why is this? It it just a 'this is what everyone's using, I'll get it too' kind of thing, or is there an actual reason for it?

Also, SL3 is a ridiculous price of like €725, where as SL1 is about €500 right? What are the differences, except in the sound quality of the box?

VinylJunkie

Id go with Traktor, having used Traktor, Torq and Serato. I'd give the best layout to Torq, no doubt Serato is rock solid but for me Traktor is the best overall.

eeloe

I know quite a few who use traktor scratch, or at least did use it!

Picotto was using it in tripod a few months back!

I'd say hold off till around march if you are buying, rumor has it there's a new TSP on the way with a new soundcard!

es-cee

dunno if this is of any help to ya but i think both are pretty much put thru their paces in this vid by QBERT sound wise anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTj-L7EKCL8

Zascar

I used serato over the weekend and found it a pain in the ass. Maybe I'm just not used to it but certainly little things were just harder. My mate however says everyone in the London club scene uses serato, all the clubs are set up with it, no one knows Tractor at all. Kind of silly really.

TURRICAN

Nah its just a dublin thing:)

mntothat

Can't watch the vid in work. What is Q-Bert's conclusion?

I have Traktor Scratch and hope to move up to Pro soon.

Never had much trouble with it.

Zascar

His conclusion is fairly pointless unless you are an actual scratch DJ - he does not really talk about anything more than the responsiveness etc - someone needs to do one on the actual software, usability etc. If anyone can find a review please post.

electrogrimey

If Sounds Around or anywhere in Dublin still have Scratch for €300 in the next few days I'm gonna pick it up, if not I think I'll go for Serato. I'm not paying €600 quid for Traktor seeing as I've already paid €200 for Pro...

TURRICAN

I have Serato man and I can't fault it.
I use the vinyl. It's bang on timewise and record movements.
A controller makes it easy as for effects etc.
You have different screens to suit everybody.
The high hats and mid low frequencies are shown on the waveforms in different colours which I don't think tractor has.
I could go on all night about this.
Feel free to ask any questions.

electrogrimey

TURRICAN wrote: »

Feel free to ask any questions.

Why did you choose to buy Serato over Traktor? Genuine question, because it's the only one I've yet to get an answer for from anyone.

brianc27

electrogrimey wrote: »

If Sounds Around or anywhere in Dublin still have Scratch for €300 in the next few days I'm gonna pick it up, if not I think I'll go for Serato. I'm not paying €600 quid for Traktor seeing as I've already paid €200 for Pro...

have yu got an audio 8 soundcard, if so you can cross grade to scratch pro for 300 quid, its basically just as software update, bit of a rip off

TURRICAN

electrogrimey wrote: »

Why did you choose to buy Serato over Traktor? Genuine question, because it's the only one I've yet to get an answer for from anyone.

I suppose I went for reliability.
After checking over reviews for days on end the gut instinct
Said serato.
There has been loads of different versions released and they have got better each time.
Serato have thought about it's setup carefully and I've seen this as you get more accustomed to the software.
There are not to many differences between both manufactures.
I think traktor has auto beat sync which I think takes from the art of beat mixing, a reason which also made me choose serato.
Also the screen shots are slot easier on the eye. Tractor is a bit boring with all
The yellow. Even the waveform is yellow so you can't distinguish between high hats etc. That is a big one for me so at a glance the structure of the track is visual straight away.
Anyway thats my 50 on it.

brianc27

you only use the sync button if your playing internally, the plus side with traktor is if something fvcks up while playing out due to sh!t decks, needles, timecodes at least you can play it internally as a last resort.

TURRICAN

brianc27 wrote: »

you only use the sync button if your playing internally, the plus side with traktor is if something fvcks up while playing out due to sh!t decks, needles, timecodes at least you can play it internally as a last resort.

Same with serato 3 modes of operation.

brianc27

ah right last i used serato it wasnt very good internally

FensterDJ

what do you mean "not good internally"?


I was a vinyl DJ for 15 years, and I switched serato and you can instantly DJ with Serato like vinyl, there is no learning curve at all, and then as you use it more, you learn more about the tricks and features and different thing, but essentially it simualtes vinyl perfectly

It relly is an incredible piece of equipment


I used tractor a bit and it seemed fine but i couldn't instantly use, I needed to check out it and be shown a few things

So Serato is very popular with previous Vinyl DJs, if you are buying a set up for the first time, maybe tractor is more useful to you, I don't know


It does seem also Serato is more popualr with DnB, hip hop and breakbeat DJs in general, while tractor is more popular with 4/4 techno DJs

electrogrimey

brianc27 wrote: »

have yu got an audio 8 soundcard, if so you can cross grade to scratch pro for 300 quid, its basically just as software update, bit of a rip off

No, I've an Audio 2 DJ, so there's no crossgrade for me. It's weird though, I email asking why there wasn't a crossgrade for people with Pro and an Audio 2, and they told me I could have a €100 discount, but it didn't say that anywhere on the site...

Seems the half-price Traktor offer goes to the 31st, so I'm gonna check in town if anywhere has it.

brianc27

is there not a crossgrade for an audio 2, its just a serial key to change the software to what ever version it is, surely theres no issue changing from traktor pro to traktor scratch pro duo, traktor is 100% sold out all over europe.

sure can you not just buy the traktor pro cross grade and just use the audio 2 dj.

jtsuited

brianc27 wrote: »

is there not a crossgrade for an audio 2, its just a serial key to change the software to what ever version it is, surely theres no issue changing from traktor pro to traktor scratch pro duo, traktor is 100% sold out all over europe.

sure can you not just buy the traktor pro cross grade and just use the audio 2 dj.

the audio 2 doesn't have any inputs. think you might be thinking of the audio 4.

brianc27

FensterDJ wrote: »

what do you mean "not good internally"?


I was a vinyl DJ for 15 years, and I switched serato and you can instantly DJ with Serato like vinyl, there is no learning curve at all, and then as you use it more, you learn more about the tricks and features and different thing, but essentially it simualtes vinyl perfectly

It relly is an incredible piece of equipment

im talking about playing it internally, as in no vinyls, just a laptop and a mixer, when i used serato the internal mode was fairly sh!t as there was no midi capability and its actual functionality was pretty poor, while using traktor internally (as in traktor pro) is a piece of piss.

brianc27

jtsuited wrote: »

the audio 2 doesn't have any inputs. think you might be thinking of the audio 4.

ah right yea thats the one i was thinking of, was wondering what the fvck the problem was.

electrogrimey

brianc27 wrote: »

im talking about playing it internally, as in no vinyls, just a laptop and a mixer, when i used serato the internal mode was fairly sh!t as there was no midi capability and its actual functionality was pretty poor, while using traktor internally (as in traktor pro) is a piece of piss.

The whole point of me getting Scratch is to use vinyl.

brianc27

electrogrimey wrote: »

The whole point of me getting Scratch is to use vinyl.

yea but my point way back (which is kind of lost now, but anyway) was that if your out and for some reason the DVS system you have wont work with the timecode vinyls, which does happen more then it should (shouldnt happen at all really), on traktor you can always revert to playing internally as a last resort, just have your keyboard mapped or even better bring a midi controller, last time i used serato, this wasnt an option, thats what would make me chose traktor over serato.

now i havent used serato in 4 years so i dont know if that has changed at all.

electrogrimey

brianc27 wrote: »

yea but my point way back (which is kind of lost now, but anyway) was that if your out and for some reason the DVS system you have wont work with the timecode vinyls, which does happen more then it should (shouldnt happen at all really), on traktor you can always revert to playing internally as a last resort, just have your keyboard mapped or even better bring a midi controller, last time i used serato, this wasnt an option, thats what would make me chose traktor over serato.

now i havent used serato in 4 years so i dont know if that has changed at all.

Ah ok, that's a good point.

TURRICAN

brianc27 wrote: »

yea but my point way back (which is kind of lost now, but anyway) was that if your out and for some reason the DVS system you have wont work with the timecode vinyls, which does happen more then it should (shouldnt happen at all really), on traktor you can always revert to playing internally as a last resort, just have your keyboard mapped or even better bring a midi controller, last time i used serato, this wasnt an option, thats what would make me chose traktor over serato.

now i havent used serato in 4 years so i dont know if that has changed at all.

Ye it has changed big time. Version 2.1 at the moment

hans aus dtschl

electrogrimey wrote: »

Ah ok, that's a good point.

Serato has internal mode too.

A chap from serato described it to me recently thus:
"
At the moment Eurpoe is all Traktor, America is all Serato, Ireland's 50-50 and Britain is more Serato for scratching and Traktor for the dance music.
"

And the why's of it?

Because of what DJ's were paid to endorse what, initially.


Electrogrimey, I have Serato. It's nice and uncluttered. It's a great "vinyl emulator". Great for me coming from vinyl to digital, to play one track here or there. Traktor has loads of effects and loops and multiple decks and stuff. So probably more interesting for you coming directly from digital, where you'll be "in" the computer for more of the time than I would. I've used both extensively. I prefer serato. But I think Traktor tends to suit the digital dj's better. If you like using mixers with effects, or if you come from ableton dj'ing, you'll generally prefer traktor. If you come from vinyl and tend to mix without effects (and without EQ, maybe!) you'll generally prefer serato. Thats just been my experience of it.

FensterDJ

brianc27 wrote: »

ah right last i used serato it wasnt very good internally

no, you are right there, it's doesn't work too well without external controls, although the latest software is a lot better to use for this than the previous one