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Serato

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Serato / Serato
Serato Scratch Live shifted DJ culture, and probably saved millions of dollars in future chiropractor bills. To celebrate its 25 anniversary, Serato just released a special limited-edition reissue of its original Serato Scratch Live Control Vinyl.

Source: Serato / Serato
The OG Digital Vinyl System (DVS) helped the art of the DJ become digital yet maintain its analog roots of manipulating vinyl physically. Think DJ’s like Jazzy Jeff being able to scratch and mix their digital files instead of lugging around heavy crates of records. Instead, all you needed was a pair of control vinyls and a hard drive full of music (and software and hardware but that’s another story).

Originally released in 2004, 20 years later only 1,500 units are available for sale for $49 USD. That gets you the “Serato Scratch Live Control Vinyl – 25th Anniversary Edition” package that includes a pair od 12” 140g control vinyls tucked into a commemorative jacket. The reissue arrives in five colors (black, transparent red, transparent blue, orange, and gray marble). However, you won’t see what color you get until you unwrap your purchase.
“At Serato’s core is a passion for music and technology, and we’ve built our foundation on the ongoing commitment to creating best-in-class products for DJs and music producers,” said Nick Maclaren, Serato’s Chief Strategy Officer, and a DJ himself, in a statement. “When Serato Scratch Live was first introduced, it reinvented what was in the realm of possibilities for DJs at the time. As we celebrate 25 years of empowering artists through Serato’s advanced technology, we’re excited for our community to experience the magic of this innovation once again with the reissue of the Serato Scratch Live Control Vinyl.”
Find out where to get the Serato Scratch Live Control Vinyl – 25th Anniversary Edition set right here.

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: DJ OMINAYA / DJ OMINAYA
DJs are in for some good news. The community’s most trusted software Serato DJ Pro has received some updates geared to optimize performance and increase creativity.

Source: SERATO / Serato
Originally launched in 1999 as Pitch ‘n Time, the revolutionary platform has gone on to allow users to mix two tracks together with just their laptop, have a limitless music library, and a crisp, high-resolution interface. Throughout the years, Serato has become synonymous with a DJ’s must-haves when it comes to their set up. This month, the brand has announced some updates to the platform in Serato DJ Pro 3.2.0 and Serato DJ Lite 3.2.0. These new versions introduce a never-before-seen series of custom-built FX and includes many firsts for the platform including native Apple silicon support for Mac users.
Source: SERATO / Serato

The good folks at Serato were kind enough to provide us early access to their beta, and we couldn’t think of anyone better than DJ OMINAYA to demo the new features. As the DJ for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Lola Brooke, DJ OMINAYA is no stranger to the technology. For the last 10 years he has used Serato DJ Pro to rock crowds all over the world including venues like Madison Square Garden, O2 Arena, The Kia Forum, Spark Arena, TD Arena, Manchester Arena, AFAS Live and more. Below you will find his breakdown on the new DJ Pro 3.2.0.
Full Suite of New FX
DJ OMINAYA: I like the fact that there are now channel FX scroll them out to a single channel; one through four. Or even put it on the master. Also, you’re able to save your favorite FX in your bank, and if you want to reset it you can reset it. But if you save it in your bank, anywhere you DJ your favorites will always be available when you click down. You can also organize them where when you pull up your drop-down menu only your favorite FX shows instead of all 100. This is a game changer because it makes them a lot more accessible.

Create Your Signature Sounds With Custom FX
DJ OMINAYA: The option to create your own signature sounds is amazing because this is another way you can separate yourself from your peers. Individuality is key as a DJ, and you never want to sound like the next person. Another feature that is key is that you can also import your FX easily as well, which will help new DJs out who are still trying to find their sound and style.
But you got to be careful with sharing your custom FX [laughs]. Serato has a regular bomb FX, but what I did was I put five other bombs on that one bomb just so it can sound more powerful because I do concerts, big venues and arenas. So, when I hit that bomb, it sounds way louder because it has more bass to it. I shared that FX with one DJ and now every DJ in New York City uses it [laughing].
Source: DJ OMINAYA / DJ OMINAYA
Favorite FX Banks
DJ OMINAYA: In my opinion this is the most important update to Serato DJ 3.2.0.The bank lets you load songs or FX to scratch in advance. If you’re a DJ that transforms or uses scratch FX, you can load the sounds in there. What I suggest is to prepare your tracks. So, if you’re doing a party and you know the next five records you want to play you can load them into the scratch bank and have them ready there opposed to searching for them while you’re DJing.
This new Serato DJ 3.2.0 definitely makes it a lot more easier to access your files and songs. As a DJ sometimes you lose your train of thought, and you forget what record you want to play next. And you can put them in the sequence you want ahead of time. This is something that comes in handy regardless of where you are playing. Let’s say I am doing a concert with [A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie] I can use that same bank of songs to do the club performance after the concert. My favorite FX is the reverb. This is a clean way to get out of a song without the transition sounding messy.

New Enhanced Look and View Modes
DJ OMINAYA: I love the new look and view mode! I feel it’s more straightforward and to the point; it’s a much cleaner interface. Even if you are new to the Serato platform, it’s really self-explanatory. You don’t need years of DJ experience to pick up the flow and functionality with Serato 3.2.0; they really took the guess work out of it. Serato 3.2.0 has shortcuts for everything you really have to explore it to see what works best for you as a DJ and your set up. Once you do, you’ll be able to get to things a lot faster and easier.
You can read more about Serato DJ 3.2.0 here.

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Reloop / Reloop
Change is inevitable. For DJ’s, the switch from analog (think: heavy…very heavy vinyl) to digital mixing has been a godsend to everyone in their orbit—except their chiropractors.

However, high-end DJ equipment has always been known for lasting for years, which presents a problem when you have a cherished mixer you ain’t trying to give up. (My Technics mixer used to be top of the line, damn it). Enter the Reloop Flux which basically allows any OG mixer the ability to use Serato to your heart’s content. In tech speak, it’s the “next-generation USB-C interface for using Serato DJ Pro with turntables, CDJs or other media players.”
Source: aqua / Hip-Hop Wired

For background, this mission started when I was tasked with DJ’ing at my college reunion weekend (shout out to UVA’s Black Alumni Weekend, Wahoowa!) and figured it would behoove me to get really acquainted with Serato in advance. Since my essential retirement from DJ’ing (more years than I’ll admit) years ago, I was always curious about that little device you would see connected to the back of mixers that connected to a laptop and pretty much deaded the necessity to lug around crates filled with records. Any skepticism of this new DJ paradigm was eventually and essentially dismissed when the great DJ Jazzy Jeff embraced the tech that made telling the difference between a DJ rocking a party with vinyl versus digital music files an impossibility.
But doing my Googles to see what was available to get back in the DJ saddle quickly turned into information overload. There are what seems like hundreds of products on the market that include mixers, turntables, CDJs and all types of hardware that make the old “two turntables and a mic” (and a mixer) look like a history museum installation.
Source: aqua / Hip-Hop Wired

So with no desire to drop hundreds of dollars on one of those pricey, Serato-ready mixers—for now—I figured that mixer thing-a-ma-jig (called an interface) that connected to a laptop would be easy, right? Not really. It turns out all the previous models (the RANE SL range, the Denon DS1, etc.) have gone the way of the Dodo bird and were discontinued. But, what is still on the market—and is actually relatively new since it was only released in 2023—is the Reloop Flux, and it makes for a clutch hub for a Digital Vinyl System (DVS) interface.
The good folks at Reloop were kind enough to provide a review model to Hip-Hop Wired, and the Flux checks all the boxes needed to get an old DJ back in the mix. Installation was relatively simple, and if you know your way around phono, line jacks and RCA chords, getting connected is a breeze. And even if you don’t, the instructions are right there on YouTube.
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Once you’re set up and Serato DJ Pro is running, the intuitiveness of the hardware and software combo is evident. The hardware is bus-powered, so once you plug it into your laptop, it lights up—there are signal flow LEDs for all inputs and outputs as well as a thru status indicator. It also has an AUX outlet to let you record your mixes, and there are three stereo inputs and outlets, which let you run a third turntable or media player if you’re nice like that. And if you want to get extra technical, it features 24-bit/96 kHz, high-quality digital/analog converters and ultra-low latency, which makes for club-quality sound.
Source: aqua / Hip-Hop Wired

The true beauty of the product is that after it’s plugged in, you can forget about it since it’s doing everything it needs to do. If your music collection is legit, you now have access to all your tunes via Serato DJ Pro, without having to rifle through your crates to get to that piece of wax; a simple search will suffice. And even if you don’t have that deep cut on MP3, you can click a passthrough button on the Flux that will let you play your conventional vinyl as well. Or, if you have a Tidal account, Serato lets you access the app’s entire music library—that’s just cheating.
With that in mind, the Reloop Flux is buttery smooth gateway for anyone trying to dip back into the DJ waters without breaking the bank. It retails for $449 and is a worthy investment that bridges the gap between the past and the future for you to get busy right now.

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Serato / Serato
Serato and Roland have teamed up for a special edition vinyl that marled the celebration of “303” Day” on March 3. The vinyl was created in collab with DJs J. Rocc, Fast Eddie, Shadow Child and DJ Haus, while the Serato + Roland TB-303 Bass Line / TR-606 Drumatix Control Vinyl will serve as a “time capsule and toolkit” to pay homage to Roland’s classic 303 and 606 synthesizers.

Roland’s TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer and TR-606 Drumatix were released in 1981 and credited with revolutionizing the music industry. The machines became to electronic music and by the end of the decade and into the early 90’s the tech became TK in. production kits.
Per Serato:

The first record pays tribute to the distinctive bass lines of the 303, reinterpreted by hip house pioneer Fast Eddie and influential dance music DJ and producer Shadow Child. The second record simulates the pulsating drum beats of the 606 reinvented by seminal producer DJ Haus and J. Rocc, one of the original turntablists. 
“When I first heard the 606, it was a revelation – it’s right up there with the best,” said said J. Rocc in a press statement.
Adds Fast Eddie said, “If it wasn’t for the 303, I wouldn’t even be here right now talking to you. That’s my history.”
The hope is that the limited edition vinyl serves as inspiration for future producers as they make their beats, with Roland’s iconic equipment. Find more information about the project right here.
Source: Serato / Serato