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That being said, there’s still a lot to like about Traktor Pro.
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The software itself is still fully supported and regularly updated (with native Apple M1 support coming later in 2022, for example), but the last new piece of Traktor hardware we saw from the company was the S4 Mk3 – way back in 2018. While Traktor still holds its own against rekordbox and Serato in 2022, its parent company Native Instruments has been through some notable changes in the past few years, and from the point of view of an outside observer it feels like NI is less focused on its DJ products than it once was.
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Much like its long term competitor Serato, NI’s DJ software has been through a whole host of different iterations over the years, the latest being Traktor Pro 3 (which is, confusingly, entirely unrelated to the previous Traktor 3 that was released way back in 2007). Having first launched in 2000, Traktor is one of the longest serving DJ applications on the market. This naturally results in a more diverse range of setup options, particularly for digital vinyl users.Īlthough the base software offering is pretty simple at first glance, many advanced features like DVS support, remix effects and visual mixing control require an additional subscription or hardware unlock, so it’s not quite the ‘one price for all’ it might initially appear to be. Serato itself doesn’t produce any hardware, meaning that – unlike Traktor or rekordbox, where all official controllers are produced by the same brand – Serato can be used with a broad range of officially endorsed gear from the likes of Rane, Denon, Numark, Pioneer DJ and more. The reason for this comes down, in part, to the company’s heritage, but also its more varied approach to controller compatibility.
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Its various software applications have gone through a host of iterations and name changes over the years, but in recent times the range has been simplified around a single flagship app, Serato DJ Pro, and its free counterpart, Serato DJ Lite.Īlthough you’ll find Serato DJ users in all corners of the DJ realm, it’s most entrenched among scratch DJs and turntablists. Serato spearheaded the birth of digital vinyl systems back in the early ‘00s and has remained one of the major players in digital DJing ever since. Subscription and expansion model can be confusing
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Read the full Pioneer DJ rekordbox DJ review (version 1) Full cloud capabilities will set you back around $20/£20 per month though. The basic features, track prep and export tools are available for free, and many mixing features can be unlocked by using a Pioneer DJ controller. The feature set of rekordbox is accessible in a variety of different tiers, some of which require a monthly or yearly subscription. The major selling point here is the way that both mixing skills and your library of tracks can be easily transferred from a small home setup – focused around something like the DDJ-400 – to a pro-level CDJ rig in a club, or top-end controller. The slick Edit Mode is an impressive feature too, bringing basic DAW-like features that let users make rough, quick edits of tracks.Īlthough the DVS control is as good a quality as you’ll find with any rival, rekordbox’s primary appeal is with club DJs. This allows the rekordbox library to rapidly access BPM, key and phrasing information from a huge central database of all tracks analysed by the user base. Its strongest side is still the track organisation tools though, which have recently been updated to add not only cloud library sharing but cloud-based analysis. It’s all well implemented though, and the feature set is growing with each new update, incorporating things like a sequencer, visual mixing, lighting control and lyric playback alongside obligatory tools such as effects, samplers and DVS control.
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In terms of mixing functionality, much of rekordbox’s toolset is similar to that found in Serato or Traktor. It was only in 2015 that Pioneer expanded the app to become a fully fledged piece of DJ mixing software, but it has quickly become one of the most significant products in the sector. Pioneer DJ’s rekordbox has been around since the late-‘00s, but for much of that time it existed solely as a tool for organising and preparing digital music ready for use with the company’s CDJs. Cloud features require a pricey subscription
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