Clash of the Titans!

Today we will be exploring some of the ins-and-outs of the two major players in the world of digital mixing - Traktor Scratch Pro and Serato Scratch Live. There have been recent updates to both programs that have raised the bar significantly in terms of creative possibilities.

Now to me, in the world of audio, quality is key. So it is important to consider what kind of quality you will get from the hardware interfaces with each of these packages. The Audio 8 boasts a very sweet 24 Bit/96Khz signal output whilst the Rane SL3 produces 24 Bit/48Khz output - the audio difference, therefore, is minimal. What turns me towards the Audio 8 in this comparison is not, however, the superior sample rate but the mic input option. This can come in handy in so many ways, from producing and recording to patching into a channel at your next top 40 gig and lamely announcing the next track to a crowd of nonchalant forty-somethings mingling mindlessly to the Black Eyed Peas... or something.

The user interface of both these programs are reasonably simple and straight forward. Serato has mastered simplicity in this area with everything clearly laid out in front of you. Waveforms can be easily seen and recognized with bars running down the center of the screen giving visual feedback to kick phase. Whilst Traktor has an excellent waveform analysis and the kick phase meter on each of the decks is very helpful, especially when one track is set to master so the other simply relates to it instead of both trying to relate to each other. Serato's design of laying the waveforms vertically next to each other is genius.

So let's get down to brass tax man... four decks (Traktor) that can be sync-ed to an external/internal master clock or to each other; or eight decks (Serato), i.e. six sample players, two main decks, that can not be sync-ed but all have pitch control allowing you to mix in the conventional way. The only problem with Serato here is that there is no cue for the six sample players. I'm hoping that this is remedied soon as it will make for a very impressive tool. What I also dig about the Serato sample player is that you can trigger your samples automatically from any saved cue point in the track that is currently playing. Add a MIDI controller such as the Faderfox into the fray and you've got some instant sample fun times.

Unfortunately for Serato, Traktor has dominated effects integration, which these days are a must for any creative professional... or DJ Hero. With 28 sweet effects patches to play with, sonic mayhem is not only possible, it is practically a no-brainer. Looping functions are also a major incentive for today’s market and how could we pass on this important feature. Serato has 9 loops and 5 cue-points that can be saved to each track. The loops cannot, however, be called up with a click. You can have them stored and activate them when the track reaches that section but they cannot be jumped to. While Traktor has only 8 spaces for cue-points and loops to be stored, the loops can be punched in with a single click whenever you so desire. Yum!

While I feel I have only touched the surface today, I hope I have provided some food for thought and if you are having trouble making your mind up between the two perhaps we have clarified some things. If you're close to the store, we can demo both for you.

Until next time...

Love

Rich

Comments

[twitter.com/Nikolozi]

Once Ableton & Serato announce their integration at NAMM 2010, Serato will have all the effects in the world. But I doubt this will be a solid solution. Live 8 hasn't been a very stable software. We shall see.

[Rich]

All the effects in the world? It sounds like you have more information than I do. Bring on January 14!