News/Techy Stuff

Serato Scratch Rocks!

04/07/2007

As a vinyl purist, it never occurred to me that any other technology would ever suffice. Having on occasion been forced into DJing with CDs, I vowed not to be swayed by what only seems to be a space saving exercise with limited capabilities. The reason DJs love their vinyl is because they love their tactile quality, the direct response and for those who delve into turntablism, there is no alternative. Or there wasn’t until fairly recently.

DJ technology has been fast evolving in recent years in all areas, with many manufacturers pushing products to compete with the long established major players in the industry. It is a minefield for beginners to see through the façade of performance promises and unnecessary aesthetics.

With the digital age ever tightening its grip on the way we think and operate in everyday life, it is hardly surprising to hear that the brains at some companies are tapping into this.

Stanton produced its first version of Final Scratch, using special time coded vinyl, a hardware interface and software control. This product stood for a few years without much promotion from DJs, a rare sight in fact. This is probably due to its software stability issues and constraints.

This is where reputable manufacturer Rane, took the reigns so to speak. Serato Scratch Live was born in 2004. This incredible piece of equipment, built ultimately on the same concept of Final Scratch, provided and continues to provide a standard of stability and response like nothing before. This marvel has definitely changed my perspective as a DJ. The feel of Serato is so close to replicating vinyl that this directly translates when you are playing a set. So much so, that unless someone actually spots you hovering over your laptop, they’d be hard pushed to tell that you were spinning digital.

There are so many advantages to the product that is hard to see why any DJ shouldn’t invest. Even as a turntablist, the 0.08second latency is negligible. The software response allows for even the most technical of scratches, needle drops and general thrashing. The relative mode allows the record to never jump, even if the needle skips a groove. Add to this instant sampling, looping and multiple cue point memory for as many tracks as you care to add.

The greatest thing about SSL, is its simplicity. I had mine out of the box and playing music within 15minutes! After the software automatically detecting my iTunes library and some quick calibration, I was ready to cut, scratch, juggle and mix my entire digital archive.

Today, there are more companies developing and releasing their own versions of this digital/analogue hybrid. Most recent of which is M-Audio’s new release ‘Torq’ based on the same concept, but with compromising reviews in stability and build quality. Stanton has also released Final Scratch 2.0 which had had mixed reviews. The first thing I noticed about FS2, was the hardware interface or ScratchAmp as Stanton refer to it. This piece of equipment is like a tank and twice as heavy as the Rane equivalent. The second thing was having to feel your way through the setup process, registering the software, downloading an application etc. After about 40minutes I gave up and got on with some work.

In essence there is now a true alternative for vinyl purists. Advantages include being able to have your entire music library backed up, god forbid you lose the lot, which in the past has always been a risk with carrying your beloved records everywhere. Also you don’t have to cart around dozens of hefty vinyl meaning that come middle age we can all have a spine that is still intact, all the while having thousands of tunes at our fingertips. These days I will turn up to a six hour set with about 30records and have over 6500 to select from. It is a true phenomenon that is an asset to any DJ. Even catering for you CD DJs. Welcome to a new age in DJ technology.


Review by James Chitty