Serato DJ Lite is a free DJ
software that you can use with a wide
range of controllers, like the Pioneer DJ
DDJ-SB. Only certain controllers
support Serato DJ Lite so be sure to
check if your controller is Serato
supported. Serato DJ Pro is an upgrade
that has more features and functions
that you will want to explore as you
progress with your DJing. You can
purchase a license for Serato DJ Pro
which will allow you to use it with your
controller and many other supported
pieces of Pro hardware. To connect a
controller to use with Serato DJ Lite
you'll need to plug the DDJ-SB2 into
your computer via the USB port. You may
need to install drivers for your device,
these can be found on either the
manufacturers website or on Serato.com
Once installed you will be able to
connect your hardware with your computer
to use with Serato DJ Lite and not have
to install them again. To import music
into Serato DJ Lite you can use the
files panel and drag a folder to the
crate area, like this. If you prefer you
can also use your iTunes library. Select
the option to show iTunes library in the
setup menu in Serato DJ Lite under
the library and display tab.
In iTunes make sure you have the option
to share the iTunes XML enabled in
iTunes preferences under the Advanced
tab, if it doesn't show up immediately.
Once you have your tracks in Serato DJ
Lite it's a good idea to analyze your
files. You can either drag the ones you
want to analyze to the analyze files
button or click the analyze files
button to analyze your entire library.
This will tag the BPM on tracks which
will allow you to sort your library by
BPM from either slowest to fastest or
vice-versa. Now you can start choosing
your tracks based on the tempos which
will allow you to find songs that are in
a similar range. To stay organized,
utilize the crates function to arrange
your sets. Just click the crate button here.
Now you can drag your songs in as you like.
Order them by BPM or however you'd like
to have them organized by selecting one
of the options from the library tabs.
Load your tracks by dragging them to the
deck with your mouse or on the
controller by clicking the load button
on the side you want to load to. Start
your track by pressing the play button
and bring up the line fader and cross
fader to the side.
Load your second track relative to the first tracks BPM and
either use sync to match the tempos by
clicking sync on the track you're
bringing in or by using the tempo slider.
Use the Cue point buttons on the
controller to queue the tracks in.
Always set a cue point at the beginning
of my tracks so I can jump back to the start.
You can also use the temp queue button
too.
This will bring the track back to the
start and stop it.
It's important to note that the temp cue button doesn't save to the file and will be gone the next time you
load the track. Once you have your tempos matched bring up the line fader
and cross fader across to mix in your
new track.
Use the effects buttons to add some
spice to your mix with reverbs, phasers
and delays. Click on the effects option
at the top of the screen to open the
effects panel. Now turn the effects on as
you choose and bring the wet/dry knob up
to affect the track.
Add in your own samples - to spice up your performance
or let people know your dj name. Open
up the sample player by clicking on the
air horn symbol at the top of the screen.
This opens a sample player panel below
the decks, drag sounds and sound effects
in from your library or from the files
panel.
On the controller you can enter
the sampler mode by clicking on the
sampler button above the cues. This will
make the top four pads trigger your four
sample slots.
These are all fun techniques and options that you can use in Serato DJ Lite with the
DDJ-SB2. Get in the mix and try these
out for yourself at home or at your next gig.
