With so many DJ controllers available now, it can be a very difficult decision to make. What is the perfect controller for you, will certainly not be for many other DJ’s, so here are a few things to consider to help you make your choice.
What Software Do You/Should You Use?
There are a handful of standalone controllers on the market now that don’t necessarily require you to use a laptop and/or software to perform with them, but these can be a big investment, and will still require you to use software to prepare your music. I’ll go into more detail on these later in this post…
For Professional DJ’s in 2020, there are only really 3 choices of software. Rekordbox, Serato, and Traktor. Yes, there are others, including Virtual DJ, and Algoriddm DJAY, but these aren’t considered professional DJ software. I don’t make the rules, it’s just the way it is…
What Software Do I Use?
I personally use Traktor, but given the choice again I wouldn’t be using Traktor. I liked the idea of being able to do more live production etc, but mainstream DJing doesn’t really require that, nor do crowds always want to hear it.
Don’t get me wrong, Traktor is a great piece of software, and it has NEVER crashed at a gig for me, but… Rekordbox and Serato would definitely be above Traktor for me.
So why haven’t I switched?
With over 10 years of using Traktor, my music library and music prep within the software… That is a lot of time invested, so it’s a tough call as to whether I’ve got that time available to switch to a new platform.
Also… A lot of venues… The equipment they provide is either prehistoric, or seriously abused, which makes it very difficult to DJ when the buttons and jog wheels don’t work as they should.
This means I need to bring my own equipment…
The Native Instruments Traktor S4 is still one of my favourite compact 4 channel controllers. I don’t need a lot of the bells and whistles of bigger controllers, so I can get the job done perfectly well with everything the S4 offers, and everything I need for a gig fits in one big. Admittedly, it’s still a big bag, but I do love the Mono DJ bags.
What Software Is Right For You?
Out of the 3 DJ softwares available right now, even though I use Traktor, I do find it difficult to recommend. With a forever shrinking development team, and a lack of updates bringing features which you’d ordinarily come to expect, I can only really recommend Rekordbox and Serato.
Rekordbox vs Serato
To be honest, both pieces of software are strong contenders, but both require you to pay a monthly fee.
Rekordbox is Pioneer’s own offering of DJ software, so does very much tie you into owning a piece of their hardware. Realistically though, their hardware offering is pretty solid. That said, they’ve got some very affordable (and capable) controllers on offer, and obviously they manufacture the industry standard club install CDJ’s. If you’re looking for out of the box compatibility, then Rekordbox is the one.
Pioneer hardware is far from cheap though!
So how about Serato?
To use Serato and Rekordbox, these days there is honestly very little difference!
They both offer pretty decent music library management, decent GUI, a good selection of effects, DVS support (at a cost), HID support, and all the tools and ‘toys’ you might come to expect from a modern DJ software.
Serato’s advantage is that it supports a much wider selection of DJ controllers, as well as compatibility with Denon’s range of new controllers and CDJ’s, which have been very well received! They’re not the club ‘standard’ as Pioneer has history on its’ side, but the new Denon equipment is a very decent offering, and I admittedly am a fan!
So How Do You Choose?
Both Rekordbox and Serato offer a free trial of their premium softwares, so I’d recommend downloading them both and simply having a play!
You’ll quickly see which you prefer the layout of. Even without a DJ controller, you’ll be able to get a feel for them. They are both very similar to actually DJ with, so it is more about layout and features.
As one final deciding point… If you are in the position where you are working in venues which provide a decent install, such as a Pioneer Nexus 2 system (often a Pioneer DJM900 Nexus 2, and 2 x Pioneer CDJ2000 Nexus 2‘s), but still use your own controller at other venues, Rekordbox allows you to prepare your music ONCE. The music your prepare for use in your own performances with Rekordbox, you can easily export to a USB stick to plug in to Pioneer’s CDJ’s and XDJ’s.
