I’ve been using Serato since 2007. Over that time, I’ve watched it evolve from software that helped replace crates of records and CDs into something that now sits at the center of a complex DJ workflow. For me, that includes stems, loops, cues, effects, pre-produced edits, large BPM transitions and, depending on the room, just about every genre imaginable. After spending time with the Serato DJ 5.0 public beta, the feature I’m most interested in isn’t necessarily the flashiest one. It’s the beatgrid. Serato 5.0 introduces several significant changes, including Open Streaming, Cue Loops and the new Lucid Beatgrids analysis…
Author: Just Chris
There are a lot of questions DJs ask before a gig. What should I open with? What music should I bring? How hard can I push the room? Should I take requests? How much should I use the mic? Those are all fair questions. But I think there is one question that should come before all of them: What am I here to accomplish? I can play a festival, a wedding, a nightclub or a support set using many of the same skills. I am still programming, mixing, and blending. I am still reading people. Still making decisions about energy,…
I’m a DJ. What does that even mean? Twenty or 30-plus years ago, being a DJ typically meant one of two things: You played music on the radio, or you played music in front of people. Either way, the public idea was pretty simple – the DJ plays music. There was always more happening behind the scenes, of course. There was preparation and practice, but the title itself was easier to explain and widely understood. Today, when someone tells me they’re a DJ – or that they want to be a DJ – I don’t always know what they mean…