Be One Of The First To Try Out Serato DJ 1.7.2

Serato has announced today its Serato DJ 1.7.2 public beta event, which lets existing Serato users “beta test” an upcoming version of Serato DJ before it gets fully polished and officially released. A highlight of this update is the Sticker Lock feature, also known as the Sticker Sync Easter egg popular among Serato Scratch Live users, which acts as a virtual “sticker on vinyl” that triggers cue points in a song only when the timecode vinyl reaches a certain position.

Also included are numerous bug fixes and small feature improvements, such as better processing by Keylock/Pitch ‘N Time when you’re scratching at slow speeds on DVS, the option to have two BPM decimal places for highly accurate beatmatching, and toggles for time remaining/elapsed time when using views like Library, Stack, and Offline.

While DVS users will no doubt benefit from the scratch enhancement for Keylock/Pitch ‘N Time, it’s nice to see Serato get fully behind its new unified flagship platform by incorporating improvements for both controller and digital vinyl system users. And though most of them run under the hood for a smoother Serato DJ experience, some are more visible, such as Smart Crates now being shown in a blue colour scheme instead of the same ochre/red swatch of normal Crates, and the ability to program Midi output lighting, which lets you map LEDs on your supported controller. Sticker Lock itself is great for scratch performances, further delaying the need to look at your laptop’s screen when working with cue points in the heat of a routine.

It’s a good idea to keep a backup of your existing Serato DJ installation if you decide to participate in this Serato DJ 1.7.2 beta test, since there might be a few compatibility issues and changes to it before it gets an official release. You can have both versions running on your machine anyway, so it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution and use this beta version only as a trial of the new features (ie not for a public performance).

• The Serato DJ 1.7.2 public beta event is now ongoing. To sign up for it, click here.

Are you keen on trying out the new software even though it isn’t in its final form just yet? Have you participated in a previous Serato beta test, and if so, what was your experience with having gone through it? We’d like to know all about your experience, so do share it as well as any comments you have in the section below.