Serato has released the latest version of its flagship software Serato DJ. Version 1.7.3 bring support for Pioneer DJ’s latest digital media player, the XDJ-1000, when used alongside supported Serato hardware.
The Pioneer XDJ-1000 is pre-mapped to Serato DJ when using HID mode, allowing you to use the XDJ-1000 to control many of Serato DJ’s features including jogwheels, library navigation, looping, slip mode, cue points, quantise and sync. Although Serato doesn’t state it, we’re pretty sure full library browse and load will work just fine too, the same as with the also-compatible higher-end CDJ-2000nexus.
With the XDJ-1000 being a relatively basic media player as far as the controls on offer go, you won’t be able to control as much from the units as you can with, say, a Pioneer DDJ-SX2, but the point is that it’s an option for DJs who want to use this kind of set-up alongside Serato’s software rather than Pioneer rekordbox-prepped sets performed from USB (Pioneer’s preferred route).
By plugging a pair of XDJ-1000s into your computer via USB as well as either a Serato sound card and any DJ mixer, or a Serato DJ controller/mixer that has analogue inputs for the XDJ-1000s (you’ll need three USB sockets on your computer or a powered USB hub, remember!), you’re basically turning your set-up into a “DVS system on steroids”.
Serato pulling ahead in hardware integration
While most of us still don’t have access to a pair of XDJ-1000’s at the bars or clubs we play at (they’re relatively new), it’s interesting to see Serato continue to go full-throttle in its integration with Pioneer DJ gear in this way. By treating the XDJ-1000s as “Serato accessories”, Serato is still insisting you own at least one piece of its official hardware before they’ll work (you could go for the Serato-licensed Pioneer DJM-900SRT mixer, of course), which makes sense from its point of view, as Pioneer itself is decidedly platform-agnostic (the flagship DDJ-SZ controller ships with both Serato DJ and Virtual DJ 8 nowadays, for instance, and of course the company has Traktor mixers, too).
But generally, cross-pollination like this creates more competition, which is good for us users, and it’s cool to see Serato step up to the plate gamely. Indeed it’s starting to look like Serato’s the clear lead in terms of software compatibility with Pioneer hardware, which is a big change from the earlier years when it was slow to latch on to the then-burgeoning DJ controller market that Traktor championed (thanks to Traktor being mappable to almost any Midi controller).
“The Pioneer XDJ-1000 is the first in a new line-up of digitally focussed USB and Serato DJ (HID) ready players,” states the press release. 2015 looks like being interesting, and our whole team is at NAMM 2015 to see if anything new is outed by any of the big names there. Watch this space next week…
• Serato DJ 1.7.3 is a free update to all existing Serato DJ users. Download it at the Serato website.
Do you own the XDJ-1000s, and also use Serato? If so, let us know how you find 1.7.3 in the comments. Do you think Serato integrating with Pioneer hardware like this is a good thing, a nice-to-have, or not really important? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Joey Santos
