DJing, with all its tricks and tweaks, is not something you learn in a day or two. So before purchasing any expensive and sophisticated hardware equipment, it is a good idea to practice on your laptop or PC. Serato DJ Lite is just a few steps below Serato DJ Pro, and has been designed to help you get the knack of professional DJing in a simpler and costless way.
Still, Serato DJ Lite requires a certain learning curve. Its interface is very similar to that of its big brother – Serato DJ Pro – and though its functionality has been somehow reduced to make things a bit easier for newbies, it still retains most of the look and feel and a big chunk of the technology available in the professional tool it is based on.
The idea is to master all the options, controls, cues, synchronization options, and all the knots and bolts behind a professional DJ tool before combining it with the corresponding hardware. Though you can mix all your audio files using Serato DJ Lite and listen to them on your laptop, this tool is not a software-only DJ solution – that is what Serato Play is for – but a learning tool that you can then keep using with your first hardware until you feel confident enough to upgrade to the Pro version. As far as hardware goes, this Lite version is compatible with a large list of Numark, Hercules, Pioneer, Roland, Denon, and Korg control desks, among other well-known brands.
Serato DJ Lite is also a tool to organize and analyze your audio file collection. The program will determine their BMP so that you can sync them easily either manually or automatically based on their tempo. You can then load more tracks from BeatsourceLINK, BeatportLINK, SoundCloud, and Tidal, and then combine all those with your own CD and vinyl collection.
Serato DJ Lite is completely free, and it is an excellent learning tool to master your DJing before investing in professional software and hardware tools. This Lite version includes a two-week free trial of the Pro version, just to give you a hint of what’s in store for you if you persevere.
v1.4 [Oct 6, 2020]
- New features: Added Beatport LINK and Beatsource LINK featured playlists.
- Bug fixes: Fixed a potential crash on startup.
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