Tech

Spank The Monkey and Scratch The Itch

Serato Reveals "Itch" DJ Software

Christopher Whitham
Monday, January 21, 2008 - 00:00

The cats out of the bag now with Serato, makers of the DJs favourite Scratch Live digital vinyl system. It seems that they are playing the field by teaming up with various hardware manufacturers to produce a new version of the live mixing software. We reveled a few stories back, their partnership with Numark on the NS7 twin deck/mixer system, and its now been confirmed that Vestax are getting in on the game with their hot new VCI-300 unit.
In a stunningly bold marketing move, Serato have named the new software "Itch" although it seems to be baffling why any DJ would want to "itch" their tunes. Even so, expect the usual quality, stability and ease of use we have come to expect from Serato.
Itch mixing is all done "in the box", which means that hardware needs only a usb cable to connect to a computer and one stereo audio output to feed the system. Itch is still in development, with first public demo due at Frankfurt Musik Messe in March, so no pricing has been announced yet.

More info at the Serato Website

Features

  • High performance portable music system that allows internal mixing and platter style playback control.
  • Integrated "one to one" hardware to software mapping for instant control and minimum setup time.
  • Interoperable with Scratch LIVE crates, loops and cue points, and support for iTunesâ„¢.
  • Audio processing and internal mixing via Serato ITCH software, Channel fading, EQ, cross fading and track trim are processed in software with audio and headphone monitoring on the ITCH hardware.
  • Clean and simple software user interface with emphasis on hardware controller to display information.
  • Auto Tempo Matching and Beat Sync.
  • Optimal Gain and BPM Calculation.
  • Serato's unique color waveforms for easy identification of sound.
  • Set and store Cue-points.
  • Manual and Auto Loop activation.
  • Music Library management tools for backup and restore.
  • Input and Mix recording capability.
  • AIFF, WAV, MP3 and AAC audio file support
  • Built-in multi-lingual help tools with Serato customer support and update program