Serato Itch 2.0 - Coming early April!

[robtronik]

Itch will never support DVS, that's what SSL is for. Serato has tried hard to differentiate both products, and people that don't understand keep trying to get them to combine both. Itch is for MIDI controllers, SSL is for DVS control. Serato is not Traktor.
You guys have no idea how sad is is whining about sync not working properly. Is using a pitch fader and pitch bend that complicated? Using serato's visual display, I can beatmatch without headphones, OR using headphones I can beatmatch without looking at the screen. Sync is nice, but if you NEED it to DJ, that's freaking pathetic. You want to be a professional, learn the craft, master the art. Sync is a shortcut, and there's a time for using shortcuts, not all the time.

So anyway, what are the new features? Anybody know? Video plug-in? More FX? Smart Crates?

Don't know any of the new features except that they have stated Bridge is coming in 2011 for Itch. This may or not be a feature with the imminent 2.0 release since it could be an additional feature added after they've stablized the new 2.0 core features.

Video is a plug-in, so it could suffer the same fate as a post 2.0 release.

I'm pretty sure they are going to add or revamp the effects. That seems like lower hanging fruit to tackle.

They have said it will have a new interface - which is exciting.

But most of what I say is conjecture except for what they've admitted to, to date.

aside from what I wrote above, I agree with everything you wrote. Pitch faders, learn how to use them people.

lol

[xtianw]

bolded above is absolutely true. This alone makes the gridding by Itch superior to TSP.

The sync issue is only an issue if you have tracks that aren't correctly beatgridded throughout a track (like in TSP - but minus the part where you can adjust due to tempo changes).

I think we can all agree that TSP's gridding isn't perfect either. Have a track with variable tempo (or even tempo drift) you are out of luck.

If you play perfect temp tracks (a la techno made today) in either software, you are golden. (ha ha, hi Ean).

But if you play tracks that aren't electronic or one's made 5 or 10 years ago (usually, MIDI created tracks with drift, or sampled sequenced beats from back in the day, or hip hop or music played by real live bands), good luck with that in TSP.

So, apples and oranges. Use what is best for you.

BTW, the above is also why Serato has had the edge in this area because they took those types of music and variable tempo needs by DJs right from the beginning, whereas the roots of TSP's development did not.

It still does not have variable tempo beat gridding.

When it does (and it will at some point), then TSP will have taken a giant leap in usability for sync.

But they have yet to announce this feature as upcoming release except to say they are considering it.

I like TSP a lot - used it for years. But it was things like this and playlist management that started to get to me. That and the horrendous time it took to rewire everything at a gig while another DJ was playing via the audio8 interface and all those damn cables.

lol

warpable beatgrids that work with 100% reliability is amazing yes. but itch's beatgrids are anything but reliable.

of all the dj software ive used (traktor, virtual dj, torq, deckadance, mixvibes cross, and itch), itch has the most unreliable sync feature of any dj software on the market. sync you have to lock yourself to using before your set even starts, isnt dependable. even then, ive shown its anything but reliable. it's not a tool in their software, its a gamble. something im not willing to gamble with during one of my sets.

I hope they fix it, but you couldnt bribe me to hit a sync button in a 4 deck situation (hell even a 2 deck situation) while using the itch software. my experiences have shown me that the sync button in itch should be relabled "trainwreck" on all itch controllers. cause its more likely to do that than do what the button and feature advertise.

edit: forgot to add torq. poor torq. its one of the best dj software packages out there that sadly, nobody uses and oft forgets about. like me! >.<

[robtronik]

warpable beatgrids that work with 100% reliability is amazing yes. but itch's beatgrids are anything but reliable.

of all the dj software ive used (traktor, virtual dj, deckadance, mixvibes cross, and itch), itch has the most unreliable sync feature of any dj software on the market. sync you have to lock yourself to using before your set even starts, isnt dependable. even then, ive shown its anything but reliable. it's not a tool in their software, its a gamble. something im not willing to gamble with during one of my sets.

I hope they fix it, but you couldnt bribe me to hit a sync button in a 4 deck situation (hell even a 2 deck situation) while using the itch software. my experiences have shown me that the sync button in itch should be relabled "trainwreck" on all itch controllers. cause its more likely to do that than do what the button and feature advertise.

That's a bit hyperbolic, but I can hear what you are saying when it comes to 4 decks.

With two decks it is just like traditional DJ'ing.

With four you get into a different territory if you are firing all four at the same time - when using full tracks.

but loops and whatnot, not so much I would think because by default they are shorter audio snippets which are easier to test and make sure they loop according to the sync available.

Sync in Itch's terms is more geared towards BPM.

If you hit sync in the middle of the track instead of using the nudge buttons (as found on my V7 anyway), then you could get the out of sync issue pop up for sure.

I'm sympathetic to the delimma because I think the expectation is that it should work in the way you've laid out (especially with 4 decks), but when using two it is a non-issue for dj's used to mixing with vinyl and know how to use the nudge buttons, adjustment with the spinner platter (if you have one), or best, the pitch fader.

Hitting sync is only going to be as good as your beat marker placement (either manually or automatic) in each program anyway.


.02

[loop]

So, apples and oranges. Use what is best for you.

Word!

It's simply wonderful that a choice exists. And even greater is that you can have both fruits and even more (pineapples anyone? ).

... aaand they all go fine with the peaches, for whoever is interested

[itskindahot]

im a user of both softwares and really they both have tremendous benefits.

What sucks about this 2.0 thing is that it was supposed to have been released 2 years ago and it's been a series of let downs by Serato, so most folks expect this to be a big one.

Really good post by haze and my view is not so different

Both softwares have their advantages and thus slightly different target audiences. However, recently NI has been executing much better than Serato. From NI, we get updates, both hardware and software, like bam bam bam. It's like a clockwork. In contrast, Serato is much more lethargic. That's def a reason to be in the Traktor camp imo.

[robtronik]

Really good post by haze and my view is not so different

Both softwares have their advantages and thus slightly different target audiences. However, recently NI has been executing much better than Serato. From NI, we get updates, both hardware and software, like bam bam bam. It's like a clockwork. In contrast, Serato is much more lethargic. That's def a reason to be in the Traktor camp imo.

this is simply a matter of perspective.

Serato has issued several updates to SSL and released two versions of Itch in the last year (1.5 to 1.7 to 1.7.1) as well as a version for XoneX hardware, etc. etc.

You just don't know this because you don't use the software or follow Serato.

I even could see this while I was a user of TSP which, frankly speaking, does not deal with customer service and help on the forums like Serato does.

but anyway, this is what marketing does - it changes your perception despite the reality.

:P

[diezdiazgiant]

like i said, i actually did a tutorial on sync. i know how its supposed to work. but there are times, a lot of times when you sync before hand, all your markers are aligned up, and for some reason it jumps way off marker for no reason.


let alone things like this oddness. even the serato support guys couldnt explain to me why this happens from time to time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ym0LS8ml04

watch all the way through. the elastic beatgrid changes by itself for absolutely no reason without me touching a single button on the controller. the track was redownloaded several times from beatport, beatgridded, fixed beatgrid. every variation i could think of.

their beatgridding needs a LOT of work.

main thing i noticed was that your beat gridding is really off in a few points, your choices for placing down anchors is very noticeably off in a number of places.
the warping is more or less the same as ableton (certainly seems plausible that its borrowed code). that shrinking and expanding is the program adjusting the tracks tempo to match the master tempo and if the anchor points you provide arent on the mark thats going to result in those spastic trainwrecks.

i think its you not the program.

[robtronik]

FWIW, Serato is going to reveal 2.0 to the world in early April. But this doesn't mean that it will be ready for beta or for release.

They just sort of clarified that on the thread I linked to - which tells me they are doing this to counter some of the attention TSP 2.0 is going to get when released to their user base.

[robtronik]

main thing i noticed was that your beat gridding is really off in a few points, your choices for placing down anchors is very noticeably off in a number of places.
the warping is more or less the same as ableton (certainly seems plausible that its borrowed code). that shrinking and expanding is the program adjusting the tracks tempo to match the master tempo and if the anchor points you provide arent on the mark thats going to result in those spastic trainwrecks.

i think its you not the program.

I finally watched this video and in all of my beat gridding experience (which admittedly is only like going through about 1000 tracks after analyzation, I've never had what you show there happen.

I see that you made anchor points so just out of curiosity, you erased all beat markers, set a new grid, and then put anchor points on downbeats and they shifted all by themselves after you correctly placed them?

[diezdiazgiant]

oh and more on topic -
i hope 2.0 adds more supported formats (flac please!).
other then that everything else is just superficial. effects, wouldnt mind a super filter; the beat repeat, would like if they made a variation where the probability control was replaced with a balance control so that the loop in the buffer could be used as a ghost deck just call it a loop sampler; i would like if they made a "shift+motor off" on the V7 do the slip mode from the pioneer unit; and the stuff i would want from the bridge i know damn well isnt going to happen - rewire support isnt going to happen at least not immediately (im leaning towards never tho). the only thing im looking forward to with the bridge is tempo syncing a deck to maschine.

i think too much of the complaining about what itch is and isnt, alot of it is just consumerist/technophile tripe that somehow buying the latest feature laden product is going to somehow make you sound better.