Straight from Serato’s mouth on the message boards.
Can’t wait.
here is the full response:
[quote]Hey guys,
Sorry for the lack of news around ITCH 2.0 - I agree it’s time we said something a little more concrete about what’s really happening with ITCH 2.0.
The news is all good actually. ITCH 2.0 is progressing nicely and is looking really exciting. There are some great new features in it that will benefit users of all controllers, as well as a new look that we hope people will love.
In regards to when? Software release dates are always tricky, but we be hope to have something to show you all early next month.
Cheers!
Matt[/quote]
that’s pretty awesome that they get on the boards and let users know of the impending release schedule.
I should say: Revealed in early April. Probably a beta test version for sure for us, then we get the final release when any of the major bugs worked are worked out.
That’s probably more realistic anyway.
Then we can start doing apples to apples comparison with TSP 2.0 and Itch 2.0
When researching/investigating software options after deciding to upgrade from VirtualDJ, Traktor SEEMED like the ‘better’ option - for MY needs. As a Traktor devotee you can’t but help notice this ongoing Traktor vs. Serato power struggle. This for example fuels that fire - I am tempted to say “but of course, they HAVE to coincide with Traktor 2”. Instead I’ll say “way to go Serato”. No doubt the debate will heat up again.
[@ Karlos - do you ever actually USE Itch, or just follow it’s development? You seem very open-minded on the TP vs. Itch debate?]
im a user of both softwares and really they both have tremendous benefits. I really enjoy Itch’s simplicity and ease of use and the beatgridding/warping function is the best of ANY DJ software out there. 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. I think the use of The Bridge will be bigger for Itch users since the use of controllers is already party of their set.
For me personally the largest advantage of using Traktor is the flexibility of controllers, timecode, just an X1 and an mixer, etc. Where in Itch you have a limited number of controllers to choose from. The upside is the NS7 and V7’s are awesome and a joy to play on. But then again so is the S4. Looking forward to seeing what 2.0 has in store. My NS7 needs some lovin!!
For those going to WMC Rob is playing with a group of Itch users at the Catalina Hotel on Wed. Should be a good time and good display of what Itch can really do. See you then brother!
The NS6 looks great (FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR better than the shitty Pioneer DDJ-S1) It also can be used as a standalone mixer which I am impressed for the same price point as the S4. Also if Felix is right you can map it to any dvs software without a problem. (Heard there were problems doing so with the NS7)
Would be cool to use sometime and that would be the only thing to move me to Itch
I moved over to itch about 6 months ago. I’ve used Traktor for years (even when it was Final Scratch with that horrible Firewire interface), but I had to see what the fuss was about with Itch, and I’m a convert.
The sum of its parts is greater than the whole. Between the simplicity, the controllers (i.e. I use the V7 units which are TOP quality by Numark, surprisingly enough), the beat gridding, the playlist management, etc. are just top notch.
I care less about effects - even though I play techno, house, tech house, and the like.
Effects are for interesting transitions (sometimes) and occasional spice within a track - and although Traktor’s effects are top of the heap, it isn’t one of those things that I rely on to be a good DJ. (or try to be a good DJ anyway).
I play good tracks at the right time and let those do the work - and I think this supports the goals of the producers of the tracks that slaved in their studios to make the perfect arrangement and sound design for me to play.
It is somewhat of a great conceit that it is our job as DJs to deconstruct a track to fit OUR perception of what it should sound like. If tracks aren’t cutting it and one needs to apply a bunch of stuff and loops and whatnot, then pick better tracks IMO.
OR, buy the S4 and loop away with one’s own productions and whatnot. But I’m focused on being a good DJ who plays good tracks and reads the room and responds in that way.
I’m all for a little spice, but as I’ve written above, the effects are cool, but they aren’t the reason why I pick a piece of DJ software.
The MIDI thing is a true benefit to traktor - especially for controllerists like Ean Golden. That is a branch of DJing that deserves a tool like Traktor. There is no doubt about that at all.
But for me, I like things that work, are simple, so I can get on with the job. Not to mention I got tired of showing up to gigs and rewiring everything while the DJ before me was playing and have that mess of wires. It was so bad, that I bought my own little portable mixer (DJR-400 rotary) and hooked everything through that and then used the master out (one set of left and right outputs) to whatever house DJ mixer there was to minimize the impact and easier set up. This was when I was using the NI soundcard and Maschine as the controller.
But after awhile that got sterile to me because I like to play tracks and I come from the vinyl world, so I gave the V7 and shot and was amazed at how easy and fluid it was to use with the software providing everything I needed in a much more elegant workflow than TSP.
Anyway, I can go on and on… but I’m not trying to convince anyone to change their preferences, I’m just explaining my journey. I am an unabashed supporter of Serato at this point.
I love their ethos of giving DJs what they need and a workflow to match - it just shows when using the software that they’ve put the thought into meeting the needs of working DJs rather than trying to retrofit ideas into something like Traktor which was, first and foremost, a laptop based software tool that did not have vinyl and the workflow of DJ’s in mind AT FIRST.
Obviously that has changed now. But the genes/DNA of TSP shows even to this day in the way it has evolved IMO.
But apples and oranges, its all fruit. So, use what is best for you. I personally am very happy about 2.0. Can’t wait to see how they’ve refined the software to be even better than it currently is.
oh, and yes, I am extremely excited for the NS6. It is a controller and an analog DJ mixer. If it is of the same quality as their NS7 and V7 units, then Numark is going to have quite a hit on their hands.
I think the obvious set up for this year (for club installs) is most likely going to be an SL4 box hooked up to the new Nexus Pioneer mixer.
I dislike the Pioneer sound of their mixers compared to the Xone series (and my own DJR-400 which is better than both of those mixers by far), but I can live with that compromise to a large degree because it meets the needs of both camps (TSP and Serato SSL users).
But that NS6 is looking quite special at this point IMO. Can’t wait for that either.
Just cuz something looks better doesnt mean it works better. Most if not all CDJ djs are going to feel right at home with the DDJ-S1
I used both at NAMM, and the NS6 they had on display, was just that a DISPLAY ONLY aka a non-working model. You like the NS6 and tons of people love the DDJ-S1, we didnt have these many choices 4 years ago.
April will be a pretty critical month for itch as it is when traktor 2 will ship out. They could face loosing some users to the new software if there offering is not up to scratch.
all these 4 deck itch controllers out there. you really do need sync in 4 deck mode. especially if they plan on adding bridge support.
right now itch’s sync button shouldn’t be labled sync. it should be labeled “trainwreck your mix”. Half the time their sync jumps halfway inbetween beatmarkers. I have a tutorial on itch sync on youtube, but ill be honest with you. about 50% of the time, that shits got a mind of its own.
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.
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.
and .02,