Final Scratch or Serato??

[Cooper Fitz]

aaalright so im thinking of getting serato, but i see final scratch is like $400 cheaper. ive looked around and ive seen lots of people say their both really similar. what would the extra $400 get me if i chose serato??
thanks

[b0ld]

serato essentially is now part of an "industry standard" when it comes down to dj'ing . Quality product, haven't heard of any major complaints...

Final scratch aka Final Crash = you get what you pay for.... I don't understand how its even still on the market. Its unstable and really unrealiable.

[FireWire]

Final Scratch was the first product of its kind but it's just not a very solid product. Stanton isn't really known for quality...

Serato Scratch LIVE is very solid, and like b0ld said - it's the industry standard. The only potential problem I see with it is that it's getting old and isn't very flexible when it comes to file types and special functions like MIDI and other advanced features (it only gives you the basics).

The new products are Torq and Traktor Scratch. Those are much newer and have a lot of new functions for the digital age. Torq is a much more affordable system and Traktor Scratch is the new Serato (same quality and stability of Serato, but with a lot of new features... including MIDI support).

So in conclusion - it all depends on your needs and budget...

For a low budget:
- Final Scratch (not recommended)
- Torq (get this if you don't have much money)

For quality/stability (but a high budget):
- Traktor Scratch (this is the best one right now)
- Serato Scratch LIVE (this is the industry standard which stood the test of time and the rigorous torture that scratch DJs and turntablists put it through)


Traktor Scratch:

[Cooper Fitz]

ill give torq a looksie, thanks alot

[dj_soo]

Traktor Scratch is still in growing pains and is still unproven and is nowhere near as stable as Serato. If you're just looking at DJing at home, anything will more or less work as problems you encounter won't be anything more than just annoying. If you want to play out, go Serato, it's like the Technics of DVS.

Keep in mind that NI was the same company that wrote the software for "final crash" and are known for things like charging money for upgrades (Serato is at 1.8 and every upgrade is free with the exception of the upcoming video add-on) and then having these paid for upgrades not even address known and reported bugs.

[-evil-duerr-]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

Traktor Scratch is still in growing pains and is still unproven and is nowhere near as stable as Serato. If you're just looking at DJing at home, anything will more or less work as problems you encounter won't be anything more than just annoying. If you want to play out, go Serato, it's like the Technics of DVS.

word...the latest update for traktor (3.3) was horrible. they revamped the effects section so that it's basically useless now, among other problems. I since uninstalled that version and went back to 3.2

The last best version of traktor (3.2) is not compatible with the new traktor scratch either. This program has potential but until the next update addresses all of the problems with 3.3 I'd recommend staying away from traktorscratch.

[FireWire]

Hmm - check out this review of Traktor Scratch by a scratch DJ:
SKRATCHWORX™ v2 - Traktor Scratch - Review by Gizmo - August 2007


Ratings

Build Quality - 10/10
Traktor Scratch is to DVS systems like Audi is to cars. The bar has been raised.

Sound Quality - 9.5/10
Traktor Scratch delivers crisp audio, quality effects and excellent pitch and key lock - if you've got the power.

Features & Implementation - 9/10
Like Traktor, it's chocca full of stuff, all well implemented and working intuitively. But the interface might not be to everyone's taste.

Value For Money - 9.5/10
A fully featured high spec sound card, high quality cables and a professional cross platform software package with a solid support system, for the same price as the competition. But you might need a computer upgrade to get the best.

Pros:
• Audio8 DJ sound card
• Multicore cables
• Pure quality sound

Cons:
• Needs serious power to get the best
• Interface is a bit dull

The Bottom Line

Traktor Scratch is outstanding. If you've got the grunt to run it, taken the time to read the manual and even invested in a MIDI controller, you've got the highest quality DVS system on the market.

[dj outrayjus]

Jeff buddy... are you givin up on vinyl again? :P

[KrisisID]

i would say serato, its more well known and widely used.

[Revolver]

hrm yes i wanted to ask this was well..

i use a macbook pro,traktor 3.2.2 and the behringer bcd3000 to control traktor directly along side my existing tech12's.

the beheringer controller is outsatnding for mixing and controlling traktor. i love and it dose a excellent job but i would also like more tactile control with the records such as a system like serato.

is it REALLY so critical to me that i get a serato box? i mean im sure the NI box would be solid enough. I am a REGD owner of alot of NI product(yes i PURCHASE AND REG my software) so they love me and i update all the time from them...

i would think the traktor box would suit me fine unless someone hear can give me a solid reason not too.

[Cooper Fitz]

Originally Posted by dj outrayjus

Jeff buddy... are you givin up on vinyl again? :P

im just using the best of both worlds

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by FireWire

Hmm - check out this review of Traktor Scratch by a scratch DJ:
SKRATCHWORX™ v2 - Traktor Scratch - Review by Gizmo - August 2007


Ratings

Build Quality - 10/10
Traktor Scratch is to DVS systems like Audi is to cars. The bar has been raised.

Sound Quality - 9.5/10
Traktor Scratch delivers crisp audio, quality effects and excellent pitch and key lock - if you've got the power.

Features & Implementation - 9/10
Like Traktor, it's chocca full of stuff, all well implemented and working intuitively. But the interface might not be to everyone's taste.

Value For Money - 9.5/10
A fully featured high spec sound card, high quality cables and a professional cross platform software package with a solid support system, for the same price as the competition. But you might need a computer upgrade to get the best.

Pros:
• Audio8 DJ sound card
• Multicore cables
• Pure quality sound

Cons:
• Needs serious power to get the best
• Interface is a bit dull

The Bottom Line

Traktor Scratch is outstanding. If you've got the grunt to run it, taken the time to read the manual and even invested in a MIDI controller, you've got the highest quality DVS system on the market.

The review was written after what - a week with the program? I love skratchworx to death but their reviews tend to be standard "advance copy" reviewing like most software/hardware reviews that tend to focus on potential and usability tests rather than real-life use situations. Since then, I've read many of the issues with the program. Like anything else, new programs take a bit to iron out the bugs and Native Instruments, although they make some cool programs, don't have the best track record for their support.

[Drazkers]

I use torq on a daily basis and its only crashed once since i got it in September, serato doesn't have as many features as torq BUT serato is a tank and doesn't EVER go down. It only takes one crash during a major set to ruin everything. Torq has a massive update in early 2008 that brings a host of improvements but Serato is still the standard for a reason.

[FireWire]

Serato crashed on my buddy's laptop while he was spinnin' at a club. He used the CTRL+O command on a file in the Serato library to open it in his default media player and Serato froze up.

But that's the only time I've seen it crash.

I've had mine for about 3 years and I haven't had a single crash yet.

[Mr Ektion]

It's good to see that traktor is displaying the actual cd cover as well in the track listings. Something that i've always felt was missing from FS and Ser.

[omega_image]

^serato has a "display album art" function...........

[Mr Ektion]

i've only touched serato a small handful of times. But it makes sense. Thanks.

[dj_soo]

Serato's user interface is also probably the best-designed out of all the systems i've tried.

[-evil-duerr-]

Originally Posted by Mr Ektion

It's good to see that traktor is displaying the actual cd cover as well in the track listings. Something that i've always felt was missing from FS and Ser.

it'd do NI some good if they payed more attention to critical issues that affect the overall functionality of the software rather than eye-candy.

I've been using traktor for a few years now and up until the last update I was always the first to rave about how amazing the program is. They've got some kinks to work out and I'm eagerly awaiting to see if they can pull their shit together.

[ppcock]

I'm a proud torq user.

[Drazkers]

thread should be called DVS roll call.