Debating Serato vs Traktor is the equivalent of debating iOS vs Android. You’re going to have two polarised sides refusing to budge. Serato DJ has always catered to turntablists who wish to preserve original feelings but also want to add new technology at the same time. Traktor Pro is geared towards DJs who want to do a lot of live performances and lively mixing, thus creating a need to access access more of the producer and musician side of the spectrum.

Question is – which camp will you pick?

Traktor vs Serato: A Brief History

Serato DJ launched in 1998 as time code-only software used by turntablists who wanted to perform the same tricks they were doing on vinyl. The main philosophy was to make a tool where you’d use and need all the skills not learned on traditional turntables and CDs.

Related: Artificial Intelligence Is The Next Big DJ

Traktor started in 2000 as a company that specialized in making software for musicians. Their philosophy is to merge the DJ camp with that of producers and musicians, using their considerably popular Traktor Pro software. Over the years, both have evolved considerably.

The Scratching

Serato DJ needs to be used with a compatible controller supported by it, while Traktor can function properly without a controller. A little driver setup is required on your PC though. Both use their own algorithms for determining how an audio file responds when scratched with a controller or DVS.

Serato offers more waveform data for music than Traktor. The beat matching and tempo matching display built in Serato makes it easier to beat match visually. Video mixing is possible with Serato giving a great VDJ experience through the Serato video plugin. This is absent in Traktor. Serato seems to be more focused on making traditional DJing easier, while Traktor is focused on redefining the DJing experience.

Serato vs Traktor: FX comparison

Serato DJ has single FX and multi FX mode. A DJ can control only one at a time i.e. the effects aren’t switchable. In Single mode, the first knob acts as the dry/wet config, with 2 more knobs and buttons for FX parameter control. But in multi-mode, no dry/wet control for the overall effect unit is present. Some FX are only available in single mode or in multi-mode – this makes them appear as two separate effects. The Super FX knobs in Serato known as Combo FX are a number of FX layered together to give powerful and dynamic effect. Serato has only two FX units but can be assigned to the overall master output. The effects fade away with a perfect FX trail when an effect is turned off.

Traktor Pro offers both Single and Group mode. In the single mode, one effect can be delivered with three adjustable knobs and buttons. In the group mode three FX in a chain can be loaded with one adjustable parameter for each effect. But not all the effects show the parameter that is being controlled. In Traktor, the effect units have a dedicated dry/wet knob controlling the overall FX signal for both; the single and the group mode. It has 43 effects in total. The FX snapshot feature allows a DJ to save a particular setting for each effect; Traktor has an extremely wide range of effects. Additionally, Traktor has better MIDI mapping support which gives fine tuned control over knobs and buttons.

Traktor Pro vs Serato DJ: Pros and Cons

The remix decks and remix sets feature present in Traktor are a striking feature that Traktor has and Serato doesn’t.

Traktor can analyze a track on the fly when it’s loaded on a deck while Serato can only analyze a track outside the performance mode.

on a deck while Serato can only analyze a track outside the performance mode. From smart crates to the browse view, the inline tag editing, the color system and the support for extended ID3 tags, Serato’s library management is way better than Traktor.

Conclusion

It’s a hard call really, with most loyalists likely to pick Serato DJ, while performers likely to head for Traktor Pro. Based on our limited analysis though, it does look like Traktor has a clear edge – with better track analysis, remix decks and sets, and a ton of more effects.

Download Traktor | Download Serato.