Virtual Dj Touch Screen Skin
We’ve got a tough challenge here: both and are long-running digital DJ apps that each have their own dedicated supporters. If you’re on the fence as to which app to pick, read on to find out what makes each of them special and see how they stack up against each other 1.
Interface / number of decks Serato DJ: Four decks maximum, vertical and horizontal waveforms Virtual DJ: Up to 99 decks (skin-dependent), vertical and horizontal waveforms Graphics are one of the main differences between Serato DJ and Virtual DJ. Serato DJ has a standard graphic interface that is uniform across both Macs and PCs, while Virtual DJ has a customisable one – you can change the way it looks by downloading “skins” made by the Virtual DJ community. You can even use it with a touchscreen PC thanks to its “Tablet” skin that makes it intuitive for touch device use. Serato DJ lets you spin with a maximum of four virtual decks, letting you choose to display the waveforms in a horizontal or vertical manner. Virtual DJ’s virtual deck limit, on the other hand, is directly tied to the skin that you’re using.
The default Virtual DJ 8 skin has a maximum of six decks, but you can have up to 99 decks if you’re using a skin that supports that number. From this, you may think of Serato DJ as more of a “closed” DJ environment, and Virtual DJ as more “open”. There are advantages and disadvantages to either: being closed means that the developer has more control over the way the app looks and with which devices it works with. This tends to make Serato DJ more stable, albeit across a smaller range of mixers, controllers, and interfaces.
With Virtual DJ 8 being more “open”, that means that users have more opportunities to customise the app to fit their needs on the computer they’re using, and that also means that it works with a broader range of DJ controllers, mixers, and interfaces. You’re even able to modify Virtual DJ 8 on a deeper level thanks to its extensive Options menu that lets you tweak controls to its engine.
Hardware compatibilities Serato DJ: 53 controllers, 17 mixers, 18 accessories (including s), four Virtual DJ: 325 total devices, including mixers, media players, controllers, and DVS boxes Virtual DJ is one of the most popular digital DJ apps because it works with just about anything, and it shows: being compatible with over 300 DJ devices, plus the ability to use puts it at a huge advantage over the compatibility list of Serato DJ for DJs for whom near-universal compatibility is important. This is because Serato DJ licenses its software to hardware manufacturers and retains strict control over implementation, while Virtual DJ just takes it upon itself a lot of the time to make sure its software works, which leads to wider compatibility. Licences and pricing Serato DJ: US$99 or US$9.99 per month / US$299 or US$14.99 for Virtual DJ: Free for Virtual DJ Home / from US$49 for Virtual DJ 8 Advanced Home User depending on the controller that you’re using / US$19 per month or U$299 for Virtual DJ Pro Serato DJ has a simpler pricing scheme than Virtual DJ 8, and the cost doesn’t vary depending on which controller you’re using. A Virtual DJ 8 Advanced Home User licence can run up to a whopping US$199, as is the case when buying a licence for the. Both apps have monthly subscription payment options too, and could make more sense if you plan on just trying out the software, or if you don’t plan on DJing too often, opting instead to reactivate your licence only when you need it. Expansion packs and add-ons Serato DJ:, Serato FX Pack, Virtual DJ: User-generated FX, pad layouts, and plugins Virtual DJ comes with more features straight out the box: video mixing capability and DVS come baked in, for example, whereas you’d have to buy expansion packs for both in Serato DJ. Having said that, Serato has some features that Virtual DJ doesn’t, including Serato Flip and a number of complex effects that come from the Serato FX Pack.
Instead of an online store, Virtual DJ has a community that develops extensions for it. In you’re going to find effects chains, performance pad layouts, and even plugins that make Virtual DJ more powerful. There is no other mainstream DJ app that has a community of developers like it. Further, Virtual DJ 8 comes with loads of editors that let you manipulate audio and video: there’s a “track cleaner” that lets you make clean edits of tunes; a video editor that lets you create overlays and titles over video files; an advanced BPM editor that lets you set beatgrids for tracks, even ones that have varying tempos (also known as elastic beatgrids, which Serato DJ also has); and there’s even an Automix editor that lets you set mix in and mix out points for songs that you’ve got in a playlist (something mobile DJs would find useful at functions). Video mixing and karaoke Serato DJ: Yes, with the Serato Video add-on Virtual DJ: Yes Serato DJ lets you mix video and visuals via the Serato Video add-on pack, or with a third-party app like. Virtual DJ has video mixing built-in, so you don’t have to spend extra for it. Virtual DJ lets you spin with karaoke files, perfect for those mobile gigs where you need to throw up lyrics on a screen.
Serato DJ also lets you spin with karaoke files as long as you’ve got Serato Video. Music streaming Serato DJ: Pulselocker (US$9.99 per month for Basic, or US$19.99 for Pro) Virtual DJ: Pulselocker (US$9.99 per month for Basic, or US$19.99 for Pro) / ContentUnlimited (US$9.99 per month for Music Plan, US$19.99 for Karaoke Plan, US$49.99 for Video Plan) Serato DJ taps for its music streaming, giving you access to hundreds of thousands of house and techno music across 38 record labels. The Basic plan allows you to access the Pulselocker library, but the Pro plan gives you the ability to store songs offline (for spinning without an internet connection) as well as the licence to play these songs out publicly. Virtual DJ also has Pulselocker integration, plus it has its own ContentUnlimited service, which has a multimedia selection: different ContentUnlimited plans give you access to its music, karaoke, or video libraries. This is a better option for mobile DJs who find themselves spinning karaoke requests or music videos at functions and gigs. DVS compatibility Serato DJ: Yes, with a Serato DVS-compatible interface Virtual DJ: Yes, compatible with practically all DVS boxes Spinning with timecode vinyl and CDs was originally Serato’s raison d’etre – it’s what endeared Serato to many scratch DJs and turntablists looking to make the jump from analogue to digital.
Serato may not have invented (Stanton’s Final Scratch holds that honour), but many consider it to be one of the most stable, foolproof DVS choices out in the market. Though Serato DVS works with many controllers, mixers, and DVS interfaces, Virtual DJ works with even more – that’s because Virtual DJ 8’s DVS mode can be used with any manufacturer’s DVS-supported equipment.
That’s right: you can spin timecode with Virtual DJ 8 and a Rane SL interface (Serato DJ-compatible), a Traktor Scratch A6 interface (Traktor Pro-compatible), and other controllers and mixers that are DVS-ready. Again, we’re seeing the “openness” of Virtual DJ in action. Finally Virtual DJ 8’s updated scratch engine and open DVS compatibility has made it a solid option for turntablists and battle DJs. Your choice will ultimately depend on your style, personal preference, and the types of gigs that you DJ. If you’re a mobile DJ and you spin with various forms of media regularly (music, karaoke, and video), and you would like access to a streaming catalogue that provides all of these media, then you stand to benefit the most with using Virtual DJ 8.
It’s packed with more features without having to buy add-ons, and if you enjoy tinkering with software, you may just enjoy all the customisation and plugin options available. Big name DJs like Mixmaster Mike and Fatboy Slim have been known to use Serato DJ. Steve Aoki (pictured above) even used Serato Video for his visuals at one point. If you’re a straight-shooting club or gigging DJ who spins with DVS or a controller, and you prefer a simpler workflow, Serato DJ could be the better choice for you. DJ controllers that are supported by Serato DJ are often plug-and-play too, which is a big plus if you don’t like fiddling around with settings.
Serato DJ doesn’t have the secondary features that Virtual DJ 8 has (eg the editors, deep customisation options), but if you won’t be using these for your shows, then you may be better off without the bloat. It is solid, reliable, and unlike Virtual DJ, there is no stigma around it among club DJs (eg “it’s not for serious DJing”) – however wrong-placed such stigma might be. Which DJ software do you prefer, and why?
If you’re a Virtual DJ 8 user, do you get to use any of the advanced features? If you’re a Serato user, what features would you like added to it? Share your thoughts below. I use both platforms. Since I play disco, old school and r&b that includes a human drummer or is non-quantized, I find beat gridding my tracks to be of the utmost importance. Serato DJ for me is much easier to beat grid. I find the bpm editor in VDJ 8.2 difficult and inconsistent.
Virtual Dj Touch Screen Skin
Beat matching by ear is something I do in VDJ but I really like the sync button in Serato. VDJ supports so many controllers, it should not be classified as non-professional. The ultimate decision should be based on the types of music one plays. Workflow is the magic word i think it is quite comical to tell any of the well known softwares are non professional ( more or less) cause who is specifying “what is pro or not” ridiculous discussion anyway if you ask me. Dj software is a tool that´s what it really is or should be. For i play Music Videos only, VirtualDJ is my choice cause i use the additional features a lot.
Honestly i think for each type of DJ there is a software that fits his needs best. And isnt it the Music that really Read more ».
Virtual Dj Touch Screen Skin
Great article. I use them both and find VDJ8 has way more options but serato dj has excellent effects and it works better with the controllers designed for it of course.
But i absulutely hate the library management. In vdj you can use crates and folders and even virtual folders that reside inside the program. Anytime i add a song to my music folder which i organized by genres its automatically added to vdj. Serato has the asshole approach. If i put many songs into many different folders i have to then remember to open serato and drag them in. TL:DR is: The review was fair and mostly accurate but missing critical info for mobile DJ’s. If you’re a mobile DJ, I can’t imagine where Serato wouldn’t eventually let you down.
If your choice is between VDJ and Serato, VDJ is hands down the winner for a mobile DJ. For those who want more: Hey.now you’re right up my alley. I have an mcx8000 that of course came with Serato. I’m a mobile DJ and ended up buying Virtual DJ 8.
Virtual Dj 8 Skins Free
Let me put this out there: Serato is smooth. I’ve had less problems in general with it. The FX Read more ». A nice, balanced article and, a healthy response flow I ended up in VDJ, when I bought my first controller that had a ‘light’ version. I upgraded to Pro and another controller then dumped the controller for a touch screen! I was stuck on two mix decks with an ADJ VMS2.
The touch screen allows me to run as many virtual decks as I can handle. I bounce between 4 & 6 decks. 6 is great for weddings, being able to line up those critical songs and dropping them in at an instant (i.e. – bride & groom arrive). I’ll Read more ».
Both platforms have their pros and cons: Serato lacks flexible looping (loops become their own cue on-the-fly), no bpm range search (unless it’s been up dated. VDJ FX stop post fader i.e. Delay, and even in VDJ8 there’s a clearly noticeable reduced quality in soundSerato is a FAR cleaner, fuller sound.
That said the ability to roll within a loop never goes out of fashion and the customization in Virtual DJ is amazing. My Novation Twitch paid for itself in a gig. Fingers crossed for Roland DJ 505/202 templates. Having been a bedroom DJ for a very long time (and occasionally performing at my friends’ house parties), Virtual DJ came in very handy for me. The Home Edition has been very adequate with all the functionality I could require. These are the ticking points from my view:.Allows one to play with a full interface and functionality (bar for hardware connectivity) unlike other softwares which require the full version.I connect the master out from a USB audio interface (Behringer UCA222) and for headphone cueing I use the laptop’s jack out.Full keyboard mapping: I have a fully custom Read more ». Hi Joey, Thanks for this great article.
Good to see such a thorough comparison of two pieces of software and especially for Virtual Dj to get a fair hearing! My sense is that many peoples preference comes down to whatever they are used to! That is certainly the case with VirtualDj for me. Though I do love it’s incredible flexibility both in terms of features, gear that it will work with, customisable interface (you can now even easily create your own!), as well as awesome mapping facilities. The biggest weakness that I feel it has is in effects department, particularly Read more ».
I’ve used vDJ since its version 2 release. Since the days of its early parent association to Atomix. VDJ has.always. been ahead in innovative features (many copied by Serato) and even today, still leads with features like advanced scripting to help you build wonderful key matched compatibility crates (something Serato seems oblivious to and RekordBox already recognizes as the new kid on the block). All that to say that vDJ has been a leader in many ways, however, it fell victim to its own fixation with being innovative.
While Serato always had the all important scratch accuracy and was Read more ». I’ve been a diehard VDJ user since 2013.
The initial purchase price was high because I bought an unlimited license but I’m really happy I bought it because I have lifetime updates and can use it with any controller or soundcard-enabled DJ mixer under the sun. I love that I can remap and swap out features to my heart’s content and the community of users and super users answer each and every mapping question pretty much within a few hours. Just last week, I decided I didn’t like the default filter so I downloaded a user-created replacement from the add-on Read more ». VDJ all the wayand also for this. There is the nowadays, hyped “soundswitch” (DMX-hard+software box). Soundswitch is unfortunally an outdated idea.I’m for years already on the road with DMX-sequences on my VDJ-music. VDJ uses a “free” plugin called “freestyler8”, so all my programmed DMX-sequences play on the beat or i can program dmx on individual tracks.
Evenbind the sequences on my laptop- or controller keys, no need for extra midi-hardware. No need for a fancy GUIi want an engine that does it all.