DJs, remixers, and producers on the forefront of technology better watch out! Serato and Ableton have announced a strategic partnership, which will pave the way for the future of digital DJing. With shared artist rosters from hip-hop (DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Nu-Mark, A-Trak) to electronica (Paul Van Dyk, DJ Sasha), both Ableton Live and Serato Scratch Live are renowned as the premier performance platforms in clubs around the globe. While Serato’s Scratch Live excels in vinyl emulation, music library control and lightning quick hands-on scratching, Ableton Live provides the tools for production, on-the-fly remixing, and beat creation.
“Ableton and Serato take different approaches to modern musical performance,” said Ableton CEO Gerhard Behles. “But both companies live by the philosophy that software should be straightforward, easy to use, and most importantly, reliable and stable onstage and in the studio. Ableton has never had an answer for the DJ who wants vinyl control, and rather than try to emulate what Serato does so well, we simply made sure that our products work well together.” Serato Audio Research CEO Steve West agreed. “After years of talking together, we’re thrilled to be working with Ableton. It’s exciting to think we can offer DJs and producers the ability to go beyond just spinning records and add a personal stamp to the music they play.” Just where this Serato/Ableton collaboration will take us is not yet clear, but odds are good the worlds of DJing, remixing, and production for artists worldwide have significant changes ahead.
