- Deck Controls<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Waveform Display<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Music Library<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Crates<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How to load music in Serato DJ<\/strong><\/a>
- Importing Playlists from Apple Music (iTunes)<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Stem Separation in Serato DJ<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Navigating Serato<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before we show you how to get started for the first time in the Serato DJ software, we will help you navigate the software so you get a better feel for the layout and don\u2019t get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Serato](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2022\/05\/Serato-full-window.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSerato is broken up into four main areas: Deck controls, Waveform display, Music library, and Crates. There are features and options to access within each area while using the software. Here are some tips for working in each area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deck Controls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2022\/04\/Serato-Decks-100-1024x249.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Deck controls are used to control the main parameters of the track, such as syncing tempo, adding cue points and loops, adjusting the track volume, and navigating track locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Clicking and dragging the waveform in the Deck controls is a great way to quickly jump to a specific part of the song.<\/li>
- Click the note (keylock) <\/strong>button to retain the track\u2019s key when the tempo has changed.<\/li>
- Double-click the back<\/strong> button to load the previous song added to that track.<\/li>
- Press the Cues & Loops <\/strong>button, then click the + <\/strong>buttons to add cue points to the selected track.<\/li>
- Click the Sync <\/strong>button to sync the tempos of the currently loaded tracks.
- If the tempos differ by more than approximately 2\u20133 bpm, engage the keylock so the pitches are retained.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Waveform Display<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Serato-Waveform-display-100\"](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2022\/04\/Serato-Waveform-display-100.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Waveform display is self-explanatory: it\u2019s where you\u2019ll see the waveform of each track. The primary function within the Waveform display is clicking and dragging the waveform to scrub<\/strong><\/a> the track. This is very important, especially when fine-tuning the alignment of tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Music Library<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2022\/04\/Serato-Music-library-100-1024x392.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll the music that has been loaded into Serato DJ lives in the Music library section. You can sort tracks by song, number of plays, artist, bpm, album, and length. This is also where you\u2019ll load and analyze all your tracks. You can also add comments for each track, which is great when organizing and creating your library and crates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Click the left arrow<\/strong> on the right of the Music library (underneath the search bar) to show you fields you want to add or remove (genre, tempo, length, etc.).<\/li>
- You may notice an icon to the left of the track name. This indicates a specific status of the song, such as the track being corrupt, missing, or locked. Check out the Serato DJ manual for a complete list of status icons and descriptions<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>
- Double-click a track\u2019s field (e.g., genre, artist) to update the tag. For example, if a song doesn\u2019t have a genre listed, but you know the genre is EDM, double-click the genre box on the track and type \u201cEDM\u201d. This will be important, especially if you\u2019re creating smart crates<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Crates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Serato](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2022\/05\/Serato-Crate-Heirarchy.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCrates are essentially playlists, and it\u2019s how you\u2019ll sort your music for later use. What\u2019s great is that you can add the same song to multiple crates. For example, if an EDM song fits multiple categories, just click and drag the song from the Music library to each crate. To create a crate, simply click the Add Crate <\/strong>button, then rename it. You can also create subcrates, which help organize your tracks even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- We highly recommend renaming your crate to something easily identifiable, such as Hip-hop Set, Dance Set, or Party Mix Set.<\/li>
- Create subcrates by creating a blank crate, renaming it, then dragging and dropping it into another. This is great, especially if your song is part of a subgenre or if you want specific songs within a crate to be grouped together.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Smart crates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
NOTE<\/strong>: The Smart Crate feature is only available for Serato DJ Pro users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Smart Crate feature allows you to create and update special crates based on a specific set of rules you select. This is especially useful if you have an extensive music library or want to import a particular batch of songs without scrolling through your library. Check out Serato\u2019s video below to learn more about smart crates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- You may notice an icon to the left of the track name. This indicates a specific status of the song, such as the track being corrupt, missing, or locked. Check out the Serato DJ manual for a complete list of status icons and descriptions<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>
- Click the left arrow<\/strong> on the right of the Music library (underneath the search bar) to show you fields you want to add or remove (genre, tempo, length, etc.).<\/li>
- Double-click the back<\/strong> button to load the previous song added to that track.<\/li>
- Stem Separation in Serato DJ<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Waveform Display<\/strong><\/a><\/li>