Serato Itch

  1. Serato Scratch was one of the key technologies that helped DJs begin to make the transition into the digital realm. Allowing artists to play their digital music files virtually using vinyl, Serato Scratch, along with similar tools such as Final Scratch, acted as a bridge between the traditional vinyl and digital worlds.

  2. Taking things a step further, Serato are presenting their latest creation, ITCH, as an integrated software and hardware solution. With ITCH, the focus is not so much on replicating the traditional vinyl experience as it is on tighter, custom integration with hardware - allowing for much more accurate control for many DJs who still demand precision response for beatmatching and scratching. Key to the ITCH project are collaborations between Serato and other manufacturers, with the company saying "ITCH is a project that has engineers from a variety of companies working together and striving for the same goals."

  3. ITCH allows for auto beat sync and BPM calculation, allowing DJs to sync up tunes quickly if they need to. AIFF, WAV, MP3 and AAC audio files are supported in a music management interface that provides compatibility with iTunes and also gives users access to Serato's Whitelabel.net music download site.

  4. Controllers that have been built to work with ITCH include the Denon DJ DN HC-5000, a robust rackmount controller; the Allen & Heath Xone:DX; the Numark NS7, which has motorized control platters that run 7" vinyl; as well as the Vestax VCI-300. Serato obviously hopes to position ITCH as a standard for virtual DJ controllers, betting that companies will want to leverage the known quality of the software as well as user familiarity when bringing a new product to market.

  6. Although each custom controller for ITCH obviously works differently, Serato has focused on a few solid principles with this new software. First, one-to-one mapping that provides for ultra-responsive control as well as fast setup time. They have also attempted to simplify the software UI, moving more of the focus to the device itself for all controls. Like other programs of its kind, ITCH allows for auto beat sync and BPM calculation, allowing DJs to sync up tunes quickly if they need to. AIFF, WAV, MP3 and AAC audio files are supported in a music management interface that provides compatibility with iTunes and also gives users access to Serato's Whitelabel.net music download site.

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