Best dj software reviews

Traktor is one of the well-known DJ software in the market. They have made a name in delivering the best quality of both software and hardware. They are user-friendly and can be easily operated by both beginners and seasoned DJs. Traktor Pro 3 provides a very visual representation of the analytics of each of the tracks that you are working on.

It has colored wave forms that help differentiate the low frequencies from the high frequencies. It also is kind of a big deal in the vast world of DJ software. The jazzy display of colors is all a sight to behold especially with its crisp and colorful backdrop. It also has a very straightforward layout for its browsers which is a great advantage, especially for a newbie DJ. As for its features and functions, Traktor Pro 3 carries four decks that can be customized to the user's taste.

It also features a significant number of FX ranging from simple delays and reverbs to the complex modulators. The Traktor Pro 3 can be used and is compatible with both Native Instruments hardware and just about any third party hardware. This software has been recommended for its versatility, popularity, and user-friendly interface. Although they are not as widespread compared to Traktor and Serato, Virtual DJ has achieved much popularity on its own terms.

It also has a lot to offer. Virtual DJ also features a dark backdrop that is sharp and elegant. It offers simple and straightforward navigation while you are using it. It is particularly ideal for beginners because of its simple and less daunting interface.

Virtual DJ is very versatile as it can work with almost any DJ hardware available in the market. This gives the users a wide range of choices when it comes to picking out a controller that suits them best. Just make sure you have the right MIDI map for the controller you have in mind. No need to so much configuration here which saves you a lot of time.

It also allows users the ability to play 6 decks at the same time. Additionally, it carries standard features such as crossfading, tempo adjustment, song mixing, and cues. Since it can be used under certain conditions without paying a dime, it is the best DJ software free loaders tend to marvel over the most.

Serato has been known to be the DJ software that is ideal for beginners and newbie DJs. It offers an easy-to-understand interface that has the old vinyl feel to it.

However, it also comes with modern features and functions as well. This has been widely remarked throughout the years to be the best DJ software for scratching. The layout of Serato DJ is one of the best in the market that features a sleek design. It has a dark background color with a minimalist feel. This allows for easy navigation and monitoring of everything that is going on within the system.

One of the notable features that Serato DJ has is its ability to create crates which are playlists. You can easily create a playlist by simply adding songs to the crate. It also has a smart crate which lets you set rules for it. It is also very easy to create loops and hot cues.

All these just takes a single click on your mouse. It also has the quantize and sync features that some find a little non-mandatory. Nevertheless, more options are better than less. It also has a built-in adjust and key detection feature. This feature analyzes the key of the track and displays it for you to see.

It is also known to work with a plug and play capability. However, one downside is that it requires a Serato approved piece of equipment or hardware. Serato DJ software is also known to have outstanding quality and stability. You will experience very little issues on the system and almost no encounters with crashes. This is because of how simple the software is. Another close competitor is Rekorbox.

It may not be as popular as the others like Serato, Traktor, and Virtual DJ, but Rekordbox also has interesting features and offers. This has been one of the rising stars in the DJ software industry.

Its layout consists of multicolored wave forms that are stacked neatly for easy viewing. Your track library can be viewed at the bottom of the interface. It can be a little overwhelming at first, but its layout can easily be configured to ones taste. Like many of the options, it can access songs in multiple views and from select cloud services, works with and without hardware, and paying for a monthly pro subscription unlocks many more features.

With a reputation for the least latency, Serato DJ Pro is the software of choice for professional hip-hop DJs with backgrounds in the competitive DJ battle circuit who prefer to perform physical tricks with digitally time-coded vinyl records, if given the choice. Essentially, the better software is the one that makes it easiest for you to express your ideas. The simple and uncluttered interface of Traktor DJ 2 , which is available on desktop and iPad, is our pick for the least intimidating DJ software for users with no experience to try out.

The tablet experience of this program can be learned on the fly with just one finger and the Sync button engaged to automatically match the tempo of the beats for you. DJs mix sounds and songs together as a creative expression.

They use digital or analog means to achieve their desired results. Not all DJs use a digital audio workstation or DAW , which is software used to actually record, edit, or re mix songs.

Serato, which makes pro standard DJ software, also offers a DAW called Serato Studio that allows DJs to easily create their own edits and remixes with much less of a steep learning curve than Ableton.

And since GarageBand comes preloaded into Macs, many DJs use the music production software they already have to embellish the songs they want to play plus projects in GarageBand can be easily imported into its premium big brother, Logic Pro , if your ambitions and budget increase. DJ software allows anyone to explore how this works via your computer, tablet, phone, CDJs, or other external hardware called controllers that either mimic the old-school turntable and DJ mixer setup or look like miniature spinning platters.

Ultimately, our standout picks all have the potential to help you to intensify your love of music and stimulate your imagination. Sign up to receive Popular Science's emails and get the highlights.

Published Aug 28, AM. Written By Tamara Palmer. Published Aug. Tamara Palmer. Q: Is Serato or rekordbox better? Q: Which DJ software is easiest? Tamara Palmer is a writer, editor, and professional DJ from California.

Perfectly beginner friendly as you can make the interface as simple as you like. Check out the Mixxx website here for more info. AtomixMP3 was first released in meaning they were at the forefront of DJ software. In it won the award for Best DJ Software at the international dance music awards winter music conference in Miami. Virtual DJ is available for free, but this is for non commercial use only. If you want to plug in hardware like controllers, the free version will only allow this for 10 minute periods.

This is to prevent commercial DJing. If you want to use it for gigging or with controllers you will need the full version. When you buy the full version of virtual DJ there is a free upgrade policy. This is a great selling point for the software and really shows how much the company value and respect their customers. Atomix also sell control vinyl via their website. The interface is very clean on a dark grey background and is very easy on the eye.

Half of the screen is dedicated to the music library and the other half is where the magic happens. The deck section features a simple drag and drop function to quickly load up your chosen track. The waveform at the top shows a close-up with a combination of both decks scanning right to left.

This is to aid with beatmatching, and the waveforms are easily identified by the colours red or blue. And Just like Mixxx we get an auto mix function that can be edited to our own settings. A really cool feature it the sample editor where you can drop a whole track and grab small samples.

So if you wanted to use a vocal sample for example, this would be a great useful feature. You can also create voice drops using your microphone. Simply record your own vocals using the record button on the mixer, and play them back as a sample. This feature lets you stream music videos while you mix. The software also lets you link both the audio and visual mixing crossfaders.

This makes them work as one so you can mix both audio and video simultaneously. You can set up to 6 hot cues via the interface or more using your controller, mixer etc. Here you can also set loops and auto loops with the ability to set the size, length, and number of beats etc.

A really cool feature of virtual DJ is the Sandbox Mode. This lets you practice the mix in your headphones before actually executing the live mix.

So you can test out what a mix might sound like before actually outputting it through your main speakers. This controller is sold as a Serato controller but works perfectly in conjunction with Virtual DJ.

To find out more check out the Virtual DJ website here. Cross DJ was first released in by a french company called Mixvibes. The Mixvibes team are well known for coding and producing Pioneers fantastic Rekordbox software.

The iOS and android Apps both offer a simple interface with 2 deck and mixer view. You can use the app in portrait or landscape view but landscape is the easiest. Something really cool is the Mixvibes Soundcloud link-up. This lets you find your own tracks stored in your soundcloud account and throw them into your sets. Once the track is loaded the waveform overview will show up above the deck. If you touch the waveform you can drag your finger along it to search through the selected track.

This lets you quickly jump to a certain point of the track. You can also touch the deck to scan through the track, or to scratch. Here you can choose from a bank of effects that you can control by moving your finger around the touchpad. And below the FX button you have a sampler that will let you trigger things like horns and scratch sounds. You can also create your own sample bank and add your own samples to it.

And you can even record your own vocal hits to drop into your sets. The interface is pretty simple. You can also record your mixes by clicking the record button between the two waveforms.

Overall a nice easy to use app, that could be the best DJ software for house parties, birthdays etc. If you need a more complex software the desktop version of Cross DJ is great and offers lots more features. You can get the full mixvibes package on amazon for a great price. You can find out more about Cross DJ at the Mixvibes website here. Serato audio research is a New Zealand based company founded in The dark interface is pleasing to the eye and not too overwhelming considering how feature packed it is.

Serato DJ Pro lets you control up to 4 decks at one time using a simple drag and drop track selection feature. Once the track loads up you get lots of track information at the top of the deck section and on the deck overview.

You can see things like track name, BPM, track time, track remain, pitch percentage, and a set of VU meters. You have a sync option that works great alongside the quantize mode. This keeps every beat locked in and perfectly beatmatched and in time. This lets you add up to a total of 67 effects!