Did you know that Serato started as a ProTools plugin? And did you know the company was founded in New Zealand of all places?! After a bit of digging around, we’ve decided to share a couple of founding stories with you readers. Knowing this type of stuff makes good backstage chat with other DJs. And getting to know people is what this industry is all about. 

A time-stretching DJ tool

Back in 1997, Serato co-founder Steve West was at the University of Auckland learning bass guitar on the side. He needed a way to play back recordings of bass solos more slowly so that he could practice along. The available tools at the time would all alter the pitch of the audio. As a DJ, you take time-stretching for granted. But there was a time when you changing either pitch or time meant changing the other. You couldn’t decouple them at all! 

A DJ-first plugin

Two years later, West and co-founder AJ Berstenshaw released the plugin Pitch ‘n Time within ProTools, an audio workstation for music production. The journey towards the digital vinyl system (DVS) had begun. Soon after, they began prototyping software which allowed for scrubbing CD audio using a mouse. Next was NoiseMap, an adjusted vinyl record which allowed digital playback. More about how this works in the DJ Courses Online Serato course material.

Scratch Live 

In 2004, the company partnered with Rane to produce Scratch Live. It was the first vinyl digital mixing system to work exactly like real vinyl did. It had a USB interface and sparked the beginning of a vinyl resurgence. Later came Itch, a compact controller system to address the problem of worn-out in-house turntables. VideoSL came next, allowing for the manipulation of visuals. And in 2014, Serato Pro and Lite, which are still in use today. 

The core message of this story is that the widely-used software was developed in response to a need. The founder was simply trying to solve a problem of his own. Same goes for you and your art. Find a group of people that you feel are underserved, and begin putting together mixes for them. Wanna get your head around Serato? Gain access to the DJ Courses Online Serato course material today.