Rane Rane SL1 + Serato Scratch Live

SL 1 Interface:

The Rane SL 1 coupled with Serato Scratch Live is the ultimate solution for bridging the analog world of vinyl and the digital world of computer audio files. Using regular turntables or CD players, you can scratch and mix files from your computer's hard drive, add in a live mic input for scratching, and even bypass to standard vinyl if you wish. Scratch Live is the complete digital solution for the vinyl junkie -- take your entire collection wherever you go and leave your precious vinyl at home!

The SL 1 interface connects one or two standard vinyl or CD turntables to your computer. This extremely rugged, portable, high quality, bus-powered USB interface features two switchable phono or line inputs, a microphone input, two line outputs, and pass thru outputs for the phono/line and mic.

The included 12" vinyl records each have a Serato exclusive and unique control signal which allows Scratch Live to track the motion of the record, simulating the same movement with digital audio. Due to Serato's proprietary control scheme, the result is a feel and sound indistinguishable from playing vinyl. As a producer and DJ, the track you finished today can be played on a real turntable tonight.

The SL 1 package includes a pair of control vinyl records, a pair of control CDs, software and cables.

Scratch Live:

AAC, WAV, OGG Vorbis, CD Audio and direct from the mixer. Record from your mixer's Aux output and immediately scratch as if it was on vinyl. Record direct from vinyl or CD and save as a 24-bit 48 kHz stereo file.

Easily import your playlists and iTunes library. You can drag from Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac) into the Scratch Live library. The crate and subcrate system helps organize your library and sets. Hot-swap external drives with fast automatic library merging and retention of crates. Browse your music collection by album, artist, BPM, or genre, with optional album art display. Intuitive search function can be applied to any field to find things quickly. Edit ID3 tags with full Unicode support.

Preprocessing of MP3 files is not required except to detect corrupt files or use the auto-BPM and auto-gain functions. Auto-BPM detects tempo information for tracks without it, saving it with each file. A tap tempo button allows you to enter your own. Auto-gain lets you set a target gain on any or all songs in your library. You can also manually adjust individual gain, remembered in each song file.

The Virtual Deck shows everything about the speed and position of a track. As the vinyl rotates, so does the line on the label. The circular progress bar around the edge is a visual representation of the position within the song. The time and remaining time are displayed in minutes and seconds. The turntable speed as a percentage of pitch shift is on the left, and the pitched BPM is on the right.

Different operating modes can be assigned to each Virtual Deck:

Absolute Mode — exact reproduction of record movement, needle drop through tracks – just like normal vinyl. The beginning of the track is mapped to the start of the record.

Relative Mode — skip-free scratching, jump to cue points, and pitch bend buttons combined with turntable control. This mode observes the relative forward and backward movement of the record, but does not regard the position within the record.

Internal Mode — mix with just your laptop using features modeled on DJ CD players. Rewind, Bend down, Play / pause reverse, Play / pause forward, Bend up, Fast forward.

Auto mode — play a sequence of tracks automatically.

With Key Lock on, the key or pitch of the song stays locked at what it would be if the track was playing at normal speed, regardless of the platter speed of the turntable or CD player. Key Lock has scratch detection, so it automatically turns off when scratching for a natural scratching sound.

Variable zoom waveforms centered around current position display horizontally or vertically. Waveforms are colored by frequency so you can distinguish instruments visually. Full track overview lets you quickly find where the beat drops, find breakdowns and choruses, and jump to any part of the song. The tempo display assists with rapid tempo matching of tracks. When the two tracks are matched to the same tempo, the peaks will line up. Beat display emphasizes the transients in tracks -- these are matched up when the two tracks are beat matched. Visual markers can be set for up to 5 cue points per song and triggered from the keyboard. Save up to 9 loops per track - these loops are saved in the file, and will be present when you reload. Censor expletives on the fly with an instant quick-reverse and catch-up with no loss of timing or pitch.

MIDI control can interface USB controllers with Scratch Live. DJ controller support will vary. Check the release notes in the Downloads section at ScratchLive.net for supported controllers.

Built-in help and tips in multiple languages are accessible anytime. There is even a low power warning when running off a laptop battery.

Computer requirements:

Mac:

• 1 GHz G4
• 1 GB RAM
• 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution
• OSX 10.3.9 or higher
• Intel Macs require Scratch Live version 1.5 or higher

Windows:

• Pentium 4 / 1.5 GHz (Intel processor)
• 1 GB RAM
• 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution
• Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher
• Windows Vista requires Versions 1.7.2 or higher
• Windows Vista 64-bit requires Versions 1.8.2 or higher

Note that Rane recommends Windows XP over Vista for performance reasons. By using XP, you can have a lower latency (for a better vinyl feel) and better performance in general.

Please note: This is the minimum requirement to run Scratch Live. Rane recommends you to use a higher spec computer, and particularly if you have a large library, you will benefit from having more RAM.

The whole package includes SL 1 hardware interface, USB cable, 4 stereo RCA cables, printed color manual, keyboard shortcut page
2 vinyl records, 2 control CDs, and Scratch Live software install disc.