days

start with abs mode
move to relative mode
learn all the little tricks and tips to make DJing more efficient and fun

no time at all.

thanks alot

Seriously-- Took me longer to hook it up than it did to play my first track.

Just the basics can be implimented within the first 10 minutes.

Trust me... coming to this board is the very best thing you can do to prepare. I came here months before I got off my cheap ass an bought SL.

All the other dj's here are the best education you can get. Just read the posts, search for topics, and dont be afraid to speak up! (unless you're going to ask for an auto-mix button)

Also- download the software and start getting your crates ready. Build your overviews and when you bring Serato home, you'll be ready to go!

It's super easy. Absolute mode is almost exactly the same as using regular vinyl. I used that for a few months at least, then finally moved to relative.

hardest part is remembering that you don't have to take the record off the turntable when you finish with a tune. When you move to relative mode, the hardest part is remembering that you don't need to lift the needle when you finish with a tune.

ive been using serato for about 6 months and before that I was using another solution similar to SSL that I wont name for like a year. I STILL take the needle off the record almost every time. I use relative mode exclusively so I have absolutely no reason to do that. I dont know why I cant shake that habit.

Took me about a week to get out of the habit of taking the record off the platter after it mixed out haha.

exactly.

for real.

do this process.

It was a bitch to install and get the settings right (with out even reading the manual "just me, i never read the manuals until i something doesn't work on the first try like in this case)once the software was installed and everything was hooked up i started rocking. Now the effects on the 57SL i learned them as i played around with the mixer. my favorite effect (cueing and assigning points)

I lock the playing deck, so I still lift the needle in REL mode. About once a gig I still reach top pull the record off the deck though, which never fails to give me a little giggle.

I'm still rockin absolute mode because I haven't become "fluent" in relative mode YET.

Good thing about SSL, is there's always more to learn because of updates!


But all in all, to use SSL efficiently, it takes a good day or two of practice.

Hey Briguy...Just select the needle drop option in setup (version 1.8)and make the jump to REL...then begin to enjoy the auto loopy goodness. Its the shit. You can set it to drop to 1st cue points too.

This my plan, eventually. I dont have time to set up cue points, so I use Absolute mode while gigging, and set up the 1st cue point on the fly, so that next time i play the song, i have the option to use REL mode.

Kinda off topic, as I'm still new to SL....When you make cue points, does that mean, once you drop the needle, it will start at where you set it at? If so, how do you go about doing this? I find that, well, I use ABS mode and I have to kinda spin the record for a bit until the track finally appears.

Thanks for the help again

Relative is the shizznit. I used absolute mode for 1 day and made the jump to relative mode.

I used abs mode for 13 seconds and went straight to relative. That was in version 1.1. I dont see the advantage to using abs mode. If there is one please inform me. I started out using vinyl and used it for years and felt relieved when i first used rel mode.

+1

Honestly, it was super easy because I started back in 1.4 and well, all absolute, so there was nothing to it. I've been progressing on it for fun (loops, the new relative/absolute with needle drop) :)


I think if I had started today, it would have taken me a few hours. But, using it is not the problem. It's learning all the stuff that you should be aware of like rebuilding overviews, possible problems, etc. You gotta be prepared in case something goes wrong.

you know the only thing that pissed me off about SSL is the overviews and gain adjustments. Its probably my fault cause I'm computer retarded but I have built overview for my whole library atleast 10 times with the gain adjustment clicked and not only did it have no effect, but I lost all my crates in the process. I currently have atleast 500 songs that are red.

absolute vs relative? difference? I keep forgeting.

took me hours. but then i came from final scratch 1.0/2.0 so i have been using the waxcontrolsthemp3 software for a bit. problem was, final scratch didn't do the waxcontrolsthemp3 to well lol.

rtfm - read the fuckin manual *i read the manual before i even bought ssl
learn keyboard shortcuts
try all modes (abs, rel, int) *rel has the most functionality
try all features so you can see what they can do (i.e. reveal, locate, auto looping, etc.)

I retired from djing,4 yrs ago started riding dirtbikes/pitbikes,then one day my homie cameback from new york and got a gig so since I had a van I took him their,he had serato and hooked it up I was watching him and he was like here fuck with it so he showed me the basic took all but 5 minutes and it was a wrap since,I started back djing 30 minutes later,and cameout of retirement 2 weeks later when the club heard I started back djing and they threw me a comingout of retirement party,I brought the sl1 the nextday the the ttm57sl 3 months later after being on here seeing what it did.I always had expensive mixers either given to me or won in a battle.

I used it the day after I bought it in a live setting, and my only experience with it was plugging it in to make sure it worked the night before.

I didn't delve into it much beyond ABS, until I had to call in a friend with a 57 and much better knowledge of the software, as a backup for my other friend one night while he was out of town.

Here I am, thinking this dude wouldn't show me up, and got my ass handed to me. Forced me to re-think how to use SSL and up my game QUICK. :)

5 months later, and I shudder to think what would have happened had I *not* brought him out to whoop my ass that night.

15 minutes.

when i first ran ssl on my pc, i was tripping out scratching my mp3s for 15 mins.
after that i started mixing song to song only using the mouse w/o the shortcuts in abs.

so depending on your dj experience i say it takes a week to a month to learn the basic shortcuts and functions in abs. once you figured that out, go learn rel mode asap before you feel comfortable with the vinyl scroll and the needle dropping