Serato DJ has been one of the leading audio software producers in the industry for almost two decades. Users can choose between the free Serato DJ Lite version and the paid Pro version that I’d recommend if you’re an experienced DJ.
DJ software allows the user to mix tracks using their laptop, manipulate them, and apply various effects from the software panel. It also plays a crucial part for the DVS system, which allows you to use turntables and vinyl, but select tracks from your computer.
In this article, my main focus will be to teach you how to add the songs you’ve stored somewhere on the internet or your laptop to your Serato DJ Lite library. On the way to our goal, we’ll put in a few words about other useful tips that I’m sure you’ll appreciate.
Serato DJ Lite (Interface)
The first step to learning how to add tracks into your software library is to take a good look at its interface and find that everything has its own place. Once you get comfortable with DJ Lite, everything will come naturally and you’ll start noticing the logic behind it.
Serato DJ Lite has a very user-friendly interface. Every command is one click away, so you don’t need any special skills to navigate through it. It has one display mode, unlike its bigger sibling DJ Pro, which has four. This one’s simple interface will just stay carved into your brain.
The software interface comprises two decks in the form of clearly visible waveforms, with your music list located in the left half of the screen. Obviously, it would be for the best that you open Serato Lite and see it for yourself.
At this point, I suggest we get back to our main task and learn how to add music files to your Serato DJ Lite.
Import Music To Serato DJ Lite Library
The simplest and most convenient way of importing music files into Serato DJ Lite is by using the Files button, which you will find on the right half of your screen. It’s located right next to the Browse, Prepare, and History buttons.
After you click on the Files button, you can drag the folders that contain the songs you want into the crate area.
For example, you know that the folder containing some lit tracks is on your desktop, right? In that case, you go to Files, and it will open for you all the potential sources you could use. You then choose Desktop and drag the music folder to the crates.
Alternative Ways Of Importing Music To Serato DJ Lite
iTunes Library
Dragging and dropping files from your computer isn’t the only way to have your favorite music listed in your DJ Lite. You could also use your iTunes library. You can do this by enabling this option within Serato DJ Lite.
First, select the option that will allow you to see the music that you’ve sorted in your iTunes library. To enable it, you go to the Setup Menu, or Settings as some people call it. Anyway, it’s the famous gear icon, so click on it.
After you go to settings, open the Library Display tab, which you will find right in between the Audio and Mixer tabs. From there, just tick the Show iTunes Library box. This will show you your iTunes playlists with the other crates.
However, to completely finish the process, you need to make sure that you’ve enabled sharing within your iTunes app. Go to Preferences, and make sure you’ve ticked the box saying Share iTunes Library XML With Other Applications.
External Hard Drive
Another way to import music into your Serato DJ Lite library is by using music files you have sorted in some external hard drive of yours. If such a device is connected to your computer, it will be recognized in the files panel.
You would import the music from your external hard drive just like you would do with an internal one. You would go to Files, then select the music you’re after, and drag it to your playlist window.
However, if you don’t have your hard drive connected to your computer when running Serato DJ Lite, the songs will not be visible in your library. You can also use the music from your external hard drive on more than just one unit.
You can plug it into another machine running DJ Lite, and all the files and crates will be visible there as well.
From CDs Into Serato
This part sounds so complicated, and even depressing to some people who think they will never be able to use the music burned on CDs or other digital data stored on discs and records. Well, it is possible with Serato Lite.
I’m really saying that luckily, you could play music from your CD and Serato would recognize it. However, this process could be hampered by the computer speed, so the playback might not be what you expected.
For that reason, the best way would be to use a music converter and transform the songs’ format into something that the Serato software would recognize, such as MP3, WAV, and so on. The brand itself recommends that you have your files in MPR, for the best experience.
However, other file formats are also supported by the software, such as MP4, WAV, M4A, FLAC, AAC, and a few others. The ALAC format is only supported by Mac and Windows 10 operating systems.
Streaming Music
Serato Lite also supports various streaming platforms that you can use to create your playlist and use it in your DJ set. Although the brand has terminated its collaboration with Spotify, perhaps the most famous streaming platform, there are other ways to do this.
Serato has joined partnerships with TIDAL, Beatsource LINK, Beatport LINK, and SoundCloud. Plus, it’s not like your Spotify playlists are not gone forever. These platforms will allow you to migrate your music files from Spotify and use them in your mixes.
Summary
As you probably noticed throughout the article, importing music in Serato DJ Lite is not as complicated as one might think. There are several ways to do it, some of which are simpler and some of which are a bit more complicated.
So, to import music files into your Serato DJ Lite, you could:
- Go to the Files panel and import existing music by dragging and dropping the folder;
- Integrate your iTunes library;
- Import songs from an external hard drive;
- Import tracks from CDs;
- Stream music via various platforms.
Learning how to do this has never been easier, and I hope that this article will help. Also, you can use some video materials that you will easily find on YouTube or Serato’s official website.
FAQ
Can You Record A Mix On Serato DJ Lite?
Yes. Recording is supported with most DJ hardware. To do so, you have to enable the specific feature on your software and make sure that your controller or mixer supports this activity. For example, this will not be possible if you’re using Numark MixDeck, or MixDeck Express.
What’s The Difference Between Serato DJ Pro and Lite?
Serato DJ Pro is a paid version that will cost you a one-time payment of $99, while the Lite version is free, but it lacks some features that Pro has. For example, in DJ Lite, you won’t be able to do Key Analysis and you will have fewer cue points than the Pro version.