Serato
Serato (stylized in all lowercase; /sərɑːtoʊ/) is a music software company founded in 1998 in Auckland, New Zealand by Steve West and AJ Bertenshaw.[1]
Industry
History[edit]
West and Bertenshaw met in computer science class at the University of Auckland. When West created an algorithm that could change the tempo of a recorded track without changing the pitch, Bertenshaw realized the opportunity to build upon the idea. The first published product, "Pitch 'n Time", which built off the original audio manipulation concept, was pitched to various companies like Pioneer and Sony but failed to gain traction with the music side of the industry. However, the idea was received more positively in Hollywood, where it quickly became useful editing tool for moviemakers.[1][2]
On July 11, 2023, subject to approval by the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office and other customary conditions, the two companies agreed on the acquisition of all Serato shares by AlphaTheta, which manufactures and sells Pioneer DJ products. While the partnership will capitalize on the combined expertise of both companies, AlphaTheta and Serato will continue to operate as standalone brands.[3]
Software[edit]
Serato produces software used in digital music mixing,[4] including digital vinyl record mixing for DVS records.[5] Serato also produces software for DJ mixing, which has visual components including wave form beatmatching[6] and other information about the sound being produced by the system.[7] The software works with DJ controllers from various manufacturers, including Pioneer DJ, Denon DJ, and Roland.[2]
In 2018 Serato changed the names of its DJ software from Serato DJ to Serato DJ Pro, and from Serato DJ Intro to Serato DJ Lite.[8] The new versions use 64-bit software architecture.[9] Serato also partners with hardware developers such as Pioneer to create Serato controllers.[10]
Pyro[edit]
Serato developed a mobile app called Pyro, which automatically fades songs from a mobile device as they transition from track to track without prompting, and serves as a playlist creator[11] drawing music from a device’s iTunes library.[12] Pyro also comes preloaded with other song collections curated by different artists and labels.[13]