Serato has announced that Serato Studio 1.4.4, which has just been launched, offers a feature-limited edition that is completely free to use.
This free edition lets you save and export projects, and also includes the ability to load a full song into Studio, which makes it possible for DJs to use it to make DJ edits, as-is.
It includes most of the functionality in Studio’s full edition, including features like FX, sampling, instruments, and building layers in your tracks. However, it is limited to four Decks, four Scenes, one Audio Track, MP3-only export, and Automation is disabled.
1.4.4 also brings a new free feature, Auto Chord Mode. This allows users to instantly generate chords using only one note, without the need for any music theory knowledge.
There is still the option to take a free 14-day trial using the full edition with all the features in Serato Studio.
What we think
Serato Studio is going for the “get started in production” end of the market, and is a great choice for DJs wanting to chop up existing tracks and then learn to add elements from there.
The Auto Chord feature is a huge step towards fulfilling that brief, especially as it is available in the free edition.
From there, you can buy it outright for $199, which is seen as expensive by some (Ableton Live 10 Intro, for example, is $99, which although only a cut-down version of Ableton, does an awful lot). However, subscribing for $9.99/month would be a natural next step were you to “get hooked” on the free version of Serato Studio.
• Check out the latest version here.