The release of macOS Catalina has… been… (rubs chin) problematic. I pause and grope for a diplomatic way to describe what in reality is an epic clusterfuck the likes of which has never been seen before in the history of digital DJing. You thought the USB changes in Yosemite were bad — stick your head between your legs and prepare to kiss some of your DJ gear goodbye, for Serato is releasing Serato DJ Pro 2.3 and Serato DJ Pro Lite v1.3 today, that do work in Catalina with the new Music app.
Serato Sample - $49.50 (usual $100) Marked as Black Friday deal unsure if it'll work beyond friday. Please post any updates and I'll add them to the list. Again this includes deals on serato controllers, mixers, turntables, software, and other accessories. If any of the above deals are valid outside of the us please also let us know. MacOS 10.15 Catalina is now supported for use with Serato Studio 1.3.1. We strongly recommend you check compatibility of your plug-ins & any hardware you may be using with Serato Studio, before upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina. Many plug-in manufacturers do not currently support macOS 10.15 Catalina. Serato Sample is a powerful and intuitive new Sampler plugin for producers that allows you to quickly find, chop, key shift and time-stretch samples.
Sadly, the list of compatible hardware just got quite serious butchered. But before you kick off with pitchforks and burning torches in Serato’s general direction, it’s not their fault.
To start, here’s the PR about the new updated software:
Serato support for macOS Catalina – here’s what you need to know.
Serato DJ Pro and Lite
Released today, DJ Pro 2.3 and DJ Lite 1.3 are both supported in macOS Catalina. Apple’s new ‘Music’ app is also supported which means it will be a seamless transition for DJs. Libraries are loaded automatically with no need for manual exporting.
However, there is a collection of DJ hardware from some of our partners that do not currently work with macOS Catalina. This is out of Serato’s control and all DJs should check the support status of their hardware in the link below before updating.
PLEASE CHECK: Serato DJ Pro & macOS 10.15 compatibility & hardware information It’s also important to know that new Apple laptops cannot be downgraded from Catalina. Beyond the support of Catalina, today’s release brings forth these additional updates:
- Rane TWELVE and other motorized platter improvements for DJPro
Major improvements to the scratching technology for the Rane TWELVE and other devices with motorized platters.
- HID platter improvements for DJPro
HID platter audio playback improvements for hardware used with Windows 7.
Serato Studio
Serato is pleased to announce that Studio 1.3.1 is fully supported in Catalina.
Serato Sample and Pitch ’n Time Pro and LE
These products are not yet supported but are actively being worked on. An update will be released as soon as this development is complete.
Serato Support
Having issues? Please contact the Serato Support team here: support.serato.com
And here’s the good and really bad news part. It’s worth taking a look at the whole list and taking it as a generic warning, rather than just being specific to Serato:
macOS Catalina Compatibility as of 18/10/19
Please refer to https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001112015 from the 22nd of October at 9am NZT.
Supported hardware
The following hardware is supported with macOS 10.15 Catalina. Please ensure you are using the most up-to-date version of Serato DJ software to use this hardware
Supported Akai Pro hardware
- Akai Pro AMX
Supported Denon DJ hardware
- Denon DJ DS-1
- Denon DJ MC4000
- Denon DJ MC7000
- Denon DJ MCX8000
The pool thai movie eng sub. Supported Gemini hardware
- Gemini Slate 4
Supported Hercules hardware
- Hercules DJControl Jogvision
Supported Korg hardware
- Korg KAOSS DJ
Supported Mixars hardware
- Mixars DUO
Supported Numark hardware
- Numark Mixtrack Pro 3
- Numark Mixtrack Platinum
- Numark N4
- Numark NS7III
- Numark NVII
Supported Pioneer DJ hardware
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000SRT
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB2
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB3
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SP1
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SR
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SR2
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX2
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SZ
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SZ2
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-WeGO3
- Pioneer DJ DJM-900NXS2
- Pioneer DJ DJM-S9
Supported Rane hardware
- Rane Seventy-Two (control panel incompatible)
- Rane SL2 (preference pane incompatible)
- Rane SL3 (preference pane incompatible)
- Rane SL4 (preference pane incompatible)
Supported Reloop hardware
- Reloop Beatmix 4
- Reloop Mixon 4
Supported Vestax hardware
Please take note while this hardware does work with Serato DJ Pro on macOS Catalina, the following hardware is discontinued. More information regarding Vestax hardware is available here: https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/articles/203593924
- Vestax VCI-380
- Vestax VCI-400
- Vestax Typhoon
Unsupported hardware
Unfortunately the following hardware is currently unsupported with macOS 10.15 Catalina.
Please note, testing is still in progress for the hardware listed, we will update this article once our testing is complete. We suggest checking back on this article periodically.
If you have one of these pieces of hardware, we recommend that you do not upgrade to macOS Catalina. You can continue using Serato DJ Pro/Lite and your hardware on a supported version of macOS – please see the Serato DJ Pro or Serato DJ Lite system requirements for further information.
NOTE: If you purchase a new Mac computer that comes pre-installed with macOS Catalina, you will not be able to downgrade to an older macOS.
Unsupported Allen & Heath hardware
- Allen & Heath Xone:43C
- Allen & Heath Xone:DB2
- Allen & Heath Xone:DB4
Unsupported Denon DJ hardware
Please read Denon DJ’s compatibility information here for further details:
- Denon DJ MC2000
- Denon DJ MC6000 mkII
- Denon DJ X1800 Prime
Unsupported Gemini hardware
- Gemini Slate
Unsupported Hercules hardware
- Hercules DJControl Starlight
Unsupported Mixars hardware
- Mixars PRIMO
- Mixars QUATTRO
Unsupported Novation hardware
Please read Novation’s compatibility information here for further details: https://support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360009538680–Novation-product-compatibility-with-macOS-Catalina-10-15-
- Novation Twitch
Unsupported Numark hardware
Please read Numark’s compatibility information here for further details:
- Numark DJ2GO2
- Numark MixDeck
- Numark MixDeck Express
- Numark MixDeck Quad
- Numark Mixtrack Edge
- Numark Mixtrack Pro
- Numark Mixtrack Pro II
- Numark Mixtrack Quad
- Numark NS6II
- Numark NS6
- Numark NS7
- Numark NS7II
- Numark NV
- Numark Party Mix
- Numark Party Mix Pro
- Numark Scratch
- Numark V7
Unsupported Pioneer DJ hardware
Please read Pioneer DJ’s compatibility information here for further details:
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-ERGO
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-S1
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-WeGO
- Pioneer DJ DJM-S3
- Pioneer DJ DJM-850
- Pioneer DJ DJM-900NXS
- Pioneer DJ DJM-900SRT
Unsupported Rane hardware
Please read Rane’s compatibility information here for further details:
- Rane MP2015
- Rane Sixty-One
- Rane Sixty-Two
- Rane Sixty-Four
- Rane Sixty-Eight
- Rane TTM57mkII
Unsupported Reloop hardware
- Reloop Beatmix 2
- Reloop Elite
- Reloop RMX-90 DVS
- Reloop TM4
Unsupported Roland hardware
Please read Roland’s compatibility information here for further details:
- Roland DJ-202
- Roland DJ-505
- Roland DJ-707M
- Roland DJ-808
Unsupported Vestax hardware
- Vestax VCI-100MKII
- Vestax VCI-300
WHAT. A. MESS.
And this is just in the DJ world. Imagine what it’s like in the wider tech industry that depends on USB communication. It would be fair to that say that Tim Cook won’t be strutting around the stage at the next keynote bragging about adoption rates unless things radically improve. Hell, even my previously brave inner lemming is rocking in the corner at the thought of borking my whole digital DJing existence updating to Catalina.
Obviously I’m curious, and installed it onto an external drive. And just like other OS updates, it simply doesn’t match up to the thrilled and excited hyperbole exhibited at keynotes. There’s nothing I can immediately see that would benefit any DJ installing Catalina. Quite the contrary in fact.
I HAVE QUESTIONS
My biggest worry is that a number of manufacturers may take this Apple induced purge as a watershed moment to stop supporting some units at all. Obviously you can wave goodbye to any incompatible units from Vestax, and as the owner and lover of a Rane Sixty Four, I hope I don’t become the custodian of a useless Catalina shaped brick*. And some of those older Numark and Pioneer units are looking doubtful in my book.
* Actually, I use it with vinyl only. So it’s good for ever. But that’s not the point.
When you look at the spread of impacted gear, it’s understandable that discontinued gear from long departed companies would not be supported. But you’ve got elderly gear that works fine up against new gear that doesn’t.
So to my questions, that are open to anyone in the industry who may be able to shed light:
- How did this happen?
- Does Apple offer any upfront notice about major changes?
- Has this all come as something of a shock in the Catalina beta?
- Why does some gear work and not others?
- Why is this great cleansing only happening now?
- WHY IS EVERYTHING BROKEN?
Serato Sample Catalina Installer
Whatever the reasons, a good number of the units in this list need sorting. Without the MP2015 and Sixty Four, Rane has no four channel mixers to sell. In fact, mixers generally fair quite badly in Catalina’s hands.
Brace yourselves — firmware updates are coming. Well they better bloody well had be.
DEAR APPLE
As a decades deep Apple fan, I find myself becoming increasingly dissatisfied. I know I can do everything I need to do on Windows machines, and for a fraction of the price. But I simply don’t like Windows — I never have, and I’ve used it from Windows 3 up to the present date right alongside every iteration of Apple’s assorted OSes too. It’s not through want of trying.
This Catalina debacle is pushing me (and others certainly in photography and video) into considering PCs for my business. My 2010 iMac won’t update to Catalina anyway, and my 2014 MacBook Pro is incompatible to technology like Sidecar. It’s a matter of time before it’s on Apple’s mounting scrap heap too. It’s sad, because both are still viable machines otherwise. It’s not speed that’s making them obsolete, it’s Apple.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Antivirus iobit free. So Mac users, while it’s absolutely fine to be mad at software companies for not addressing the whole iTunes/Music transition that they could have done many MANY years ago, don’t give them a hard time for hardware incompatibilities, as it would appear that Apple is playing a large part in this.
Bottom line — if your Mac is mission critical, give Catalina a wide berth until you start reading otherwise. I’m sure my PR inbox and your social channels will be flooded accordingly.
Serato Sample Catalina Boat
A PARTING THOUGHT
Serato Sample Catalina Patcher
while the digital age can bring immense benefits in so many areas, it’s clear that it can also come crashing down with a single update. Right now, it all feels like a fragile house of cards. Sometimes though, you do have to demolish to rebuild something better. But “demolish” implies control, rather than a lorry smashing into your house.