Jan 28, 2014 Home › Forums › Digital DJ Gear › MacBook Air with Serato DJ This topic contains 6 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by Julian Gutierrez 6 years ago. Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total) Author Posts January 22, 2014 at 4:07 am #1026376 Julian GutierrezParticipant Does anyone see. Jan 27, 2020 I've been trying to get my traktor kontrol s4 to work on my macbook air. The only thing it does is it turns on, all the keys light up then turns off. Only thing blinks is the master usb light. My traktor won't come up in my devices. I've been trying to get this thing to work for the pass 3 days and it's really frustrating me that it won't work.
- This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 2 months ago by .
- Does anyone see why a reasonably current MacBook Air (say, 2012 onwards) could not be reliably used with Serato DJ?From the recent video reviews I’ve seen, it looks like Phil has one in his regular setupI’d also likely use it with fairly basic production software, probably Ableton Live Lite.I realise its not a big financial step up to a MacBook Pro, but I just love the weight, looks and portability of the Air (though maybe its lighter construction would be a drawback in a busy DJ booth?)Apologies if this has been done before. I did have a look to see what I could find, but saw nothing definitive. Also looked at Serato’s forum but couldn’t find a straight answer.I’d love to hear what you guys think.Yes Phil is using his MacBook Air 13” from I think 2011 and it runs Serato DJ fine. I recommend having at least 4 GB of RAM (but I think that was standard anyways).From what I gather, hooking up stuff to the Air can be a bit of a pain (like to hook up a network cable you need a Thunderbolt to Ethernet converter), because the unit is so slim, they can’t fit full size connectors in for everything.For me the maximum size of 13″ would be a deal-breaker. Old man with declining eye-sight I don’t want 17″ because of the size, so I make do with 15″, but I couldn’t handle 13″. That’s just me though.And whatever MacBook you pick, be aware that they are notoriously low on USB ports. 2 max to be specific. And in a DJ environment that might be a bit tight. I have moved my standard to using a powered usb-hub which I have fixed in my flightcase and permanently attached my controller, external SSD drive and DMX-cable (Cuelux). I just plug in the one USB cable into my MBP 15 and am good to go. If I ever need to plug in something (extra LED light or USB stick) I’ll use the second port on the laptop.Greetinx.If it helps at all, the setup you describe (Macbook Air 2012 + Serato DJ) is exactly what I use and (touch wood) I haven’t had a single issue to date.I have the late 2012 13″ Air. I would recommend opting for the SSD. It really does help with a low-ram setup (4GB is not a lot). I know you were speaking of a Serato setup, but I’m able to run Traktor with 4 decks (2 remix decks) and keylock always on at “192” latency settings. No matter what I do, I can’t MAKE it glitch even slightly. It’s a little workhorse, and the screen is surprisingly easy to read for its size.
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- Hello DJs out there!My question is directed more towards the professional DJs out there. I am a newbie to DJing. And my questions are –1) What are professional DJs out there using and what do they prefer? – The new macbook or macbook pro or macbook air?2) Reasons for doing so?3) Are there professional DJs out there using the new macbook and is it easy to use? Are all these concerns over 1 port really something to panic about or can you make do without issues? (usability of just 1 port for charging and USB….which means I have to use an adapter and then a USB hub – to be able to charge, connect controller and what have you a the same time)4) If I replace my new macbook for another – should I replace it with macbook pro or macbook air? What would you recommend?Your advice is greatly appreciated. I actually already bought the new macbook and set it up. When I was transferring all my data (serato crates, music, etc.) from my friends mac to new macbook to my horror it dawned on me for the first time the issue with having only 1 port! My gut is telling me I made a big mistake. I am scared of only 1 port….if that 1 port ever fails no matter what adapter and usb hub I connect – I am dead. I have another 5 days to exchange the new macbook for a macbook pro or macbook air. But before I do that I need some advice from a professional usability standpoint. Macs are not cheap and since I am going to keep it for years I might as well buy the right one for DJing.Thank you!DJ XTant 🙂I looked in to the new Macbook to replace my recently sold 17″mbp but I really struggled to see its attraction.its £1049 in its most basic guise with 128gb of flash storage, a 12″ retina display and an intel core M 1.1ghz processor and that one USB-c port (factor in another 80 quid to get ONE more usb slot if you buy apples crap-adapter)for £50 less , you get a pro, same flash storage (or £150 more for 256gb flash) larger 13″ retina display and an intel i5 2.7ghz processor – bung in an extre 2 USB3 slots and 2 Thunderbolt ports…..its a no brainer!the macbook is just apple being flashy with ultra thin casing and some clever marketing to make it look like its sh!t doesn’t stinkget it swapped lad 🙂1) What are professional DJs out there using and what do they prefer? – The new macbook or macbook pro or macbook air?Most DJs I see use either a 15” Macbook Pro or a 13” Macbook Air.
Both should have a 256G SSD at least.
I think it totally depends how much screen real-estate you want vs. how portable you want to be.
Phil loves his Air, I love my 15” Pro.
The difference is not much, you should however opt for the better Processor and 8G option on the Air.2) Reasons for doing so?Both have 2 USB slots which usually is enough or you have a hub anyways.
Both are active cooled, which is important in some very hot environments that you will work in.
The air is lighter, does not cover you up as much and is easy to store and place anywhere.
The 15” Pro has more screen size (obviously) and even more power, so running multiple apps (Serato + Ableton,…) is much easier on the processor.
Now of course you can say both can run that: Again hot environments, the less your processor has to do, the better.3) Are there professional DJs out there using the new macbook and is it easy to use? Are all these concerns over 1 port really something to panic about or can you make do without issues? (usability of just 1 port for charging and USB….which means I have to use an adapter and then a USB hub – to be able to charge, connect controller and what have you a the same time)I have not seen any. I personally would not use it as it has 1 more thing that can go wrong. If on my book a USB dies I have another, if the one on the MB dies you cannot even charge it. Too many things that can go wrong.
Also it has no active cooling, same problem that I saw with iPads. Direct sunlight during a gig or a really hot light -> you are dead.4) If I replace my new macbook for another – should I replace it with macbook pro or macbook air? What would you recommend?Totally depends how much screen you want and for what else (production?) you want to use it.As far as I have been able to find out, as a DJ you want to stay away from the new MacBook. The Pro and Air are still feasible options (see Terry’s comments).I think the old model 13″ MacBook Pro is a great deal. It doesn’t have the Retina display, but it’s perfect for DJing. It has a 500 GB hard drive and a CD/DVD drive and costs £900 in the UK, $1100 in the US. Even less if you can get an education discount.I personally think 13″ is too small (but I am old and my eyes need glasses). Retina you can live without – but get it if your budget allows, because it REALLY looks good 🙂 . Getting an SSD upgrade (you can DIY it easily) is really the only thing you need to do to whatever MBP you are getting. And clearly go for 4 or 8GB RAM memory.
Traktor Pro 3 Torrent Mac
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