Starting up to DJ theres a mountain of choices to make before you even get started. One big one is: “Which DJ software platform should I actually use?” This is the 1st of a small series to help with that if I can. Already in this inisital post theres been several details I’ve learned, hopefully I can find one or 2 for you as well.
This is based on my experience with the software, research for the post, as well as conversations with other livestreaming Djs. I did some digging to compare the major platforms based on what actually matters for streaming DJs.
We start out at the point after ruling out turntable only Djing or other analog to sound interface setups. And so you know for sure, these thoughts and words are my own, typed by my own hand and not generated by LLM. 😉 Yup those are my typos. :p
Our cast of Players
Serato DJ Pro – https://serato.com/
Starting here because this is my daily driver. If you’ve seen my Twitch stream you’ve seen me mixing with Serato. Its not uncommon to run into Djs on Twitch using it. Starting in 1998 Serato the company goes back further than I thought, With Serato Scratch Live, their first DJ performance application coming out in 2004. Over that time they’re software-focused which figures in to a lot of the category differences later on.
Rekordbox – https://rekordbox.com/
Rekordbox is DJ software from Pioneer DJ and this one’s pretty much everywhere. (Pioneer DJ is now AlphaTheta.. but no, I refuse.) Pioneer DJ is primarily a hardware company, with Rekordbox coming out initially to work with the gear they make. That walled garden has opened up a little bit in recent years with the release of the FLX series of controllers working with both RB and Serato.
On Twitch as well as the wider world of Djing in general this is the most common mixing software to run into. Rekordbox itself came out in 2009 along with the release of the CDJ-2000 as a means to organize the newly found chaos of digital files in Djs libraries. So the name Rekordbox itself shows its roots as an organizational tool more than a performance instrument.
Traktor DJ Pro – https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/traktor/dj-software/traktor-pro-4/
Before starting to livestream this is the DJ software I used and is the one I have owned the longest. Traktor DJ Pro users can be found Djing on Twitch but its a relative rarity compared to the previous 2. It was for a time the pre-eminent DJ software and one of the earliest, with version 1.0 being released in 2000. Native Instruments is also a hardware and software company so their applications have long been tied strictly into their eco-system which has limited their adoption after other options became widely available.
Engine DJ – https://enginedj.com/
Denon brings us Engine in its various forms. Ive used Engine DJ some, as it came preloaded on the primary deck I use for livestreaming. But I havent gotten into using it near as much as the others. That I opted to buy and use Serato instead says something about its relative usability at the time I was starting up.
It is a relatively young platform with its library management roots (like OG Rekordbox) starting in 2012. It developed into DJ performance software by 2016 with the release of the MCX8000 controller. EDJ only comes embedded in Denon devices so theres no hardware compatibility. They do have ‘Engine DJ Desktop’ but thats not for performing and mixing, just library management.
It has improved greatly over time I’ve played around with it occasionally each time a new release comes out. Denon is primarily a hardware maker so development can lag a bit compared to some of the others that have wider reach. That said I do know of a at least 1 Twitch DJ streamer that use it as their primary.
The supporting players:
The last 3 I have some exposure to, but havent seen anyone streaming on Twitch with them. Included because they are still worthy contenders getting some love from people Ive talked to.
VirtualDJ – https://virtualdj.com/
From what Ive seen this one is well known mostly among hobbyist Djs. I originally started playing around with it while doing tech support for other software that worked to be compatible with a wide range of platforms. VDJ’s got a good look and and a lot of capabilities that makes it a good one to consider.
A bit surprisingly VDJ was one of the 1st music mixing software projects still competitive today with variants going back to 1996. Early on it had various other names including AtomixMP3, eventually releasing as VirtualDJ for the first time in 2003. They don’t make hardware. Their strategy is to make VFJ compatible with controllers other companies make, usually via MIDI maps. This gives them an impressive compatibility list of controllers to work with.
djay Pro – https://www.algoriddim.com/apps
Interesting software that has been making a bit of a splash in recent years especially since their 2023 v5 release. They have software for all computing platforms, and are pushing mobile tech way more than the other systems out there. They have been making the biggest and earliest push into having polished apps for mobile platforms to the point of even having their celebrity spokesman perform onstage from mobile devices. So if thats your computing hardware of choice this would be a good option.
DjayPro is made by Algoriddm that started out in 2006. While primarily a software company they’ve got a some hardware options too when it comes to DJ controllers some of the major makers.
Mixxx – https://mixxx.org/
Mixxx the per-eminant mixing software for Linux users. Its completely free and open source, not even any subscriptions required. With that Ive gone back to it to try at various times and always wanted it to be awesome. …and in a world by itself it is. But as you’ve seen above theres a lot of competition out there. Still even with that its pretty decent looking, takes care of all the basics, and the (lack of) cost can make you overlook some challenges. The interface isn’t as polished as others, but it’s actually pretty powerful.
Mixxx started out as a doctoral thesis project and released in 2001. There are versions for all the desktop OSes. I keep an install on hand to try out on occasion, and why not. It can be a bit of a challenge to map hardware to it with MIDI as there aren’t any companies making decks for them (that I know of). Definitely a bit of a tinkerer side needed here because of that.
OK thats a lot of dates
I know. In putting this article together it kept getting longer, to the point that I’m doing it in multiple parts now. So this is just to get a good baseline established, with a quick look at what all is being considered.
Time
Its been said that its hard to see history when your living it. That kind of thought resonated as I was researching this, which interests me as a part of navigating this pretty new era for DJing we’re in. The thoughts of an online livestreaming DJ. Looking at the dates above did you notice the timespan? Pretty much all the mainline DJ platforms got their start in a window roughly between 1998-2008. 10 years to sprout the seeds of all this software that would change DJing as they knew it at the time, and that continue to effect how music is played through to today.
We are at the far tail end of another major change in the DJ industry and how most people listen to music. The move to online streaming didn’t really start in 2020, but it got a huge boost to relevance, and a lot of people from fans to industry insiders 1st started to consider livestreaming and streaming music as valid at that time.
…2020-2026 is a really short time too. And here we are, not just looking back to how things were great with a feeling of nostalgia but living with and being part of the change going on around us in the music world. For a huge number of reasons I wouldn’t have been able to do what I do much before the current time.
Its pretty cool that we get to be a part of keeping our piece of this energy going.
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