How to · Serato DJ

Record your set in Serato DJ.

Serato DJ has a built-in recording tool that captures your mix straight to your drive. Plan your tracklist in Vibes first and you will know exactly where the set is going before you press record.

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Vibes Set Designer canvas showing a planned tracklist

Build and review your set arc in Vibes, then open Serato and hit record.

Record your set in Serato DJ, step by step.

Serato DJ Pro includes a recording panel that captures your master output as a WAV or AIFF file. Here is how to set it up and record a clean take.

Open the recording panel

In Serato DJ Pro, click the REC button in the top-left area of the main screen to expand the recording panel. You will see controls for the recording source, gain level, recording timer, filename field, and Rec Location. Set the Record input dropdown to MIX to capture the master mix output post-faders and EQ, pre-master gain.

Set your format and level

Before recording, open Setup (the gear icon) and go to the Playback tab. There you can choose your file format (WAV or AIFF) and bit depth (16-bit or 24-bit; 24-bit is the default and recommended for best quality). MP3 is not a native recording format in Serato; convert the file afterward with another tool if you need a smaller file. Back in the recording panel, use the recording gain knob to bring peaks to around -6 dB without clipping. Monitor the meter while playing a loud section before committing to a take.

Hit record and play your set

Press the red REC button to start capturing. Serato begins writing the file immediately, so cue up your first track and mix through your set as planned. The timer in the panel shows elapsed recording time.

Stop, name, and save your file

Press the REC button again to stop capturing. Type a filename into the text field that appears in the panel and click the Save button (or press Enter). If you start a new recording or close Serato without saving, the file lands in a Recording Temp folder rather than your recordings folder. Your saved recording goes to Music/_Serato_/Recording by default on both Mac and Windows. To change the destination, click the Rec Location button in the recording panel.

The catch

Serato records the master output only, so there is no way to punch in or edit individual transitions after the fact: what you play is what you get.

Opening

Energy Flow

Ascendingslow→fast

Descendingfast→slow

Arcpeak in middle

Shufflerandom order

Reverseflip order

4 tracks

Track 002

Artist B

124

Track 004

Artist D

126

Track 001

Artist A

128

Track 003

Artist C

132

Where Vibes fits

Know your set before you press record.

Vibes does not record audio, but it handles the prep work that makes a recorded set worth keeping. Use Set Designer to map out your tracklist, check transitions, and lock in the arc before you open Serato.

See how it works

Build your full tracklist on the Set Designer canvas with BPM, key, and vibe weights guiding the order

Let the recommendation engine surface compatible tracks by harmonic key and energy so transitions are already proven before you play them live

Save Track Pairs for your best transitions so you have a reliable game plan going into the recording

Export the finished set as a Serato crate so the tracks load in the right order when you open your library

Organize in Vibes, export to Serato DJ.

Your playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points travel back to the gear you play on, so nothing you do in Vibes is locked away.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Playlists

Vibes

Mood

Aggressive

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Peaceful

Playful

Tense

Function

Arrangement

Sets

Club Night 12/28

NYE Closing Set

Rooftop 01/04

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, including the trade-offs.

No. Vibes is a library prep and planning tool, not a performance mixer. Recording audio requires Serato DJ Pro (or another DJ application). Vibes helps you plan and export the tracklist so your session in Serato is better prepared.

By default, Serato DJ Pro saves recordings to your Music folder inside a folder named Serato. You can click the folder icon in the recording panel to open that location directly and rename or move the file.

Vibes organizes your track library and plans future sets. It does not import or tag audio recordings of mixes. Where it helps is making the next recording better: cleaner track selection, stronger transitions, and a set arc you have already reviewed.

Methodology