Using SoundSwitch with Serato DJ Pro or other DJ software

Lighting & Visual FX
1

This guide is for beginner users of SoundSwitch, Serato DJ Pro, or similar DJ software who run into problems while preparing or performing a light show.

Recently, I was preparing a light show for my DJ set. At first, I thought it would be easy, but I ran into many issues. SoundSwitch is an intuitive program, and even without much experience you can create a good light show for DJ sets. However, there are not many beginner-friendly guides explaining how to use SoundSwitch properly with Serato DJ Pro.

Below are the most important things I learned.

1. Prepare your fixtures correctly

Before you start programming anything, you need to add your lights to SoundSwitch.

In SoundSwitch, every light needs a correct fixture profile. You can usually find your fixture in the SoundSwitch fixture library.

If your fixture already exists in SoundSwitch fixture library, move to the next step.

If your fixture is not available, you need to create it manually using SoundSwitch Fixture Manager. Fixture Manager lets you create a fixture profile based on the DMX layout of your light.

You can download Fixture Manager from the SoundSwitch website, in the same place where you downloaded SoundSwitch.

Its difficult to describe the whole process of adding new fixture, but there is a good wideo on yt which can help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHS1amHPJmU

To create a fixture profile properly, you need the DMX chart from your light’s manual. Most lighting manufacturers provide manuals on their websites. In the manual, look for:

  • DMX mode,

  • channel count,

  • pan/tilt channels,

  • dimmer channel,

  • shutter/strobe channel,

  • color wheel or RGB channels,

  • gobo channels,

  • prism, focus, zoom, or other attributes.

Make sure the DMX mode in your physical light is the same as the mode you select in SoundSwitch. Also make sure the DMX address in SoundSwitch matches the address set on the actual fixture.

For example:

  • Light set to DMX address: 001

  • SoundSwitch patch address: 001

  • Light set to 16-channel mode

  • SoundSwitch fixture profile also set to 16-channel mode

If one of these settings is wrong, the light may move incorrectly, use the wrong colors, strobe unexpectedly, or not respond at all.

Before programming a full show, test every fixture in SoundSwitch Edit Mode. Check dimmer, colours, movement, shutter, strobe, and any special functions.

2. Prepare your Beatgrids in Serato DJ Pro

Beatgrids are very important because SoundSwitch uses timing information from your DJ software to sync lighting effects with the music. SoundSwitch documentation confirms that Beatgrids help synchronize lighting effects precisely with the rhythm of the track, and that SoundSwitch can import Beatgrids from Serato.

Before adding a song to SoundSwitch, prepare the Beatgrid in Serato DJ Pro.

In Serato:

  1. Open Setup.

  2. Go to DJ Preferences.

  3. In Sync Mode, choose one of these options:

  4. Smart Sync -– full Beatgrid functionality.

  5. Simple Sync + Snap to Beatgrid -– Beatgrids become visible on the waveform.

Beatgrids are not visible unless Smart Sync is enabled, or Simple Sync is used with Snap to Beatgrid enabled.

Then:

  1. Load a track on to a deck.

  2. Click Edit Grid.

  3. Adjust the Beatgrid if it does not match the track properly.

  4. Save the corrected grid.

The Edit Grid button only appears when Simple Sync + Snap to Beatgrid or Smart Sync is enabled under Setup > DJ Preferences > Sync Mode.

Do not assume that automatic analysis is always correct. Serato can create Beatgrids automatically, but manual correction is often still necessary, especially for older tracks, live drumming, intros, tempo changes, edits, or tracks with irregular structure.

3. Create your light show in SoundSwitch Edit Mode

After the fixtures and Beatgrids are ready, open SoundSwitch and use Edit Mode to create scripts for your songs.

In Edit Mode, you can program lighting changes directly to the structure of the track. You can use:

  • movement cues,

  • color changes,

  • intensity changes,

  • strobe effects,

  • attribute cues,

  • position cues.

It is also a good idea to create your own positions and attribute cues manually. This gives you more control and makes your light show more personal. For moving heads, prepare different and defined positions.This makes scripting faster and safer, because you are not guessing positions during every song.

4. Project, Venue and Saving: the most important part

This was one of the biggest problems for me.

For the lights to work correctly in Performance Mode, your scripts (.ssfile) should be saved in the same Project (folder) and used with the same Venue that you use during the performance.

In simple words:

If a lighting script was created in a specific SoundSwitch Project and assigned to a specific Venue, you should open that same Project and use that same Venue when performing.

Do not think of a SoundSwitch Project as one song. Think of a Project as one complete show, event, or DJ set.

For example, if you are preparing a one-hour DJ set, create for example one project called:

My DJ Set

Then keep all scripted songs for that set inside that project folder.

The script files (.ssfile) for your songs need to be available in the project folder you are using in Performance Mode. If you move only the music files, but not the SoundSwitch project or script files, SoundSwitch may load the track but fail to play the programmed light show.

Important:

After programming a track, use Save Lightshow to save the lighting script (for a song). Then you can use File > Save Project to save the project (other project data). After saving, you should see the script file in the project folder. If you edit the script later and save it again, SoundSwitch will overwrite the existing script file. This is very important. If you create or edit a script but do not save it properly, SoundSwitch may not load your programmed lighting data later in Performance Mode.

You can also move .ssfile (script files) from another project into the correct project folder but be careful. Always test after moving files.

5. Connecting SoundSwitch with Serato DJ Pro

Basic checklist:

  1. Open SoundSwitch.

  2. Open Serato DJ Pro.

  3. In SoundSwitch Preferences, set the input type to Serato.

  4. In Serato, go to:

Preferences > Expansion Packs > External Control

  1. Activate SoundSwitch as an external control device.

  2. In SoundSwitch, confirm that the connection indicator is green.

If SoundSwitch says Not Connected, try:

  • switching from Performance Mode to Edit Mode and back,

  • restarting SoundSwitch and Serato,

6. Avoiding Autoloops when you want scripted tracks

This was very annoying for me: during performance, the lights sometimes played Autoloops instead of my prepared scripts.

SoundSwitch explains that Autoloops take over when a loaded track does not have an attached SoundSwitch script. They sync to the Beatgrid and can be useful when you play unscripted tracks.

However, if you prep ared a custom script, you usually want that script to play instead.

Things to check:

  1. Make sure the track has a script in the correct project and venue (from which you perform)

  2. Make sure you are using the correct project and venue.

  3. Set scripted track intensity high.

  4. Set Autoloop intensity low or to zero in Performance Mode if you do not want A utoloops.

  5. Do not rely on deleting Autoloops unless you are sure you do not need them.

  6. Autoloops can also be triggered during scripted tracks, if Autoloop Override is enabled.

Deleting all Autoloops can work, but it is not always the best solution. Autoloops are useful as a fallback when you play an unscripted track additionally.

SoundSwitch also allows Autoloops to be managed in Edit Mode, including renaming and deleting them.

I am not a professional lighting programmer, and I no longer program lights, but these are the issues I personally ran into. I hope this helped you to avoid the same problems.

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