Setup
Licensing & software
This is a Serato DJ Lite hardware unlocked device, meaning it unlocks Serato DJ Lite when connected.
It is also a paid upgrade to Serato DJ Pro device, meaning it requires the purchase & activation of a Serato DJ Pro license, in order to be used with Serato DJ Pro.
Please ensure you have the latest version of Serato DJ Lite installed:
You can also try Serato DJ Pro, before making a purchase:
Drivers & firmware
The Gemini Slate is class-compliant on macOS, but requires manufacturer-specific
drivers when used with Windows operating systems. Download and install the Windows driver via the Gemini's website.
Whether you're using Mac or Windows, download and install any available firmware updates from the website too.
Hardware
The Slate platters require a few touches by the user to calibrate to their environment. After powering up and starting Serato DJ, tap the platters a few times to set their sensitivity.
Overview
|
# |
GEMINI SLATE CONTROL | FUNCTION | SHIFT FUNCTION |
| 1 | PAD MODE | Change Performance Pad mode | - |
| 2 | PERFORMANCE PADS | SEE PERFORMANCE PAD SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION | - |
| 3 | KEY LOCK | Enables Serato DJ keylock | Toggle available pitch range |
| 4 | FX 1 | Turn FX slot on | Select slot effect |
| 5 | FX 2 | Turn FX slot on/adjust single FX parameter | Select slot effect |
| 6 | FX 3 | Turn FX slot on/adjust single FX parameter | Select slot effect |
| 7 | LEVEL | Adjust FX depth level | Adjust beat multiplier timing |
| 8 | LOAD A | Load highlighted track to deck A | - |
| 9 | CHANNEL EQ | Adjust Channel EQ | - |
| 10 | BROWSE | Browse library and Serato DJ areas | - |
| 11 | BACK | Toggle back to crate view or library | - |
| 12 | LOAD B | Load highlighted track to deck B | - |
| 13 | TEMPO FADER | Adjust track tempo | - |
| 14 | MASTER VOL | Adjust master output volume | - |
| 15 | CUE VOL | Adjust cue output volume | - |
| 16 | PLATTER/JOG WHEEL | Used to control the waveform of the track in Serato DJ | Beat skip |
| 17 | SYNC | Enables Sync | Turn Sync Off |
| 18 | PLAY/PAUSE | Play/Pause | - |
| 19 | CUE | Play from Temporary Cue | Stutter Play/Cue previous track |
| 20 | VINYL | Enable vinyl/scratch jog mode | Enable Slip |
| 21 | CHANNEL FADER | Control channel volume | - |
| 22 | CROSSFADER | Crossfade audio between channels | - |
| 23 | SHIFT | Shift is used with other controls that have SHIFT modifier functions | - |
| 24 | CHANNEL CUE | Monitor track channel through headphones | - |
| 25 | FILTER | Channel LP/HP filter | - |
| # | GEMINI SLATE CONTROL | FUNCTION |
| 1 | KENSINGTON LOCK | Use to secure your controller. (Kensington Lock not included) |
| 2 | USB | Connect the Gemini Slate to your computer via USB cable |
| 3 | MASTER |
Master RCA output to speakers |
| 4 | HEADPHONES |
1/8” headphone output |
| 5 | CUE MIX |
Adjust Cue/PGM mix |
| 6 | MIC VOL |
Adjust Mic volume |
| 7 | MIC |
1/4” MIC input |
Performance Pads
The performance pads have eight different modes you can select. HOT CUE, MANUAL, AUTO, SAMPLER, ROLL, HOT LOOP, SLICER, and BANK.
HOT CUE mode: Press pads 1-8 to add/trigger cue points. Holding SHIFT and pressing pads 1-8 will delete cue points.
MANUAL mode: Use this mode to set manual loops. Pressing pad 1 will start set a Manual Loop In point, pad 2 will set the Loop Out point. If the loop is active hitting pad 1 or 2 will let you adjust the In/Out points of the loop. Pad 3 will turn loop ON/OFF. Pad 4 will half the current loop size. Pad 7 will turn the Loop On/Off and Retrigger the loop and Pad 8 will double the current loop, Pads 5 and 6 are not used.
AUTO mode: In AUTO mode, pressing pads 1-8 will activate Auto Loops of different sizes. Press pad again to turn loop off.
SAMPLER mode: Trigger samples using pads 1-8
ROLL mode: Pressing pads 1-8 will set loop rolls of specified length as long as the pad is held. The track will slip and continue playing from the original playhead position when you lift your finger off the pad.
HOT LOOP mode: Hot loop mode will allow you to engage a set loop from the cue points you have set. Press pad once to jump to that cue point and set a loop. The loop size can be toggled on the virtual deck in the loop size area. Pressing the pad again will turn the loop off. Hold SHIFT and press pad to retrigger the Cue Point with the loop on.
SLICER mode: A specified range (or domain) is divided into eight equal sections, and these eight sliced sections are assigned to the respective performance pads. Holding Pad Mode and pressing SLICER once for the first mode, is a shifting Slicer Domain. Pressing SLICER twice, for the second mode is a fixed Slicer Domain or “loop”. Use the PARAMETER knob to set the quantization for the slicer function. The quantization can be set in four ways: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1. SHIFT + PARAMETER knob will set the domain. The domain can be set to one of six settings: 2 beats, 4 beats, 8 beats, 16 beats, 32 beats or 64 beats.
BANK mode: When in BANK mode, pads 1-4 control Sampler sample banks while pads 5-8 control Sampler output channels.
DJ-FX
The FX panel button is displayed in the top left area of the main Serato DJ Pro screen, click on this to toggle the DJ-FX panel.
With the DJ-FX panel open, you have control of two DJ-FX units, and if your hardware supports it, Channel FX, which can be applied to tracks played through your connected Serato DJ-hardware.
Both DJ-FX & Channel FX can be controlled with your mouse, by using dedicated controls on your hardware (where available), or by MIDI mapping controls to the respective software functions.
Learn more about how to use DJ-FX & Channel FX:
|
SLATE CONTROL |
FX FUNCTIONS |
| FX 1 | Set Manual loop in point (Loop not active) Adjust loop in point (Loop active) |
| FX 2 | Set Manual loop out point (If loop in point is set) Adjust loop out point (Loop active) |
| FX 3 | Exit Loop (Loop Active) Loop on (Loop not active) |
| Level | Press to halve the loop length (1/2) |
Looping
You have the choice of Auto or Manual Looping within Serato DJ with the Gemini Slate. In AUTO pad mode, pressing pads 1-8 will activate Auto Loops of different sizes. Press pad again to turn loop off. Manual looping details are listed below. SEE PERFORMANCE PADS FOR MORE INFORMATION
NOTE: You can also save a loop to the next available free loop slot in the software. To do this, click the + icon (pictured below) on an available loop slot. Your loops are saved to the file and recalled the next time it is loaded. They are not lost if the file is moved or renamed.
|
SLATE CONTROL |
MANUAL LOOP MODE |
| Pad 1 | Set Manual loop in point (Loop not active) Adjust loop in point (Loop active) |
| Pad 2 | Set Manual loop out point (If loop in point is set) Adjust loop out point (Loop active) |
| Pad 3 | Exit Loop (Loop Active) Loop on (Loop not active) |
| Pad 4 | Press to halve the loop length (1/2) |
| Pad 5 | - |
| Pad 6 | - |
| Pad 7 | Turn Loop On/Off / Retrigger Loop |
| Pad 8 | Press to double the loop length (x2) |
NOTE: The best way to edit the in and out points of a manual loop is with the jog wheel/platter on your Slate.
Beat Jump
To activate Beat Jump, open the Setup screen, navigate to the DJ preferences tab and turn on “Show Beat Jump Controls”.
When you close the Setup screen, you will see Beat Jump controls underneath the existing Auto Loop values on each deck. Checking this box will turn on Beat Jump features in the deck area and let you control Beat Jump from your supported Serato DJ Pro hardware.
When the Beat Jump option is enabled, performance pad modes AUTO LOOP or ROLL mode (where applicable) will use the bottom row of 4 pads (pads 5-8) as Beat Jump controls. This is designed to mirror the change in the deck Auto Loop area (from 8 Auto Loop sizes to 4 Auto Loop sizes + Beat Jump controls).
MIDI
The MIDI feature in Serato DJ Pro allows you to remap Serato DJ Pro software functions to your primary Serato controller, interface or mixer. You can also assign controls to a secondary MIDI controller to further enhance your performance.
For more information on MIDI mapping with Serato DJ Pro, click here.
To remap your supported Serato device, open the SETUP screen and click the MIDI tab. If your Serato device supports hardware remapping, it will appear in the MIDI DEVICES list.
Select your connected device from the MIDI DEVICES list and check the Allow Serato Hardware Remapping option.
Once checked, the MIDI assign button at the top of the main Serato DJ Pro interface will become available for you to start remapping.
You can save, edit or delete MIDI presets in the MIDI tab of the SETUP screen. Clicking Restore Defaults will erase any custom mappings for all connected devices and revert their functions back to default.
Help
Show Tooltips
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Show Tooltips to enable Tooltips. Tooltips provide a handy way to learn the various features of Serato DJ Pro.
Move the mouse over a section of the software to bring up a context-sensitive tooltip that describes the feature.
Click on the Help button again to turn off Tooltips.
Show Shortcut Keys
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then click Show Shortcut Keys to launch a pop-up window displaying shortcut keyboard combinations.
These shortcuts can help you perform various actions quickly, such as triggering specific deck functions, controlling playback, or navigating the library.
Watch Tutorials
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Watch Tutorials to launch
your default internet browser and watch tutorials to help you get familiar with Serato DJ Pro.
Get Support
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Get Support to launch your default internet browser and navigate to the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base, where you can find helpful articles and guides on Serato DJ Pro. Alternatively, type keywords in the Search Help box to search the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base for specific, related topics.