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 Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2 is class-compliant on macOS, but requires manufacturer-specific
drivers when used with Windows operating systems. Download and install the Windows driver via Hercules’ website.
Then connect your Inpulse 300 MK2 with a USB cable to your computer, and launch the latest version of Serato DJ Lite.
Overview
| # | DJCONTROL INPULSE 300 MK2 CONTROL | FUNCTION |
| 1 | MASTER | Connect audio output via RCA |
| 2 | USB | Connect USB cable to computer |
| 3 | HEADPHONES | Connect headphones via 3.5mm jack |
|
# |
DJCONTROL INPULSE 300 MK2 CONTROL | FUNCTION | SHIFT FUNCTION |
| 1 | FX ON | Toggle FX Slot 1 on/off |
Press to select FX Slot 1 FX |
| 2 | DEPTH | Turn to adjust FX Parameter 1 | Turn to select FX Slot 1 FX |
| 3 | BEAT | Turn to adjust FX Beats multiplier - per deck | - |
| 4 | CHANNEL (SECTION) | Adjust level, adjust EQ (High, Mid, Low), and adjust filter | - |
| 5 | HEADPHONES | Adjust headphone cue volume | - |
| 6 | BROWSER | Turn to scroll library. Press in to toggle back between crate & track area | Fast Library scroll |
| 7 | ASSISTANT | Add selected track to Prepare crate | Open Prepare panel |
| 8 | LOAD | Press to load the selected track to the corresponding deck. Press twice to Instant Double selected track | - |
| 9 | SLIP | Toggle Slip mode - per deck | Toggle between vinyl and jog platter mode - per deck |
| 10 | Q | Toggle Quantize - per deck | Toggle tempo range settings - per deck |
| 11 | BEAT ALIGN | Move jog wheel/platter forward (FWD) or in reverse (REV) to align beatgrid, as the corresponding arrow lights up. ‘BEAT ALIGN’ will light up in green when beatgrid is aligned. NOTE: This feature relies on accurate beatgrids. CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT BEATGRIDS IN SERATO DJ |
- |
| 12 | TEMPO MATCH | Move tempo slider up (-) or down (+) when corresponding arrow lights up. ‘TEMPO’ will light up in green when tempo is matched. NOTE: This feature relies on accurate set BPM. |
- |
| 13 | PERFORMANCE PADS (SECTION) |
SEE PERFORMANCE PADS FOR MORE INFORMATION | - |
| 14 | MASTER | Adjust master output volume | - |
| 15 | CROSSFADER | Crossfade audio between channel 1-2 | - |
| 16 | BEATMATCH GUIDE | Toggle BEAT ALIGN & TEMPO MATCH features on / off | - |
| 17 | CHANNEL FADER | Adjust channel volume (per channel) | Channel fader start (per channel) |
| 18 | CUE (SECTION) | Toggle per channel, or master for cue monitoring | Press channel cue to Tap Tempo |
| 19 | TEMPO SLIDER | Adjust tempo/pitch | Ignore tempo/pitch adjustment |
| 20 | PLAY / PAUSE | Toggles Play / Pause on selected deck | Stutter play |
| 21 | CUE | Cues from temp cue point/Set temp cue point | Load previous track |
| 22 | SYNC | Press to turn SYNC on (per deck) | Press to turn SYNC off (per deck) |
| 23 | SHIFT | Shift modifier, which can be held while using another control for secondary SHIFT function | - |
| 24 | IN | Set Loop In point / Edit Loop In point | Halve active Loop |
| 25 | ON | Toggle 4 beat Autoloop on / off | - |
| 26 | OUT | Set Loop Out point / Edit Loop Out point | Double active Loop |
| 27 | JOG WHEEL | Turn jog to bend pitch, or control waveform within Serato DJ in vinyl mode | Fast track waveform scroll |
Performance Pads
The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 comes with 8 performance pads, that can be used across 6 different
performance pad modes.
The first 4 modes can be triggered by pressing the performance pad mode button of the same name once, and consist of:
HOT CUE mode: Pads 1-4 trigger Serato DJ Lite Cue points, and if no Cue point is present on that slot/pad, pressing that pad will set a Cue point. Holding down the SHIFT button while pressing a populated pad will delete the Cue point from the respective pad/slot.
LOOP mode: In Autoloop mode, pads 1-4 trigger an Autoloop of varying sizes. Press the same pad for a second time to exit an Auto Loop.
STEMS mode: (NOTE: Some devices may be incorrectly labelled with Slicer - press SLICER to enter Stems mode if your device has this button).
In this mode you can control features from the Stems Tab, allowing you to utilize real-time audio separation in Serato DJ Lite. Press pad 1 to toggle off/on the Vocal Stem, press pad 2 to toggle off/on the Melody Stem, press pad 3 to toggle off/on the Bass Stem, and press pad 4 to toggle off/on the Drums Stem.
NOTE: Using Stems is very CPU-intensive, and may take some time to initialize.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT USING STEMS
SAMPLER mode: Press pads 1-4 in this mode to trigger samples loaded into the Serato DJ Lite Sampler. Holding SHIFT while pressing a Pad will stop a currently playing Sampler slot, or load a new sample to the Sampler slot if empty.
MANUAL LOOP mode: Press the STEMS (or SLICER) pad mode button while holding SHIFT to enter MANUAL LOOP mode. Press pad 1 to set the Loop In point, and press it again to edit the Loop In point. Press pad 2 to set the Loop Out point, and press it again to edit the Loop Out point. Press pad 3 to turn the Loop on or off, and press pad 4 to trigger a Reloop.
SCRATCH BANK mode: Hold SHIFT while pressing the SAMPLER pad mode button, to enter Scratch Bank mode. This mode allows you to assign files in your Serato DJ Lite library to a Pad. When Pads 1-4 are triggered, the corresponding file will be loaded to deck, allowing you to quickly load useful Scratch samples.
Click on the Scratch Banks panel toggle button in the top left-hand corner of the Serato DJ Lite user interface, to reveal the Scratch Banks panel:
Here you can click and drag tracks or samples from your library, into slots in the Scratch Banks panel, and eject tracks:
The left set of pads on your device will load Scratch Bank slots 1-4 to Deck 1, and the right set of pads will load Scratch Bank slots 1-4 to Deck 2.
Holding SHIFT on your device, while pressing an assigned/loaded Pad, will reload the previously loaded track to the relevant virtual deck.
To eject a Scratch Bank slot, click on the slot, then click the EJECT button on right-hand side of the slot:
Help
Show Tooltips
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Lite, then Show Tooltips to enable Tooltips. Tooltips provide a handy way to learn the various features of Serato DJ Lite.
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 Lite, 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 Lite, then Watch Tutorials to launch
your default internet browser and watch tutorials to help you get familiar with Serato DJ Lite.
Get Support
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Lite, then Get Support to launch your default internet browser and navigate to the Serato DJ Lite knowledge base, where you can find helpful articles and guides on Serato DJ Lite. Alternatively, type keywords in the Search Help box to search the Serato DJ Lite knowledge base for specific, related topics.