Setup

Licensing & software

This device will activate Serato Studio while it’s connected.
A Serato Studio licence or subscription is required to continue using the full Studio feature set once SLAB is disconnected. A free limited mode is still available.

Make sure you have the latest version of Serato Studio installed:

• Download Serato Studio

SLAB is supported in Serato Studio 2.5.0 and later. It will not connect to earlier versions.

Drivers & Firmware

SLAB does not require additional drivers on Windows or macOS.

Ensure your unit is running firmware 1.10 or higher to connect to Serato Studio.

To check your firmware version:
Hold STRIP MODE to open the Utility screen. The firmware version will be displayed.

When SLAB is connected with Serato Studio open, you’ll be prompted to install the latest firmware if an update is available. You can also download firmware manually from AlphaTheta’s website:

• AlphaTheta SLAB Downloads

Connection

Connect the supplied USB-C cable from the back of SLAB to a spare USB port on your computer.
Once connected, Serato Studio will recognise the device and connect to it. If a firmware update is required, you’ll be prompted before continuing.

For best performance, connect SLAB directly to your computer rather than through a USB hub.

Overview

Touch Strip

The Touch Strip provides quick control over filter, FX, Pitch, Swing, and Note Repeat.

Press STRIP MODE to cycle through functions based on the current Encoder Mode, and use the strip to adjust the selected parameter.

Encoder Modes

Press ENCODER MODE to switch between EQ, Stems, FX, and Parameter modes. Each mode changes what the 4 encoder knobs control, depending on whether you’re in Deck mode or Pad mode. The display shows the currently assigned mode.

Press SHIFT + ENCODER MODE to toggle between the Deck and Pad layers.

EQ Mode

Stems

FX Mode

Parameter Mode

Dial Section

The Dial section gives you hands-on control for navigating and editing in Serato Studio.

Press DIAL MODE to cycle between Library, Deck Scrub, Slice Edit, and Song Scrub, letting you browse, move through tracks, or adjust Cue points.

Press FOCUS to place the dial in Focus Mode.

Library Mode

Deck Scrub Mode

Slice Edit

NOTE: When multiple pads are selected, all their CUES can be edited together.

Song Scrub

Song Scrub mode lets you navigate through the entire song timeline in Song View.

Focus

Pad Section Overview

SLAB contains a section of 16 pads and 4 Pad Mode buttons that change the pad's functions allowing you to, edit, play, and perform almost everything in your Studio Project directly from your hardware.

Selecting Pad Modes

The SLAB performance pads support multiple Pad modes. Pressing a single Pad Mode button will change the Pad Mode assigned to Pads 1- 16. 

Pad modes

The mode you are in is determined by the button pressed above Pads 1 - 16. The following modes are:

TRIGGER MODE:

Press TRIGGER MODE to enter Trigger Mode. Pressing the button again toggles between Hold playback (Cue plays only while held) and Trigger playback (Cues will continue to play until the end of the Cue length).

Pads 1-16: Trigger corresponding pads in Serato Studio. For drum decks, each pad matches a drum hit. For sample/audio decks, pads trigger or set cue points.

Holding SHIFT while pressing TRIGGER MODE enables PAD FX Mode

PAD FX:

Press TRIGGER MODE while holding SHIFT to enter PAD FX Mode

Pads 1-16 apply FX (Wah, Lo-Fi Crush, Inverse Reverb, Pitch Looper) to the focused deck while held. FX stops when the pad is released. Pads 1, 5, 9, 13 apply the Wah effect at different depths while Pads 2, 6, 10, 14 / Pads 3, 7, 11, 15 and Pads 4, 8, 12, 16 control Lo-Fi Crush, Inverse Reverb and Pitch Looper effects and effect depth, respectively.

PIANO MODE:

Press PIANO MODE to enter Piano Mode.

Pads 1-16 allow you to play a selected drum pad or sample cue across a range of piano notes. Piano Mode is the default mode for Instrument and Plug-in decks.

STEP SEQUENCE MODE:

Press SHIFT + PIANO MODE to enter Step Sequencer Mode.

Step Sequencer Mode lets you add or remove notes and drum hits using the pads, while adjusting velocity and timing with the Touch Strip and Dial.

• Add / Remove Steps: Tap pads to place or remove notes in the sequence.

• Step Velocity: Hold a pad* and slide the Touch Strip to adjust its velocity.

• Step Timing: Hold a pad* and turn the Dial to nudge its timing.

• Clear Row: Press DELETE to clear the sequence for the selected pad or note.

• Scene -/+ switches between pages of steps when using larger Scene Sizes.

*You can adjust multiple steps at once by holding several pads and using the Touch Strip or Dial.

DECK SELECT (Momentary/Toggle):

To enter Deck Select momentarily* press DECK SELECT
To toggle* into DECK SELECT press SHIFT + DECK SELECT

Pads 1 - 16 display all of the decks in your current scene. To mute a deck, press SHIFT + pad of the corresponding deck.

*Momentary: Select a deck, then return to Trigger mode.
*Toggle: Remain in deck select mode until toggled off or another pad mode is selected.

SCENE SELECT (Momentary/Toggle):

To enter Scene Select momentarily* press SCENE SELECT
To toggle* into SCENE SELECT press SHIFT + SCENE SELECT

In this mode, Pads 1 - 16 display all of your project's scenes.

*Momentary: Select a deck, then return to Trigger mode.
*Toggle: Remain in deck select mode until toggled off or another pad mode is selected.

App Control Section

AUTO SET

Pressing AUTO SET while in a sample deck will automatically detect new sample cue points within the loaded sample. If you are in a Drum Deck, pressing AUTO SET triggers the Make Drums function.

Pressing SHIFT + AUTO SET when a Sample Deck is in focus will switch from Find Samples to Set Random. If you are in a Drum Deck, pressing SHIFT + AUTO SET will open and cycle through the Make Drums preset list. Each press advances to the next available preset.

FAVOURITE

Press the FAVOURITE button to mark the currently selected sample pad as a favourite.

Note: The FAVOURITE button is only active when the Sample Deck is in focus.

If a Sample or Instrument deck is in focus, pressing SHIFT + FAVOURITE toggles playback mode between MONO / POLY. When a Drum Deck is in focus, SHIFT + FAVOURITE toggles the MONO / POLY playback mode for the currently selected drum hit only.

OCTAVE -/+ Buttons

The OCTAVE -/+ buttons adjust the octave focus within Piano Roll mode, and their behaviour depends on the deck type in focus. On Drum and Sample Decks pressing OCTAVE - or OCTAVE + moves the Pad Focus down or up by one octave.

On Instrument and Plugin Decks, the OCTAVE -/+ buttons shifts the Piano Roll focus up or down one octave. 

In Drum and Sample Decks, SHIFT + OCTAVE -/+ moves the Piano Roll view up or down without changing pad assignments while on Instrument and Plugin Decks, shifts the Piano Roll view by one octave.

SCENE SIZE -/+

The SCENE SIZE -/+ buttons control scene length and also provides paging functions depending on the current mode.

Pressing SHIFT + SCENE SIZE -/+ changes the overall quantize size for a project.

Scene Player:
Press SCENE SIZE - or SCENE SIZE + to halve or double the length of the currently selected Scene.

Deck Select Mode:
SCENE SIZE -/+ is used to switch between pages of Decks when more than one page exists.

Scene Select Mode:
In Scene Select Mode, SCENE SIZE -/+ switches between pages of Scenes

Sequencer Mode:
SCENE SIZE -/+ changes the Sequencer Page if the active Scene is longer than 16 beats. 

LIBRARY Button

Pressing the LIBRARY button toggles between Song View and the Library. When switching to the Library, the Dial automatically changes to Library Dial Mode.

Press SHIFT + LIBRARY to expand or collapse the Scene Player

DELETE Button

Press and hold DELETE, then press a pad to remove its assigned cue. This clears the Pad's cue and frees it for a new assignment. 

SHIFT + DELETE clears the entire sequence for the selected deck

While in Step Sequencer mode, press DELETE to remove all of the steps for the currently selected Cue/Drum

SELECT ALL

Press SELECT ALL to select all pads in the focused deck. Press SHIFT + SELECT ALL to toggle Quantize On/Off

NOTE REPEAT

Press and hold NOTE REPEAT to activate Note Repeat. When active, holding a pad re-triggers it rhythmically based on the current Repeat Rate.

To change the Note Repeat Rate:

1. Hold the NOTE REPEAT button.

2. Turn Encoder 1.

The current rate is shown when holding NOTE REPEAT and touching Encoder 1.

Press SHIFT + NOTE REPEAT to enable Hold mode, keeping Note Repeat active without holding the button.

Help

Show Tooltips

Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato Studio, then Show Tooltips to enable Tooltips. Tooltips provide a handy way to learn the various features of Serato DJ Serato Studio.

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 Studio, 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 Studio, then Watch Tutorials to launch
your default internet browser and watch tutorials to help you get familiar with Serato Studio

Get Support

Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato Studio, then Get Support to launch your default internet browser and navigate to the Serato Studio knowledge base, where you can find helpful articles and guides on Serato Studio, Alternatively, type keywords in the Search Help box to search the Serato Studio knowledge base for specific, related topics.