What are Lucid Beatgrids in Serato 5, and should you re-analyze your library?

Flexible vs fixed beatgrids

A classic beatgrid assumes one BPM from the first beat to the last. That is right for most programmed dance music and wrong for anything played by people: a drummer speeding up into a chorus, a disco record that drifts, a live edit. On those tracks a fixed grid slowly slides off the beat, which throws off sync, quantize and loops.

Serato’s Flexible Beatgrid Analysis detects where the tempo changes and maps it across the whole track, with BPM labels on the waveform so you can see the changes. Serato also describes improved downbeat detection and accuracy in the new engine. Fixed Beatgrid Analysis remains available for tracks with a consistent tempo, and you can set the beatgrid resolution to bar or beat level.

What happens to your existing beatgrids

Serato’s own answer is reassuring: your existing beatgrids will not be overwritten, and if you open your library in an older version of Serato DJ Pro or Lite, everything is exactly as you left it. Lucid Beatgrids take effect only on the tracks you re-analyze. So there is no need to re-analyze your whole library on day one. Re-analyze the tracks that need it, starting with the ones whose old grids never sat right. To fix a fixed grid by hand in Serato 4 or 5, see how to edit beatgrids in Serato.

The new grid editing tools

• Set Grid Start pins where the grid begins, which fixes the most common problem: a grid that is a beat or two off from the start.
• Set Beat moves one beat without disturbing the rest of the grid, so you can correct a single slipped beat on a flexible grid.

Other Serato 5 changes that touch your library

• Open Streaming: sign in to several streaming services at once and search them together with your own files.
• Cue Loops (Pro only): one pad press fires a hot cue and a loop together.
• M3U and M3U8 playlist import, which is new for Serato. Our guide to importing a tracklist, CSV or M3U as a crate covers the other routes.
• Library protection is back, which helps against accidental crate deletions (see how to delete a crate and get it back).

Should you move your gig library to Serato 5 now?

Not yet. It is a public beta, and a gig is the worst place to find a beta bug. Try it on a copy, re-analyze a test crate, and move over once the full release ships. If you are still on Serato 4, what to do if crates go missing after an update covers the library changes that came with version 4.

Get the rest of the library ready

New grids will not fix the problems underneath them: duplicate copies, fake 320s, and tracks that no longer load. Crate Cleaner scans your Serato library for all of those in one pass, and its audio quality check is free and unlimited.

Try Crate Cleaner free →

FAQ

What are Lucid Beatgrids? The new beatgrid engine in Serato DJ 5.0. By default it uses Flexible Beatgrid Analysis, which maps tempo changes across a track instead of assuming one BPM.

Will Serato 5 overwrite my existing beatgrids? No. Serato says existing beatgrids are not overwritten, and opening your library in an older version leaves everything as it was. Lucid Beatgrids only apply to tracks you re-analyze.

Can I still use a fixed beatgrid in Serato 5? Yes. Fixed Beatgrid Analysis is still available for tracks with a consistent tempo.

How do I fix a Lucid Beatgrid that is wrong? Use Set Grid Start to pin where the grid begins, and Set Beat to adjust a single beat without moving the rest of the grid.

Is Serato 5 safe to use for gigs? It is a public beta. Back up first, test it on a copy of your library, and keep gigging on a release version until the full release.