Tau
Tau is DJ software from creator Gabor Szanto, with two- or four-deck setups and tools for mixing, including master tempo, waveforms, MIDI and DVS.
What Tau is
Tau is DJ software from creator Gabor Szanto, with two- or four-deck setups and tools for mixing, including master tempo, waveforms, MIDI and DVS. It can separate drums, bass, melody and vocals in real time without pre-analysis or storing generated stems on disk. One or two DVS inputs can be assigned to any deck. Tau includes factory MIDI mappings for many controllers, supports custom mappings, and can send and receive Ableton Link to synchronize with external devices or apps. It works with ID3, Traktor and Serato metadata and Rekordbox libraries. Supported audio formats are MP3, AAC-LC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF and ALAC; DRM-protected files, MP3 Layer II and HE-AAC are unsupported. Platforms listed are iOS, macOS, web and Windows, with minimum requirements of iOS 17.4, macOS 15.6 or Windows 10 (19041). Tau has a free plan. Its one-time paid plan has no listed amount; minor updates and bug fixes are included, while a future major version may be separate software from 2030 or later.
Good
- Free plan is available.
- Real-time separation handles four stem types.
- One or two DVS inputs can map to any deck.
- Supports Rekordbox libraries and Traktor metadata.
- Can send and receive Ableton Link.
Watch out
- DRM-protected audio is unsupported.
- MP3 Layer II and HE-AAC are unsupported.
- Future major version may be separate software.
Who it suits
Tau may suit DJs looking for multi-deck software with real-time stem separation, DVS and MIDI controller support. Its library compatibility and listed platforms may also matter to users moving between supported systems or library formats.
Verdict
Tau brings DJ decks, DVS, stems and library compatibility into software available across four listed platforms. Check the minimum system requirements, unsupported audio formats and unlisted paid-plan amount before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From Tau's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Tau | — | Pay once · minor updates and bug fixes included · next major version may be separate software from 2030 or later · Single price; amount not stated on the page |
The facts
Each one read from Tau's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Ableton Link
- Tau can send and receive Ableton Link to synchronize with external devices or apps.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Audio formats
- Supported audio formats include MP3, AAC-LC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and ALAC; DRM-protected files cannot be used.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Core features
- Tau offers 2 or 4 decks, master tempo, stems, waveforms, MIDI, and DVS.checked 7 Oct 2026
- DVS input limit
- Tau supports one or two DVS inputs and lets users assign either input to any deck.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Library compatibility
- Tau supports ID3, Traktor, and Serato metadata and Rekordbox libraries.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limits
- Tau does not support MP3 Layer II, HE-AAC, or DRM-protected audio files.checked 7 Oct 2026
- MIDI controllers
- Tau includes factory MIDI mappings for many controllers and lets users customize mappings or create their own.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The maker says Tau does not handle personal information and stores settings and music metadata locally, while crash logs are sent through Sentry and said not to contain personal information or unique device identification.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Tau is DJ software created as an alternative to Serato, Rekordbox, Virtual DJ, and Djay.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Real-time stems
- Its stem separation can isolate drums, bass, melody, and vocals without pre-analysis or disk space for generated stems.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Storage and recording
- The site says large music libraries typically use less than 1 GB and one hour of recording needs around 700 MB.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Support is provided through the Tau Discord community.checked 7 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The site lists minimum requirements of macOS 15.6, iOS 17.4, or Windows 10 (19041).checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The site identifies Gabor Szanto as Tau's creator.checked 7 Oct 2026
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