Introduction

If portability and convenience are what you value the most in DJ gear, this may be the controller for you. The Ready, by Reloop, is a device that’s as compact as it is versatile. It ships with Serato DJ Lite, is upgradeable to the full Serato DJ Pro, and it also works with Algoriddim’s DJay app for iOS, making it compatible with smartphones, tablets, or computers. 

When using Serato, you simply connect one USB cable from the side of the unit to the laptop, place it on top of your keyboard (if you so desire), and you’re good to go. It sits perfectly on top of a 13” laptop, but in my experience, you can put it on top of pretty much any size laptop. Of course, even if you prefer to keep it separate, t’s still a handy size for stashing in your backpack.

When using Djay Pro, you connect one cord to the iOS device and the other can be used for independent power or a battery bank. The Ready will charge your device, so you don’t need to worry about one of those Apple Camera adapters.

In either case, you get access to a whole world of music thanks to streaming integration with TIDAL, SoundCloud, Beatport and BeatSource Link (provided you have a subscription to one of those).

Design & Layout

The Ready has a fairly straightforward design. It’s a 2-channel controller with reasonably-sized jog wheels and, surprisingly, a full set of 16 beat pads.

Reloop has placed the pitch faders up near the EQ section, instead of directly to the sides of the jog wheels. This allows for a rather long throw (good for manual beatmatching), which would not otherwise be possible.

There are a number of smart design decisions that help make the most of the surface area. For example, instead of a whole row of “pad mode” buttons, there’s a single “Mode” button. Hold this, and press any pad button to change it to the mode written underneath. It’s a simple, but effective way of saving space.

The unit is, in my opinion, about as small as you can make a DJ controller while still feeling like it does “all the things”. The one caveat is that it has a 2-band EQ. At first, you may be unintentionally aggressive with this EQ (especially if you’re used to a traditional LO-MID-HI setup). But, it’s easy to get used to. See the video above for audio examples.

The presets are based around “risers” and “drops” (risers use a build sample, drops use a drop sample). Merge FX presets are easy to overdo, and some of them can be cheesy. However, they also act as a great tool for getting from one place to another in your set via drop mixing (rather than beatmatching). This is particularly useful for multi-genre (open format) DJs.

Final Rundown

The appeal of the Reloop Ready is found in its size, shape, and clever design (along with its multi-platform versatility). It’s a great device for someone who values portability, as well as anyone who needs a backup controller (or something convenient for doing set preparation).

In comparison to other budget controllers in its price bracket, it has a lot to offer, but it doesn’t feel quite as solid in the hands as something like a Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4. I think it would be a better value proposition if it were slightly cheaper, but again, there’s nothing else with quite this form factor and feature set.

Reloop is a neat company that is known for filling in small gaps in the DJ market, and the Ready is no exception. It’s a fun, handy little controller, which is why I recommend it as one of my top controllers under $500.

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