If you’re new to the DJ and controller world, it can be difficult to know what is worth your time and what isn’t. The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of different controller options out there, with just as many different designs, features, and uses.
The Reloop Ready Controller, for example, is immediately eye-catching thanks to its smaller and more compact size. Despite this, it also seems to sport a variety of different options and designs (including what it offers with Serato), making it very useful to a wide set of DJs, both new and veteran alike.
Still, there are flaws with this quirky little thing. The controller has pad lights that are more than a bit dim with a price tag that many would consider being a bit high.
In this review, we’ll go over and break down the Reloop Ready controller and whether it’s worth your time or if you’re better off looking into another micro DJ controller option
Reloop Ready Controller
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Has A Full-Size Performance Pad Layout Despite Smaller Size
- Incredibly Portable
- Despite Small Build, Controller Is Very Durable And Well-Built
Cons
- Smaller Size Does Make Everything Feel More Cramped
- Performance Pads Are Not As Bright As They Could Be
First Impressions – The Physical Build
If you’ve already read our review of the Reloop Ready’s younger brother, the Reloop Buddy, you’ll know that Reloop seems to have a certain way about them that is arguably the case for each of its entries.
For one, they all seem to carry this two-deck cuteness that, fresh out of the box, makes you feel like you’ve got something more so for a child than a professional DJ.
This thing is small enough to sit square over a 13-inch laptop keyboard without hanging over and is light enough to trick you into thinking there’s not much there.
In terms of physical build and structure, the Reloop Ready is well built, despite being largely plastic. It’s not without its flaws. For one, the crossfader and upfader both feel pretty plasticky and cheap (though the temp faders do feel a bit better).
Just as well, the jogwheels similarly come across as excessively small and shallow, not quite lying flat on their respective decks. In terms of performance, they are still largely smooth to play, but that doesn’t take away from a very critical first impression.
Deck Layout
Because of its smaller size, because they wanted to give it everything as close to its standard size as possible, you end up with a lot of “squished” and “cramped” feelings as a result. Only you can decide if it was worth it to give you as much as they did with as little space as they had.
This quite literally extends out to have full control over both Serato FX engines, a two-band EQ, loop encoders, filters, gain controls, vinyl mode/slip mode, as well as control over virtually all Serato pad modes (including Serato’s pad parameter buttons).
Simply put, if you wanted a full deck layout, complete with just about everything you’d expect on a controller twice this one’s size, you got it.
The challenge is that because the controller has all the features included from something twice its size… it’s twice its size.
That means you’re going to have to get used to potentially tripping your fingers over one thing or another while doing this process. It was a bit annoying, but, at least for me, I was able to adjust after about an hour or so of playing with it.
Performance Pad Layout
One part of the deck layout that really excelled and over delivered was the performance pads. The Reloop Ready controller setup has a full-sized performance pad, with eight options for both decks.
I mentioned this with the Reloop Buddy and I’ll mention it here.
This is pretty insane when you think about the significance of what they’ve done. Most controllers of this size simply don’t decide to give a full-size performance pad. Instead, they either make it incredibly small and squished or they halve the performance pad to four with a shift button to alternate.
The reason the Reloop Ready has managed to do this is largely thanks to them moving the tempo faders further up and to the left and right of their respective EQ mixers. Yes, it’s a bit of a bold decision, but the results do speak for themselves.
Connection Layout
When it comes to the different connection options for the Reloop Ready, it follows much behind the aforementioned smaller Reloop Buddy. Rather than its ports and connections sitting at the front and back of the controller, they are instead on either side.
This includes the headphone and master volume controls as well as the Cue Mix knob, the 1/8th-inch headphone port, as well as both of the RCA master output ports.
If you are looking for any other mic or Aux ports, you’re sadly going to be disappointed. Like the lack of XLR or TRS cable options, this controller keeps things very basic and simplistic.
While it is understandable to a degree (it is an entry-level controller after all) that doesn’t make their absence any less annoying or frustrating.
Setting Up Your Controller
Next up, after looking at its physical makeup, let’s briefly go over how you’ll set up your controller, specifically with the Serato DJ programming software.
The good news is that the process is incredibly simple while also being incredibly easy. To set up your controller, you’ll first need to install either Serato DJ Lite or Serato DJ Pro onto your computer or laptop.
While Reloop Ready already comes with Serato DJ Lite ready to be installed, it only has a small portion of the different features available to the controller. If you want to get everything, you’ll need to invest a bit and get Serato’s DJ Pro software.
Either way, once you’ve installed it, you’ll need to plug your controller in before allowing it and the software to recognize one another. From there, you’re all good to go.
An important thing to note for Windows users is that, in addition to the Serato DJ software (either Lite or Pro), you’ll need to also download an Asio driver from Reloop’s website.
This doesn’t seem to be the case for Mac and Apple products, so you should only have this as an issue if you’re using a Windows PC.
Taking A Deeper Look – Features & Effects
When it comes to the Reloop Ready and its features, there is a bit of good news and bad news that you’re just going to have to accept coming out of the gate.
The bad news is that, if you’ve played with any of Reloop’s other controllers before, you’ve already played with the Reloop Ready. There aren’t any new features or Serato elements that are unique to the Reloop Ready.
This means that, whether you’re a fan of the Reloop Ready may be entirely based on whether you’re a fan of any of the other options.
This, luckily, does lead to some of the good news. While there aren’t any aspects that are particularly new or unique to the Reloop Ready, that doesn’t mean what it does have isn’t fun to play with.
One of the things that makes this controller as fun as it is largely is due to how much it offers despite its small size.
Performance Pads
The performance pads for the Reloop Ready are quite fun to play with. Not only are they incredibly fun (especially when compared to other similarly-sized controllers), but they also feel great to touch.
The pads share all the expected features, including Pitch Play, manual looping, beat grinding, and “Slip Mode”.
If you want to use many of the other performance pad features, you’ll need to hold the “Mode” button before pressing on any of the pad functions.
Still, there are some annoyances here and there. The biggest issue with the performance pads is the fact that they don’t have a particularly strong backlight. This means while they may function well enough at night and in the dark, they’re not all that great while in the sunlight.
Sure, you’re not going to need the backlight in most daytime experiences, but the same issue also arises if you’re in an area with decent lighting. Even with that, you’ll probably have a bit of a hassle picking out the correct pad.
The light doesn’t have to be glaringly bright, but if they were even a few notches brighter, it would make a ton of difference.
Is It Worth Your Time?
The Reloop Ready controller has a lot of fun going for it but also some pitfalls. Despite its smaller size, the controller has just about every fun feature that you need, including a full eight-pad performance pad setup.
On the other, it doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table, nor does it sure up any of the failings the other Reloop controllers may have developed.
So, with all that being said, “Is the Reloop Ready Controller worth your time?“
I’d honestly have to say that, as much as I enjoyed playing around with this controller, no reason or benefit comes from keeping it.
The simple fact is that other controllers are around the same price that does more. If you can get something for roughly the same price but is ultimately better, there is no reason to consider the Ready Reloop, especially when you see how much it cost.
If you’re a fan of Reloop and its brand, then sure, I guess. Outside of that, the controller isn’t going to have much practical use for most people.
Reloop Ready: The Verdict
Ultimately, while there is a lot of fun to be had with the Reloop Ready controller, the fact that it doesn’t come with anything new while making virtually every other aspect slightly worse as a concept keeps it from being a truly competitive option.
As mentioned earlier, if you’re someone that loves to collect the Reloop controllers then there may be some interest in the Reloop Ready controller. Simply put, there are much better DJ controller options out there for the same price. Go for one of those instead.
