- mance. However, with so many diff erent technological pathways available, for both veterans and beginners alike, it is sometimes diffi cult to distinguish which path to journey down. The more experienced generation may never neglect their vinyl bloodlines but, with such luxury in choice and ease of access to many wild and wonderful devices on the market at present, it would be stupid not to at least be just a little curious. 7744 That said, for this review I found myself faced with a device that is somewhat alien to me.

If I am being completely honest, at fi rst glance, I felt that I would be scared to use this controller at a prestigious event where a decent fee and my future reputation may be at risk. Call me naïve, but I have never before found myself to be trusting enough of a DJ controller/iPad pairing and feel some products currently available are a touch too ‘toy-like’ to be taken seriously as professional trade tools. Luckily, I have a large appetite, so aft er I had a bit of a play with Reloop’s new BeatPad 2 eating my words wasn’t too diffi cult!

The Force Awakens Reloop is a relatively new company in the world of DJ technology, however the attention to detail in the new BeatPad 2 tells a diff erent tale and at present I would argue that this is the market leading product in its fi eld. Building on the success of the original BeatPad, this new version boasts even more creative potential. The most immediate realisation any new BeatPad 2 owner will have is that it is NOT ‘just a toy’. The weight, feel and solidarity of the unit are second to none.

So much so that I would have faith using it as a shield against an angry bride wielding a cake knife if such a circumstance arose! The sliders for the faders, pitch adjustments and crossfader are perfectly weighted, allowing for precision when mixing and beat-matching. Similarly, the jog wheels are fantastically weighted, ultimately giving the user a real sense of control when scratching, jogging and adjusting parameters on the eff ects which are bundled in with the recommended DJAY 2 iPad soft ware from Algoriddim.

The knobs on the BeatPad 2 are all where they should be, logically thought about to avoid any awkward manoeuvers, and are well proportioned, making the controller comfortable to use. Attach power to the BeatPad 2 and you are instantly saturated in a world of rich colours and energetic flashing patterns. Initially I thought, here we go, another gimmicky toy that looks like Las Vegas and yet will probably perform like a soggy towel, however I was pleasantly surprised.

All the colours actually correspond to different behaviours and settings within the BeatPad 2, especially on the multiple performance pads which can be used in many different ways. THE ARRTE LOOFO APD BVEEARTTPISAIDN G2 The positives don’t let up. Despite display and other some fiddly settings within the significantly suggested DJAY2 software packtracks, similar age, when coupled with Spotify, fi nd in Serato or the BeatPad 2 becomes next level in terms of mobility and usability.

Each deck on There is zero latency in communicaown volume tion with the soft ware, even when the amplitude doing multiple complicated looping When using tasks, applying eff ects and scratchthe advantage ing simultaneously, which further key each track surprised me considering the tracks harmonically were being loaded directly from a With access to streaming service. While I wouldn’t library and the want to rely fully on a cloud-based lock’ and even music collection at a gig, having that complement access to Spotify’s entire music ing track, it’s library in addition to a local music make a mess of collection will make any request, no matter how obscure, possible!

The BeatPad 2 live indoors The navigation through Spotify is world. You sense excellent using a dedicated search the road and be knob and the load/select buttons for a party. It has each deck. Better still, once a track is auxiliary phono loaded, the vast amount of visual aid playback you have is fantastic.

Through the phone input soft ware you get a full waveform volume control RELOOP BEATPAD 2 Reloop BeatPad 2 information which troller itself rather than hidden away helps beat matching in the soft ware. to what you might Traktor. Dedicated Filter knobs on each channel allow for quick application and the BeatPad 2 has its control of LP and HF fi ltering when indicator, so matching you’re ‘in da club’. With eight mulof tracks is made easy. tifunction Sample/Trigger pads per Spotify, you also have deck, you also have an abundance of of knowing what options to be creative, whether you is in, allowing you to use them to fi re off samples, hot cue create the perfect set. or create crazy loop patterns for live a virtually limitless remixing.

It’s all possible, fantastioptions for ‘sync’, ‘key cally easy and most importantly suggestions of songs fun; particularly the ‘Bounced Loop’ the currently playmode, which can fi re eight loops off actually difficult to at once at the touch of a button, all your performance! in sync. wasn’t designed to Even the stand which awaits your hidden away from the iPad is sturdy and the use of a cable it wants to live on rather than a direct iPad docking the life and soul of connection means the BeatPad 2 balanced XLR outputs, is not limited to just being an ‘iPad inputs for additional controller’.

It is compatible with equipment and a micro- Android devices and can also be with its own separate used with PC or Mac laptops and on the actual con- THE EARLY DAYS 75 Reloop BeatPad 2 mappings are available for leading to be the ‘cue’ control, DJ soft ware applications across all ‘set point’ button. This platforms. your cue point at the mid-point of the track, The Dark Side same thing right? Well you also have what One thing I’ve heard many times a ‘stutter start’ or over the years is ‘nothing is perfect’. which when pressed There is no doubt at all that the plays the track from BeatPad 2 is a completely profes- Again, all well and sional standard piece of DJ technolyou press it again it ogy, well worthy of being a primary playing automatically performance device at any function, point, rather than however there are a couple of minor the track. issues to note.

Now I’m all for DO NOT go out and buy this prodcontrol and more is uct an hour before your gig, it will however not always. not be okay and you will not get ways of starting the paid! I am a DJ geek and even I found bit confusing, especially myself taking a while to get used to you already have the controller and tweak settings in pads for hot cues the DJAY2 soft ware to fi t with my 2. I’m not looking a preferred workfl ow. mouth, but if there that needed to be DO spend some time learning have been for changing about everything the BeatPad range on each deck 2 has to offer, because if you do ing to go into the soft then the possibilities are infinite to do this. and extremely impressive.

The accuracy of parameter adjustments I love that Reloop on effects, the looping capability understand that DJs and the sample pads really will test dark environments your DJing skills and sort the men knob dedicated to from the boys. luminosity of the luminated controls Now, this next point infuriated me only slight niggle is to the point of having to remap dims to your desired manually. Next to the ‘play/pause’ from the sample pads button is what many would assume insistent on blinding 76 but is in fact a Finally, an XLR microphone input is used to set would have also been desirable instart or desired stead of the ¼ Jack input, however arguably the the inclusion of this at all is a bonus yes, but then on a product of this nature.

I know is effectively none of these niggles are major is- ‘jump’ button sues by any stretch of the imaginaautomatically tion, but they are things to consider. the ‘cue’ point. good but when The Force Is Strong reverts back to from the ‘cue’ I would be the fi rst to admit some actually stopping ignorance towards iPad or Android device-based controllers, due to previously having my concerns over having lots of reliability, speed and professionaloft en better, ism.

I hate being wrong, especially Having three three times. The BeatPad 2 can do track is a little everything I do with my comfortagiven that ble fl agship laptop/controller-based eight accessible system and actually puts my current on the BeatPad setup to shame in terms of creative gift horse in the versatility. was a button added it should I believe in the build quality, because the pitch it can be felt by the user. Further rather than havconfi dence is instilled through seamware settings less integration with Spotify and the Algoriddim DJAY2 soft ware.

More importantly it’s worth noting that, as a company due to the amount of eff ects and oft en work in manipulative tools available through and having a the BeatPad 2, some might also fi nd controlling the it a useful tool in a music producunit’s various iltion studio too! Would I buy one? is brilliant. The Yes, even just purely for my own that everything pleasure and learning in my studio. light level apart The BeatPad 2 is a game changer! which seem you regardless!

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