Product Review: Reloop Beatmix

Since 1996, Reloop has been focussing on creating the best possible turntables. Their line of Beatmixes is one of their latest efforts, made to appeal to beginners and advanced users. Beatmixes is plural, since there are multiple versions. However, this review describes the one with no number at the end, which was created with and for VirtualDJ.

When looking at the Beatmix for the first time, many will notice the huge aluminium jogs first. When giving them a spin, they feel like they are able to withstand many gigs and practice sessions. You'll be using them to browse through songs or for scratching, depending on which jog mode is activated. It's also nice that you are able to manage the sensitivity with small knobs at the back. This side also contains the USB entrance, sound outputs and the possibility for a Kensington Lock.The front contains inputs for a Headphone and a Microphone. Not too much, not too little.

Back on top, in the middle, is a simple browse section which is well executed. The decently sized knob allows easy access to folders, and makes it possible to search through many titles in a short amount of time. The 'A' and 'B' buttons for their respective decks make it easy to find and load the right song without having to touch the mouse. 

When a song is loaded, it's time to play it. The play section has four nicely sized buttons, controlling the Sync, Cup, Cue and Play features respectively. The Cup feature is a combination of Cue and Play, which instantly plays from a selected Cue point. The possibilities of the buttons are increased by the addition of Shift button, which in my opinion is genius. Holding Shift allows you to Return to the beginning of the song, Tap the tempo, activate Fader Start and Keylock.  

The EQ and Master sections are pretty self-explanatory and provides you with all you need. All the dials are nicely sized and allows precise control over the parameters. 

The faders also don't need much explanation and work like you would expect them to, sturdy but loose enough for those smooth transitions. In addition to the faders for the tempo, there are also Pitch Bend buttons.

The last section is reserved for FX, samples and loops. In my opinion this is where the Shift button really shines. It doesn't matter if you're using FX, samples or both, it's a great feeling to have everything under control using this small section. Setting up and controlling loops is made very easy as well, including the ability to move it in the right position in advance, or making a perfect loop on the fly. 

To conclude, I think it's really nice that they managed to put in so many functions without making it confusing or too big. The decent size also improves the portability and the quality of the materials give a sense of security that it will not break easily. All in all, it's simple enough for the DJ that's just getting started, but it has enough functions to allow an advanced DJ to be creative.