Change
is
inevitable.
For
DJ’s,
the
switch
from
analog
(think:
heavy…very
heavy
vinyl)
to
digital
mixing
has
been
a
godsend
to
everyone
in
their
orbit—except
their
chiropractors.
However,
high-end
DJ
equipment
has
always
been
known
for
lasting
for
years,
which
presents
a
problem
when
you
have
a
cherished
mixer
you
ain’t
trying
to
give
up.
(My
Technics
mixer
used
to
be
top
of
the
line,
damn
it).
Enter
the
Reloop
Flux
which
basically
allows
any
OG
mixer
the
ability
to
use
Serato
to
your
heart’s
content.
In
tech
speak,
it’s
the
“next-generation
USB-C
interface
for
using
Serato
DJ
Pro
with
turntables,
CDJs
or
other
media
players.”
For
background,
this
mission
started
when
I
was
tasked
with
DJ’ing
at
my
college
reunion
weekend
(shout
out
to
UVA’s
Black
Alumni
Weekend,
Wahoowa!)
and
figured
it
would
behoove
me
to
get
really
acquainted
with
Serato
in
advance.
Since
my
essential
retirement
from
DJ’ing
(more
years
than
I’ll
admit)
years
ago,
I
was
always
curious
about
that
little
device
you
would
see
connected
to
the
back
of
mixers
that
connected
to
a
laptop
and
pretty
much
deaded
the
necessity
to
lug
around
crates
filled
with
records.
Any
skepticism
of
this
new
DJ
paradigm
was
eventually
and
essentially
dismissed
when
the
great
DJ
Jazzy
Jeff
embraced
the
tech
that
made
telling
the
difference
between
a
DJ
rocking
a
party
with
vinyl
versus
digital
music
files
an
impossibility.
But
doing
my
Googles
to
see
what
was
available
to
get
back
in
the
DJ
saddle
quickly
turned
into
information
overload.
There
are
what
seems
like
hundreds
of
products
on
the
market
that
include
mixers,
turntables,
CDJs
and
all
types
of
hardware
that
make
the
old
“two
turntables
and
a
mic”
(and
a
mixer)
look
like
a
history
museum
installation.
So
with
no
desire
to
drop
hundreds
of
dollars
on
one
of
those
pricey,
Serato-ready
mixers—for
now—I
figured
that
mixer
thing-a-ma-jig
(called
an
interface)
that
connected
to
a
laptop
would
be
easy,
right?
Not
really.
It
turns
out
all
the
previous
models
(the
RANE
SL
range,
the
Denon
DS1,
etc.)
have
gone
the
way
of
the
Dodo
bird
and
were
discontinued.
But,
what
is
still
on
the
market—and
is
actually
relatively
new
since
it
was
only
released
in
2023—is
the
Reloop
Flux,
and
it
makes
for
a
clutch
hub
for
a
Digital
Vinyl
System
(DVS)
interface.
The
good
folks
at
Reloop
were
kind
enough
to
provide
a
review
model
to
Hip-Hop
Wired,
and
the
Flux
checks
all
the
boxes
needed
to
get
an
old
DJ
back
in
the
mix.
Installation
was
relatively
simple,
and
if
you
know
your
way
around
phono,
line
jacks
and
RCA
chords,
getting
connected
is
a
breeze.
And
even
if
you
don’t,
the
instructions
are
right
there
on
YouTube.
Once
you’re
set
up
and
Serato
DJ
Pro
is
running,
the
intuitiveness
of
the
hardware
and
software
combo
is
evident.
The
hardware
is
bus-powered,
so
once
you
plug
it
into
your
laptop,
it
lights
up—there
are
signal
flow
LEDs
for
all
inputs
and
outputs
as
well
as
a
thru
status
indicator.
It
also
has
an
AUX
outlet
to
let
you
record
your
mixes,
and
there
are
three
stereo
inputs
and
outlets,
which
let
you
run
a
third
turntable
or
media
player
if
you’re
nice
like
that.
And
if
you
want
to
get
extra
technical,
it
features
24-bit/96
kHz,
high-quality
digital/analog
converters
and
ultra-low
latency,
which
makes
for
club-quality
sound.
The
true
beauty
of
the
product
is
that
after
it’s
plugged
in,
you
can
forget
about
it
since
it’s
doing
everything
it
needs
to
do.
If
your
music
collection
is
legit,
you
now
have
access
to
all
your
tunes
via
Serato
DJ
Pro,
without
having
to
rifle
through
your
crates
to
get
to
that
piece
of
wax;
a
simple
search
will
suffice.
And
even
if
you
don’t
have
that
deep
cut
on
MP3,
you
can
click
a
passthrough
button
on
the
Flux
that
will
let
you
play
your
conventional
vinyl
as
well.
Or,
if
you
have
a
Tidal
account,
Serato
lets
you
access
the
app’s
entire
music
library—that’s
just
cheating.
With
that
in
mind,
the
Reloop
Flux
is
buttery
smooth
gateway
for
anyone
trying
to
dip
back
into
the
DJ
waters
without
breaking
the
bank.
It
retails
for
$449
and
is
a
worthy
investment
that
bridges
the
gap
between
the
past
and
the
future
for
you
to
get
busy
right
now.