Having snuck into Musikmesse early, it only seems right and fair that I be rewarded for my tenacity. And I was, as I have another exclusive for you, which coincidentally comes on the same day as a very similar product. Reloop have been knocking out controllers for a dog’s age now, but they’ve gone old school and put out a regular 4 channel mixer. The Reloop RMX-80 (no link because this is so new) is their new top of the line offering, that looks much like a bunch of other 4 channel mixers, but does have a few tricks up its sleeves.

They write – you read:

Reloop RMX-80 Digital

A heavyweight has just entered the ring! With the introduction of the RMX-80 Digital, Reloop is proud to set a new standard in professional club mixers. The RMX-80 Digital comes loaded with an impressive wealth of features and innovations, staking its claim for the crown among todays choice professional DJ tools. Familiar Achievements This fully digital mixer powerhouse offers everything a modern professional desires in a DJ-friendly control centre. The mixer surface is laid out clearly, offering intuitive control of the 4+1 channels, a clear terminal panel for up to 9 signal sources, 2 mic inputs with ‘active ducking technology’, digital effect unit with a large-scale display, 2 headphones outputs with intelligent 1-knob headphones EQ, crossfader assignment, as well as fader and crossfader-start. The bipolar filter section combined with the switchable kill/classic EQ offers unimagined flexibility in the frequency spectrum. Steplessly adjustable fader and crossfader curves allow everything from hard cuts to smooth mixes. Two independent beat counters with ‘intelligent tempo detect’ complete the RMX-80 Digital. Fantastic Innovations The 13 brand-new, high-quality performance effects offer unseen creative potential for extensive live remix sessions. For added credibility, these effects were developed in close cooperation with professional DJs with respect to club suitability. The globally unique time bar buttons allow direct access to effect modulation. Depending on the selected effect, they serve as trigger buttons for loops, LFO, timing or pitch. The large LCD display shows all of the important information, and provides a clear overview during creative sesions. Reloop has always strived for the consistent development of proven concepts. Consequently, the RMX-80 Digital offers the classic solo cue mode as well as an extended mix cue mode which enables monitoring of several channels at the same time. Another addition that satisfies the demands of modern DJs is the USB hub which is a unique but essential feature as it counters the usual lack of USB ports on laptops. A further key feature is that the RMX-80 Digital can be adapted to every imaginable performance situation thanks to the extensive setup utility menu. From here, it’s possible to individually customize various settings including output zone routing, limiter and talkover threshold, and EQ crossover frequencies. Premium Quality The RMX-80 Digital is part of the new Reloop premier line product family, becoming the first choice solution for an affordable state of the art club mixer. Features 4+1 channel performance club mixer

Fully digital architecture for outstanding sound and flexibility

Future-proof thanks to innovative, updatable firmware system

Setup utility mode for extensive control and setting possibilities (master, limiter, solo/mix cue, isolator crossover, talkover threshold, mic-to-booth, cue-to-booth, LED check, factory reset, firmware update)

13 high-quality performance effects in studio quality (flanger, delay, echo, reverb, transformer, pitch shift, loop roll, reverse loop, noise, bitcrusher, gate, tape delay, send/return)

Direct access to effect modulation (trigger, LFO, time, pitch) via time bar buttons

2 independent beat counters with ‘intelligent tempo detect’

Large, well-structured LCD display for all important functions

Bipolar filter per channel

Adjustable EQ characteristics (kill & classic)

Fader & crossfader-start

Innofader compatible

Mic channel with 2-band EQ & talkover ‘active ducking technology’ for mic channel

Intelligent 1-knob equalizer and mono/stereo switch for headphones

Active 3-way USB hub for additional audio interface or controller

Individual zone routing

Symmetrical (XLR) as well as asymmetrical (RCA) outputs Technical details Inputs: 7 Line, 2 Phono, 2 Mic, Return

Outputs: Master 1 XLR balanced, Master 2 Chinch unbalanced, Rec, Booth, Send – Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20KHz

EQ range classic: +12 dB/ < -26 dB

EQ range isolator: +12 DB/ -8 dB (total kill)

Dimensions: 320 x 107.5 x 382.4 mm

Weight: 6.9 kg

So what have we got here? Yes, it’s a 4 channel mixer much like many others out there, but it does have some very nice details, as if Reloop looked at what was good on other units, put them in a blender and lo, the RMX-80 was born.

One thing to mention about the pictures — they’re shot in lightshow mode, so before anyone gets all antsy about running in the red, it’s deliberate.

So… what’s cool? Bullet points:

Effects + rotary encoder + upgradeable firmware = new effects coming in the future

3 port USB hub for external controllers (the RMX-80 isn’t MIDI)

To reduce the number of controls, a lot of functionality that might need a control to be adjusted one time has been put into a utility menu. This means A LOT of customisation.

I’m not 100% sure about this, because I had limited time but it sounds like there’s a kind of matrix output going on where you can send individual channels to different outputs. I need to clarify that as it’s potentially a killer feature.

The build is stellar, as good as anything on the market, and the screen is amazing. Add to this the full compliment of curve controls and the ability to drop an Innofader straight in, you have a solid 4 channel mixer that ticks lots of boxes and can work as well for scratch DJs as it does mix DJs.

Price wise, this is pitched lower than Pioneer at 749 euros. That’s lower than Pioneer’s DJM-700 and DJM-750. At first I thought it might be a bit expensive, especially given the lack of MIDI. But after digging around, it seems fair. Perhaps 699 euros might make it even more attractive. It’s a psychological barrier that makes a big difference.

About the lack of MIDI — an open question for you: Does anyone use a MIDI mixer for software control? Or do you use mixers purely as external traditional devices? I’m trying to gauge how people use their mixers and if MIDI is indeed a vital addition to a mixer.

So that’s my skim over the all new Reloop RMX-80 mixer. I’m really keen to get inside this mixer and find out everything that’s going on. We’ll go back and get some more details this week.

And yes, those are watermarks. When my images are borrowed by huge sites that should know better, it’s time to take measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.