The Lowdown
A practical way to get your stuff organised, plus they come in different shapes and sizes so you can find one that’s a good fit for the bag you have or the gear that you’re taking along with you. It’s a godsend for forgetful, messy people such as myself. Recommended.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
The Grid-It! model I got is a rectangle that fits in my DJ backpack. It’s got straps that look like big, grippy rubber bands that intersect with each other on one side, while the other has a pouch to store a tablet the size of a 9.7″ iPad or smaller. You insert your accessories into the bands, and they hold them in place, which makes storing and retrieving them easier than if you had just dumped everything inside your DJ bag, which I’m sure many of us are guilty of!
In Use
I’m currently using a Traktor Kontrol S8 for gigs, but I also take along a pair of XDJ-1000s for larger shows, so that means I’ve got a host of accessories to take along with me: USB and power cables, the adapter of the Kontrol S8 itself, RCA jacks, you name it. Untangling and connecting these leads are what take up the bulk of my set up time, mainly because there are so many cables and I just chuck them all in my bag like the messy DJ that I am.
So what I’ve done here is I used the Grid-It! to be a dedicated cable organiser: the front bands hold all the USB, power, and RCA jacks that I need to run and connect my Kontrol S8 and XDJ-1000s to my laptop. The rear pouch becomes a hold for my long RCA cables, which I take around just in case I need to use them for my master output (happens a lot).
Organising my cables this way solves two problems: first, I can tell at a glance if I’m missing any cables (as long as I always store them in the same bands), and next I can easily remove them from the Grid-It! and connect to my gear without tangles because, well, they’re untangled in the first place.
I’ve also got a Traktor Kontrol S2 Mk2, which I use for bar and pub gigs where space is an issue. I just take along the controller, along with my laptop inside a small shoulder bag which I use use on a daily basis. The smaller Grid-It! organiser works in this situation because you really don’t need much to get the Kontrol S2 Mk2 running, but cables, adapters, and external disks can still make a rat’s nest out of your daily driver bag’s interior. If you slot them all in a tiny Grid-It! model and put it in your bag when you’ve got a gig, you can practically turn any rucksack or messenger into a DJ gig bag.
Conclusion
Grid-It! is a practical way to get your stuff organised, plus they come in different shapes and sizes so you can find one that’s a good fit for the bag you have or the gear that you’re taking along with you. They’re relatively inexpensive compared to other DJ organisers such as the UDG Digi Wallet, especially for the peace of mind you get knowing you didn’t leave anything behind.
I would’ve like to have seen models with brighter colours though for better contrast and visibility in a dark booth. With that said, it’s a godsend for messy, forgetful (ageing?) people such as myself. Recommended.
