The Lowdown
A simple, smart over-the-shoulder solution for the DJ who plays out regularly and wants to keep his or her controller separate from the rest of their DJ gear when on the move.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
It’s quite a simple design, made in smart black nylon with a curved faux leather section on the lid. The lid unzips around three sides of the sleeve, and is lined with eggshell foam in dark grey, mounted on silver fabric. The sides of the main and only compartment are lined in a soft light grey material and decently padded, with the also-padded nylon-lined base bearing a large “UDG Gear” logo.
Externally there’s a sturdily riveted-on carry handle, but there are also two equally sturdily attached loops on either side to connect a supplied nylon shoulder strap, which has a decent rubber-lined adjustable shoulder pad as part of its design.
In Use
As with some of the other designs from UDG, various padded blocks with Velcro stitched to them are provided for fitting the compartment out to snugly accept different sizes of gear. You start by picking the sleeve that is closest in size to your gear from the UDG website (controller users will want to look at Medium, Large and Extra Large options), then when it comes to fitting your controller to your sleeve, you follow the enclosed chart that shows you exactly how to configure the blocks for a snug fit.
The sleeve we have here fits controllers such as the Pioneer DDJ-SX, the Numark NV, and the Traktor Kontrol S8, and indeed with the DDJ-SX it needs no extra padding at all. One tip is to use any “unused” padding to raise the controller off the “floor” of the sleeve assuming your controller is shallow enough (step up, Numark NV), the general idea being the snugger the fit, the better. Once your unit is in place and the sleeve zipped shut, the eggshell foam on the lid offers decent protection for the knobs, buttons and faders.
Conclusion
If you hardly ever leave the house and just want something to tuck your controller away in when not being used (and to hike it around to a friend’s house once in a while for a mix or party), something from the Creator series would probably do you. But if you do get out and about a bit more (but you’re not on tour, like, all the time), then a more substantial sleeve like this one is a better bet.
That’s because the handle on this is better, the protection offered is more complete, and you have the extra option of attaching that shoulder strap (which is nice and comfortable) if you end up having to carry it further than just from your car to the venue.
Whether you go for this or an Urbanite Midi Controller Flight Bag (which has extra compartments) depends on whether you’re the type of DJ who wants to keep his or her controller separate from anything else you’re taking with you, or whether you’d rather keep all your stuff in one bag. If you’re carrying a laptop bag, for instance, you’ll no doubt have your headphones, leads, and so on in there so a sleeve like this would be a great choice for your controller alone.
Of course, you’re going to be happiest if yours is a controller that fits with minimal or no extra padding, that being the only drawback of this design (unless companies make a product especially for every controller on the market, there’s always going to be a little bit of compromise). But it’s a very small point, and is reflected in the price; the UDG Urbanite Midi Controller Sleeve is good value, will protect your gear decently, and is well made, so it should last a long time too.
