this thread is about USB drives! I want to get the absolute best tech of jump drives and apply it to my djing. I would love it if you guys had viable options to add to this topic, because we can all help each other to get on the best drives on the market. I would love to have something I can carry on myself at all times, so that's where a lot of my requirements stem from.


I have been researching diligently to replace a drive that I recently lost. I need a set of jump drives in order to hold my music library in order to use CDJ's for playback. Thinking ideally about the absolute best drive for my needs I came up with the following aspects that would make a perfect jump drive for DJ's:

• Durability: It needs to be as strong and durable as possible. Ideally it needs to be made fully out of metal, that way it will stand up to abuse
• Storage: The bigger the better! as of the time of this post, storage is as cheap as ever, and 128gb drives are $25-40 depending on design and speed. Ideally needs to have enough space for my entire music library (currently around 55gb) plus room for future additions.
• USB 3.0 compatibility: 3.0 is definitely a bonus, it will allow me to transfer from my macbook faster, but because CDJ's are still USB 2.0, it needs to have full reliability to be backwards compatible.
• I need two... because you never know if the gig will have old cdjs that do not have network link (like my 400's) or if they have newer cdjs but do not have a network cable linking them. This will also help with redundancy so if one dies I could still play off of one drive.
• Portability: purchasing a small form factor drive will be a plus, because it won't stick out of the CDJ as much as other drives. This prevents it from being knocked into and damaging the drive or the port, and also prevents an idiot from trying to grab the drive and run off
• Keychainability: I would love it if the back of the drive has a large loop to put on my keychain ready to go. I have lost so many drives over the years just because it had a fabric loop to connect to my keychain and got disconnected and lost over time.
• speed: If I buy name brand, I'm sure the speeds will be fast enough to keep up with the CDJ, especially if they are spec'd for USB 3.0.
• Name brand: I have had many problems with drives that weren't name brand, so I will stick to the big names: Lexar, Patriot, Samsung, Kingston, Sandisk, etc. I will steer clear of brands that use old designs for their own cheap versions, I worry about the reliability of these.

Results:
Patriot USB 3.0 128gb TAB drive ($37.99)
Durability: full metal! no plasticky bits whatsoever
Storage: yes, enough room to double my music library
USB 3.0: yes! BUT I did have the 32 gb version of this drive and on a recent gig in the desert my drive was not recognized by the CDJ2000 i plugged it into. a strange problem because i've used it on my CDJ 400's without issue, and on that desert gig it showed up ok on my computer.
Portability: the TAB drives are barely bigger than the end of a usb plug! this is fantastic for the CDJ ports, especially when the rubber cover on the CDJ usb port actually sticks out taller than the usb. This makes it difficult to unplug or bump into, making it hard to damage or steal.
Keychainability: Yes BUT it does not have a full size key loop. This is mainly why i lost my old one: it came with a small key ring, and it was working fine for a while, but somehow caught the end of it and came apart.

SOLUTION:
I'm going to plan on buying two of these 128gb drives, and store them in a pill storage keychain. This eliminates the problem I had with flimsy small keychains. I have had a pair of Mack's earplugs in a similar keychain container, and even though they are twist off, the silicone ring on the end keeps it screwed in place. I also realized that the drives would easily fit inside the width of this container, making it a perfect solution!

Alternate options:
Corsair Survivor 128gb USB 3.0 drive ($59.99)
I have heard great things about this drive, and I love how sturdy the case design is. On amazon I have seen a really beat up example that still works great: http://www.amazon.com/review/R14V0V1FFVBC7X/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00YHL1OKI&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=541966&store=pc
I have also seen that people are complaining that the actual electronics part of this drive can come apart from the casing, and could be easily damaged:http://www.amazon.com/review/R25Y3W74DZW7BY/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00YHL1OKI&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=541966&store=pc
Portability: these things are huge, and if I had two, they wouldn't fit well on my keychain. they would also stick out when in use with a CDJ, and has an outside casing that is separate that i could lose.
Price: because of the case design and military spec of this drive, these babies are twice as expensive as jump drives with the same storage! If i buy two, I will end up spending the amount for 4 drives... is it worth it!?

Kingston DataTraveler USB3.0 128gb ($37.99)
Durability: capless all metal design. built for a keychain, so a great choice
USB 2.0 compatibility: people on amazon are reporting that it has issues showing up for USB 2.0. this is definitely problematic for CDJ use, and might not work for this application. Some are suspecting that it draws too much power for using in a 2.0 port, and this may very well be true, given its large capacity.
Keychainability: large easy to use key ring, ideal for a thick and strong keychain. Definitely would stand up to the rigors of a keychain. would work great as a necklace piece.
Storage: 128, good for my use without being double the price as a 256gb.

What do you guys think? I may add a few drives underneath to add as viable solutions for DJ use.

Personally, I do not think bigger is better(no pun intended).  I do not know what genre you play, but you need to limit your choices when you prepare your sets, rather than bringing 50.000 tracks.  It´s no good spending the whole night scrolling for the next track.  If you want to make good sets, you should approach the gig like djs used to in the vinyl days.  If they chose more than 200 tracks(2 crates), they would not be able to bring them all.  Look at Mat when he spins.  He´s bringing 100 or so cds.

I disagree drastically. Depending on your technique, you might be throwing down a lot of tracks every set, and not all of them go well together. If you match key and tempo, and switch tracks quickly, a few thousand tracks might be necessary if you don't want to get bored every night.

I disagree drastically. Depending on your technique, you might be throwing down a lot of tracks every set, and not all of them go well together. If you match key and tempo, and switch tracks quickly, a few thousand tracks might be necessary if you don't want to get bored every night.

So do you just plan all your sets once a month, or once a year?
Depending on how much you change records, I really don´t think that you need such a massive amount of songs.  A good dj knows his/her tracks in and out, and even though you get wave display and all, you should put in the effort.  Of course depending on style, I consider it bad form to play less than 2 mins of a track on average(not counting intros and voice overs etc.).  Remember that every man and his dog can mix with the available technology, so track selection is key.