Best DJ gear: 7 of the best USB sticks for DJs in 2024

For many DJs, the days of lugging their records to the club are long gone. Even CDs can be a burden. By putting your music onto a USB stick, you save tanks of time and effort preparing for a DJ set. Plus, analysing your MP3, WAV or AIFF files through Rekordbox gives you access to information like tempo and key and helpful tools like folders and sort options make for a stress-free organised set, too.

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For digital DJs, a USB stick is a no-brainer. But what constitutes a good one? Write and read speeds are important, and could be the difference between waiting an hour to export your tunes or just ten. If you’ve got loads of music, storage is key, too – it’s often worth paying that bit extra for more and having your whole collection in one place. Lastly, a sturdy design prevents bent or snapped USB sticks once the drinks tab is in full flow.

We’ve listed some of the most reliable USB sticks on the market right now. Have a gander below.

Our picks for 7 of the best USB sticks for DJs:

• Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth
• SanDisk Extreme Pro
• SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Portable Flash Drive
• SanDisk Ultra Eco USB 3.2 Flash Drive
• Integral Turbo USB 3.0
• Transcend JetFlash 920
• SanDisk Ultra Luxe
• A Bathing Ape Shark Seijin USB Flash Drive

Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth

• Storage options: 32GB – 1TB
• Weight: 37g
• Price: $19.99 – $179.99

Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth might look like a military-grade rocket launcher. It is, however, just an extremely durable USB 3.0 memory stick made to last in demanding environments. It’s housed in waterproof anodized aircraft-grade aluminum, which makes it a solid choice for the globally-touring DJ. Think Solomun in a swamp. Tiesto in the Amazon rainforest. Nina Kraviz playing techno inside the Large Hadron Collider. You get the idea – it’s durable.

Asides from allowing you to take your DJ set absolutely anywhere, the Flash Survivor Stealth also offers up to 1TB storage. It can aso take 40G of SSD shock, meaning its more heat-resistant and quieter than other USB sticks.

Find out more at Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK).

Sandisk Extreme Pro

• USB type: 3.1
• Storage options: 64GB – 1TB
• Speeds: 420 MB/s read, 380 MB/s write
• Weight: 17g
• Price: $28 – $173

The Sandisk Extreme Pro is a high-performance USB stick designed for a fast-paced DJ lifestyle thanks to its cheetah-like read and write speeds, made possible by USB 3.1 Gen 1 capability. While it may not have military-grade encasing, its robust aluminum build enhances durability, while the retractable connector design safeguards it when not in use.

Find out more at Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK).

SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Portable Flash Drive

• USB type: 3.1
• Storage options: 16GB – 512GB
• Speeds: 130MB/s read,
• Weight: 4g
• Price: $8 – $43

Sometimes it’s not all about size. Sandisk’s Ultra Fit, with a height of just five millimetres, packs up to 512GB into one tiny little unit. Who would have thought you could take your whole DJ set around on a device no bigger than your thumbnail? The Ultra Fit makes this possible. Its tiny size means there’s no chance of a drunk reveller – or DJ – mistakenly bumping into it and snapping or bending your USB while its in the CDJ.

Find out more at Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK).

SanDisk Ultra Eco USB 3.2 Flash Drive

• USB type: 3.2
• Storage options: 64GB – 512GB
• Speeds: 100 MB/s read
• Weight: N/A
• Price: $10 – $50

Built with the planet in mind, the SanDisk Ultra Eco flash drive incorporates over 70 per cent recycled plastic, including from disposable water bottles, reducing CO2 emissions, freshwater usage, and energy consumption by over 50 per cent during manufacturing. With storage capacities up to 512GB and transfer speeds up to 100MB/s, it efficiently preserves what’s important to you. It also lets you store your absolutely belting dubplates, which is also important.

Buy it at Amazon (US) or on Amazon (UK).

Integral Turbo USB 3.0

• USB type: 3.0
• Storage options: 64GB – 1TB
• Speeds: 420 MB/s read, 380 MB/s write
• Weight: 17g
• Price: $28 – $173

The Integral Turbo USB 3.0 provides high-speed data transfer through its USB 3.0 interface, making it suitable for swiftly moving large files. Its small form factor and durable construction ensure resilience during regular usage. It comes in various storage capacities to meet different storage needs.

Buy it on Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK).

Transcend JetFlash 920

• USB type: 3.2
• Storage options: 128GB – 256GB
• Speeds: 400MB/s read
• Weight: 10g
• Price: $38/$57

The Transcend JetFlash 920 features a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface for rapid music transfers. Its compact design, with a durable metallic and aluminium casing, and retractable connector enhance portability and prevent damage. With two storage capacities available, it caters to DJs seeking fast and dependable on-the-go storage while darting from gig to gig.

Buy it on Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK).

SanDisk Ultra Luxe

• USB type: 3.1
• Storage options: 16GB – 512GB
• Speeds: 150MB/s write, up to 150MB/s read
• Weight: 7.5g
• Price: $11 – $52

SanDisk really is the big dog in the USB stick game, in storage terms aswell as design. The SanDisk Ultra Luxe blends style and functionality with its sleek metal design and substantial storage capacity. The Ultra Luxe offers high-speed USB 3.1 performance, making for swift music transfers on Rekordbox. Its compact size and premium finish make it an elegant option for those valuing both performance and aesthetics in the booth.

Find out more at Amazon (US) or on Amazon (UK).

A Bathing Ape Shark Seijin USB Flash Drive

This one’s a bit more leftfield, as you can see. It’s a Bathing Ape memory stick that’s essentially a mini figurine of a person wearing its Shark Seijin hoodie, with the USB part fixed into the trousers, so you detach the torso and, hey presto, it’s DJ time. It’s the sort of accessory that could make other DJs in the booth say, “They’re cool” or “They’re an extremely pretentious prick”. It’s up to you to take that risk, and we say ‘go for it’.

In all seriousness, though, it does look to be sturdily built so it’s club-ready and offers 64GB of storage, so you can play your vast collection of bangers and have a little laugh. It’s important to keep your audience happy during your DJ set and, who knows, perhaps a novelty memory stick is the way to do it.

• USB type: N/A
• Storage options: 64GB
• Speeds: N/A
• Weight: N/A
• Price: £79

Buy it at endclothing.com.

See more buyer’s guides at MusicTech.