Rane ONE DJ Controller Review June 5, 2021 I was able to spend more time with the unit over the weekend. Effects Seems like Serato effects are more sensitive than on-board effects. I had to get used to that. Spacing Still felt crammed after an 8-hour gig. I was comfortable with the tear and baby…

Rane ONE DJ Controller Review

June 5, 2021

I was able to spend more time with the unit over the weekend.

Effects

Seems like Serato effects are more sensitive than on-board effects. I had to get used to that.

Spacing

Still felt crammed after an 8-hour gig. I was comfortable with the tear and baby scratch mix drop ins but faster hand platter movements felt crammed since it’s a smaller circumference.

Laptop Stand

Used the Stanton folding stand which worked perfect for the space underneath the unit. I used the Pro-X Pioneer SRT1000 coffin but removed some padding underneath to make room for the feet of the Rane ONE.

 


May 13, 2021

I was able to try the Rane ONE over the weekend at an actual gig.

Platters

The platters worked like a charm. It felt smooth and comfortable. I had to get used to the push on the 1 drop when mixing because the radius was smaller which meant it didn’t need as much effort compared to a turntable. I got used to the amount of push strength after 3-4 transitions.

Again, as I mentioned last week, I felt a bit crammed with my hands but got used to it.

Monitor Out

I didn’t expect the monitor outs to be XLR. I’m used to 1/4″ to 1/4″. No biggie. The master out has 2 XLRs and 2 RCA outs which was dope.

Weight

It’s a bit on the heavy side combined with the Pro-X case but is definitely lighter than 2 Technics or 2 Rane Twelves and a mixer.

Master Volume Out

The levels were crisp and strong as I brought the levels up as the night went on.

Overall Feedback

Definitely one of the best controllers in my book out right now. This would be the weapon of my choice for mobile gigs. I highly recommend it.


May 5, 2021

Super Solid Platter

Reminds me of the platter on the Rane Twelve and the Technics 1200. This type of heavy-duty platter is what sold me on the Rane Twelves as it’s the closest simulation to the 1200s IMO. This is the first controller I’ve experienced with the heavy-duty platter just like the 1200s but smaller. I’ve worked with the Pioneer DDJ-1000SRT which is dope but I was never a CDJ user so it took me a minute to get used to the CDJ workflow (non-spinning platter but pressure sensitive controls).

I’ve also worked with the Numark NS7iii. It was dope as it had a spinning platter to simulate the 1200s. But the mechanical feel of it was not as smooth. It felt clunky especially when cutting, cue-ing, and backspinning. It was also super heavy. Not ideal for mobile gigs. Probably better for studio use but you might as well use 1200s (or Reloop RP-8000) if you’ll be working in the lab.

The feel of platter is the same as the Rane Twelve except smaller (of course). My hands felt crammed a bit for the first 10-15 minutes but got used to it.

I think you can add washers between the CV and the platter to fit your tension preferences but I haven’t tried as it felt good out the box. On the Rane Twelves, I have 2 or 3 extra washers to make it more loose. Backspinning, cue-ing and scratching felt nice and solid with these platter.


Touch Strip

Digging this feature. The Rane Twelve and the Numark NS7iii had it.


Pitch Control

3 Settings at +/-8, +/-16, and (I forget). Kept it at +/- 16 which is also my preference on the Rane Twelve. Very responsive and accurate. I had no issues getting used to mixing tracks. Found myself using the plus and minus buttons to push / hold the platter speed which is somewhat new to me. On the Rane Twelve and 1200, I’m pushing the actual vinyl but I couldn’t really do that to this platter as it was smaller and more sensitive to the slight adjustment touches. I’m thinking I would need to more familiar with it.


Effects Triggers

Digging this as it feels just like the Rane Seventy.


Mixer Area

Another big selling point for me is the clean 2-channel layout. I was not a fan of the 1000SRT with 4 channels. I felt like the outer channels got in the way a lot (same feeling as well with the multi-channel Pioneer mixers like the 900) — not my favorite to work with.

The clean 2-channel battle layout was perfect for me and is just like the Rane Seventy. This is huge for me as it doesn’t slow my workflow down.


LED Meters

I was impressed with the speed and accuracy of the meters.


Cue Buttons

This is one thing I wish wasn’t part of the Rane ONE. I’m not a fan of the Rane push button cue experience. I prefer the crossfader cue control as it allows you to manually and efficiently control the levels of your program and source on your headphones.


Crossfader

I was a bit iffy on this one. The cuts were not as sharp as the Rane Seventy. Could this be that the cutoff is being controlled by the software vs mixer’s mechanical settings? I’ll need to play around with this more or maybe do some online research.


DJ Effects

Serato-powered effects are ok. It’s workable. I’m thinking a controller offering on-board effects is a pretty tall order. Or is it?


Brake Speed Adjustment

Dope to be able to control this but not sure if it should always be accessible. Not sure how many DJs would alter this setting during performance. The “instant doubles” button would’ve been better here.

“Instant doubles” is triggered by pressing on the load knob which is alright but a designated button would’ve been better like the Rane Seventy.


Trigger Pads

Pads are smaller but did not affect my performance. I’m good with the smaller size.


2 XLR Mic Inputs

This is dope! Especially for mobile gigs. The 1000SRT only had one.


That’s it for now. Will do more testing as the mobile gigs come thru. Thanks for reading.

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