Ok this might be a long one. I’ll add a TL: DR at the end….
Back in my younger days (early 2000’s)I used to be a passionate bedroom DJ. Never had any interest in performing to a crowd, but I enjoyed mixing (DnB and Techno mainly) and loved the whole process.
I had a simple set up ( bear in mind this was before CDJs were popular) of 1210’s and a 2 channel mixer which I used daily for a good few years.
Then life and adulthood got in the way, and I ended up parting ways with the decks sometime around 15 years ago.
One thing that I regret not doing when I had my decks was learning to scratch / beat juggle etc as although I primarily mixed techno / DnB I also love instrumental hip hop / downtempo ( DJ Shadow etc).
So now I’m in my early 40’s, family, kids etc etc. I miss it, and although I still listen to a lot of music, recently I’ve had the urge to mix again, and specifically master the art of scratching that I missed first time round.
Is this something of a midlife crisis? Possibly, but if so at least it’s better than a sports car and an earring right?
In an ideal world I’d just get a set of Technics and a mixer, but I have neither the space, nor the money to justify that ( also it breaks me to see how much 1210s go for these days!).
So I’ve been looking at the somewhat bewildering array of controllers etc out there and the Rane One has really caught my eye. What I want is something as close to vinyl as possible but with a smaller footprint.
Has anyone used this controller who has also used Technics? I mean I know the platters are smaller, but does it still capture the feel of turntables (those little touches to get the beat lined up etc, don’t forget there were no BPM counters back then ).
I know I have to move with the times, but and use software, and I can see the advantages, but( mid life crisis symptom) I’d love to also have the choice to feel as old school as possible if I so wanted to ( manual beat matching etc).
As mentioned it’s really the Rane One that’s caught my eye because apart from the NS7 series ( which are a little too large for my limited space) there doesn’t seem to be much on offer for a former vinyl mixer.
Does anyone have any thoughts?
I should add that I’m not doing this to become the next big thing, or even to perform in front of people, I just miss the enjoyment of the whole process of mixing.
Thanks to all who made it to the end and here’s a TL: DR for those who skipped here
TL: DR - used to have 1210’s but sold them, will the Rane One give me as authentic an experience as possible in a small controller?
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