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Thread: Getting back into it in my 40’s…..

  1. #1

    Getting back into it in my 40’s…..

    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?
    Last edited by GlassMask; 09-15-2021 at 07:57 AM.

  2. #2
    Deez Beats! KLH's Avatar
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    Welcome to DJF, GlassMask! You're going to love getting back into DJing. There are more tools now that can help you unleash your beast!

    When you look at controllers, look at the software first. Then pick a controller that supports the software. There's nothing wrong with the Rane One. Just make sure that you like Serato DJ Pro too.
    -KLH
    Visit DJF's Beginner's MEGA thread and drop by my Facebook Fan Page.
    I've read the books like How to DJ right... to learn about... beatmatching, phrasing w/e , Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder Solitaire but when I go to mix...

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by KLH View Post
    Welcome to DJF, GlassMask! You're going to love getting back into DJing. There are more tools now that can help you unleash your beast!

    When you look at controllers, look at the software first. Then pick a controller that supports the software. There's nothing wrong with the Rane One. Just make sure that you like Serato DJ Pro too.
    Thanks bud.

    Yeah it s certainly a different world than the one I left.

    Is there much of a difference between the softwares?

  4. #4
    Moderator pete's Avatar
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    There is nothing quite like the feeling of vinyl. Also record players are the only things that play vinyl, I dunno if you kept any.

    You could just get one technics and a mixer with DVS control incorporated. You can mix and scratch as normal into and out of tracks, you don't necessarily need 2 turntables to mix. Plus you save on space compared to 2 decks. you could always get another deck if you get back into the groove.

    I haven't used the Rane One. Rane used to have a great reputation and as far as I know still make great products, even though there are not the same company (if I remember right, they got bought out and lost a lot of staff).

    The softwares available all generally do the same thing, it is mainly the visual interface that is different. Besides, software changes fairly regularly so I'd concentrate on the control surfaces, and if they fit with your workflow.
    bored, curious, deaf or just bad taste in music?
    finally a mix by me
    and what's this, another shoddy mix...another dull mix

  5. #5
    Deez Beats! KLH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pete View Post
    The softwares available all generally do the same thing, it is mainly the visual interface that is different. Besides, software changes fairly regularly so I'd concentrate on the control surfaces, and if they fit with your workflow.
    While I generally agree with pete, the devil's in them details!

    There are differences in ability to sample, control video (or lights), and even DVS support. YMMV for your needs.

    Here's a quick video:

    -KLH
    Visit DJF's Beginner's MEGA thread and drop by my Facebook Fan Page.
    I've read the books like How to DJ right... to learn about... beatmatching, phrasing w/e , Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder Solitaire but when I go to mix...

  6. #6
    I dunno, I think that if my interest was specifically scratching and turntablism, I would get turntables. Probably with a DVS and control vinyl.. but I would get real turntables. Because.. that's how it's done. If you are just generally interested in DJing again and you want to scratch a bit as well or juggle beats.. sure you can do that with digital gear, you don't HAVE to do needle drops, or whatever you can just LOOP nowadays and scratch to your hearts content, you can get the same results so much easier than the old days. You don't need little bits of tape you just push a button and voila, you're cued.

    But it sounds like the whole reason you are getting back into is is you want to learn those old school skills and I think it won't be the same.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by light-o-matic View Post
    I dunno, I think that if my interest was specifically scratching and turntablism, I would get turntables. Probably with a DVS and control vinyl.. but I would get real turntables. Because.. that's how it's done. If you are just generally interested in DJing again and you want to scratch a bit as well or juggle beats.. sure you can do that with digital gear, you don't HAVE to do needle drops, or whatever you can just LOOP nowadays and scratch to your hearts content, you can get the same results so much easier than the old days. You don't need little bits of tape you just push a button and voila, you're cued.

    But it sounds like the whole reason you are getting back into is is you want to learn those old school skills and I think it won't be the same.
    See in an ideal world I would love to have ‘proper’ decks but there’s two things that are in the way. Space ( I have just about enough space for a controller) and money.

    You’re right that a lot of my motivation for this is to learn to scratch etc but I also love the other aspects of DJing ( mixing etc) and I guess that the Rane One is something that’s stands out as being a solution for both.

    The other way of going is to go for a more standard controller, which I know can do scratching, but I feel that I’d regret not getting something that at least provides some of the old school feel that I remember.

  8. #8
    Ahh ok, that's a bit different than the impression I got from your post. Well, the Rane seems to tick all the boxes then, with the 7 inch moving platters you are not going to get closer than that in a fairly compact size, and it's a quality unit. I've never used a Rane controller but I've used the Rane mixers and really liked them. And then you have got the Serato DJ license that. So you'll need a decent laptop (not crazy old, tho Serato is famous for being efficient with CPU), headphones, some kind of powered monitors or a hifi/home theatre system with an aux input... And you're all set.

  9. #9
    Myself personally if I was wanting to scratch but was limited on space and budget.
    I would look for a good used turntable for about £500. (You only need one.)
    Technics SL-1200/1210 series
    Numark TTX/TTXUSB/TT500
    Vestax PDX-3000-MKII
    Hanpin Super OEM (Stanton ST-150 and similar Technics lookalikes.)

    Not sure if any of the new turntables are as good as the old turntables. (Technics SL-1200MK7, Reloop RP-8000-MK2, Pioneer DJ PLX-1000, Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USBXP) Since the SL-1200MK7 is a thousand dollars (£725) in the USA my guess is it is.

    Either a good scratch mixer or a controller with an Innofader crossfader.
    But the number of US Supreme Court judges was always 6.
    Then it was 5, then 6, then 7, then 9, then 10, then 7, and then 9.

  10. #10
    Deez Beats! KLH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by light-o-matic View Post
    I dunno, I think that if my interest was specifically scratching and turntablism, I would get turntables. Probably with a DVS and control vinyl..
    This is so very true. If you're wanting to get into turntablism (scratching, etc.), then don't mess around and get turntables. If not, then look at controllers.

    Controllers introduce latency and change how traditional turntablism techniques are done. If you knew turntablism, it's easy to use controllers. The converse is unfortunately not true: learning scratching techniques on controllers don't necessarily translate to TTs.

    If you're serious about turntablism, get TTs.
    -KLH
    Visit DJF's Beginner's MEGA thread and drop by my Facebook Fan Page.
    I've read the books like How to DJ right... to learn about... beatmatching, phrasing w/e , Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder Solitaire but when I go to mix...

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