Rane ONE - DJ Controller Review

In early 2021, Rane introduced its first DJ controller, the Rane One, to the market. For years, Rane has held a unique position in the world of DJ equipment. The company developed the first digital turntable, the Rane Twelve, and the Rane Seventy Two - a benchmark for battle mixers. Additionally, the manufacturer has secured a solid place in DJ setups of artists like Jazzy Jeff, DJ Craze, JFB, DJ Skillz, Statik, A-Trak, and many others, so it was expected that the first controller would follow a similar style.

First Impressions

The Rane One combines digital turntables with a battle mixer in a more compact form. Playback doesn't function in standalone mode but rather with the familiar Serato setup.

The biggest trade-offs compared to a setup with a Rane Twelve and two Rane Seventy Twos are the smaller platters (7.2" instead of 12") and the display in the mixer section that shows the waveform.

Before we get too upset, let's not forget that the Rane One costs only half as much as a complete Twelve + Seventy Two setup. However, in terms of quality, no compromises were made. The motorized, direct-drive platters are made of robust metal and feel similar to those of a Technics 1200. The jogwheels are also of excellent quality, providing a real vinyl feel.

Another compromise regarding the compact design is that some controls don't fit on the mixer section. These are all positioned on the front of the controller, where they're a bit more cumbersome to operate. Generally, this is acceptable, but using the CUE controls is initially somewhat uncomfortable. After a few hours of use, however, we intuitively knew where to reach. Also on the front are the microphone level controls and EQ, the Deck Control Adjust, and the Crossfader Contour Adjust.

Deck Section Overview

The 2x8 Hot Cue/Sampler knobs have been moved to the deck section, along with the corresponding function buttons: Hot Cue / Saved Loop / Roll / Sampler / Slicer.

Three of these buttons have a secondary function that can be activated by pressing again:

Hot Cue secondary function: Pitch Play

Roll secondary function: Auto Loop

Sampler secondary function: Scratch Bank - This allows loading 8 separate tracks onto the performance pads at the start points we define. These can be used for instant scratching.

The Start/Stop button is exactly like that of the Rane Twelve, above it is a separate CUE button for those who want to mix in CDJ style rather than traditional vinyl, and right next to it is a SYNC button for syncing the tempo of tracks.

LOOP MODE has a prominent place, which we appreciated, the large, wide button is very practical, making it easy to activate/duplicate loops.

The Pitch Bend section follows more of a traditional layout rather than the Twelve's battle style, with the Pitch Fader positioned vertically. For those who prefer a CDJ-style mix, there's a +/- Pitch Bend button to temporarily speed up/slow down the tempo, just like with a jogwheel.

The Pitch Fader moves precisely, like a regular turntable. To make it even more traditional, there's a click at 0%, just like with older Technics 1200/1210 devices.

We would have preferred a separate tempo reset button, as you have to press quite far off center to change the tempo. This can be a bit inconvenient when beatmatching by ear in this area. The pitch range can be set to ±8%, ±16%, and ±50%. The same button, along with the shift button, activates KEYLOCK to maintain the same musical key at higher or lower pitches.

More Features

Also featured in the Deck section is a large touch strip that allows you to quickly jump to any point in the selected track. A handy feature, but perhaps this space could have been better utilized (maybe for a smaller display), and the same function could have been achieved in Pioneer style with a button press + turn of the platter.

Additionally, there's the indispensable STOP TIME button, which determines how quickly the platter stops after pressing the STOP button. A button is divided between SLIP MODE and MOTOR OFF, but it doesn't affect playback since everything is digital. The SHIFT button is also used to toggle the CENSOR/REVERSE functions of the button below it.

CENSOR is essentially the same as REVERSE, playing the track backward, but upon deactivation, it jumps back to the same position where you started rewinding, so rewinding is essentially just an effect inserted during playback, it doesn't physically rewind the track.

Furthermore, there's a BROWSE dial, standard on controllers, to browse the library without using the laptop, and a BACK/LOAD PREP button below it: with BACK, you can return to the previous Serato window (e.g., from a folder), and with LOAD PREP (activated with SHIFT), you can select the track in the Prepare Crate.

Mixer Section

The Mixer Section is clear and intuitive, with the key functions. The volume faders, crossfader, and knobs are of very high quality, as expected from Rane.

There's a 3-band EQ as well as a filter knob per deck, which, when turned left, activates the low-pass filter and turns right activates the high-pass filter.

Turning the DEPTH knob adjusts the Wet-Dry ratio of the integrated Flex-FX effects.

Directly between the filters are 6 very practical FX controls, which can be assigned Serato effects. Holding them down allows you to activate multiple effects at once. The Beat button above them adjusts the timing for the effects.

The Lock switch below can be used to enable/disable effects. Pulling it towards you temporarily activates it, and releasing it deactivates it. Pushing it upwards keeps it active until you pull it back.

It's important to mention that the Mixing Section operates standalone, so external devices (turntables/digital players) can also be connected. Anyone wanting to connect a turntable will not be disappointed by the built-in phono preamps, and in DVS mode, external turntables can also be used. Regardless of the mode the mixer is used in, the fat and punchy typical Rane sound won't disappoint you.

Professional Connections

Both the MAIN and BOOTH outputs feature XLR connections. Additionally, there are 2 separate USB ports for connecting two laptops and to conduct smooth B2B sessions.

In summary, it can be said that the Rane One doesn't disappoint, its only current competitor is the Pioneer DDJ REV7.

(You can also find the review of the Pioneer DDJ-REV7 on our blog. HERE is the review)

Our Conclusion

Some may miss two additional channels and larger platters, but it's entirely acceptable that Rane has opted for simplicity and portability.

From every perspective, Rane has likely found the best possible middle ground between classic and current technology. For a price in the upper mid-range, they offer us the best of functionality of a battle mixer and a motorized platter controller, making the controller a successful all-in-one option.

The jogwheels are easy to use after a short adaptation period and it's fun to work with them. The mixer looks extremely professional and will prove itself in any club setup. Therefore, it's a serious option for DJs who prefer mixing in a battle style.