After many years of mixing with vinyl and turntables, I decided to give the new Rane ONE MK2 a shot.

The strangest adjustment so far is not having to deal with turntable drift. After listening back to a few of my older mixes, I am not sure how I ever became so accustomed to constantly correcting it. It feels a little like driving a newer car with modern safety features and wondering how you managed without them.

The controller has a long list of features that I am still learning, so this first mix is intentionally basic. It is mostly straightforward blends without much use of the new effects or performance features, though I am very happy with the tracks and how the mix came together.

The recording initially sounded a little quiet and almost flat to me. After a few playbacks, however, I realized that it actually sounds better than recordings from my older Rane Sixty-Two setup. The highs and lows are more balanced and noticeably crisper. I may need to increase the gain or recording level slightly in future mixes, but I prefer not to adjust the finished recording in post so that it remains an accurate representation of the original mix.

I am looking forward to recording more running mixes and spending time with the new stems and effects features. Not having to manage turntable drift, dirty needles, or tonearm adjustments should leave considerably more time to experiment.

The new mix, Whitelabel – Ep. 16 , is now available to stream or download.