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Being stuck in the skratchlab like I am day after day, I like a trip out sometimes - to mix with the great unwashed, sign autographs and roll around on the red carpet that's always laid out for yours truly... OK perhaps it isn't quite like that but when I saw Numark, Korg and M-Audio on the exhibitor list, I figured it was time to allow daylight to touch my bleached skin and check out the goodness being brought forth in the coming weeks and months.

I was warned that Music Live isn't like PLASA and other trade shows. Music Live is very much a public event, and Friday just happened to be Education Day - and it seemed that every teenager in the Birmingham area descended on the NEC with the express intention of pissing me off. I arrived at 10.30 and was jostled for the next 4 hours by every possible tribe of yoof known to man. While annoying in the extreme that I found it hard to lay my hands on the equipment, I was also pleased at the numbers there, all interested in music in one form or another.

It has to be said though that the emphasis of this show is real musical instruments, and drums and guitars seemed to be the overwhelming favourites with every shape and size of acoustic and electric (and even USB) guitars being played by an equally wide assortment of people. But enough about real instruments - let's get on with the stuff you expect to read about.

Numark



As I said before, this show is much more about real instruments, but that didn't stop Numark putting on a nice stand chokka with electronic music making goodies. I finally got to have a play with the new Akai MPC-500. It's small, perfectly formed and doesn't feel like it'll break in a hurry - ideal to stuff into a bag for those who have absolutely got to make beats on the bus or tube. From the oh so short play I had on it, the new baby MPC performs just fine. We should be getting one very soon to knock around - and just for once something we don't have to take a screwdriver to.

Numark's new Cue software was doing good work linked up to the iCDX. Allow me to clarify the difference between Cue and Virtual Vinyl - on the face of it, they look the same because the software running them is the same. Cue becomes Virtual Vinyl when you add the controller CDs, vinyl and the interface. I only watched the iCDX in action with Cue but the gathered audience of kids were impressed with DJing on a laptop - as was I.

We should be getting an iCDX this week as they're beginning to trickle out to retailers.

M-Audio



This was the main reason for going to the show - to actually touch Torq. I did eventually, but M-Audio's demo duties were an obvious priority to letting an old hack play for a while. I'm glad I stood around and watched M-Audio's Jamie fight with his laptop and manage to carry out Ableton demos - I seem to be turning into a luddite and need to embrace and learn all this new fangled laptop music making lark. I actually learned a lot from Jamie and feel less of a technophobe than I was before.

Once all the inconsiderate visitors had buggered off for a while, I actually got to play with Torq for an all too brief time - even jammed along with Jamie for a minute. From the short play I had - ob both CD and vinyl, Torq does seem like the mutts nuts. I detected no latency and it sounded great. A demo unit will be heading our way hopefully this week so we'll be able to fill the remaining few of you who haven't actually bought it in on what it's like.

There's something that needs to be cleared up - Torq retails without controller vinyls/CDs for £169 and £229 with controllers. People appear to have been buying the £169 version and then complaining that there were no vinyls. Make sure you get the right one.

Korg



Another popular stand but I did get a very quick play with Korg's new KAOSSPAD3. Resembling a slab of chocolate, this box of tricks seems to have a hell of a lot going for it. Sadly, without a manual and with a crowd of kids hassling me to piss off and let them play, I wasn't able to get that much out of one. But seeing as units are in the UK, I'll put in my request for a demo unit this week and see what we can make it do.

Behringer



We've got a couple of Behringer products in the skratchlab right now but my attention was drawn to the new Behringer Podcastudio. Seeing as the interweb is becoming more important to some that the telly box in the corner, kits like this are incredibly useful for people to put together simple broadcasts and uploading them to Myspace. In this kit you get a simple mixer, microphone, Firewire interface and software that'll give you everything you need to start broadcasting. It could well be worth buying this kit just for the individual items anyway - the FCA202 firewire interface is a quality lump of kit on its own and bought with the rest of the package, it becomes a bargain at around £120.

Tascam



After the initial hooplah surrounding the very wonderful Tascam/Mixwell CD-DJ1unit, it all went rather cold on the demo unit front, with rumours of the demise of Tascam's DJ division. Well a quick chat with Tascam UK has cleared things up a little. Seems the mixers have gone from the range 6 months ago but they're still hanging on to the X1500/1700 dual head CD units and the CD-DJ1/TTM1 combo is still alive and kicking - so much so that I've hopefully secured a demo unit so that and can get some closure on breaking the world exclusive that we broke for Tascam at NAMM.

Thank God that's over...

So all in all, Music Live isn't really a show for DJs. Granted there are a few odds and ends floating around but essentially it's aimed at getting real musicians through the door or at least those who are interested in learning to play something that doesn't have a USB port. What's clear is that there's a HUGE youth market. Perhaps it's time to aim some good quality products at this end of the consumer market and get some new blood into the DJ scene, rather than catering for the seasoned pros.

Still, at least my £70 train fare was worthwhile, if only to meet some new people in the trade and spread the skratchworx name a little further. And also to discover that today's youth have some bizarre dress sense and a bewildering array of very bad hairstyles.