So the change is complete - if it wasn't made clear, DJWORX is the new skratchworx. The all new site is alive and ready for your viewing pleasure.

Today, I'd like to talk to you about something that I've been looking forward to for a very long time - 3 years in fact. But now I can finally share the next generation of skratchworx.

Finally it's here - the much teased, misnamed and misunderstood Traktor Kontrol F1. This is a time when a new workflow demands new hardware, as well as new software to deal with it. So this is as much about the new Remix decks workflow as it is the accompanying hardware.

Having become the poster boy for Denon's new Denon DJ SC3900 deck, I guess it's time to show why DJ Switch has put his name to non-analogue technology. In this new video, he puts out a solid performance using the Denon X1600 mixer and controlling Serato Scratch Live in hybrid mode. But there's more to this video than meets the eye.

Video is about to be the next big thing. Most software vendors have been handling the moving medium for some time now, but Serato have now made their Video-SL plugin cross-platform i.e. SSL and ITCH, and called it Serato Video. We saw it briefly at NAMM, but now you can try it for yourself - Serato Video is now in public beta.

While DJs who use controllers are often referred to as controllerists, or indeed class them selves as controllerists, the vast majority actually aren't. But Ean Golden is, and that's where he blazes a trail with his DJ Tech Tools company, by making hardware that has a specific need for a particular niche group of DJs and performers. The arcade button laden Midi Fighter Classic now gets a major upgrade - not just RGB buttons, but also with motion sensors. Say hello to the Midi Fighter 3D.

Updates have been slow round these parts for a while. But that's changing. But this week saw a breaking product with a first look the very next day. But today, we've topped that - the DJM-850 was announced this morning, and bugger me if Andrew Unsworth hasn't stunned me into silence (doesn't happen often) and scored himself a unit for review already. This is not that review, but is instead a quick but exclusive first look.

In a rapidly evolving market, the notion of standards is rapidly disappearing. But there are a few left, one of which is the Pioneer DJM-800 (notably missing from the website menu now) mixer. But steadily that is being supplanted by their technology laden 900Nexus mixer. But Pioneer haven't forgotten the venerable (in modern terms) 800 workhorse and have brought forth the DJM-850 for your consideration.

Yesterday saw the poorly draped covers properly pulled off the Denon DJ SC3900. This one has had more pre-release leaks and sneak peeks than just about anything in recent memory. But enough press teasing and game playing - I've had one for a few days, and for this all too brief time have been prodding it into submission. What follows is not a review, but more of an overview, with my eye lingering on the new gubbins.

After merciless teasing, Denon have finally unveiled their flagship media player the Denon DJ SC3900. Yes, it's like Groundhog Day from a media point of view, but now you get all the detail - the Engine software, the link workflow, and the iPad link too.

Remember the times before the mass hysteria of 4 channel controllers? Back in the day, we had what were called 2 channel controllers, units that perfectly suited the needs of most DJs without feeding their hunger for more shiny that would most probably sit half used with 2 channels needing constant dusting. And while Reloop have already brought forth their own 4 channel boxes recently, hot on the heels of the last one comes a 2 channel version. Behold the Terminal Mix 2, a controller that makes sense of Serato DJ Intro.

In an ideal world, we'd be all over every single new product release with a team of eager review geeks hankering to lay pays upon the stream of shiny glittery boxes that are released with an unending frequency. Sadly that time is not upon us just yet, so I'm still posting things that should have raised their head a long time ago. One such piece of work is a review for Behringer's DDM4000 mixer - a pretty unique product with a feature set that doesn't match up with the previous offerings of the brand.

A little while ago, Denon had a little too much leakage and were more or less inadvertently outed by a tradeshow banner showing what was thought to be the followup to their DN-S3700. A shaky video followed, but now we can exclusively give you a little more info on the heavily rumoured but now confirmed Denon DJ SC3900.

One of the advantages of the digital age, is the ability to chuck together mixes in a matter of minutes. Gone are the days of slaving over the cassette deck (look it up) hoping for one take wonders. And Mixed In Key, purveyors of harmonic mixing software of the same name, now bring you Mashup - it's on-screen mixing at it's most basic level.

The list of headphones checked out on skratchworx continues to grow. I'd say that we already have the most comprehensive list going, but I just want to keep adding to it. This time, it's the distinctive Numark Red Waves - the've been out for a bit, but seem to be gathering a lot of praise. So it seems about time to take a look.

American Audio's DJ profile has raised in the last few years. The VMS4 was the first 4 channel MIDI controller to hit our consciousness, and has subsequently spawned a 2 channel VMS2 variant. But at NAMM 2012, they showcased a trend bucking proposition - the VMS Touch - a trend bucking part conventional/part touch MIDI controller.

Back at BPM, we broke news of EKS's foray into the software world. The spinoff company - Audio Artery - decided to properly break cover at NAMM 2012 and give live demos of their new "The One" software. We were on hand, along with much show noise and a shiny screen to capture The One in all its singular and modular glory.

Despite the hysteria exhibited in some parts, people need more than a pocket to carry their DJ life around. But digital DJing has seen that DJ life be more taxi or flight based than battered white van. Thus luggage is more important than ever, and UDG have been a leading exponent in this field for years. They sent me a SlingBag Trolley Set Deluxe for review, so I dutifully loaded it up and bashed it around the office for a while, and then sent it out to the lucky winner in the 12 days of Skratchmas.

Audio Innovate's Elliot Marx has a mission, and that is to make his ever popular Innofader fit everything from old school Bozaks to new school Kenwoods. But in doing so, he's made what should be a straightforward installation appear less than a plug and play affair. So having examined what are the most popular installs, he's radically simplified the classic Innofader, and distilled it into a new product. No, I'm not talking about the mini Innofader that we broke a few weeks ago - this is the Innofader PNP.

Hear ye hear ye hear ye. Native Instruments, despite me already announcing it on Facebook, would have it know that they're doing one of their fire sales. This one is a serious slice off of the retail price of the only recently announced Traktor Kontrol S2. Just a few months in and £150 off? What's that all about?

While I have a heap of NAMM footage to get through, I'm actually tired of seeing the same video that 10 other people shot. So I'm cherry picking the things that I don't think you'll see elsewhere. Just before NAMM, Serato announced Serato Video - the cross platform (well ITCH and SSL) plugin that brings video to ITCH controllers. Aroha from Serato braved the loud NAMM show floor to give us a quick walkthrough the real basics.

In an industry that seems constantly drifting toward more of the same, it takes some effort to dig in and find unique and useful controllers. The difficulty of further perfecting the workflow around two decks and a mixer is being realized by bother manufacturers and consumers as more modular setups and touch based controllers enter the market. While neither of those options have been perfected, they are being toyed with in more interesting ways than the past few years have shown us.

The interesting thing to me about DJing these days is the ability to craft my own workflow. It is, in fact, what I spend the majority of my time focusing on when I get a new controller or software. Molding a new method with a standardized set of decks (two platters, two or four faders, and a bunch of buttons and knobs) can be interesting, but eventually they all just seem to feel the same. Enter the QuNeo.

One of the heavily rumoured and accidentally leaked launched at NAMM 2012 were the new Rane mixers. Yes mixers plural as the baby Sixty-One and Sixty-Two 2 channel mixers were properly uncovered, rather than accidentally appearing on Instagram. We surrounded DJ Big Wiz as he gave us a complete walkthrough both mixers. Video after the jump.

Numark and Akai seem to have finally got that the iPad is a useful tool for DJing, provided it has some matching hardware. We've seen the iDJ Pro earlier this week, but the Akai MPC Fly was finally seen at NAMM. I was simply a non-functioning prototype kept in a glass cage, but we happened to be in the right place at the right time to get a demo of the actual app from the developers at Retronym.

I know I have a heap of NAMM stuff to get through, but taxes come first. This story however is just too hot to miss. You know that Simon Cowell? Well he's decided to turn his attention from singers, acrobats and dancing dogs and try to find the next logical star. Yes, he's on the lookout for DJs. God help us.

It has become a bit of a tradition to nicely ask or give no choice to DJ VIPs to pose with the the famous, if not legendary skratchworx picture disk. This year was no exception when I crossed paths with the king and crown prince of the controllerism scene. Moldover is the acknowledged godfather and inventor of the name, and Ean Golden carries the torch for the growing scene.

Having fought my way through draconian security at the NAMM show, I was confronted with a wall of tech on the Numark stand, but it was what was on the during the build that captured my imagination. It seems that the Numark and Akai DNA have been thrown together to make a MPC/DJ hybrid technology. The (wait for it) MPC DJ is a test piece - in no way a real product, and Numakai/Akaimark are floating this trial balloon to gauge the opinion of the public, to see if it should be make real.

I know you're all wanting to know about the cool big stuff at NAMM (and it'll come), but for this headphone junkie, when word hit me of an upgrade to the current DJ favourite HD25 cans, I was obliged to investigate. Behold the Sennheiser Amperior - the oddly named superior DJ headphones.

It's literally Raning mixers at NAMM (hahaha I kill me sometimes), with not one but two new units aimed squarely at Rane's turntablist hardcore. Looks like the legendary TTM line is no more, but in its place come a pair of numerically described Sixty-One and Sixty-Two mixers. Think upgraded 56S and half a Sixty Eight. That's not all - Z-Trip also has his mark all over the limited edition Sixty-Two Z.

I've been harping on about separates for years. A modular approach is how I see the DJ market adapting to an up and coming watershed moment where controllers simply cannot handle the increasing feature set of DJ software. And the new blood at Behringer have very perceptively spotted this emerging trend and have come up with a set of their own controllers for a wide variety of needs. The UFOs have finally landed and the CMD controller set is unveiled. I spoke with Craig Reeves at Behringer who gave me an exclusive lowdown on all things CMD.

For DJs, the iPad is the new laptop. Please allow to explain. Like laptops before them, rather than thump around on a touch screen with little in the way of decent tactile feedback or control, people are craving physical controllers. And slowly but surely there have been some iOS devices that worked with algorridim's djay app. But Numark's new iDJ Pro is the first to build the iPad with into the controller itself.

DJ gear is usually pretty monochromatic, but normally on the dark side. This time however, Pioneer have flicked the light switch and brought out strictly limited edition white CDJ2000s and DJM900s. I also got the first from the show floor pictures of it too. Yep - just me.

Considering that Native Instruments don't do trade shows anymore, they're certainly hogging the limelight right now. First it was the teaser image for their new small format controller and now it's a video which appears to give a lot away but still has me pondering many things.

Considering that Native Instruments don't do trade shows anymore, they're certainly hogging the limelight right now. First it was the teaser image for their new small format controller and now it's a video which appears to give a lot away but still has me pondering many things.

Video is a weird scene. For some reason, it's a technology that has been awkwardly adopted by DJs using techniques better suited to audio. But that didn't stop Serato from taking a detour from their DVS route to make Video-SL that controlled video with vinyl. But when ITCH came along, controller users wanted a slice of the moving picture action, but alas it was not to be. Until now that is. One of the rumoured ITCH v2 updates has been realised, and at the same time has been rationalised to one plugin. Serato Video is here.

Click for hi res

Numark have set DJ hearts beating over the last few years with a couple of high end MIDI controllers. The NS7 and NS6 are in my humble opinion stunning pieces of DJ hardware, but something has been missing from them. Granted, they've run absolutely perfectly with their chosen software i.e. Serato's ITCH, but Traktor love for these controllers has been absent, or at least average at best. But that's about to change - Numark and Native instruments are about to set the record straight. Behold the 4Trak - it's the NS6 dedicated to Traktor.

Slightly teased earlier this week with a cup on a button icon image, Reloop have decided to shoot their NAMM load a little early by unveiling their new Terminal MIX 4 controller. Looks like the Jockey 3 went to a full 4 channels.

You might hate them, but Native Instruments love them. Teasers that is. NI don't do trade shows anymore, but that doesn't them from wanting to grab some NAMM attention, and this image should do just that. Like all of you, I only have the above to work with. But I've gone with my instincts and extrapolated this tease into an actual layout.

Berlin feels like the silicon valley of music production. Ableton are there, as are Native Instruments. And clearly the influence of these 2 companies can be seen in Bitwig Studio, an all new music production and performance suite. Am I alone in thinking that it's Ableton Live painted with an NI brush?

Yesterday, Akai learned a harsh modern day lesson - put your secret sauce on a web server and someone will find it, and share it. So today it comes as no surprise that Akai have released details about the new MPC Studio, which unlike the MPC Renaissance is the real Maschine head on competitor.

Seems that Serato are having a pre-NAMM clean up with updates for SSL and now ITCH. This v2.1 update adds hardware control of the SP-6 sample deck that was added in v2 (yay) as well as a new simple sync mode that will allegedly kill the art of DJing to death with microwaves or wavies or something else I read on a forum. But it won't really.

In an industry full of products and companies, it's rare to be able to identify real actual people. One such person is Elliot Marx, owner of Audio Innovate and purveyor of the rather wonderful Innofader. The next generation is coming in the shape of the controller friendly low profile Mini Innofader, so I caught up with Elliot to find out about Audio Innovate past, present and future.

Hoover? Sellotape? Jacuzzi? all actual brand names that have become the generic name for the product. And in our scene, the same could be said for the ubiquitous MPC. Akai have more or less had the monopoly on beat making for years, all in a self contained experience. But with NI making an assault on their territory with Maschine, Akai have rethought their offer and come back with something that will perhaps stop heads turning towards Berlin. The aptly named Akai MPC Renaissance, MPC Studio and MCP Fly are a rallying cry to retain the faithful and to update the classic brand for today's beat makers.

Most industry related news is a bit dull. Normally it's (insert person here) moving to (insert company here) with a picture of said person signing an empty piece of paper at a desk. Yawn. But one arrived in my inbox that is interesting to say the least - Numark's former sales VP Paul Wright (pictured without a pen thankfully) has jumped ship to Behringer. Well actually MUSIC Group as they're known but you get the idea.

Serato Scratch Live 2.3.3 is out now. It's more of a maintenance release than anything, but does aim to fix the pretty annoying MP4 video bug, and also removes video filtering from the library. And Serato have also made a video to go with it. Video.

First seen before Christmas, DJ Tech couldn't resist hinting their new creation in an all too early NAMM teaser. But now the time approaches, and they've decided to give you an all but clear view of their new Dragon Two controller.

It's another of those reviews that should've been posted a dogs age ago, but better late than never I say. Native Instruments' Traktor Kontrol S4 was the controller that had been rumoured since the dawn of MIDI controllers, but never quite made it to market. But when it finally did, It embraced the current crop of must have featured and executed them in a perfect symbiosis of hardware and software. Or was it? Andrew Unsworth had a look (some time ago I might add), wrote words and I took pictures (considerably later than I should).

2012 is underway, but let's not let that stop us from casting a retrospective eye over last year and dishing out a few well earned gongs to people, things and events that have entered into my sphere of consciousness to entertain, vex or generally made me think about the DJ scene.

Pioneer have had an unassailable lead on the rest of the DJ industry for years, but have been rather caught with their pants down by the emergence of the MIDI controller platform. While they continued to develop high end solutions, the low end market exploded, leaving Pioneer without a solution. They found themselves in the unfamiliar territory of being the follower rather than the leader, and after studying the industry decided to tap directly into the mass consumerist market via the funky Ergo controller. As ever, Andrew Unsworth took a look just you you.

Where I am, it's Christmas Eve. Some of you however have slipped across the threshold into Christmas Day, so before I switch the lights off in the office, I want to extend a hearty Merry Christmas to everyone who has read, contributed or generally enjoyed skratchworx this year!

The last day of the 12 Days of Skratchmas is upon us. But let's not be sad as Christmas is just about to begin properly for everyone. And hopefully this final prize will bring a massive smile to someone's face, as I have a complete controller setup to give away courtesy of Numark. A Mixtrack Pro, Red Wave headphones, Laptop Stand and a pair of NPM5 monitors. But that's not all - thanks to Magma Bags, I have a one of a kind, never to be repeated skratchworx branded rolltop backpack. Even I don't have one of these.

The penultimate giveaway day is here. Day of 11of 12 whole days of free stuff for our readers is now in the hands of generous companies, in this case 2Twenty2, distributor for amongst others Native instruments in the UK. I asked them nicely to have a look around their offices for some spare stash and they came up trumps - today's winner gets a full boxed copy of Traktor Pro 2 and a Traktor Audio 6 to run with it. But that's not all, today there are runner-up prizes in the shape of Traktor Audio 2 for 2 lucky people. Oh and there's probably t-shirts too.

As we enter the last 3 days of the draw, after today I have officially run out of stuff to give away. So this is the last day of stuff I have kicking around, and tomorrow we step up a notch for the final 2 days with manufacturers contributions. What I do have here is on the face of it, just for Mac users, but the Vestax Spin, complete with algoriddim's djay software is also happily MIDI-mappable on Mac and PC too.

Santa has a serious lump of luggage to drag all his pressies around on Christmas Eve. And now it's time for me to unload a similarly serious piece of highly desirable baggery for you bunch of lovely skratchworx loyal readers. UDG make all manner of DJ bags, and this particular one is the Slingbag trolley deluxe. Not just a bag, but a trolley too.

Controllers come in all shapes, sizes and budgets, as does the hardware that powers it. So you can imagine our delight at seeing a ubercheap controller being driven by hardware in your pocket, all without a power supply in sight. Numark's partnership with algoriddim has brought forth the IDJ Live, and Filespnr has cast his iOS critical eye over the marriage of hardware and software.

Day 8 and so far, the Numark Red Wave headphones have been by far the most popular giveaway. People either like headphones, like Numark or the colour red. Well with the next prize, I can tick at least one of those boxes with a pair of V-MODA Crossfade LP2 headphones.

A while ago, while tampering with multiple ITCH controllers, it became clear that there was an overlap in functionality. I think I hooked an Allen & Heath xone:DX and a Numark V7 up to the same computer and suddenly had scratch control of the DX where previously there was none. My mind (as well as others on forums) got to thinking about the possibilities. And a couple of videos have come my way showing how Novation's Twitch can be used with the NS7 and V7. 

NAMM is literally weeks away, and as ever my inbox begins to get NDAs, solid pre-show heads ups as well as the occasional teaser. I'm assuming that this is one of those so I present it here for your scrutiny.

Going back to the surprise stuff that arrives at skratchworx HQ, Korg sent me not only the Monotron Duo (with twin oscillators), but also the Monotron Delay.

It's a lovely feeling - breaking the seal on new vinyl, taking in the factory fresh smell and playing it for the first time. But in time, a darker reality sets in, one that just vividly displayed itself on my almost white copy of Kings Breaks. So it seemed like the ideal opportunity to gross you out with my macro lens.

We hit the halfway point of the 12 days of giving, and also the last of the Serato themed pressies. I'm going to find it very hard to give these away, as they're quite simple stunning, either sat on your decks or even hanging on the wall. DJs and DJanes (around 3% according to Facebook insights), I give you the Eric Orr picture discs. Not one, but a pair.

Sometimes, I get unsolicited goodies dropped through my letterbox or lovingly handed over via courier. One such surprise package was from Korg, containing their new and diminutive Monotron pocket synths. The first one I'll give away is the Monotron Duo.

You'll recall the recent Electrix Ebox-44 review - well being already amply endowed in the audio interface area in the office, I've decided that one of you should have the warmly received heavy lump of gear for your very own.

As you're well aware, there have been some notable exceptions in the reviewing schedule. For this I humbly apologise and assure you that the fault is all my own, and that normal service will be resumed in the new year. In the mean time, I'll be slowly leaching these missing reviews out one by one until we're back on track. First up is the American Audio VMS4 review from DJ Pegasus.

Let's take a break from the Serato theme for a while opening this up to a few more readers - almost getting lost in the Christmassy background is a pair of Numark RED WAVE headphones, looking especially festive with the red trim.

Day 2 of the skratchworx Christmas clearout, and I've got something for the Serato fanboys and girls out there. UDG have provided a few bits and bobs for the giveaway, the first of which is a Serato branded vinyl hardcase and an interface pouch too

It's that time of year again, when I cast my beady eye around the compact and bijou confines of my office and see what kind of collected DJ goodies hangs around and begs to be given away to some lucky readers. Yes dear reader - it's the (hopefully) 12 days of Skratchmas office crap offloading!

Stanton is a business that has been around longer than most in the DJ industry. But despite pushing boundaries with DVS and touch tech, it's fair to say that they've had mixed fortunes in recent years. Owners ML Capital put the Stanton Group up for sale almost a year ago, and to much surprise, guitar giants Gibson have been named as the new owners.

The chromatic spectrum that appeals to DJs is rather narrow. Black, Silver and White with a splash of Red appears to be the order of the day. And this very narrow multiple choice means that a larger group of people will be disappointed when new models are coming out. But Pioneer are redressing the paintjob balance a little with a Black CDJ-850 and a Silver CDJ-350.

The chromatic spectrum that appeals to DJs is rather narrow. Black, Silver and White with a splash of Red appears to be the order of the day. And this very narrow multiple choice means that a larger group of people will be disappointed when new models are coming out. But Pioneer are redressing the balance a little with a Black CDJ-850 and a Silver CDJ-350.

Didn't this come round early? 2 weeks early to be precise, for it seems that my guest appearance on The Gadget Show has been brought forward to tonight. Tonight you'll be able to see if it really is possible for a DJ noob to use consumer technology to rock a set at Ministry Of Sound with just 8 weeks training.

What's that? 50% off key NI products for 5 days? Haven't we been here before? It seems that Native Instruments are offering 50% off some of their key products. I guess Black Friday is more like Black Wednesday to Sunday for NI.

The beauty of the digital age is that if things aren't quite right, then you can rapidly wack out an bug squishing and feature enhancing update in double quick time. And that's exactly what Stanton have done with their well received SCS.4DJ all in one controller. It's not just the aforementioned bugs and features that have been addressed, but a new Traktor map that offers 4 channel controls from just 2 channels.

I've just finished doing some photography for Filespnr's impending Numark IDJ Live review. Intrigued by the ability of an iPhone to power and manage a controller via MIDI, and inspired by the D-Styles video I just posted, I hastily set up a camera and knocked out a few minutes of IDJ Live scratching. Messy, but does show the scope for Numark to fulfil my dream of a single deck portable scratch deck.

Djay 4 for Mac is out, and it's good. But let's see just how good it is. A good test of a quality of a piece of gear is scratching - it's visually more interesting, and shows a lot more than knocking out EQ and mixing with sync. So imagine my joy when this clip of acknowledged scratch legend D-Styles turns up pitching him, armed with djay 4 and the entry level Vestax Spin controller, against DJ Cyberia and a QFO. For some, the end of days just happened in this clip.

DJ software comes in all shapes and sizes - some good, some bad. Some aim to reinvent DJing for the digital age, whereas others - algoriddim's djay for Mac in particular have stayed pretty faithful to the conventional roots of 2 turntables and a mixer. And they've learned a few things over the last couple of years, and importantly listened to users to bring djay up to version 4. And yes, you might recognise the camera work. That's 5 days in the dark right there.

Game changer - a platitude often bandied around by marketing departments to describe something that is a little different from the norm, but merely moves things on a tad. The QuNeo controller from Keith McMillen Instruments doesn't describe itself as such, but could certainly fit that description. Whatever you thought of controllers before, prepare to be blown away.

First bandied around in a sort of "you can't tell anyone but you can really" way, Denon's new 2 channel controller really comes as no surprise given the trend for popping out a smaller sibling for the fancy pants 4 channel version. The MC3000 (note the lack of DN - more on that later) is classic Denon in feel, and really is the 6000 with 2 channels lopped off. Oh hang on - it's actually 4 decks...

Imagine my excitement when the people who have been teasing me for years with rumors of the Tweaker let us here at Skratchworx know they were releasing a new interface, the Ebox-44, and they wanted us to review it. The good people at the new and retro branded Electrix, along with their all too kind US distributor Mixware, literally rained these onto the team, and it came down to me - Jared Helfer - and my love of new toys to test it out to completion for you.

The idea of having DJ gear made to your very own requirements is generally in the realms of lottery winners and oil sheiks. But the advent of MIDI controllers, especially those with very specific purposes and thus limited controls has seen a small cottage industry develop. Companies like DJ Tech Tools make a small range of controllers, but it is very much their idea of what a controller should be. But along comes Zayik - a collective dedicated to delivering you a MIDI controller of your dreams.

And here it is - the news that I've known since before the Pioneer Ergo and Serato DJ Intro were announced (or they'd even told me for that matter) but couldn't say anything about. Pioneer's new consumer friendly Ergo controller is, as many of you had hoped and prayed for, is now playing nice with Serato's all new DJ Intro software.

While I'm neck deep in a project I really should have said no to, this particular gem of a deal is just too good to miss. Ever fancied a go at Ableton Live? Well between now and 15th January 2012 is the best time as they've wiped 25% off the asking price.

Touchscreen technology for DJs is quite new, but in its short existence it has already undergone a revolution. That Apple shaped revolution did rather send the wonderful looking Attigo prototype touch deck into oblivion. It seems however that his product lives on in the virtual world. Is it me, or does this DJ in hot xbox game Deus Ex: Human Evolution have a pair of Attigos?

In this dazzlingly fast moving world of DJ technology, it's unusual to find a vinyl related story anymore, especially when tied into feature updates. But Native Instruments have released some new Traktor timecode dubbed MK2. And as ever, they've rolled out a new video to showcase what it can do. Unkut hammers several NI products into submission. In a swimming pool. Reckless if you ask me. Health and safety would have a field day.

Turntables, from a DJ perspective are slipping into obscurity. Sales have plummeted to a fraction of what they once were, which has in turn seen the completely unassailable leader of the pack Technics shutter up the factory. But there is a call to arms to keep turntables alive, but given that most of you own the supremely high quality unbreakable Technics, just how do you intend to do this?

While iOS developers attempt to squeeze an entire DJ experience into a 4" screen, there has to be a practical minimum size for a physical controller. And Numark's DJ2GO might just be that minimum. I've thrown one around the office on and off for a few months and have finally written some words. Not many - it's hardly a taxing device.

Atomix's Virtual DJ has a bad rep. We know it, and most importantly they know it too. This rep is largely based on times past when all getting a copy was as easy as a 10 second online search. But times are changing in the DJ software industry, with reputations and sales turning on a sixpence. One can hardly fail to see that as NI continue down the route of their own hardware, every new controller comes with Virtual DJ LE, and their free version continues to own the App Store. Clearly they are doing something right and putting the former rep behind them. So now is the time for Atomix to invest - to bolster their development team, and bring a whole new energy to the VDJ table. And they've done just that and snapped up Adionsoft - makers of long time skratchworx favourite djdecks.

Dicking around with gear is how scratching was invented. And from time to time, the venerable art has been emulated in less that conventional ways. Who amongst us hasn't done the zip scratch at some point? But this is the first time I've seen a wind instrument actually pull off something DJ like.

Novation's Twitch controller is largely aimed squarely at DJs. But that doesn't mean that a: DJs shouldn't be able to use other software with it and b: musicians other than DJs shouldn't use it as a control surface either. Thus it comes as no surprise that Novation's solid relationship with Ableton has been further strengthened by making Twitch play nice with Live via the Twitch Live Translator.

Battles are changing, and it's not just DMC that are feeling the winds of change. The IDA is doing the same thing as well, and the show category now embraces all the goodness that the digital age brings. This year's UK and Ireland battle is an online affair co-ordinated by Ebsel, makers of the Pro X Fade and they want to fly someone to Poland to bring back a trophy and prizes.

The heroes of DJing as we know it are not always who you think they might be. We know all the cool ones of course, but have you ever wondered where exactly where DJing comes from? Well the guy who claims to be the first to ever use 2 turntables at a party died today. RIP Jimmy Saville.

A year ago, the DJ internet was hot, like the surface of the sun hot, about the long rumoured demise of the mighty Technics brand. Granted, this rumour had, due to a confluence of retail chain chatter and allegedly official letters heading out all over the world, gathered so much steam that it was pretty much assumed to be true. But still in this melee of heresay, and despite asking, there was nothing with a Panasonic logo or a statement on a Panasonic website about it. Indeed, I?ve periodically looked on official sites for the last year for something. But today, Panasonic UK finally sent me me a link to the official statement that we all needed to see a year ago.

For a while, we DJs found ourselves between the disparate worlds of analogue and digital. And now we're almost entirely in the digital world, we find ourselves in between the media and non-media worlds. So while many consider CD to be a relic of times past (well 5 years ago anyway), there is still a need for some to cover almost every base possible in these ever changing times. The Reloop RMP-2.5 let's you play your CDs, plug in your USB devices, or just hook it up to whatever flavour of MIDI software you use.

This just in... after extensive field testing, the popular 4 channel misconception has been disproved, as it seems that you do only need 2 channels to mix 2 tracks together. And American Audio are leaping all over this new found industry science in the shape of the DV2 USB mixer.

As you might imagine, a slew of plastic controllers make blip on our radar, that more or less are much the same. But from time to time, something a little different attracts our attention long enough to make us want to play with it some more. One such controller was the Mixvibes U-Mix Control Pro. It's a bite sized beast, and was verily despatched off over the pond to Filespnr. This is his first review for skratchworx. Do be gentle.

One lingering item of unfinished BPM business is the rather generous giveaway offered by Vestax UK of a very shiny PMC-05 Pro IV for one incredibly lucky DJ. Well that winner has been picked. but that's not all - Vestax are giving more stuff away too, namely the soon to be released VCI-400.

Just touching on a previous post, I hooked up with long time hero Danny Rampling at the BPM Show. Instrumental in the birth of the Rave and Acid House scenes, Danny has literally decades of experience at all levels of DJing, and has now decided to write all down and share it with you. Perfectly titled, "Everything You Need to Know About DJing and Success", the book is a epic tome that covers just about everything you'll ever need to know, and coming up to Christmas, should make an ideal gift for that budding DJ in your family.

MIDI is everywhere in the DJ scene right now, but is on the whole generally confined to all in one DJ systems, mixers or button laden boxes. But this doesn't always work for everyone, so the desire to create more targeted devices becomes necessary. And this is exactly what the tkrworks PICratchBOX is all about - mixer meets pads in a highly focussed small format controller. We've got some exclusive info, not seen anywhere else.

The last few days have been all about iOS5, and in my case, donning my time served Apple tech support hat and updating the numerous devices scattered around skratchworx HQ. So it comes as no surprise that the Apple-centric guys over at algoriddim have been very busy too. So to compliment all the clever things that iOS5 brings, the various flavours of djay for iOS have been updated accordingly.

Seems that my Photoshopping skills have caught the attention of the wider DJ market i.e. the part that cares little for fact and runs off half-cocked spreading rumours with no evidence at all bar a small photoshopped image. So I've added a disclaimer to the above image for those who have a problem dealing with reality. Let me state this plain and clear - THERE IS NO TECHNICS/PIONEER HYBRID TURNTABLE. Not now - not ever. I made it up.