Mixing desk and sampler but not a MIDI socket in sight.

KAM are one of the hot companies in the world of DJ mixing at the moment; their 'Made2Fade' range is the last word in fashionable deck control. The GM50 hails from the same trendy stable - hence the instantly-recognisable 'dancing man' logo on the top panel - but offers slightly more in the way of features than the more budget-conscious GM25: namely a built-in digital 8-bit sampler.

With the falling cost of sampling technology, cheap 'n' cheerful sampler circuits have started to appear on all manner of DJ desks. All right, so we're not talking Akai S3000 16-bits-with-bells-on quality, and we're certainly not talking anything MIDIable, editable or saveable, but there's no doubting the popularity of these machines with the new school of deck talent. Basically, it's possible to sample from one of a variety of inputs - record deck, CD/line signal, or microphone - and use the sampler to repeat sections of a track, link between records or repeat a vocal snatch over and over again. In fact, with a little practise it's possible to produce some pretty impressive tricks and reach a whole new level of live 'remixing'.

This sort of technology is particularly useful in long, 'dubby' mixes; a friend of mine actually keeps an Akai S01 permanently patched into his desk, effectively giving him eight instantaneous 16-bit sample memories, which he uses to completely transform lifeless dubs.

Of course, the features on the GM50 won't quite give you that level of sophistication, but they're worth having regardless. On the straight mixing side of things, there is little to separate the GM50 from most other mixers in this price range; you get two principal channels, each of which can handle either a phono (deck) or CD/line source; a DJ mic channel with talkover switch; a monitor circuit for cueing each of the channels (or the sampler); and a crossfader. However, it is Made2Fade's quality of design and construction which has won the range so many friends, and the GM50 carries on the tradition in full spirit.

Finished in black anodised steel, both the case and components seem to be robust and thoroughly professional. The channel faders have an excellent response; there's no grating over their range of travel, they stay where you put them, but are light enough to be wiggled manically in moments of rapid-fire cutting. By contrast, the crossfader was a little stiff (for my taste, anyway) - you have to push it quite firmly to achieve any movement at all - and quite long in travel (many people prefer the tiny 4-5cm throw jobs). More positively, the mixer is modular in construction - allowing parts like this to be replaced quickly and easily without demolishing the entire desk.

The sampler section consists of three source selector switches, two rotary controls, a Mode switch and a start/stop punch button. Recording a signal couldn't be easier - KAM have obviously simplified the process as much as possible to aid the DJ. You simply choose the source to be sampled (the signal from Channel A, Channel B or the microphone) then flick the Mode switch into 'write', cue up your signal, and punch 'Start/Stop' at the required start and end points. A little rudimentary, perhaps, but extremely easy to use in a full-tilt mixing situation.

Playback is accomplished in one of two modes: Single, which sets the 'Start/Stop' button to act as a one-shot trigger; or Repeat, which loops the sample continuously until you halt playback. It takes a bit of getting used to, but some quite impressive results can be obtained. An interesting application might be to use this sampler as a means of accessing the host of loops, screams and effects available on current sample CDs - to this end, it might have been handy to have a hard-wired CD input to sample from.

In terms of signal-to-noise performance, the KAM GM50 is probably quite a bit noisier than the average keyboard, PA or studio desk - but in clubs this naturally doesn't matter a great deal. I used the GM50 to compile two cassette mix tapes, and though my ruthlessly sensitive monitors did reveal a degree of background hiss, it certainly wasn't at a level which posed any kind of problem to the material I was recording.

Extended use confirmed my initial impressions regarding the ergonomics of the design and the response of the components; using the GM50, you feel your music is in safe hands. Whether the same thing can be said of the DJ is another matter entirely...

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