The Pacemaker: 'world's first' pocket-size pro DJ system

Watch out NuMark, 'cause there's about to be a new product on the scene to challenge your iDJ line of mixers -- and not only does this one rock 120GB of internal storage to obviate the need for a pair of iPods, it's actually small enough to fit in your pocket. The upcoming Pacemaker from European start-up Tonicum -- set to be unveiled tomorrow -- promises to contain all the necessary features for bringing your mixing skills on the road, including a crossfader, dual 3.5-millimeter stereo jacks, direct-to-hard drive recording, and a multifunction touchpad for adjusting bend and pitch, among others. No bells or whistles like an FM tuner or color screen on this patent-pending player, but with both Mac and Windows support, we have a feeling that the Pacemaker is going to develop a small but dedicated following. Check out some more angles as well as an annotated diagram in the gallery below...

Gallery: The Pacemaker: 'world's first' pro pocket-size DJ system

• 
• 
• 
• 

[Tom @ May 4th 2007 3:08PM]

It looks like it actually does have a color screen according to the annotated diagram

[PixelHustler @ May 4th 2007 3:09PM]

" No bells or whistles like an FM tuner or color screen"

You sure about that? The diagram picture clearly indicates that there's a color screen...

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ May 4th 2007 3:11PM]

Wow, 120GB ftw! It definitely sounds tempting because of that. ;)

Other than that, the design reminds me of the TrekStor Vibez DAP:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KDZR5U

[rj @ May 4th 2007 3:17PM]

"No bells or whistles like an FM tuner..."

yeah... b/c every dj uses an fm radio tuner to mix with *rolls eyes*

[Jeff @ May 4th 2007 3:21PM]

Hehe... and it's called the "pacemaker".

C'mon, people. Give credit where credit is due. That's a great name.

[Fuzz @ May 4th 2007 3:25PM]

And hey, what "professional" DJ would want to bother with fancy extras like adjustable bass/mids/highs and pitch control. A crossfader should be good enough for everyone :/

[Ian @ May 4th 2007 6:46PM]

In looking at the specs on it, it appears as if you CAN control pitch, eq, etc all via the single control pad. From the images it states: "Menu Browsing, Bend Pitch, EQ Setting, FX setting, Gain Adjust, Cue point Search" are all controlled via the Touchpad.

As a DJ that gigs regularly there are some interesting features that would be worth taking a closer look at here. Built in effects, and portability are high points. Since many DJs are transitioning to using digital audio it would be nice to have your own portable playback device, since you can't always depend on a promoter to have CD-j's at the venue! Using a single control surface to adjust settings on both channels. But from the look of it it seems like an easy enough interface to learn.

One feature that would really make this something I'd consider purchasing is if it had separate outputs for each channel, so you could hook it up to a DJ mixer and use the mixer to control eq levels, crossfades, etc. and use the Pacemaker primarily for playback.

I'll be waiting impatiently until I can get my hands on one to test out!

[blehh @ May 4th 2007 3:38PM]

so...you can scratch on this thing?

[Chris Le @ May 4th 2007 3:47PM]

Hawt. Looks like fun - but how big is "actually small enough to fit in your pocket?" It looks pretty big from the photos.

Would be nice to have all that space and some proper bpm counter/pitch shift action to go with it.

[WeakGeek @ May 4th 2007 3:56PM]

This device is probably a joke to anyone serious about working as a DJ but it would be great for someone trying to learn the nuances of live audio mixing. One could practice on the train, bus, or, if you live here in the US, behind the wheel of your car traveling down the highway at 80 m.p.h.

[Obvious @ May 4th 2007 4:16PM]

@WeakGeek:

My ghetto table rig in my bitchin' camaro already has me doing this... Only 12 accidents so far!!! :)

[Otto Van De Steene @ May 4th 2007 4:24PM]

this will be my next euh... ipod :-p
-aac compatibel (remember itunes and my ipod)
-not for the real dj-stuff, but nice to check things out (everywhere, everytime)
only thing I am missing is the ability to play itunes-DRM music

does it have a seperate headphone and line-out?
->this sort of product just needs it.

[Sam @ May 4th 2007 4:59PM]

Does it have a battery or is it mains only??

[RyanTV @ May 4th 2007 8:16PM]

being a DJ for the past 10 years, it makes me sick to see all of these bullshit products coming to market. DJing is just as much of an art as playing any other instrument - trust me I play a few - and things like this really demean the art and skill of being a DJ.

If you are looking for technological advances in DJ equipment, all you have to do is look at the Pioneer CDJ-1000MK3. 2 (or 3) of those and a Pioneer DJM-800 Mixer and that's all the innovation I need.

[unkn @ May 5th 2007 7:24AM]

Yes, and i'm shure just everyone has $1300 to throw away. But if you were serious about it, then it would be a good idea to get the real, professional dj equipment.

Oh, and no, DJing is no where near as hard to play as most other instruments, and you don't have to be pro to be good at it. Nearly anyone who takes a good 5 minutes doing it, can sound good.

This thing here though, it looks like a joke, but you never know, it might turn out to be a good device.

[Dorian @ Jan 30th 2008 1:44AM]

Dudes, c'mon, they're not trying to make the most awesome DJing system of all time, or even make a better one, they're just doing a super-small one. How does that demean the profile of DJing as an art form? To me this device makes more impromptu house-party mixes possible. You could just carry it around and go to parties and be like "yeah I'll do a little electro set, got my gear right here." Who's the better DJ, the one who has massive skills on equipment that's not there, or one who has okay skills on gear that is there? Well, probably the former, but who cares? You'll end up hearing the latter. That'

[robm @ Jun 6th 2008 3:58AM]

c'mon man, as an experienced dj you should know that djs don't play music, they play the crowd. i know 100 djs with all the mad skillz in the world and can't keep a gig because they're so busy showing everyone how great they are they forget there's anyone else in the club. and i know 100 djs who just bang the crossfader over and everyone loves them because they actually care if people are having a good time. btw, i remember hearing the same sort of sniping when the first "pro" electronic dj gear came out. and shutterbugs had the same gripes when photoshop came out.

stop venting your fear of the changing world on a damn toy. none of them change anything. pros are still pros and hobbyists are still hobbyists.

[Noah @ May 4th 2007 10:42PM]

@ RyanTV:

Um... I DJ, sound engineer, act on stage, and play violin and piano, and DJing is by far the easiest of all of those that I do.

[lasean @ May 5th 2007 12:01AM]

@ RyanTV:

...and camcorders demean DPs and point-and-shoots demean pro photographers.

Dude, there will always be more people who are un-trained and less talented than professionals. If you're threatened by this little toy (or even the perception that it promotes) you're missing the point. People like to participate. They don't have to be great or even good. If some accountant wants to drop $300 on this little device and pretend he's a DJ on the weekend -- more power to him. If that's threatening your paycheck you need some new clients.

BTW, your quote -- "that's all the innovation I need." One of the funniest lines I've heard all week.

[pbase @ May 5th 2007 4:54AM]

This gives legitimacy to the phrase "there's a party in my pants."

[PeteC @ May 5th 2007 6:57AM]

@Noah

Although I tend to agree that playing a classical instrument would be a more complex and complicated art to learn than simply mixing a couple of records together, I think you might take a look at some professional scratch DJ's and people like 2 many DJ's / Hexstatic. These sort of acts take the art of DJ'ing a long way from 'just banging one tune into another' to levels I would easily rate as highly as playing an instrument to grade 8 or beyond.

@RyanTV

Bullshit? When did you get to try it? Were you calling BS on the pioneers back when you had your trusty pair of technics and CD's 'just weren't as cool as vinyl'? I think the idea is new technology might increase the scope and add some improvements here and there so maybe, just maybe, it might be worth actually spending a few hours with this thing when it's released before calling BS.

[nick the guru 91.3 KCPR @ May 6th 2007 12:40PM]

Dj'ing is a skill, that requires less technical skills and more passion and dedication. It is about really knowing your music, knowing what songs go well together as they get mixed and harmonized in many different ways. Then it is simply about practice. It is true anyone can be a good dj if they have the passion, dedication, and they practice. I would not say the same is true of playing a classical instrument (much harder).

[RyanTV @ May 5th 2007 9:05AM]

@PeteC
As a DJ, I have always embraced new technology. I LOVED mixing with vinyl (and still do), and the first DJ CD players that came out (i call them studder players because thats what they sound like when you are cuing them) were crappy. When Pioneer released their digital turntables (CDJ-1000) - That is when then whole DJ community started listening seriously about digital mixing.
The thing is, there are more hokey, bullshit, gimmicky products that come out for DJing than innovations. Just like the iPod mixer by NuMark. I promise you, you will never see a pro DJ using this thing.

@unkn
Obviously you know jack shit about music in general, so I'll take your comments as if they were coming from a 10 year old retarded boy... It takes 5 minutes to sound good as a DJ? Okay right... and just because i can teach you 4 cords on a guitar that sound good together in 5 minutes, doesn't mean that you are good at playing the guitar. Don't be so ignorant. Sure, not everyone has $1300 to spend on the right equipment - but that doesn't mean they need to be encouraged to waste their money on something crappy.

[Monkey on a Skateboard @ May 7th 2007 12:08PM]

The main benefit of DJing digitally (aside from no longer having to hump record boxes around the place) is that it lends itself nicely to the kind of live processing / editing that just isn't possible vinyl. I'd find it difficult to imagine a pro who actually cared about DJing using the Pacemaker for anything more than a convenient bar DJ setup since there's so much more than can be done with a laptop, Abelton Live, and Final Scratch / Serato Scratch if you /are/ going digital.

That said, depending on the pricetag and actual size of the device, would be a huge amount of fun on road trips and great for parties. There'll probably also be a ton of mobile / wedding DJs who can't wait to ditch the coffin case.

[barton @ May 8th 2007 10:45AM]

I think people might be missing a few finer points. First off, this device would be a nice addition to 'ANYONE'S" arsenal. Weather you be a noob, looking for something fun, or a seasoned professional, looking for something to flush out ideas on a plane while traversing the globe, I think this might find it's place in many a hand. Second, I agree with the comment about people feeling threatened. DJing goes so far beyond the technical ability to blend from one song to the next. I have played classical violin since I was 6, I have played guitar since I was 14 and I have played hand drums since I was 18. I have been learning to DJ with vinyl for a year and a half now, and all I can say is it is equally as hard as anything i have ever learned. Getting beats to match up without drift is a bitch, and harmonic mixing is really difficult, and only a few very talented DJs even do it. That said, any tool that helps someone to flush out ideas, or just have some fun, shouldn't get your panties in a bunch.

-Barton

[prtscr @ Jul 26th 2007 11:37AM]

Check out Henrik B doing some crazy stuff with the Pacemaker! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyUSg5aBFI

[l0ftn.o @ Aug 30th 2007 11:57AM]

I, personally, don't understand the fuss about 'DJs' - all they seem to destroy is perfectly good (or, awful, in the case of 'hi-hop') music. Vinyl scratching and random transitions to other music =! music, sorry. Call it an art if you want, but it is the same as the 'art' of throwing garbage out of a car window.

[TheFlamingoKing @ Aug 30th 2007 1:52PM]

I, personally, don't understand the fuss about 'bands' - all they seem to do is play the same 6 chords on the same 3 instruments. Copying chord structures other people have used for 50 years != music, sorry. Call it an art if you want, but it is the same as the 'art' of photocopying a manuscript.

All joking aside, it's obvious from your comment you have about .01% exposure to DJing and electronic music, so of course you have a .01% exposure opinion of it. DJing and scratching are two completely different beasts, and it's a rare DJ that really understands both. DJing is about phrasing, and knowing when precisely when to play a certain tune to keep a certain atmosphere within the music going. DJing is about the progression - where did it start and where did the DJ take it, and where did he/she end it? Did they whip the crowd into a frenzy early with maximum energy, or allow the records to grow in energy over time, building to an incredible audible climax at the end? DJing is about playing what the crowd wants to hear, or making the crowd want to hear what you are playing.

And I take an incredible amount of offense when ignorant people believe that they are the music police, and have the right to tell other people that the sound they hear is not music. I don't care if it's the London Symphony, a flash mob drum circle, or some homeless guy playing the spoons ... if it's audio and it moves you then it's music.

And if you don't think scratching is a musical art form, I suggest you watch Scratch, or maybe listen to some real hip-hop DJs perform (I recommend some Kid Koala to kick it off).

"The turntable is a musical instrument as long as you allow yourself to see it as a musical instrument..." -Rob Swift