In our new MP3 digital generation, there is a never-ending race of "How small can you go?”, with manufacturers pulling out all the stops to produce the ultimate, pocket-sized amateur DJ tools and accessories. Now the only limits are your reality, the size of your storage, and your bank account. As someone who carries on the road not only a few hundred CDs but also a laptop, a few hard drives, small speakers, flashing t-shirts and a multitude of cables and connectors (and that’s of course not mentioning my glamorous wardrobe, slippers and pillow), I am totally up for leaving it all (but not the pillow) behind and finding a pocket-sized replacement to do everything including the washing-up with a price-tag that doesn't burn a hole in my wallet. When I first discovered this little gem, I honestly just couldn't believe it.

The Pacemaker is the world's first all-in-one handheld DJ unit. It’s slightly smaller than a vertically held PSP, and black in color. Weighing in at 200g, this super-lightweight contender pulls a mighty punch in a miniature size, packing a whopping 120GB drive, a color display at the top, separate built-in channels and touch sensitive cross-fader in the middle, a circular selection pad at the bottom and a couple of buttons on each side with holes for jack connectors on the base. Best of all it is supported both for Mac OS X, and Windows XP / Vista.


The device includes an exchangeable, rechargeable battery (invaluable lessons learnt from the iPod’s “dead battery syndrome”), with music playback time of 18 hours and DJ operating time of 5 hours, along with a pitch control of up to +/- 100%, an equalizer for adjusting treble, mid and bass frequencies, and of course the obligatory continuous saving to hard drive of your set to boot. Drooling yet? Well, I certainly was, so much so that with shaking hands I set off online and checked them out. I haven’t got my grubby mitts on one yet, but having Googled, MySpaced, YouTubed and prodded and probed the Pacemaker to death, a couple of things are for sure; those Swedish boys at Tonium have definitely put a lot of thought behind the creation of this device, and it certainly looks the biz.

Using the Pacemaker
The process of selecting tunes to play is simple for anyone who has used an iPod. The difference with this unit is that before selecting the track, you select the channel that the track is to be played into - channel 1 or 2 - in readiness for mixing. The lower touch pad is used dial-right, dial-left style, a la iPod. The track list is displayed in the upper circle. Once you’ve got a track in each channel - selected by round buttons either side of the cross fader - you’re ready to get mixing, and seeing that the Pacemaker automatically carries out beat matching, all that’s required to mix tracks is to watch the beat indicators on the left or right of the displays, and get them to pulse/peak in harmony. Once you are happy with the synchronization between tracks, sweeping your fingers from side to side of the middle cross fader performs the fade between the channels. With the touch-sensitive nature of the fader, a left/right cut is made possible by keeping a finger on the left, while touching the right side.

When you’ve mastered mixing and want to get all fancy, then juicing up your set is also possible by altering the frequency ranges. Once the frequency to change has been selected, the current level of that frequency (bass/mid/high) can be dropped or raised simply by using a sweeping action clockwise or anti-clockwise around the lower touch pad. A green circle appears with bright green showing the amount of change. The same method of controlling can also be done with the left/right pans.

The Verdict
This beauty might just be the new ultimate "on the road" budding DJ tool for just about anyone. With a projected price-tag of 520 Euros (under Rs 30,000) before taxes and freight, its certainly not a bad price, and is competitive with the iPod. Also with the growing boredom of the general public globally of “just listening” to music, the Pacemaker gives power to the people - it’s aimed at those who want to create their own entertainment rather than those who want to have their entertainment handed them on a plate (something a lot of people are experiencing now they’ve had months of music available to them through their packed iPods). It is also allowing people to be even more creative with their musical expression, and inspiring a whole host of wannabe DJs. I seriously think it looks like the first device to have a chance of making a dent in the dominance of the iPod. I mean, given the educated choice which one would you rather have?

Fantastic concept and product, loved it to bits, check out my full review here: http://dj-music.org.uk/the-pacemaker-portable-dj-device-review