What it is: The Pacemaker is a palm-sized DJ mixing station for digital music that provides an easy way to combine two stereo tracks, add effects, and generally get partygoers to work up a sweat.

Why it's different: Like the love child of an iPod and a traditional DJ setup, the Pacemaker is a first of its kind, to be sure. You load it with tracks from your computer in pretty much any format, including MP3, AAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, and AIFF. Songs play on each of two virtual turntables, and you cross-fade between them with a mixer control. (The Pacemaker's beat-matching function allows you to merge tunes with different tempos.) You can also spice things up with a host of effects, like echo-y reverb.

If you take the time to master it, jamming on the Pacemaker is an infinitely better way to rock a party than pressing "play" on an iPod (check out video here). And for aspiring DJ's, it's a great tool for sketching out (and practicing) your mixes. While the mechanism is different than using turntables, the essential logic of fitting songs together is the same.

Continue reading Is the Pacemaker DJ Machine Worth the Hype?

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Is the Pacemaker DJ Machine Worth the Hype? originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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