Tonium Pacemaker

Tonium’s 60GB Pacemaker, a portable DJ system, in now available in the United States at Amazon.com for $499 (See Amazon’s site for the latest pricing and availability).

The Pacemaker is a 60GB portable media player that features full DJ capabilities in a package the about the size of a PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Features:

• Portable DJ system lets you mix, play and perform music anywhere, anytime
• 1.7 inch TFT Display with 166 ppi screen resolution
• 60GB Harddrive-holds approximately 15,000 tracks in 128 Kbps AAC format
• Built-in rechargeable lithium battery, play time up to 15 hours when fully charged, mix mode up to 5 hours when fully charged
• USB 2.0, Pacemaker editor computer software, quick start guide included in the box

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Tonium Pacemaker!

Description:

Imagine two turntables, a mixer and an entire record collection contained in a device that fits into your pocket. Pacemaker’s two independent audio channels let you play two tracks side by side. Beatmatching is easily done by the click of a button, with a full set of audio effects and a crossfader.

The Pacemaker itself is part of the larger Pacemaker platform that encompasses the Pacemaker Editor and the Pacemaker Community. Pacemaker Editor is a free, downloadable PC and Mac compatible computer application that allows you to play music and edit and create mixes. The Pacemaker Community is an online music community that allows members to upload and legally share the mixes of their music, created by the Pacemaker or the Pacemaker Editor software.

Not sure what the point of this was – but this was the scene at the Tonium Pacemaker booth at the 2009 NAMM Show.

DJmag takes the Tonium Pacemaker through it’s paces to see if it can be used as a professional DJ product.

The video features the DJmag Tech Awards with Tom Middleton, Billy Nasty, Bill Brewster and Eitan Zilkha from Westend DJ store as they award the Pacemnaker the most Innovative Product in 2008, and a workout of the Pacemaker at the Back To Basics party in Leeds, where the residents played exclusively on wireless Pacemakers in room 2. 

Also includes interviews with Tristan Da Cuna, Ed Karney, James Theaker and Dave Beer.

The portability of the Pacemaker is impressive – but it doesn’t equal the visuality of turntables – it’s as sexy as somebody twiddling with their cell phone.

Wired.com has a review of the Tonium Pacemaker Portable DJ Machine, and decides it’s cool, but an expensive toy:

The Tonium Pacemaker may be modeled after the idiot-proof iPod, but taking advantage of all the features on the Pacemaker requires an inordinate amount of button pushing. Fiddling around with it while sober requires a certain amount of dexterity — it’s easy to tap the wrong track. Tough to imagine trying to queue up and mix in bar lighting after a few drinks.

Ultimately, it’s a cool toy to play around with but not exactly the life of the party.

WIRED Beautifully engineered; looks like the gorgeous byproduct of a mind-meld between Jonathan Ive and Walter de’Silva. 120 GB memory. Battery holds enough juice for five hours of mix-and-play time.

TIRED Doesn’t act like an iPod. Complicated menu and mixing options make the device not very a practical instrument. $800 could buy you a round-trip ticket to Spain, Berlin or some other hotbed of electronic music.

Have you given the Pacemaker a spin yet? If so, let me know what you think in the comments.

A live performance with the Tonium Pacemaker – the pocket-sized DJ system, performed on Beatport’s stage at Hotel National, Miami, March 29th 2008.

I’m still not sold on the idea of a palm-sized DJ system. How can you work this with any level of control.

Anybody want to set me straight?