Pacemaker App Alternative for Desktop Mixing

Pacemaker was once one of the most widely used apps for DJing with music from streaming services.

It was a great app, but it no longer exists. See all options in the top mixing software for every DJ. Or try the easiest software to switch to.

Pacemaker is no longer available, but there are other ways to turn your playlists into a mix.

DJ.Studio approaches mix creation differently, focusing on structured, timeline-based DJ mixes rather than live deck-style streaming DJing.

Keep reading to see what happened to Pacemaker, and how DJ.Studio works for former Pacemaker users.

Pacemaker alternative: the short answer

• Pacemaker was a popular iPad and iPhone app for mixing music from streaming services.

• Spotify ended its DJ integration in 2020, and the consumer Pacemaker app shut down in June 2023.

• DJ.Studio is a desktop app for Mac and Windows where you build a mix on a timeline. It can import a Spotify playlist and match the songs on Beatport or Beatsource.

• It's a different workflow from Pacemaker: you prepare and refine the mix, then export it.

Update: no more YouTube mixing in DJ.Studio

DJ.Studio removed its YouTube mixing feature in December 2024, at YouTube's request. You can still build DJ mixes and mashups with your own music files or with Beatport and Beatsource Streaming. Exporting a finished mix as a video to YouTube still works.

What happened to the Pacemaker app?

Pacemaker started in 2007 as a pocket-sized DJ device from the Swedish company Tonium. In February 2014 it relaunched as an iPad app, the first DJ app to partner with Spotify, and an iPhone version followed in 2015. It let users DJ with music from streams in real time, which was new at the time.

Pacemaker's main features

• Mixing two tracks together from streaming services and your own music library.

• Familiar DJ-style controls, including decks, a mixer, and a range of effects.

• Beat-matching with the pitch slider and sync.

• An automix tool for creating a continuous playlist.

Spotify ended its DJ integration in 2020. From July 2020, Pacemaker and other DJ apps could no longer play Spotify tracks. Pacemaker then licensed its own catalog of more than 18 million tracks.

In March 2023, Tuned Global, a B2B music streaming company, acquired Pacemaker to use its technology in its own streaming products. The consumer Pacemaker app shut down on June 26, 2023.

So the Pacemaker app as people knew it is gone.

My own Pacemaker story

Pacemaker has a small place in my own DJ story. Years ago, I recorded a Dirty Disco Radio show in the app as a collaboration with the Pacemaker team, and they ran a guest mixtape and interview with me on their blog. I've been DJing for more than 35 years, so I've played on just about everything, from turntables to Pioneer gear, and I still do. For my weekly radio show, though, I now often turn to DJ.Studio. I can work on the mix piece by piece, in my own time, instead of spending two hours straight behind the decks. When it's done, I export it to Ableton Live.

Mixonset also creates mixes from Spotify playlists. Our Mixonset alternative guide explains how it compares.

DJ.Studio takes a different route: you build the mix on your computer instead of playing it live.

Pacemaker app alternative: DJ.Studio

DJ.Studio is a desktop app for building DJ mixes, available as DJ.Studio for Mac and DJ.Studio for Windows. You use playlists and music libraries to prepare, and mix with your own audio files or with Beatport and Beatsource Streaming.

It does more than turn a Spotify playlist into a mix.

Part of the reason DJ.Studio exists is that DJ software people relied on became defunct or unsupported, which left them without a way to keep making mixes.

The end of Pacemaker was one reason we looked at how Spotify could work with DJ.Studio.

Spotify doesn't allow its music to be used in DJ mixes, so DJ.Studio uses Spotify for playlists only. You paste a Spotify playlist link, and DJ.Studio matches the songs to tracks on Beatport or Beatsource Streaming.

This means you can build full-length mixes based on your Spotify playlists, with matched tracks from Beatport or Beatsource, or with your own audio files. If you're weighing your options, our guide to the best DJ software covers the main picks for every skill level.

First, we'll go through the main features of DJ.Studio. Then we'll explain the workflow, so you can build a mix from your Spotify playlist.

DJ.Studio features

Here are some notable features in DJ.Studio:

• Library integrations: use your own files, plus libraries from rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, Engine DJ, VirtualDJ, djay Pro, Mixed In Key, and iTunes.

• A DAW for DJs: DJ.Studio uses a timeline editor instead of decks and a mixer, so you can see and edit the whole mix in detail.

• AI DJ tools: Harmonize suggests a track order based on key and BPM, and the automix creates beat-matched transitions that you then refine.

• Two ways to work: start in the simple Carousel View, or go deeper in the Studio View.

• Transition editor: pick a preset or build your own transition with automation and more than 50 effects.

• Export to DJ software: send a finished mix with cue points to rekordbox, Serato, VirtualDJ, or djay Pro to play it live.

• Audio, video, and DAW export: export a mix as WAV, MP3, or FLAC, as an MP4 video with reactive visuals, or as an Ableton Live or Bitwig project with stems. Exporting isn't included in the free trial.

How to build a DJ mix from a Spotify playlist in DJ.Studio

Now that you know the main features, here's how it works in practice.

Here's how to get started:

1. Launch DJ.StudioOpen the app on your Mac or Windows PC.

2. Start a new mixSet up a new mix project.

3. Import your Spotify playlistIn Add tracks, choose Spotify and paste the link to a public playlist. DJ.Studio matches the songs to tracks in the Beatport Streaming or Beatsource Streaming catalog. Songs that aren't available there are left out. (With a Beatport Streaming (Advanced or Professional) or Beatsource subscription, you mix with full tracks. Without one, you can build your mix with Beatport previews and buy the tracks when you're ready to Legalize and export.)

4. Use Harmonize for a baseHarmonize suggests an order based on key and BPM, and the automix beat-matches the tracks and adds transitions. That gives you a starting point to refine.

5. Shape transitions and add effectsOpen the transition and effects editor. Try different transition types, from gradual fades to quick cuts or rhythmic glitches, and add effects like filters, delays, or EQ to shape each moment of the mix.

6. Fine-tune your mixUse the timeline editor to reorder tracks, adjust transitions, and add samples or other elements.

7. Purchase and exportWhen your mix is complete, use Legalize and export to buy any tracks you don't own yet. Once they're purchased and downloaded, you can export the finished mix.

That's the whole workflow.

DJ.Studio gives you the tools to build and refine a full mix, starting from a Spotify playlist.

This makes DJ.Studio a good fit for DJs who prefer structured, editable mix production over live deck workflows. Looking for an app to DJ live on your phone? See our DJ mixing apps roundup.

DJ.Studio isn't only for Spotify-based mixes. You can use it with your own music library, for radio shows, mashups, and DJ sets you prepare at home.

It works for beginners and experienced DJs, from finding the order of a set to exporting and sharing the finished mix.

Summary: try DJ.Studio free

Pacemaker is gone, and DJ.Studio isn't a copy of it. It's a desktop app where you build a mix on a timeline, instead of playing it live on a phone or iPad.

If you used Pacemaker to turn playlists into mixes, DJ.Studio gives you a similar starting point: import a playlist, let Harmonize suggest an order, and refine the transitions yourself.

You can create structured, professional DJ mixes inspired by your playlists, using supported platforms and locally stored audio.

Try DJ.Studio free for 7 days, no credit card needed.