Stem Player
The Stem Player is an audio remix device and music streaming platform developed by British technology company Kano Computing in collaboration with American artist Kanye West. The device was launched in August 2021 in conjunction with the release of West's 10th studio album "Donda". The Stem Player has four touch-sensitive haptic sliders that adjust individual stems for tracks, and six hardware buttons for volume and effects. The device's service uses artificial neural networks to split tracks into four stems (sometimes isolated vocals, bass, and drums) with each track being able to be manipulated using a  front slider. Users can add tracks to the device by uploading an audio file to the device through an official online web application. In February 2022, West made an announcement that he would begin releasing music exclusively to the device, commencing with "Donda 2" that month. History. In January 2019, following an encounter within the company's booth at CES Technology Show in Las Vegas, West invested an undisclosed sum in Kano. In a 2019 interview with journalist Zane Lowe for Apple Music, West confirmed he was working on developing a portable stem player. The Stem Player collaboration process spanned  a two-year period. Inspiration for the device's design and colour scheme came during a visit to the Roden Crater with James Turrell. Prototype designs were said to be shaped like a hand, stress ball, and orb before the circular silicone design was adopted. On 25 August 2021, the Stem Player launched for pre-sale with the initial name of "Donda Stem Player". The device began shipping to purchasers in October that year, pre-loaded with three tracks not available on streaming platforms, including "Life of the Party" and other remixes that appeared on the "Donda" album. As of  February 2022, there are thirty nine total tracks available on Stem Player, twelve of which are from "Donda 2". Service. The Stem Player mainly features a service that splits chosen songs into stems that can then be freely customized and manipulated using the device's touch-sensitive sliders and buttons; emulated versions of the service were widely circulated online in early 2022 following criticism of the Stem Player's expenses. It features controls for vocal isolation and volume control, real time loop and speed controls, tactile audio effects, audio track management, recording of mixes and recording playback. The Stem Player  is a beige, circular device, measuring 7 centimetres in diameter. 4 touch-sensitive LED sliders cover the front of the device. Physical specifications include 8GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, support for Bluetooth, USB-C, and all major audio file types. The device initially came pre-loaded with stems of the deluxe edition of West's "Donda" album. Upon release, the device only appeared in one tan colour. Since January 2022, a number of official images have been released showing black and translucent skins with no official release date specified. Reception. Upon initial release, the Stem Player  was met with a positive reception with many critics praising the device for its unique and innovative design as well as its ease of use and AI based technology. In a review for online publication "The Verge", Jay Peters found that "for someone who likes to make their own music, the Stem Player could be a mind-blowingly awesome tool." Jordan Minor of "PCMag" said "the Donda Stem Player is an imaginative and surprisingly flexible music creation tool". Terence O' Brien of "Engadget" called the device "fascinating and unique". Criticism of the device was mainly relayed on the lack of  wireless file downloading, limited storage space and the omission of a navigation screen, as well as low transfer speeds. Later on, in early March 2022, there was a system implemented to wirelessly stream Stem Player Exclusives after providing proof of purchase on stemplayer.com. West received criticism following the announcement of his exclusive music releases on the platform, with many fans expressing concern and uncertainty that they would not be able to listen to the latest release as a result. Corey Taylor of Slipknot criticized West for the decision due to the price: "People can't afford their apartments, for fuсk 's sake." This resulted in an emulator of the device being developed that people have used as an alternative to buying the device.