Kanye West enters the music tech market with the Donda Stem Player, a $200 device that enables you to remix his new album
Control the vocals, drums, bass and samples, and add effects
Kanye West - who may soon be known simply as Ye, if he gets his way - has confirmed the availability of the Donda Stem Player, a new hardware device that enables you to remix his new album of the same name.
Seemingly developed in collaboration with British company Kano, which has made its name creating child-friendly computer hardware, this enables you to customise any song from the Donda album by controlling the levels of the vocals, drums, bass and samples. You can also isolate parts, add effects and split any song into stems.
Kano CEO Alex Klein has just Tweeted a photo of the Stem Player, which promises 4-channel lossless audio mixing and realtime loop and speed control. Created mixes can be saved and shared, with new content and software updates being accessible via your browser.
STEM PLAYERCUSTOMIZE ANY SONGhttps://t.co/l2kKvYBNaN pic.twitter.com/SVHuBE3YW2August 25, 2021
The Stem Player has a puck-like appearance that’s not a million miles away from that of the Google Nest Mini, and offers a haptic engine and four touch-sensitive light sliders. There’s a built-in speaker, though you can also play back via Bluetooth and the 3.5mm audio output jack (simultaneously, if you wish).
8GB of onboard storage is provided and there’s support for all kinds of audio file types, enabling you to load your own music onto the device.
Available in the US and UK, the Donda Stem Player costs $200/£200 and is available to order via the Kanye West website.
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I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.
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