What is Kanye West’s Donda Stem Player? Plus what it costs and how it works
Those of you who are still fans of Kanye West might be interested in a new music gadget he’s created. It’s called the Donda Stem Player.
What is the Donda Stem Player?
Donda Stem Player is a puck-shaped device that will let you “customise any song”, according to the device’s website. It’s named after West’s mother, who passed away years ago and is the primary inspiration for his “Donda” upcoming album. The device was developed by West’s Yeezy Tech brand and electronics company Kano.
What does the Donda Stem Player feature?
The Donda Stem Player is made of a tan “soft silicone blended skin”.
Features include a headphone jack and Bluetooth support (it can do simultaneous Bluetooth and audio jack playback), a USB-C port, volume buttons, speakers, a haptic engine, and 8GB of storage. There are also four “touch-sensitive light sliders” on top of the device that allow you to – supposedly – control it and customise songs.
Donda Stem Player supports several music formats, too, such as:
.AIFF.AIF .FLAC .M4A .MP3.WAV .WAVE .AAC .ALAC .MP4.
How does the Donda Stem Player work?
From what we can tell, the Donda Stem Player is a music creation gadget that will allow you to adjust “any song” to your liking. But there are still a lot of unknowns.
According to the device’s website, here’s what you can do with it:
Control vocals, drums, bass, and samplesIsolate partsAdd effectsSplit any song into stems
It also claims to offer the following tools and capabilities:
4-channel lossless audio mixingRealtime loop and speed controlTactile effectsOne hitsLive samplesSave, playback, and share mixesCustomise colors
Are there examples of the Donda Stem Player in action?
Yes. There are some videos floating around the internet that appear to show how the Donda Stem Player will work. Here’s one example:
When will Donda Stem Player be available?
Donda Stem Player currently has a “summer” release date. Keep in mind West is notorious for not releasing his albums on time or as promised, so this could get delayed.
How much will Donda Stem Player cost?
Donda Stem Player is available to pre-order now for $200 in the US. The device’s website said it will ship with West’s upcoming “Donda” album.
When does the ‘Donda’ album come out?
West’s next album has a 29 August 2021 release date on the iTunes Store.
