Thinking and teaching with the Stem Player

The Stem Player https://www.stemplayer.com/ The Stem Player is a portable music player and remixing device launched by Kano Computing in the summer of 2021. The gadget exemplifies a new generation of userfriendly and portable devices that blur boundaries between passive consumption and active creation by inviting listeners to interact with pre-recorded music. The Stem Player combines visual, aural, and haptic elements to yield a unique and embodied user experience. Small enough to fit into an adult’s palm, this oval-shaped gadget is covered in a smooth silicone-like skin that is currently available in three muted colours: clear, tan, and black. When turned on, four neon backlit swipe controls stand out on the face of the device in an X shape. The rest of the device’s buttons, which are located along the rim and in the centre of the face, are visually inconspicuous (Figure 1). The swipe controls and the on/off button make the device vibrate softly, like a cellphone, when manipulated. The device looks and feels sleek and is easy to use with a single hand. The Stem Player allows users to listen to digital audio files stored therein and to remix tracks while listening. The device foremost operates as a traditional music player: its side buttons turn the device on and off, jump forward and backward in the track list, and adjust the volume (the maximum volume is loud but still comfortable). But the Stem Player has limited functionality as a music player; it has limited storage capacity (8GB) and can only be loaded via USB cable. As such, the Stem Player pales in comparison to other music reproduction devices currently available on the market, such as SanDisk Clip Jam and Mighty Vibe, which offer more storage capacity, allow track loading via Bluetooth and online downloads, and are smaller and cheaper. What sets The Stem Player apart from those competing devices is its unique design that optimises an interactive listening experience. The X-shaped swipe controls on the Stem Player’s face allow users to split songs into four-layered tracks called stems (hence the device’s name) and to remix the songs while listening. The device’s stem isolation tool is preprogrammed: pop and hip hop tracks are routinely split into vocals, samples and bass, drums, and the remaining instrumentals. The four-part split works best with tracks available in the official website, but the device will attempt to split any audio file uploaded onto it (albeit with mixed results). A button located in the centre of the device switches the swipe controls’ function from stem isolation to remixing. By swiping left, right, up, or down, the user-listener can remix the song by looping two bar and four bar segments, speeding up or slowing down the track, and reversing the track. The self-proclaimed “new medium” (STEM n.d.), the Stem Player was designed to make remixing a central part of the listening experience. Users of sound reproduction technologies have, to an extent, always manipulated sound when handling their devices; for example, by stopping and restarting a record or adjusting its volume. Users have also SOUND STUDIES 2023, VOL. 9, NO. 2, 302–306 https://doi.org/10.1080/20551940.2023.2235852