Music is a powerful force that influences people’s emotions in various ways. Think of the soundtrack to your favorite movie: how the intense music added to the suspense of a scene, the ballad created the sadness and brought tears to your eyes, or how the emphatic rhythm raised the mood. If you’re an artist, a producer, or even if you’re just a fan, you’ve felt how captivating music can be.
Have you thought about how each different mix is made? Has it inspired you to create new beats? What technology goes into mixing stems to get that beat drop just right and blow an audiences’ mind?
Music mixers: you’re looking for the best way to create new sounds or to mix new beats. You have heard about Kanye West’s Donda Stem Player but want to know about other stem players too. With mixed reviews on the Donda Stem Player, we’re here to offer you an affordable alternative.
The latest and greatest technology for mixing music doesn’t have to be the most expensive. Beammob is the answer. This is where the online stem player comes in. This article will offer an assessment of Beammob, an online stem player and marketplace, compared to the Donda Stem Player.
Kanye West Donda Stem Player (left), Beammob Stem Player (right)
Kanye West Donda Stem Player
This unique piece of equipment harkens back to the days of the iPod shuffle, operating entirely without a screen. Available for $200, this stem player comes preloaded with Kanye West’s new album Donda. No additional software is required to get started; you can connect the stem player to your computer via USB-C. You can upload AAC, AIF, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, MP4, WAV, and WAVE files. With the Donda, you can also copy and paste YouTube links to use that video’s audio directly –be wary of copyright infringement, don’t forget to credit the sounds you borrow!
This stem player has four strips of colorful lights that each represent a different stem. You have to flick and stroke the various light displays to use it. Until you get used to its touch-sensitive grooves and features, the lack of a screen on The Donda can be a bit of a hassle. The only other way to know you’ve moved on to a new song (aside from the new music starting to play) is that the lights will change colors.
The Donda Stem Player lets you create all kinds of audio effects. You can raise and lower the song’s pitch, send it into reverse, chop it up and adjust the loop length – this stem player keeps everything on tempo. Kanye is allowing us to throwback to his early work, his signature sound remixing chopped-up song samples.
Arguably one of the weirdest features of this stem player is its color and texture. While its size and shape make it portable and convenient, the smooth fleshy texture and skin tones make for a truly distinctive experience when using The Donda Stem Player. In addition to getting used to the lack of screen when remixing stems, you also need to adjust to the way this stem player feels in your hand. Fair warning, some users have found it quite off-putting.
Beammob Online Stem Player
There’s none of that awkwardness with Beammob as everything is exclusively online and immediately easy to use. The Beammob interface is vaguely reminiscent of Spotify in its incredibly user-friendly layout. Free to sign up and use; the only purchases necessary are when you’re looking to upload more than 20 songs to your collection. Using the Beammob online stem player also eliminates a step in the mixing process that the Donda player otherwise creates. With the Donda Stem Player, you must connect the device to your computer and log into the website to upload/download songs.
“ With Beammob, everything is already in one place on the computer or smartphone. ”
When you first log into Beammob, your main screen shows you various songs under ‘Notable Releases.’ These are the original songs developed by the artists. As you scroll, you’ll see ‘Top Drops by Fans.’ Now the fun begins! Here, you can sample work from other users and fans, get inspired, and share some of your own. With Beammob, you can upload your mixes to the marketplace, or you can keep them private.
Another cool thing about the online stem player is that you can experience animated reactions in real-time. A chat room feature creates an avatar through which you can interact with other DJs and producers. You can share these songs on social media, easily like and repost mixes you’re proud of or that you love.
Using the Beammob Online Stem Player allows you to interact with millions of people who can all interact with your song simultaneously. Quite possibly, the only disadvantage with Beammob (if you can even call it that) is the limit to the stem uploads. With Beammob, you’re only able to work with two (2) uploaded stems, which explains why playing songs is much faster; you can cut vocals out or the beat. Regardless of this limit, you’re still able to create a magnificent beat drop to give any of your mixes a boost.
A quick recap of everything we’ve covered here:
Bottom Line
The Donda Stem Player offers a variety of ways to remix, but it does take a bit of practice and some time to adjust. Beammob Online Stem Player is much more straightforward and is available on-screen (via computer or smartphone). With Beammob, you get up to 20 free track uploads, and then you can pay for anywhere from $5 for 50 songs up to $100 for $125 songs based on your needs. There are plenty of flexible options.
We know you want to make the best choice for yourself. That’s why we’re presenting Beammob. It will truly be one of the best stem players on the market.
Both stem players are fun. You can create unmatched sounds with either piece of technology. You can mix the sickest beats with both systems and orchestrate some insane beat drops.
When it comes to The Donda Stem Player versus the Beammob online stem player, with Donda, it feels like the opportunities are limited, and with Beammob, they are endless. For us, the choice is clear.
