Kanye West, one of the world’s best-loved rappers, has introduced a whole new experience for his techno-loving fans. In collaboration with electronic equipment design firm, Kano, Kanye has unveiled a “Donda Stem Player,” a device that allows you to remix songs from his latest album “Donda.” The rapper is no stranger to technology and was also in talks with Swedish Electronics manufacturer Teenage Engineering for collaborating in 2019.

How it Works

So what’s exciting about this puck-shaped device? You can isolate parts of the songs you enjoy and set your own background scores to them. Play around with the bass and drums and even vocals give the song our very own interpretation. The stem payer device will not separate “song elements”, but it does come equipped with useful tools such as audio mixing across four channels, different effects, sampling selections, looping, and speed controls.

Product Specifications

To navigate, use four touch-sensitive “light sliders,” and haptic feedback. The gadget has customizable colors, with saving options to share your “creations” with friends. The built-in speaker devices or a Bluetooth connection is ideal for audio streaming, and for private listening, you can always tune into the 3.5mm headphone jack. Audio Files are compatible with both lossy and lossless formats (including AAC, AIFF, MP3, and WAV).

To Buy or Not to Buy

The drawbacks? There are only 8GB of storage to workaround to ensure you save only what you really like! (Not counting the bundled Donda stems). Competitively priced at $200, the Stem Player can now be ordered online. It might be a bit heavy on the pocket for those who are seeking just a temporary indulgence, but it is reasonably priced vis-a-vis most electronic music-making devices. So, get going and split Kanye’s chartbusters into stems with your own beats. Share your tracks and you never know… Kanye himself might give you a “ye!”

New research has revealed that people who have the ability to visualize vividly also have a stronger connection between the areas of the brain busy with decision making and the visual network. The study has shed light on the differences in personality and memory between people who have strong visual images and those who experience great difficulty drawing images in their heads.

The New Brain Research Shows Why 3% of the Population Cannot Visualize Images

The new research on cerebral cortex communication was led by the University of Exeter and sheds light on why some 3% of the estimated population has low or no ability to visualize images. The phenomenon was aptly named Aphantasia back in 2015 by professor Adam Zeman. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek word Phantasia, meaning imagination, and the prefix a-, meaning without.

The Brain Research Was Funded by the Council for the Research of Arts and Humanities

This first systematic brain study was funded by the Council for the Research of Arts and Humanities and aimed at neuropsychological and brain imaging of people under hypnosis who have aphantasia. The team studies the vividness of the image in the mid-range of twenty people. They combined image data and detailed cognitive functions and scanned people with hyperfantasia and aphantasia.

The study showed that people with hyperfantasia have a strong connection between the visual network and the prefrontal cortex. These strong connections were evident in the scans. Still, the control group of people with aphantasia showed different results and were able to come up with fewer imaginary scenarios. Despite that, both groups had comparable scores on standard memory tests.

According to professor Zeman, the research showed for the first time that a weak connection between the visual network of the brain and the frontal lobe related to decision-making and attention is what leads to aphantasia. He shared that he considered this a drawback because it takes away another way to experience the world. Still, people with aphantasia have shown to be capable of great success in life.