10 ms·

Kanye West's Stem Player – An engineering disaster

87 points by lmc 4y ago

svnpenn 4y ago
> Writer's Note: Kanye West has legally changed his name to ye. Excepting the title, I'll be referring to him as ye throughout the post. Nope. Nope. Not going to do that.
pipeline_peak 4y ago
Neil Young develops Pono Kanye develops Stem Player Neil Young thinks he's more powerful than Spotify Kanye thinks he's more powerful than Jesus hmmm
teddyh 4y ago
It’s always weird when public figures (who are not engineers) try to develop sophisticated physical products. Of course it’s going to be terrible. It’s like if Google would, I don’t know, make an action movie. Or if, say, the Dalai Lama would launch his own brand of cars. It’s not what they do.
- MaxDPS 4y ago
  That’s not what happened here. Kanye essentially worked with an engineering company that specializes in these kinds of products.
  - teddyh 4y ago
    But as he is not an engineer himself, he does not know how to pick a good engineering company, nor how to evaluate their progress, or the end result.
- elcomet 4y ago
  What ? Kanye West is not developping the apps himself, he is just giving money and maybe the ideas. I don't see why it should be terrible. And it's not what they do until it is. Amazon is making some decent movies and series.
  - sneak 4y ago
    Because software isn't something that you can just buy off the shelf given enough money, otherwise Bill Gates would have been Apple. It also requires taste and vision, two things that Kanye West utterly lacks.
    - pcbro141 4y ago
      He's literally a multi-billionaire from his taste and vision (Yeezy fashion, music production).
      - sneak 4y ago
        I don't think his success in business is in any way whatsoever supportive of your claim. McDonalds also has billions in revenue; does that make it great food? Popularity and quality are orthogonal.
        skavi 4y ago
        Given popular reception isn't enough to indicate good taste and vision, what about critical reception? Kanye's music, particularly from before the last few years, has been well reviewed by critics. His shoes were popular among "sneaker heads", or people for whom sneakers are a hobby.
- fragmede 4y ago
  You mean like Beats by Dre, who is also not an engineer, which was so terrible that Apple bought them for $3 Billion?
  - thomasfortes 4y ago
    Isn't Beats by Dre considered not top of the line when it comes to sound quality and more like a fashion brand? I'm not saying that they are bad, just that they aren't at the same level as brands like bose and sennheiser which are way less focused on celebrities branding.
    - fragmede 4y ago
      The same level as Bose? The company famous for simply turning up the bass? Now they're used as an example of quality? How times change!
      - thomasfortes 4y ago
        Hear the same thing about beats, too much bass. Anyway, the point still stands, Beats is considered a fashion brand, it was used by athletes all around the world a couple years ago, now athletes are all in on apple airpods and it's been a while since I've seen someone talking about buying a beats.
        blain_the_train 4y ago
        yes, which is why i just but Sennheiser, because it's clear they really care about the music.
        willcipriano 4y ago
        HiFiMAN is where it's at.
  - drcongo 4y ago
    Beats are absolute dogshit for sound quality. So, yes.
jamestimmins 4y ago
Reminds me of this classic review of Will.i.am's smart watch. The review was...unflattering https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/5/7162861/will-i-am-puls-smartwatch-is-terrible https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/5/7162861/will-i-am-puls-sm....
- zoltar 4y ago
  Oh, right. The "Wassup, Googlers?" guy. He gave a tech talk at the Mountain View campus where he made a ringtone and then put it up online for sale for a buck. Nothing will ever stop that guy from hustling.
pigtailgirl 4y ago
-- Not sure what alleged role she is alleging - even after reading this 10,300 word essay - my understanding was that it's supposed to be a fun toy for the musically inclined (similar to teenage engineering products) - maybe i'm wrong - but it does fulfill that role perfectly - I sat on a 6 hour flight and did nothing but make tunes with my OP-Z and Stem Player - similar to TE products - the Stem Player is one of the most fun toys I've purchased as an adult - "I genuinely believe the Stem Player will be out of everyone's mind in a few months and will be remembered as that weird gadget ye shoved the fans' throat to access the album." - I don't even like Kanye West music - I've been playing with this thing weekly for months - again - it's a really fun toy --
- Flankk 4y ago
  - colesantiago 4y ago
    The person in the blogpost created an emulator, all for free public consumption. Back to square one for Ye and Kano then.
  - carrotcarrot 4y ago
    Critics add value to things by building meaning around them. There many films which I enjoy reviews and analysis of more than the work itself. If you are so ascerbic toward peanut galleries it is a bit odd that you browse hackernews.
    - Flankk 4y ago
      Critics add no value. They are parasitic individuals that feed off the creations of great men. I'm not sure why you find it odd I browse a forum for creators and hackers. The parasitic people are here too. They are talkers not doers.
      - drcongo 4y ago
        Only great men? Can women not be great, or do you just not consider any of them great?
nothasan 4y ago
I remember downloading the stems from their API and the serial number checks were just length check of the parameter. Surprised that Donda 2 is still not available on any streaming platform.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
carrotcarrot 4y ago
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
totalview 4y ago
I’ve dreamed of a device similar to this since I was child. It would be thrilling to isolate different stems from classical or really synthy music. The device looks like it’s a brookstone product from the 2000s though…
- fragmede 4y ago
  Stemroller (currently also on the front page) will do just that! (Well the isolation part. Putting them back together enjoyably is left as an exercise to the reader. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32359325 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32359325
genmon 4y ago
This is a cool story about reverse engineering a protocol… combined with some really unnecessary (and sexually graphic) insults of the Stem Player/Kano founder. The combined hardware and service seems to be highly experimental, and this is a startup finding its way. Not to excuse erratic behaviour, but none of this feels out of the ordinary or worthy of this level of attack. The coda at the end, about the failed attempt to work together, gives a possible explanation for the high level of saltiness. (And it should really be at the beginning by way of disclosure.) It’s a shame there wasn’t a culture fit between the parties.
- krystalgamer 4y ago
  > This is a cool story about reverse engineering a protocol… I was suggested to do a two-parter, but to me it didn't feel right. I think the current layout allows for people who are mostly in for the tech to quit mid-way. > combined with some really unnecessary (and sexually graphic) insults of the Stem Player/Kano founder. Understandable. For me it was cathartic, compiling their dirt and putting them in a neat package as in to show how under-prepared they actually are. > failed attempt to work together, gives a possible explanation for the high level of saltiness. The problem wasn't the fallout but the fact I dropped what I was doing to really start with them on a good feet. The fact Alex wanted to talk to me on a Sunday afternoon resonated with me, but as soon as I was ready to on-board it seemed that were overwhelmed. I'm not saying they weren't, but my expectations were sky high. In the end, dropping my project to help them bit me in the ass, which contributed to the bitterness. > And it should really be at the beginning by way of disclosure. I wanted to do so, but at the same time I guess until "Stem Player or hype as a product" section is not as present. Also, a lot of people thought I got a lawsuit when I took the project down and I never told the story.

87 points by lmc 4y ago

> Writer's Note: Kanye West has legally changed his name to ye. Excepting the title, I'll be referring to him as ye throughout the post. Nope. Nope. Not going to do that.

pipeline_peak 4y ago

Neil Young develops Pono Kanye develops Stem Player Neil Young thinks he's more powerful than Spotify Kanye thinks he's more powerful than Jesus hmmm

teddyh 4y ago

It’s always weird when public figures (who are not engineers) try to develop sophisticated physical products. Of course it’s going to be terrible. It’s like if Google would, I don’t know, make an action movie. Or if, say, the Dalai Lama would launch his own brand of cars. It’s not what they do.

MaxDPS 4y ago
That’s not what happened here. Kanye essentially worked with an engineering company that specializes in these kinds of products.
- teddyh 4y ago
  But as he is not an engineer himself, he does not know how to pick a good engineering company, nor how to evaluate their progress, or the end result.
elcomet 4y ago
What ? Kanye West is not developping the apps himself, he is just giving money and maybe the ideas. I don't see why it should be terrible. And it's not what they do until it is. Amazon is making some decent movies and series.
- sneak 4y ago
  Because software isn't something that you can just buy off the shelf given enough money, otherwise Bill Gates would have been Apple. It also requires taste and vision, two things that Kanye West utterly lacks.
  - pcbro141 4y ago
    He's literally a multi-billionaire from his taste and vision (Yeezy fashion, music production).
    - sneak 4y ago
      I don't think his success in business is in any way whatsoever supportive of your claim. McDonalds also has billions in revenue; does that make it great food? Popularity and quality are orthogonal.
      - skavi 4y ago
        Given popular reception isn't enough to indicate good taste and vision, what about critical reception? Kanye's music, particularly from before the last few years, has been well reviewed by critics. His shoes were popular among "sneaker heads", or people for whom sneakers are a hobby.
fragmede 4y ago
You mean like Beats by Dre, who is also not an engineer, which was so terrible that Apple bought them for $3 Billion?
- thomasfortes 4y ago
  Isn't Beats by Dre considered not top of the line when it comes to sound quality and more like a fashion brand? I'm not saying that they are bad, just that they aren't at the same level as brands like bose and sennheiser which are way less focused on celebrities branding.
  - fragmede 4y ago
    The same level as Bose? The company famous for simply turning up the bass? Now they're used as an example of quality? How times change!
    - thomasfortes 4y ago
      Hear the same thing about beats, too much bass. Anyway, the point still stands, Beats is considered a fashion brand, it was used by athletes all around the world a couple years ago, now athletes are all in on apple airpods and it's been a while since I've seen someone talking about buying a beats.
      - blain_the_train 4y ago
        yes, which is why i just but Sennheiser, because it's clear they really care about the music.
        willcipriano 4y ago
        HiFiMAN is where it's at.
- drcongo 4y ago
  Beats are absolute dogshit for sound quality. So, yes.

jamestimmins 4y ago

Reminds me of this classic review of Will.i.am's smart watch. The review was...unflattering https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/5/7162861/will-i-am-puls-smartwatch-is-terrible https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/5/7162861/will-i-am-puls-sm....

zoltar 4y ago
Oh, right. The "Wassup, Googlers?" guy. He gave a tech talk at the Mountain View campus where he made a ringtone and then put it up online for sale for a buck. Nothing will ever stop that guy from hustling.

pigtailgirl 4y ago

-- Not sure what alleged role she is alleging - even after reading this 10,300 word essay - my understanding was that it's supposed to be a fun toy for the musically inclined (similar to teenage engineering products) - maybe i'm wrong - but it does fulfill that role perfectly - I sat on a 6 hour flight and did nothing but make tunes with my OP-Z and Stem Player - similar to TE products - the Stem Player is one of the most fun toys I've purchased as an adult - "I genuinely believe the Stem Player will be out of everyone's mind in a few months and will be remembered as that weird gadget ye shoved the fans' throat to access the album." - I don't even like Kanye West music - I've been playing with this thing weekly for months - again - it's a really fun toy --

Flankk 4y ago
- colesantiago 4y ago
  The person in the blogpost created an emulator, all for free public consumption. Back to square one for Ye and Kano then.
- carrotcarrot 4y ago
  Critics add value to things by building meaning around them. There many films which I enjoy reviews and analysis of more than the work itself. If you are so ascerbic toward peanut galleries it is a bit odd that you browse hackernews.
  - Flankk 4y ago
    Critics add no value. They are parasitic individuals that feed off the creations of great men. I'm not sure why you find it odd I browse a forum for creators and hackers. The parasitic people are here too. They are talkers not doers.
    - drcongo 4y ago
      Only great men? Can women not be great, or do you just not consider any of them great?

nothasan 4y ago

I remember downloading the stems from their API and the serial number checks were just length check of the parameter. Surprised that Donda 2 is still not available on any streaming platform.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

carrotcarrot 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

totalview 4y ago

I’ve dreamed of a device similar to this since I was child. It would be thrilling to isolate different stems from classical or really synthy music. The device looks like it’s a brookstone product from the 2000s though…

fragmede 4y ago
Stemroller (currently also on the front page) will do just that! (Well the isolation part. Putting them back together enjoyably is left as an exercise to the reader. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32359325 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32359325

genmon 4y ago

This is a cool story about reverse engineering a protocol… combined with some really unnecessary (and sexually graphic) insults of the Stem Player/Kano founder. The combined hardware and service seems to be highly experimental, and this is a startup finding its way. Not to excuse erratic behaviour, but none of this feels out of the ordinary or worthy of this level of attack. The coda at the end, about the failed attempt to work together, gives a possible explanation for the high level of saltiness. (And it should really be at the beginning by way of disclosure.) It’s a shame there wasn’t a culture fit between the parties.

krystalgamer 4y ago
> This is a cool story about reverse engineering a protocol… I was suggested to do a two-parter, but to me it didn't feel right. I think the current layout allows for people who are mostly in for the tech to quit mid-way. > combined with some really unnecessary (and sexually graphic) insults of the Stem Player/Kano founder. Understandable. For me it was cathartic, compiling their dirt and putting them in a neat package as in to show how under-prepared they actually are. > failed attempt to work together, gives a possible explanation for the high level of saltiness. The problem wasn't the fallout but the fact I dropped what I was doing to really start with them on a good feet. The fact Alex wanted to talk to me on a Sunday afternoon resonated with me, but as soon as I was ready to on-board it seemed that were overwhelmed. I'm not saying they weren't, but my expectations were sky high. In the end, dropping my project to help them bit me in the ass, which contributed to the bitterness. > And it should really be at the beginning by way of disclosure. I wanted to do so, but at the same time I guess until "Stem Player or hype as a product" section is not as present. Also, a lot of people thought I got a lawsuit when I took the project down and I never told the story.