The Stem player is one of the best inventions ever. It is a pebble-sized MP3 player or a handheld device that allows you to create beats, remixes, and share your songs with other users.
The device is also a streaming platform for artists and an interactive live-perform controller. But do you know how this device works? How does it connect to other devices?
Well, according to my personal experience, I will walk you through step-by-step how to connect the Stem player to Bluetooth, computer, phone, or speaker.
But before I do, how does a Stem player work? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
How Does a Stem Player Work
The stem player works by employing artificial intelligence and other techniques, such as dynamic neural networks, deep learning, and convolutional neural networks.
When a user selects a track on the stem player’s touch screen, the AI analyzes the song to create a separate audio file for each of its parts. What happens is that the AI split tracks into four stems: one for vocals, one for drums, one for bass, and one for guitar.
Playing the files separately creates a more realistic effect of having multiple people playing at once while also allowing users to hear music without any distortion or disruptions in sound quality (much like listening to an album on vinyl).
These are then recombined in real-time so they can be played simultaneously. You can then add tracks to this Stem player by uploading your MP3 songs to this device from your computer or cloud storage.
How to Connect Stem Player to Bluetooth
Connecting the Stem player to Bluetooth is a simple process where you hold the + and – buttons found on the Stem player together for a few seconds.
For this process to work, you’ll need to be close to a Bluetooth device such as your phone or laptop. After holding the two buttons, you will hear quick beeps, which means that your connection has been successful.
How to Connect Stem Player to Computer
Connecting step player to your computer requires you to open Stemplayer.com and log in using the email and password provided when registering the device. Stemplayer.com is the official website for downloading and managing music content on your player.
Step 1: Once logged in, select ‘Content’ from the menu bar at the top of the page, then select ‘Add Content’ or ‘Upload Content’, depending on whether you want to upload content from a CD or another location on your computer.
Step 2: The next thing will be connecting and powering your device (Stem Player). This is done by plugging it into the USB port with a power adapter, ensuring it is fully charged before attempting to connect. Make sure the power light is green before proceeding.
Step 3: Next will be clicking on the platform icon near the upper left-hand corner of the screen. You will be prompted by your computer to connect the Stem player, which is when you’ll connect it with your computer. It should connect immediately after selecting ‘Yes’ to ‘Discover Devices’.
Step 4: Your screen should now show two options: one named ‘Play’ and one named ‘Connect’. Click on ‘Connect’ to initiate the connection process. When it’s finished, the message Connection Successfully will appear.
A Stem player can be connected to a mobile device via Bluetooth.
Step 1: To connect the player to a mobile device, make sure that the Bluetooth is turned on and enabled on the device, and then select ‘BT’ on the player’s home screen. The Bluetooth will scan for devices and show which one is selected.
Step 2: You must hold the + and – buttons down for a few seconds or until you see the word ‘Pairing’ on your phone.
Step 3: Once paired, release these two buttons and press the power button on the Stem player to turn it off.
Step 4: Once off, restart the Stem player, which should automatically reconnect with your phone when turned back on. If this does not work, disconnect from BT and re-pair again.
Be sure to hold the volume controls on the Stem player while connecting so that there is a confirmation sound after connecting.
For example, if the first time you try to pair, there is no sound after pressing the + and – buttons together, but if you do it again, then there will be a confirmation sound.
A list of nearby Bluetooth devices will appear on your phone once a successful connection has been made. After selecting the device to connect to, you will be prompted with several prompts before finally being able to play music wirelessly from your phone through the Stem player.
One prompt asks if you want Stem Playlist, another asks if you want to delete all data on the Stem player before proceeding, and yet another prompts whether or not to sync song information between Stem Playlist and Apple Music/Google Play Music.
How to Connect Stem Player to Speaker
The Stem player can be connected to the speaker via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Step 1: Similarly, you need to hold the + and – buttons on the top of the device for a few seconds. There will be colorful light in front of the device if it is successfully paired with your speaker. If you have already paired your speakers with other devices before, then the lights might be different when pairing with a Stem player.
Step 2: In this case, press a specific button which will lead to a color pattern combination for adding new devices or pairing old devices. The color pattern might also show up as different colors, like blue and red, which signifies that the device has been successfully connected.
Alternatively, you can try connecting your Stem player to the speaker using a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Step 1: To do so, first, connect the headphones to the audio input of your speakers through a 3.5mm jack cable.
Step 2: Now plug one end of the same wire into the input port on the backside of the Stem player (don’t forget to hold volume- down key).
Step 3: And finally, plug another end into the headphone jack input on your speaker from where you want to listen.
Those interested in connecting their Stem player to wireless speakers need to enable Bluetooth on their speaker first and ensure that both speakers are set to a different profile.
After this process, simply follow the abovementioned steps for pairing new devices or repairing old ones.
For those that did not know, yes, you can hook up a Stem player to a car. This can be done in 2 ways: Aux input or Bluetooth.
Aux input: Aux input requires an auxiliary cord with a 3.5mm jack and a female-to-male headphone extension cable. The cable connects the Stem Player to the back of your car’s stereo system. Keep in mind that if you’re using aux input, there may be interference when the volume is too high on either end.
Bluetooth: If your stereo system has Bluetooth capabilities, I recommend using that as it will be much easier and faster than aux input. First, make sure your Stem Player is paired with your device. Next, turn on Bluetooth on both devices. Once connected, use any music app on your car’s stereo system (Pandora, Spotify) to wirelessly play music from your device. The playlist will now come through your speakers.
Can You Connect Airpods to Stem Player?
You can also connect Airpods to the Stem player:
Step 1: Simply start pairing the AirPods with your Stem player. To do this, hold the + and – buttons found on the Stem player until a blue line appears on the bottom of the device.
Step 2: Once the devices are in pairing mode, you should hold a button on your Airpod until it starts blinking white. Wait for some seconds and release the button.
Step 3: The Stem player will automatically find your AirPods as soon as they are in range, but if it doesn’t find them after a while (or if they didn’t pair correctly), simply press the + or – button again to force pairing mode on the AirPods.
Can You Connect Stem Player to Aux?
You can connect your stem player to any music system via an aux cable. The aux cable is included with the Stem player and is located in the top left corner of the box it comes in.
It’s a standard 3.5mm aux cord, so you can use it with almost any phone or other device with an audio jack available for headphone usage. Just plug one end into the socket on your Stem player’s back and the other end into your desired destination.
Does Stem Player Work with Spotify?
The Stem player doesn’t work with Spotify. You only download the desired song on stemplayer.com and load it onto your device from there.
It is compatible with Apple Music, Deezer, and Amazon Music Unlimited. You can also use a cable to connect your phone or tablet to play music through the speaker.
In collaboration with Kanye West, the Kano Computing company owns the patent and trademark for the product.
All of the revenue from the sales of Stem Player goes back into investing in more software, hardware, and developers to create better content for children.
Last Words
A Stem player can be used wirelessly with an existing home stereo or sound system. To do this, simply set up the device and follow the instructions for connecting it to your Bluetooth-enabled device.
The wireless connection will allow you to take the music anywhere in your house.
Is a musician and journalist with over 13 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands. Ray loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware.
