I am a purest when it comes to making a mixed compilation. I believe that my first point of contact for doing this is to painstakingly make a mixed cassette before a mixed CD. Preferably making the art while the tape is recording.
I've been known to make mix CDs, heck it was how I flirted with my partner way back when. We would make artworks for them and exchange our mixes with lengthy notes about what the songs meant to us. At this point in my life, I was into living like a lead in an 2000s/2010's indie flick and making mixes was my lifestyle. Then at some point, I got back into recording onto cassette tapes.
Before this era of making proper mixed tapes, I was too young to get the concept and used them to attempt recording off the radio. I didn't really get into recording from CD's to tape as I already had those songs. It seemed redundant. Then somewhere around 2013, I realized I could plug the aux cord from my laptop into the stereo and record from iTunes and Youtube, and in a few years later, record straight from Spotify.
My obsession with making great mixed tapes went on from there. The artwork is a crucial part of the process. It is integral that you have great artwork for your mix. It is a must. I had to get the timing right, or as close to right as I could. Pressing "record" at the right time to ensure there was enough space for each song on each side. Trying to find a short as possible song that wasn't annoying to end on if there wasn't enough space for the preferred song. A few tapes have error sounds and click sounds from my computer whilst recording and I kind of like that. Perfect imperfections.
My main rule is to try to not have the same songs on each mix (accidentally putting on is forgiven, but it is disappointing). If is already on another mixed CD or Cassette, don't add it into the mix unless absolutely necessary.
This was because in my days of childhood, I would burn the same songs onto so many CDs, and often songs from my parents CD collection and songs from other burnt CDs that friends would make me on sleepovers. This meant you would get the theme from "Footloose" in between the same four High School Musical songs, the Grease mega mix, half of Avril Lavigne's first album and Hilary Duff songs from her compilation CD. All the while being mixed in-between the same songs from my Pepsi Hits of 2004 CD and various B.E.P songs. This makes for a terrible mixed CD. I didn't even like the theme from "Footloose".
That style of mixed taping segwayed into me discovering Limewire and going completely bananas filling up the computer with thousands of songs for my MP3 player, which I had to burn onto CDs to save their lives because my Dad wanted me to delete the music so we could free the space up again.
The love and care I put into these mixes was so tiring that they were a biannual occurrence. A delicacy only to be enjoyed at the right time.
Quite recently my parent's stereo that we've had in the family for an estimated 24 years decided to stop holding down the record button for me. Perhaps this is something to do with the band inside the machine. Call me crazy, but I am the kind of person who only wants to pay a professional to fix these type of machines, and not root around with it myself. What if I break it more? That would really stuff things up for me then. But where are all of the professionals? Retired. Nobody seems to value old technology the way I do. Not in my town.
So, on Friday I bought myself a new disk drive because my cheap one from eBay is cactus and have decided to get back into making mixed CDs.
I am still trying to force myself to design the cardboard slip cases in photoshop, but that excitement I have for making a mixed cassette hasn't fallen onto making a mixed CD yet. For whatever reason, it feels like I am cheating to do it this way. Despite knowing that older mixed cassette makers will probably think my method of plugging my laptop into the aux cord is a cheats way of making a mix because technically I can just load up a Spotify playlist and hit play, then stop it at the right time, and then press record again to finish side B.
I suppose we all have our little quirks when it comes to making a mixed whatever. Cassette, CD, minidisk... At the end of the day, it's all piracy baby and no method is superior to the other.
stormborns
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
titsay
dailybridgerton
origamiaround
pixelskylines
vaporwave
