This particular entry covers a topic that is near and dear to my “child of the ’80s” heart:

The lost art of making a mix tape.

I’ve been meaning to write about mix tapes for a while, and had a particular angle – a whole new way in 2008 to make a mix tape of sorts that you can give to that special someone or friend.

In between that time and now, I found a whole new “whole new” digital” way to make a mix tape. I’ll leave my other mix tape methodology on the shelf for now, and today we’ll talk about Mixwit instead.

I had heard previously about Muxtape as a way to make and share MP3 mix tapes. Mixwit is cooler than Muxtape in my opinion.

Unlike Muxtape, I was instantly graphically sucked in by the opportunity to embed something that looks like an actual old-school cassette tape onto my website with Mixwit. I quickly signed up for an account, and found an extremely user friendly dashboard waiting to help me build my first mix tape.

Make your mix tape:

You start by searching for your songs, and you drag and drop your selections into your playlist. The songs are sourced from pre-existing MP3s that are posted on websites and blogs on the internet. There is also the option to provide a direct weblink that points to where your songs are located. Once you have your playlist built, you can make your mixtape and order the songs in the order that you want them by dragging them up and down the playlist.

Once you’re satisfied with your playlist order, further customize by choosing a special skin for your cassette – pick from a large selection of classic cassette types that you’ll instantly recognize, or upload your own art. You can add images, customize the size and layout of the text on the cassette label, etc.

After you have your layout formatted – save it, and you are provided with the option to post it instantly to all of the major blogs and social networking sites, or you can share it via email with friends – post a regular weblink, or embed it on your website!

How’s the music selection on Mixwit? Pretty darn good. I put it through the paces with a few obscure choices, and found that for example, I was able to hunt down “Lost Horizons,” an album track (i.e. not a single) by Gin Blossoms.

With that, I was satisfied that Mixwit had the goods to go the distance, and here we are.

For my initial mix tape, I chose a selection of 20 songs that would be split onto two semi-distinct sides. My mix tapes were always a bit dysfunctional with a couple of curve balls, and there are certainly a couple on this tape as well. Side one is basically the “rock” side, and Side two is the introspectively weird side. Musically, it is a mix of favorites, old and new, and songs and artists that have stuck with me through the years.

The mix starts with “Dreams” from Van Halen, a song that has always given me musical hope and positivity in good times and bad times. The closing track marries one of my favorite artists (Johnny Cash) singing one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs.

For the Willie Nelson track, I would have chosen “Hello Walls,” had it been available. Since the Willie selection was limited, I went with “Georgia on my Mind” which is somewhere in the bottom half of my overall personal “Willie 100,” but still a great track.

I’ll just let you listen to, and hopefully enjoy the rest.

Here is the complete track listing:

Side One:

Van Halen – Dreams
Night Ranger – Rumours in the Air
Dramarama – Anything, Anything
Gin Blossoms – Lost Horizons
Veruca Salt – All Hail Me
Lemonheads – Down About It
Silversun Pickups – Little Love’s So Polite
Shiny Toy Guns – You Are The One
Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart

Side Two:

Filter – Take A Picture
Sheryl Crow – If It Makes You Happy
Eric Clapton – Old Love
Bruce Springsteen – Trapped (live)
Jackson Browne – The Pretender
Crosby, Stills, and Nash – Cathedral
Don Henley – Come Rain or Come Shine
Willie Nelson – Georgia on my Mind
Blue Rodeo – Try
Johnny Cash – Bridge Over Troubled Water

My mix tape concept was based on the idea that I was usually able to get 10 songs per side on a 90 minute tape (that’s my memory anyway.) There are a few longer songs in this mix that might push the reality factor on that concept, and the beauty of digital allows me to abuse that old school time limit a bit!


Click here to make your own mix tape, and be sure to share your mix tape link in the comments section!

Relevant links:

Mixwit
Muxtape

Good reading:

Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
Love Me, Love My Mix Tape