Recording a great mix tape is not as difficult as creating a good album, but it can come close. By following these easy tips, you can make expressive and original mix tapes, CDs or playlists for any occasion.
Instructions
1. Music is about emotion, and the first step of making any good collection is to pick the emotion you want the mix to express. Are you feeling happy, sad, angry or afraid? Are you filled with postmodern angst? A whole series of emotions? This is your chance to tell a story with the feelings your favorite songs inspire. Try to organize your feelings into a theme, such as "Triumphant" or "Depressed", and explore the range of feelings inside your theme. You can take someone on a journey, tell them a story or move them to tears.
2. If your mix is for your own listening pleasure, think about how you feel about your theme. Feelings are usually more complex than we realize. Dig deep into yourself and explore. Imagine your life as a movie. What do want your soundtrack to be?
3. Write out a list of the feelings you want to express in your mix. While MP3 playlists can go on forever, a good mix needs to be about the length of a normal album, so try to pick out a list of about 9 to 12 feelings you want your mix to express. Try to think about the order of the feelings you are trying to express as you experience them. If your mix tape is going to be relaxed, think about what a good session of sitting and listening to music is like. You'll find that you actually have several feelings that all together make up the experience of being relaxed and having a good time. All experiences are like this, and a little thought will give you your list of feelings and their order.
4. Here's an example mix. The theme is dreamy, mellow, trying-to-go-to-sleep music:1. Settling in. Normal pace and melodic.2. Drifting in and out. A little slow, less complex.3. Falling asleep. Slower, lower pitched, less complex.4. Asleep. Slow, simple, melodic.5. Asleep and dreaming. Slow, ambient.6. Asleep and dreaming. Slow, atmospheric.7. Asleep and dreaming. Faster, more layered.8. Asleep and dreaming. Slower again, but still more layered.9. Deep sleep. Very slow ambient.
5. Now here comes the hard part. It's always hard to pick out a favorite song, and now you need 9 of them. Go through your music collection trying to match the perfect song with each feeling in the list. Listen to songs and focus on how they make you feel. Often, just the question of "What kind of song is this?" will tell you what feeling you connect with the song. If you feel stuck choosing between 2 songs, you probably feel the same way about them and so you can just pick one randomly. You can always make another mix.
6. Once you have your list of songs, try listening to them in order. Does it make you feel like you wanted it to? Sometimes we like the idea of the songs better than we actually like the songs. If you any of your songs were a hard pick, try to switch them with something else. Once your list is perfect, you are ready to record.
7. Record your mix tape, burn your CD or make your playlist. Come up with a clever title, such as "Songs to Paint Easter Eggs By" and label your mix. Listen and enjoy!
