It was 18th century English poet William Cowper who said "Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor". I believe this is true, and particularly when it comes to music. We all like a variety of songs, and there's nothing better than hearing them one after another. The invention of the recordable cassette paved the way for me to start making music mixes back when I was seven or eight years old. I recorded my favorite songs right off the radio. I recall sitting next to my stereo with my fingers readied on the play and record buttons, hoping KIQQ FM would play that certain song stuck in my head. Sure the DJs were talking all through the intro, but I had the song captured, ready to play.
My first 'serious' mix was made from radio hits and was creatively titled "Sound 82". I was 13. My mix tape production continued right through college at UCSB, and culminated with pristine sounding mixes recorded from CDs. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to squeeze as many songs as I could on each 45 minute side of a Maxell 90, and meticulously hand wrote the titles on the glossy paper sleeve. These tapes served me well, (and I still have them), but I became spoiled by the ability to quickly jump through tracks on CD. "If only I was somehow able to make my own CDs", I thought. I figured my head would explode if that happened. And of course, it did. (My head stayed intact.)
I bought my first CD burner in 2000. I didn't care about burning Word files or doing back ups. I had it for one reason. I can still remember driving to Zuma Beach in my Chevy Blazer listening to my first mix CD. I was ecstatic. By grouping together certain songs, the exact mood I was in could be perfectly matched, and I was guaranteed that the next 74 minutes would be just right. Selecting the songs and their order became a labor of love. I'd often run through several test copies before finding the right combination for each mix. I wore out a few Sony CD Walkman players listening to them.
Once I had several mix CDs under my belt, I decided to make my 'ultimate' mix, consisting of my very favorite songs of the moment. 'Big Sky Sunday' was complete with artwork and track listings. I passed it out to whomever wanted a copy. My CD mixes topped out in 2003 with the Matrix themed 'Signals From the Blue Pill World'. My co-workers at the time were amused at how much energy I spent finding sound bites and laboring over the production in Pro Tools editing software. They dubbed it "The Project". In addition to mixing in Jessica's voice from childhood, I recorded and inserted some keyboard parts to link songs together. I even bought a special printer and print-enabled CDs so I could make a polished finished product. It was a fun collection I was pretty happy with.
Well, that special printer just collected dust. This thing called iTunes was introduced and everything changed... again. That single disc portable CD player that packed a 74 minute punch was soon replaced by an iPod. I could listen to anything in my collection with a spin of the wheel. But the mix still reigned supreme. The difference was, whereas before I took to the time to get volume levels equal, add soundbites, cross-fade sequential tracks, and create artwork, now I just plopped the songs into ever-changeable playlists. There was never a completed product since it didn't need to be burned and finalized.
Since then I've made countless playlists, but I've labeled around 25 as 'Mixes' in the same vein as the old tape or CD versions. These mixes most often are compilations of my favorite songs within a few month's time. So, they are driven more by what albums I acquire than a particular style of music or singular mood. I've rarely passed an iTunes mix along to someone else, mainly since I wanted to present it in a more finished format. When I heard about MediaFire.com, I realized posting a mix would be the easiest way to distribute it. Ultimately, one of the main reasons I started this blog was so I could 'release' my mixes in a 21st century format. The moment has come. Love it or hate it, my first mix of the new era is about to arrive.
8 comments:
I am laughing out loud as I read this.
SOOOOO Hecoxian. And this is why we love you.
Now who am I to correct the master... However, weren't you able to get 72 or 76 minutes on a disk? Please enlighten me all mighty one.
Can't wait hear the latest mix my friend.
A-ha! You are correct Jason! Well, sort of. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and the first CDs were able to fit 74 minutes.
Says Wikipedia: (keep reading only if you are super geek like me, or trying to fall asleep!)
Sony and Phillips aimed at a playing time of 60 minutes with a disc diameter of 100 mm (Sony) or 115 mm (Philips). Sony vice-president Norio Ōga suggested extending the capacity to 74 minutes to accommodate Wilhelm Furtwängler's recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony Number Nine from the 1951 Bayreuth Festival.
The additional 14-minute playing time subsequently required changing to a 120 mm disc. Kees Immink, Philips' chief engineer, however, denies this, claiming that the increase was motivated by technical considerations, and that even after the increase in size, the Furtwängler recording would not have fit on one of the earliest CDs. According to a Sunday Tribune interview the story is slightly more involved. In 1979, Philips owned PolyGram, one of the world's largest distributors of music. PolyGram had set up a large experimental CD plant in Hannover, Germany, which could produce huge numbers of CDs having, of course, a diameter of 115 mm. Sony did not yet have such a facility. If Sony had agreed on the 115-mm disc, Philips would have had a significant competitive edge in the market. Sony decided that something had to be done. The long playing time of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony imposed by Ōga was used to push Philips to accept 120 mm, so that Philips' PolyGram lost its edge on disc fabrication.
Playing times beyond 74 minutes are achieved by decreasing track pitch beyond the original red book standard. Most players can accommodate the more closely spaced data.
SO THERE, now you know! And of course, the length of the CD was determined due to...drum roll please...a way to make MORE money than the next guy.
BTW, my post has now been changed to say 74 minutes! Gotta be accurate! ; )
Even your comment responses are Hecoxian!
I love your mix tapes and coming from someone who doesn't know any music, I've become aware of a lot of "new" bands through you!!!!
KIQQ!! HA!!
I like the new banner image....very sweet. :)
I miss making mix CDs. In fact, I'd still make them if I thought people would use them...
I still make them. I'd like to think that I was inspired by you.
For example, the 8 volumes of "Cheese Mix" are a nod to those that love the cheese but are too embarrassed to have the windows down while doing so!
Since then, I have made nine mixes in the last 10 years. It's a shame that so much work and thought goes in to mixing the tracks and the album art with practically no audience but ... I think the mixes are really for me! ;)
I still listen to the mixes you made...Like "RoadTrip into the Millenium", Illusions in G Major, digiTAL rEaLity, Directed By Darkness and Light, and more!
KEEP THEM COMING!!
As you know, I think your blog is great! Especially enjoyed reading about your memories of music and growing up.
And I still listen to the mixes listed above. Looking forward to your new one and all your blog posts to follow....
Thanks to you all for leaving comments! I love it!
@Joanna, I think you know a thing or two about music! But I'll be curious if you like this one!
@Mark - remember when i won a contest from KIQQ and they sent me a big box of promo stuff?
@Stanbot AKA Craw: I'd listen to your mixes! What have you made lately?
@Hammond - D Rowe: I agree - the mixes I make are ultimately for me. If someone else likes them that is a big bonus, although I do hope they are liked. I may have to post some of the old ones. I listened to 'Roadtrip' last night and it still holds up!
@Mom - I could write nonsense I think you would say you like it. ; ) Glad you enjoy it!
I'm just stoked to have made a mix that went up online, and is easily shared. I also like that it nudged me into making a audio montage in Pro Tools. This may be the start of something!
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