Does anyone still make mixtapes? I've recently gotten into making them which is a bit odd considering I'm 20 years old and was not around in the era when making mixtapes was a really huge thing. I have a Panasonic deck I picked up for $10 at a Salvation Army,spent another $30 on it and it makes surprisingly good tapes.

Reactions from my friends has been anything from not caring to thinking I'm mad(I am,honestly)to saying its really awesome.

I make mixtapes because the creation process of making one is so intimate and agricultural. You have to make up the playlist,sit there,cue everything up,watch the levels and make the labeling. Making a mix on a CD is seems a lot more soulless to me as it can be made in a matter of minutes and I really don't feel the same connection to it.

In terms of sound quality tape isn't the best for outright sound purity and quality but I like the sort of slight tinge of haze it puts over the sound,the sharpness to the treble and some songs seem to "breathe" better when put onto tape medium.

Anyone else make tapes still?

I do...and I am 42!

I do-first record from CD/tuner on my Sony stereo, and then record some more using my Realistic Minisette 14.

I've got a bunch of old school 98.7 kiss master-mix tapes (1983- 1989ish)that I just put onto my laptop. Kiss FM was a NY city station for those that don't know.

I do,but Not as often as i used too,just can't find the time,but i used to enjoy that so much.

Excellent discussion topic.

Yes, I (still) do, and I'm 50! Been doing it since my teenage years. I've recently become interested in making mix cd's too, but as you point out, it's not quite the same experience...since the pc does most of the work. Still, the element of creativity is there, which makes it enjoyable. I'm considering buying both the tapedeck and turntable that Ion offers, so that I can convert tapes and records to cd. Just waiting to see if they'll come down in price a little first.

Ion Audio's line up of turntables has expanded, see them here.
Info about the tape2pc here.

quote:

In terms of sound quality tape isn't the best for outright sound purity and quality but I like the sort of slight tinge of haze it puts over the sound,the sharpness to the treble and some songs seem to "breathe" better when put onto tape medium.

Yup, I call that quality of the sound you described above "warmth."

I still make mixtapes all the time. And I agree with you about the almost spiritual process of making a mixtape vs. simply burning a CD.

As for the quality of the tape recording... that really depends on two major factors (aside of quality of the preamp/source):

1) the tape deck being used. Nakamichi widely acknowledged as the best. Check out this buying guide: Tape Deck wisdom

2) the quality of the tape.

For some real fun, get yourself a reel to reel!