Why do we mix? (because the music is there ;- D)
Well…I can’t answer that for you…but I can answer it for me. I’ve always been fascinated by “best of” (my call on the playlist, even if the selections aren’t the industry “standard”) or one-off holiday conglomerations of sound (mixes).
Ever since I bought my first TEAC double cassette deck (with a super-fast pause lever…enabling for near perfect splicing capabilities) and began mixing Fripp-Belew-Eno-Bowie projects for my weekly car rides to Rutgers University (where I studied English Literature & once submitted a brief paper comparing Robert Frost’s ‘Provide Provide‘ to David Bowie’s ‘Cracked Actor’) – complete with hand-drawn cassette artwork (think Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” miniaturized onto a TDK SA-X 90 or Maxell UD-XL II (does anyone remember “THAT’S” brand audio tape?) sleeve insert, I’ve been making mixes that I not only listened to again & again (virtually abandoning the album in favor of the mix), but for which I received requests for duplicate copies.
Since the era of the cassette (mixtape), it’s been mini-disc, CD-Rs & now the digital domain of mp3s. I prefer the latter, as mp3 mixing operates with zero time/length restraints – so a fifty-four minute mix is as readily produced as a ninety-three minute one (and sometimes…the former expands to the latter – see bullet point #5, below).
Artwork is still rendered via Adobe Illustrator…but not with playlists as part of the art, but rather a text-file bundled/zipped with the mix & artwork and/or a time-stamped track-listing via Mixcloud. The best artwork was done in years prior; full-on productions like this mix collaboration with Irish/Ambient counterpart Mr. Gary Smith (a.k.a ‘Muzag‘):
or this one, another collaboration – this time with Mr. Joe Miles, a.k.a. 12 Volt Man:
…and one more, a solo shot from 2009:
And, along the way, I developed a systematic methodology for mix construction:
- Genre specific: e.g. Ambient-Classical-Jazz-Rock (with occasional mash-ups)
- ALWAYS slowest track to fastest (or in the case of Ambient: quietest to loudest), and
- Sequencing- Sequencing- Sequencing – for best spatial/aural flow: in any given selection of songs…there is a best order in which to listen to them.
- When/if it’s not working…save your work & walk away. It’ll come together another day.
- It’s not over ’til it’s over (don’t be afraid of post-production tweaks…just take very good notes)
Given the requests for trades (during those thrilling Art of the Mix years) and online following (e.g. Mixcloud, this blog & Ambient Landscape, Bandcamp)…the sequence has its merits – still, I’m always thrilled when something crafted for personal consumption (which necessarily means fine work) is sought after by outside others.
I liken the mixing process to the Marvel character Galactus…searching the Universe 
for worlds to consume or, in my case, tunes to meld into my latest mix. Once the tunes are used…I almost never play them singly again; and usually abandon the albums which were never more than fodder for my consuming mixological habit, to the l@b Record Vault.
A great deal of the music I acquire (sent to me by the composers in return for inclusion on a mix), download and/or purchase is done specifically for the purposes of current or future mix-making. I frequent Amazon in search of sounds that will segue perfectly into a current mix project. I’ve even been known to rearrange the order of tracks on albums so as to better facilitate the experiential flow of the music (slowest to fastest/quiet to loud); and I immediately begin earmarking & sequestering tracks that facilitate the emotions I wish to convey on those mixes.
The immersing of myself into the mixing process (fading/cross-fading tracks in & out, adding reverb or echo, cutting long-form pieces down to digestible bites & designing the overall soundscape) is one that allows me to shutter out the world for a brief period of time and simply enjoy the process of creation.
The bottom line for me is this: I mix because I like to control the content to which I listen, I mix because the world & its pressures seem to disappear during the several hours it takes to concoct one, …and because I actually enjoy listening to the audio deliverables I create (usually via smart-phone & ear-buds or via Blue-Tooth in my car)…
…and, with my genre of choice being Ambient music, I mix ambient. Over the years, I’d like to think that I’ve become somewhat proficient at the science (software, technology, etc) as well as the art (track selection, sequencing, etc.) sides of the mix (if you doubt that last comment, or dismiss it as so much hubris…just give us a listen & let us know what you think – we ❤ feedback!)
Thanks!
;- )
Ambient Landscape 
Cheers! Nice post about a dying art form!
I used to make so many mixtapes back in the day and one of my old record store bosses used to have a catalog of mix tapes by early Hip-Hop pioneers, many of them straight from the source which was rare then. He exclusively used Maxell UDXL II’s! Nice to see that specific brand mentioned by someone who obviously knows their shit!
I’ve only made one proper mix as of late, first since the early 00’s, I used all vinyl and recorded onto a Tascam 4 track and then mixed that down live to digital, at times there are 3-4 things in the mix, it was a blast and a long missed activity! I’ve also been repurposing commercial cassettes and recording my own experimental sounds on them for some time now, that’s also been a lot of fun.
Very cool! I’ve slowed down myself (usually making several mixes across the Christmas/New Years holidays…then releasing them throughout the calendar year). They can be wonderful home-made gifts…to someone who appreciates the time & effort that goes into crafting a well-done mix.
In my youth, I bought Maxell tape by the 12-pack case from a local electronics store @ the end of my 2-town spanning paper route (LOL – try to find a kid-run paper route these days…adults have snatched them all!)
Glad you enjoyed the post…I was feeling a bit nostalgic about the whole thing & thought I’d pop a blurb or 2 about it onto the blog.
Cheers back @ ‘cha!
I had a paperr route too! in the mid 80’s I was 12 or so. Was just reminiscing with my wife about it. I had one of those giant wooden box carts that weighed about 75 pounds itself and about a 100 or so deliveries! Sundays at 6 AM during a blizzard (I grew up in Buffalo) were some level of hell! And some people would still complain that they got their paper late! Ha! Anyway, I was one of those kids that spent his $10 a week allowance on records when everyone else blew their money on candy. I still have those records! Young entrepreneurs we.
It is also rare that one is inspired enough to make a special mix for someone let alone find someone that it wouldn’t be totally lost on…
You’re right…it’s rare – I’ve done it only 5-6 times with folks of who’s musical interests I was aware (Ambient, Jazz, Rock,etc).
Years ago, my youngest brother, Eric (10 years between us), & I made a series of rock mixes consisting of his generation (Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, Pixies, Toad the Wet Sprocket) and mine (Fripp, Crimson, Bowie, the Stones) – which ran for 10 or 12 volumes & was a lot of fun, seeing what each would concoct.