Summer Mix Swap?

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Comments

  • edited July 2013
    And I'm really glad we're doing this! The Summer Fun Burn was fun, but quite random in what you'd end up with. I usually liked the mixes I received, but I did receive one of mostly metal that I think I listened to once.
  • Nice, BN!
  • edited July 2013
    Really want to do this, and hopefully will not procrastinate. I had the start of a good one come up by Shuffle alone this afternoon!

    Updates to come. When I do, it will be Afro-Latino-Caribe
  • I've had a question about whether whispering is secure for sending addresses. The admins can see the whispers but we already have full dossiers on all of you anyway. I would suggest removing the address from your whisper once arrangements have been made. There's no reason to leave info like that lying around. With that caveat I think it's safe enough. I plan to use it.
  • Ok, I'm in! I have two mix CDs done; mostly similar but slightly tweaked. They are available to any regular emuser who commits to sending me a mix in return. It's an odd little mix, but I think it works pretty well for what we all spend a fair bit of our summer doing; commuting. Warning: this contains some very well known songs by some very well known artists, mixed in with much more unheard stuff. It's sort of a trash art v. art trash experiment. I will say though that i like every song on there. I plan to keep tweaking the mix all summer; sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. By the end it should be unrecognizeable.

    There are no cross-fades, no beat matching and no volume matching here, and in fact you may have to do a fair amount of volume knob twiddling. It's old-school/lazy.

    And kargatron, I'm not sure what you meant exactly up there, but it's all compromised sound, and art will be included. Please don't kill anyone on my behalf.
  • edited August 2013
    I think what kargatron's getting at is, if all you plan to do is drag a bunch of MP3s to an audio CD and burn it, don't bother with the physical media. I've received some CDs like that in mixtape swaps. They weren't even sequenced. I didn't enjoy them because every track I'm thinking "WTF? ClearChannel does better than this". After a few tracks I realized what I had wasn't a mixtape at all, it was just a dump of some tracks the other guy apparently liked. When I wrote above about making something, I originally had something much longer about the value of the physical artifact that came from it not being just a bunch of MP3s. It was trying to morph into a thesis so I edited it down to two words. I also felt if I wrote much about the artistic aspects of a mixtape I might scare people off. There's an expectation of some thought and effort, though. So where's the bar?

    Content
    Burn an iTunes random playlist - Don't bother
    Throw a dozen tracks you like on a CD with no attempt at sequencing - Don't bother
    Burn 100% top 40 radio tracks - Don't bother
    Select and sequence tracks into something you'd like to receive - OK
    Select and sequence tracks to fit a theme, create a mood, or tell a story. Levels should be balanced. - Good
    As above, incorporating edits, crossfades, attention to levels and flow - Definitely
    As above, beatmatched and/or rare, unique or original content, your own remixes - Absolutely

    Packaging
    Preamble and TL/DR: Packaging is optional. On the surface packaging seems like something you do for the recipient. The truth is you do it for yourself, in order to make something. I don't mean to suggest there's anything wrong about not making a cover, only that there is much to be gained by making one.

    Packaging is pure bonus. It's the difference between opening a mailer and finding a burned CD and opening a mailer and finding something cool. The difference between being handed a gift card and unwrapping a present. It doesn't have to be a lot of work. The most interesting and unique covers I've received were cut out of magazine/journal covers. Every one of that person's recipients got a different cover. You don't have to have a cover for your CD, but it's unlikely anybody else is going to ask you to create an album cover. I find it very satisfying to send out something that looks finished, something I made. It's that artifact aspect that I'm absolutely not going to write 20K words on. I've never sent mixes without a cover, so I can't say what that's like. I expect it's like working in the mailroom.
  • So suppose a person wanted to do a simple mix with crossfades and check levels, but didn't really know what (relatively simple) program to use. Asking for a friend...
  • edited July 2013
    I am using Audacity. A couple of times I have done the rounds of looking for other free/cheap software for this and keep coming back to this one - reasonably simple and quite powerful. It exports to a low nitrate MP3 so I export to WAV and use that to burn or convert from that to higher bitrate MP3 using a file converter (dBPowerAmp).
  • kezkez
    edited July 2013
    Well, people may think I'm crazy for posting this many mixes, but if there's one thing I love to do, it is make mixes for my own listening pleasure. Hence, I already have these made. Some are theme based and some are genre-based. Mixes will be sent on CD in a jewel case with artwork and tracklist provided. Occasional liner notes may be included here and there if I think it is called for. I'm not doing any fancy crossfade techniques, but great care has been taken to get the flow of songs right.

    I'm not limiting how many CDs I will send out right now. But I will provide a limit of one USB stick containing all the mixes (or as many as will fit) to the first person who requests it. - UPDATE: USB stick offer has been taken.

    (Note: Some of the mixes have similar titles to some themed mixes I posted in the 'themed-mix' thread, but they have been tweaked and changed in a major way from what was posted in that thread.)

    AIN’T NO JUSTICE – Mix of 10 songs dealing with varying kinds of injustices, many of which are based on true events (explained in liner notes). Styles include Americana, blues rock, reggae, and celtic folk.

    THE DEEP SOUTH - 20 tracks. Songs from and about the American south. Takes a road way down yonder that begins with some southern folk of various singer-songwriters. Stops along the way include a couple of cajun toe-tappers, some New Orleans jazz standards, delta blues and a few well-known Southern-style rock classics. Road's end? The swamplands - now you're in The Deep South. Includes many under-appreciated artists, and a few well-known mainstream artists.

    FIRE – 16 tracks sharing a common theme of fire. Starts off with a couple of rockin’ blues pieces and gradually progresses into a bit of pop/rock, country folk/rock, and some singer-songwriter folk/rock tunes. Includes a couple of mainstream artists, but the majority of the playlist is from lesser known artists.

    44 ½ MINUTES OF NORDIC MUSIC – 11 tracks of varying Nordic (mostly traditional) songs. Style varies and includes folk sounds, soft female vocals, as well as crazy and wild stuff. Nordic music differs greatly from what Western ears are accustomed to in that the songs do not follow expected melodic lines. It is very tribal-sounding. Wonderful stuff!!

    A CELTIC REMEDY FOR STRESS – Collection of gorgeous celtic songs in 4 volumes, each volume containing 10-11 tracks. May request all 4 volumes as a set, or 1 single volume. All are similar in mood. There is NOT any new age celtic harp-playing type stuff here. The focus is on traditional Scots-Irish folk tunes performed by people who possess some of the most beautiful voices in the world. If you are not that familiar with celtic music and think you don’t like it, you might be surprised at the beauty of these songs. If you are a celtic music fan, you may be familiar with some of the songs, but there are a number of lesser known artists that you may not have heard before.

    FOLKIN’ WITH THE CELTS – Livelier celtic music than the above mixes, but does not contain celtic fiddle breakdowns of reels and jigs – just some good folk-type music with a celtic slant. 15 tracks.

    CELTIC WITH A (LITTLE) KICK – This one contains some celtic folk tunes with acoustic and electric guitar added to other traditional celtic instruments. Veers into celtic rock territory on several of the songs. 11 tracks.

    SCOTTISH PRIDE – 10 tracks to get the blood pumping for anyone with a drop of Scottish blood in them (or for anyone who just loves Scottish music). Individual songs are chosen to evoke a feeling of patriotism and love for The Highlands.

    APPALACHIA! Five-volume set of fiddle, mandolin, banjo and twang. Each volume contains about 10-11 tracks. May request entire set, or any single volume. All volumes are similar in sound. If you are a lover of Appalachian music, you will like this. If you’ve never paid much attention to this genre, here’s a good place to start. All volumes contain an assortment of quieter tunes and real foot-stompin’.

    RISE ABOVE THE RUIN – 9 tracks (41 minutes). This is my miracle mix. It was not intentionally made to be this way. It is the shortest of my mixes (only 9 tracks; 41 minutes), but the mix sorta wrote itself when I began to make an “alphabet soup” mix. I put my IPod on “Songs” and arbitrarily picked a place to start playing. The idea was to let it continue to play songs as they naturally fell in the alphabetical songlist. The more I listened to it, the clearer it became that the songs were all connected by a theme of their own – hence, the title of this mix. (This is why all the songs in this mix are in alphabetical order.) Contains a few mainstream artists.

    PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – 3 volume set. 1st volume is Planes; 2nd volume Trains; 3rd volume Automobiles. May request all volumes as a set or any single volume. Planes is all singer-songwriter material and has a pretty gentle overall soundtrack (“pretty gentle” does not translate to “dull,” though!). Trains progresses through a variety of styles, beginning with some singer-songwriter folk-rock music, then veers into Americana, takes a turn into blues territory, and then rolls past some mighty fine rock songs by journey’s end. Automobiles contains a few well-known songs from mainstream artists, as well as lesser known pieces by indie artists. Styles include rock, folk rock, oldies, blues rock, Americana, and singer-songwriter. (My favorite of the three: Trains!).

    RAIDING THE AMERICANA TREASURE CHEST – 4 volumes. May request all four or any single volume. Most of the volumes contain 10-12 songs. Focuses on Americana gems from lesser known artists.

    LET THE MUSIC CARRY YOU – 11 tracks of baroque music. These are some of the tracks that made me first fall in love with baroque music. If you have never delved into baroque, or think you don’t like it, be adventurous and give it a try. It did the trick for me. Maybe it will for you, too. All instrumental.

    EARLY MUSIC TO DIE FOR – A collection of ancient and renaissance period traditional songs. Mix is mostly vocal music with two instrumentals. Many of the songs included here are based on old traditional folk dances of Europe. This really is “music to die for.” Good mix for people who have never listened to this type of music before.

    THE BOHEMIAN BACH - Focuses on one lesser known baroque composer. Eleven representative works including instrumentals, vocal arias and choral music. Several tracks are from albums I had to special order from overseas because it is virtually impossible to get them in the U.S.

    PLAY ME SOME BLUES – 13 tracks. About half slow simmering blues and blues rockers. Includes selections from some much under-appreciated artists who are not known as well as they deserve to be.

    THE CLOSET – 14 tracks of various styles tied together by a common theme. Includes Irish folk, indie folk, singer-songwriter, Americana and blues.

    MEET ME AT THE DINER – 12 tracks. Another themed mix of songs sharing a common theme. Mostly gentle folk singer-songwriter stuff. Includes one track by a well-known artist, but it’s probably been a while since you heard it.

    MEET ME AT THE DINER (Vol. 2) – 10 tracks. More songs following the theme above, except this one contains all Americana, country-folk stuff that doesn’t fit with the other one.

    DEDICATED - 10 tracks. A short playlist of songs that are dedicated to someone. The 'someone' in each song is self-explanatory except for perhaps three, explained in liner notes. Good playlist for quiet evenings or study sessions. Mostly singer-songwriter/indie folk.

    BATTLEGROUND – 21 tracks about various kinds of battles. Some battles are real ones fought on real battlefields in times of war, and other battles are internal “battles” of relationships. The mix is primarily country-folk in style, but varies quite a bit with the addition of some soft rock, blues-rock, and English/Scots-Irish tunes thrown in. A couple of the songs feature the bagpipes, Scotland’s “instrument of war.” I got a little carried away with the length of this one, but I LOVE this mix.

    LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL – 22 tracks. Songs of despair and hope, doubt and faith. Styles include folk, singer-songwriter, contemplative, gospel, blues, acoustic.

    PEACE - 8 tracks (32 minutes). A short mix of beautiful and reverent songs that will nourish your spirit. Focuses on female vocalists. Tags: Christian, spiritual, calm, celtic worship.

    COUNTRY SONGS YOU'LL NEVER HEAR ON THE RADIO (3 Volumes) - Each volume contains about 10-12 tracks. Can request as a set, or a single volume. As the title suggests, all songs are in a country style, but definitely not what you hear on commercial country radio stations. Some have an old-fashioned sound; most lean toward a country rock sound with some folk influences.
  • Now listening through the first draft of my mix. So far so good, but I'm going to have to chop about 8 minutes and at least one song needs to be swapped out for another by the same artist (a funk mix without this artist would be incomplete).

    Craig
  • kezkez
    edited July 2013
    deleted
  • Putting the finishing touches to the mix will now have to wait until after vacation...I will have it ready mid-August.
  • edited August 2013
    THE DEEP SOUTH... a few well-known Southern-style rock classics
    FREE BIRD!!! F'in A, man!!

    I think I might want to do this, but knowing my tendency to procrastinate I'll make a mix, maybe, and then commit, rather than commit now and probably have to sweat it later.

    For "incorporating edits, crossfades, attention to level" I use a program called Propaganda: http://www.mixmeister.com/products-propaganda. I find it easy to use, with lots of features, and fairly intuitive. However, I see that it's now USD50. IIRC, when I got it it was only $25.
  • Mix is great amclark2, but I need a track list! Obviously not for all of them, but several!

    Craig
  • OK, my mix is finished - working on the artwork/packaging with a view to sending out in a few days. If anyone who has not already asked wants one, speak up.
  • I will happily consume any downloadable mixes, btw, all. But my capacity for physical objects is negative. (Which would be clear by viewing images of my house's rooms or watching a video of a day-in-the-life.)
  • Here's the tracklist from my summer mix, as requested by BN.

    00:00-01:53 Tetsu Inoue & Andrew Deutsch - "Magic Animal Language" - from Field Tracker (2001)
    00:55-5:21 Heather Broderick & Nils Frahm - "Westeynde" - from Seeljocht (2011)
    05:13-10:22 Wil Bolton - "Falling Away" - from Time Lapse (2010)
    9:50-11:14 Erik Wollo - "Sounds of the Seen Part 1" - from Emotional Landscapes (2004)
    11:09-13:26 En - "Elysia" - from Already Gone (2012)
    13:12-15:10 Seaworthy + Matt Rösner - "Meroo Lake Pt. 2" - from Two Lakes (2010)
    14:55-16:24 Ambrose Field - "Ma Belle Dame Souveraine" - from Being Dufay (2009)
    16:14-18:04 Deadbeat - "Slow Rot From Rhetoric" - from New World Observer (2005)
    17:59-19:43 Naono - "Hobo the Hermit" - from Sleepy Pebbles (2010)
    18:35-20:18 - Pilowdiver - "Flames" - from Flames (2012)
    20:13-22:57 Amiina - "Bíólagið" - from The Lighthouse Project (2013)
    22:55-25:23 Tange - "Steel Waves Part 1" - from Steel Waves (2009)
    25:18-26:05 Chris Watson - "Sleppet 1" - from Sleppet (2009)
    25:57-28:15 Lokua Kanza - "Elanga Ya Muinda" - from Nkolo (2010)
    28:00-31:35 The Gentleman Losers - "All That Is Solid Melts Into Air" - from Rural Route No. 5 (2010)
    31:26-32:35 Hannu - "Sumu" - from Worms in my Piano (2006)
    32:26-34:21 Thomas Fehlmann - "In the Wind" - from Pop Ambient 2010
    34:16-36:15 Parks - "Trains" - from Umber (2007)
    36:10-38:37 Nils Frahm - "Sol" - from Screws (2012)
    38:33-40:48 Tetsu Inoue, Charles Uzzell - Edwards, Daimon Beail - "SFO Downtown" - from Audio (2001)
  • Also, I think some people owe me summer mixes. It's getting cold here and I only received two.
  • @ GP,
    Thank you very much.
  • Since GP mentioned it, I'm still waiting for one, too. (No rush, just thought I'd say something in case there was a mail snafu.)
  • I owe one to GP, amclark2, and Doc Mu.

    Craig
  • edited November 2013
    deleted
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