Black Keys Is Not Just A Song By the Jonas Brothers

Making a mix CD is a form of art. It takes concentration, a thorough knowledge of others’ tastes in music, and the ability to navigate iTunes like it’s the back of your hand. Lucky for me, I am one of those people who have been blessed with the gift of mix-CD-making. Today, I’ve decided to divulge my secrets to you, the random person who is reading my nonsense blog.

First, get all of the equipment you’ll need. I know, I know, that’s kind of the “duh” step, but you’d be surprised how many people have let their iTunes accounts go down to zero dollars. Make sure you have your empty CD and make sure your iTunes account has some money in it.

Next, think about your target audience. If you plan on giving the CD to someone as a gift, think about her musical taste. What genre does she like? Think about her favorite bands and DON’T put any of their songs on it. She probably already has those. Delve deep into the genre and find more obscure bands; it makes you look cooler for knowing of those bands, and it makes the gift receiver happier that she has a new band to look up. If you already have obscure songs in your iTunes account, feel free to recycle. Not everything has to be new.

Then, create a new playlist on iTunes, putting all of your finds in there. Once all of your songs are in that playlist, mix them up a little bit. If you have more than one song from the same artist on there, make sure that they are on different parts of the CD. I once heard a mix CD with two Ben Folds songs in a row, and it totally threw the musical balance out of proportion. Also, make sure you are starting and ending the CD on a good note. Those are the songs that stick out to people. Make sure they rock.

Finally, once you’ve gotten everything in a satisfactory order, burn the CD. Be patient; some CDs take longer to burn than others. It’ll be worth it in the end.

Taadaa! Hope my tips were helpful!