Now that's what I call a gift: a tribute to mix CDs

By Kylie Wakefield
Collegian Staff
October 11, 2006

It’s that time again: a friend’s birthday is coming up. Alas, you realize you are in college and already severely in debt. What is to be done about this dilemma? I have the perfect solution: a mix CD.

While it may not seem like much, if it’s done properly, it can mean the world to somebody. It is a means of expression, as well as a rare look into the personality of the maker.

Creating the perfect mix CD takes time, effort and careful thought. You have to figure out the most important songs for what you want to tell the listener – are you going to include mainly upbeat songs, love tunes or maybe a block of songs by your favorite artists? You’re creating a soundtrack for your listener, keeping in mind the type of music he/she likes, what bands he/she has never heard of and what the lyrics say about your relationship to this person.

For example, don’t drag and drop songs with love lyrics if the CD is for just a friend. And vice versa – if the mix is for a romantic relationship, try to incorporate some lubby-dubby-mushy lyrics to show how much you care about him/her. You must also make sure the songs flow well together.

Keep in mind how each song ends and begins. Put songs together that start in a similar fashion. For example, if two songs begin with violins playing, place them together. It’s much more pleasing to the ear when the sounds aren’t too diverse. You don’t want to have a heavy metal song and then some techno with a little bit of rock after it — the sounds clash too much. It disorients the listener and creates an unwanted, bipolar mix.

My favorite technique when creating a mix is simple. You start off with songs that are pretty low key, slowly building up to a climax in the middle of the mix, then bring it down towards the end.

To accomplish this, take songs that are early tracks on albums. If the song works as track two, three or four on the artist’s album, it will most likely work in that place on your CD. Never start CDs with songs off albums that fade into each track.

Take Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. You wouldn’t want to use “Breathe” as the first song on your CD because it fades into track two, “On the Run.” Then you’d have to include both songs and that’d be too much Floyd for one CD. Plus, if the title track is too recognizable, this can also throw off the listener. If you’ve ever encountered such a mix, you may think you’re listening to the actual album. But when the second track comes on, it sounds weird not to hear the one off the original album. Got it?

It’s always a good idea to include your favorite songs, but keep in mind who’s listening. On every mix CD I’ve made, I like to include “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie as the closer. It’s dramatic, climatic, a good sing-a-long and provokes mixed emotions. It doesn’t hurt that it’s my favorite song of all time.

It’s good to close on something that isn’t too sad or happy, just something that’s truly memorable. It’s what the listener is probably going to remember most about the CD. If the opener and closer aren’t strong, the listener may never want to play the mix again. Then all of your effort would have been for nothing. You want to inspire the listener to perhaps delve more into your style of music, and appreciate the time and effort you put into his/her present. And maybe you might even receive an equally good mix in return.

So, go make a mix CD for someone special. It’s a gift that just keeps on giving.

wakefieldk1@lasalle.edu