# Is there a modern equivalent to "I made you a mix tape"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850 "2010-05-26T18:28:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/21 "2010-05-26T19:46:28Z")
For IMHO a sweet little romance about two contemporary teenagers’ shared love of music and how it brings them closer together, I’d recommend: [Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_and_Norah%27s_Infinite_Playlist) ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/22 "2010-05-26T19:53:10Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > I don’t think “Here’s a flash drive full of mp3s” or “I created this ipod playlist for you” has the same sentiment to it? This Christmas I picked out a dozen mushy love songs and put them on a [flash drive designed to look like a cassette tape.](http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/thumb-drives-storage/9bd7/) I actually had fun making it, because it takes away all the painful parts about making a mix tape and lets you focus on choosing the right songs and song order. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4bbf92/32.png) [@Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Hamsandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/23 "2010-05-26T19:55:05Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Really, grandpa? Get the hell off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/24 "2010-05-26T19:57:43Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > We’ve been trying to give you hints for _years_. Et tu, **Munch**? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/25 "2010-05-26T22:03:20Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > For IMHO a sweet little romance about two contemporary teenagers’ shared love of music and how it brings them closer together, I’d recommend: [Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_and_Norah%27s_Infinite_Playlist) I watched this 2 days ago and this is the second reference on here since then. What’s up with that? And yes, it is sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/26 "2010-05-26T22:20:23Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > This Christmas I picked out a dozen mushy love songs and put them on a [flash drive designed to look like a cassette tape.](http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/thumb-drives-storage/9bd7/) I actually had fun making it, because it takes away all the painful parts about making a mix tape and lets you focus on choosing the right songs and song order. Looks like I just found my husband’s anniversary present this year. I made him a mix CD 8 years ago when we first got together and he still listens to it. I have been desperately wanting to give him a new list to reflect our maturing relationship, with a cheesy title like ‘‘Love in the Time of Grad School.’’ This is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zany_Zeolite_Zipper)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/27 "2010-05-26T22:49:10Z")
I made you a mash up of some songs I think you might like with some video that I also think you might like. \ ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/28 "2010-05-26T23:04:44Z")
> [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](#): > > I made you a mash up of some songs I think you might like with some video that I also think you might like. \ Here, let me submit that link to reddit so the whole internet can point and laugh… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/29 "2010-05-26T23:31:25Z")
I Downfalled this for you… ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/30 "2010-05-26T23:31:42Z")
I made my Boyfriend a Mix CD for Valentines Day. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/31 "2010-05-27T00:03:43Z")
Mix CDs are still the rage. While buying CDs isn’t as popular as it used to be, pretty much everyone still has a CD player and a CD burner in their computer. I’ve thought about doing it on a flash drive, but they aren’t as cheap as CDs, and there’s extra fun to labeling the CD and putting the songs in a certain order. The only annoying part is getting the CD to contain proper metadata for itunes transfer. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/32 "2010-05-27T00:35:24Z")
My husband and I enjoy sharing music with one another, as well as our friends. We used to make CDs, then mp3 CDs, etc. A few years ago I made a [last.fm playlist](http://www.last.fm/user/psycat_90/library/playlists/owl_a_sickeningly_sweet_mix_for_my_honey.__) for him, and he in turn made [one for me.](http://www.last.fm/user/Democritus/library/playlists/29s6b_a_playlist_for_shannon) Yes, we are sappy nerds. I listen to them both from time to time, and will add stuff to the one I made for him every now and then, but nowadays we just share links to youtube videos. So easy. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/33 "2010-05-27T00:40:41Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Mix CDs are still the rage. While buying CDs isn’t as popular as it used to be, pretty much everyone still has a CD player and a CD burner in their computer. I’ve thought about doing it on a flash drive, but they aren’t as cheap as CDs, and there’s extra fun to labeling the CD and putting the songs in a certain order. The only annoying part is getting the CD to contain proper metadata for itunes transfer. This. CDs are so cheap and easy to stick a bunch of songs onto and subsequently copy to a new harddrive, that this is the preferred method. Flash drives are not yet so disposable that people buy them 20+ at a time, so those are not especially likely to be used for such things. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/34 "2010-05-27T00:56:39Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > I actually had fun making it, because it takes away all the painful parts about making a mix tape and lets you focus on choosing the right songs and song order. The painful parts are sort of the point. Assembling a cassette mix tape was difficult. Doing it right meant assembling a set of songs that not only showed how you feel but _also_ added up to 45 minutes of music. And (and this was the especially tricky part) doing it _again_, and making sure the music started on the second side just as soon as the first side ended so your beloved could listen to the tape on an auto-reversing cassette player. You’d assemble the whole thing once, and discover it was 32 seconds too short. 32 seconds of potential embarrassment showing not only your lack of mix tape assembling skill, but implying that you didn’t really _care_. CDs? Hah! See the film [High Fidelity](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146882/) for an explanation of this whole process. The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway… I’ve started to make a tape… in my head… for Laura. Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/35 "2010-05-27T02:01:11Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The painful parts are sort of the point. > > Assembling a cassette mix tape was difficult. Doing it right meant assembling a set of songs that not only showed how you feel but _also_ added up to 45 minutes of music. And (and this was the especially tricky part) doing it _again_, and making sure the music started on the second side just as soon as the first side ended so your beloved could listen to the tape on an auto-reversing cassette player. > > You’d assemble the whole thing once, and discover it was 32 seconds too short. 32 seconds of potential embarrassment showing not only your lack of mix tape assembling skill, but implying that you didn’t really _care_. Bravo! Well said. Takes me back. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/36 "2010-05-27T02:17:45Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The painful parts are sort of the point. > > Assembling a cassette mix tape was difficult. Doing it right meant assembling a set of songs that not only showed how you feel but _also_ added up to 45 minutes of music. And (and this was the especially tricky part) doing it _again_, and making sure the music started on the second side just as soon as the first side ended so your beloved could listen to the tape on an auto-reversing cassette player. > > You’d assemble the whole thing once, and discover it was 32 seconds too short. 32 seconds of potential embarrassment showing not only your lack of mix tape assembling skill, but implying that you didn’t really _care_. If you say this to a modern teenager, I guarantee you that the image in his or her head will be of Grandpa Simpson complaining about how you used to have to WALK to school! For hours! Through three feet of snow! Uphill! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/37 "2010-05-27T02:29:33Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > If you say this to a modern teenager, I guarantee you that the image in his or her head will be of Grandpa Simpson complaining about how you used to have to WALK to school! For hours! Through three feet of snow! Uphill! They are cheerfully invited to get the hell off my lawn. I actually searched for and found a calculator application that would allow me to add times, so I could type in the lengths of the different tracks to fill the whole tape. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/38 "2010-05-27T02:43:52Z")
I think what’s making my brain hurt so much about this thread is the concept that “making a mix tape” is archaic. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/39 "2010-05-27T02:58:14Z")
for what it’s worth, my sister is entering college this year, and one of things her entering class is doing on facebook to “bond” with each other is they’re making mixtapes with each other- you basically burn a CD and mail it to another person on the list, and they do the same for you, and every few weeks you get another person to do this with. So the art of the mixtape is still alive amongst the youth of today… ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850/40 "2010-05-27T03:29:59Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Thank god the era of the mix tape is over. The ultimate act of naked desperation. True. And, sadly, my best move. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-modern-equivalent-to-i-made-you-a-mix-tape/540850.md?page=3)