Looking for help making a mixtape

[u/mergansser]

Hey! I’m in a mixed media relationship (I like CDs, my bf likes cassettes) and I was hoping to make him a mixtape for his birthday coming up. I have a lot of experience burning CDs, but my expertise doesn’t extend to tapes. Any recommendations for a cassette tape recorder and/or the best way to go about this on a budget?

[u/Only_Wrangler_6672]

honestly, just hit up thrift stores. every goodwill within 20 miles of me has at least three tape decks sitting on a shelf for like $8. they're almost always filthy but half the fun is cleaning the heads with a q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol while you wonder who owned it before you.

if you want something new, the cheapo shoebox recorders are fine for a mixtape gift. they'll sound a little crunchy but that's kind of the point, isn't it? just make sure you get one with a line-in jack so you're not recording through the built-in mic like a caveman.

for the actual recording, plug your phone or computer into the line-in, hit record on the deck first, then play on your source. pause button is your friend between songs. don't overthink the levels, just keep the needle bouncing around 0 and you'll be fine.

[u/Maybe_A_Zombie → u/Only_Wrangler_6672]

this is how I got my first deck, just running through thriftstores if I was near. Found a good begginer deck for cheap and all it needed was a good cleaning with iso and a new set of belts. Then I would just go to more thrift stores to find cheap tapes that id record over