Mixtape/cd transition flaw
“When I created these mixes, they were intended to be listened to on cassettes and later on CDs. The CD recorder/duplicator allowed for recording the entire project and adding ID track numbers, made possible by the Red Book code for CD duplication. We had the option to duplicate CDs with track numbers and without any space between the songs, which was very useful for major or local groups and labels releasing live show CDs or albums with skits that flowed out of one song into another.
While putting together this website, I had the opportunity to listen to my works on cassettes & cds after decades in storage. I realized that the majority of records/songs I played flowed into the next, which was another form of blending. It wasn’t a planned strategy, but looking back, I guess it was a way to transition to the next song and keep the listener engaged. However, with this type of formatting, I’ve encountered a problem I’ve been grappling with for a long time: there is an inherent 1-2 second gap between each song on a digital album or digital mixtape/CD uploaded to any website or app. This gap is great for single releases or playlists on your preferred streaming platform but serves as an interruption for a project intended to be listened to without any interruption except by the listener. Hopefully, the option provided by the Red Book code for CD duplication will become a part of the coding for websites and music apps in the future. I found a workaround for my website, but it’s very time-consuming to create.
YouTube is a platform that allows me to upload my past mixtapes/CDs, but another roadblock occurs: some songs get blocked. Currently, I have a few mixtapes/CDs streaming on the platform and will continue to upload them on youtube if possible. The goal is to have my entire collection of mixtapes/cds available for streaming on this website.
“Some streaming channels uploading mixtapes from the golden era of Hip Hop + R&B fall short in these categories”.
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Original image from mixtape-cd altered or skewed.
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Some drops are not on the original mixtape cd.
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Old motor in cassette deck pulls tape unevenly, creating a warp efx which is transferred to streaming platforms.
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Old cassette deck and dusty tape heads = poor transfer of audio to streaming platforms.
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Listing of tracks played are non-existing or inaccurate.
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1-2 sec. silent gap between blends/songs. I address this in the video on this page.
As I stated in my early mixtapes – “Quality over Quantity” . I always believed in doing the quantity thing in the lab and then releasing the quality product for the people. Hope you enjoy the flavor mixtapes/cd’s below.
