Retro-hacking

Make Spotify Mix Tapes

Quick guide to recording digital music to cassette tapes

Overview

Have been getting back into cassette tapes. I grew up with them, so there’s a nostalgia for sure. But the sound is different, and the feel. The action of how it’s all organized. How the devices operate. You can listen to them without the internet. They’re a physical thing.

So in addition to scouring flea markets for dollar tapes (considerably cheaper than a vinyl habit), I’ve been experimenting with making my own mix tapes using digital music sources…

This should work on Apple Music, Spotify, a YouTube playlist — a ‘smart’ phone or really any other audio source with a headphone (line-out) jack. It’s not a complicated set-up, but there are a few key points to consider.

Requirements:

• Audio source with a headphone jack
• Male-to-male audio cable that fits headphone jack
• Tape recorder with line in jack
• Blank tape

Steps:

1. Attach the line out on your computer to the line in jack on your tape recorder.
2. Play a song on your computer and see if the audio comes through the…