The MakerBot Mixtape is a project by MakerBot that creates a 3D printed “cassette tape” (it just looks retro, it’s actually a digital device) to share music. If you already have a MakerBot Replicator, you start by ordering a MixTape electronics kit, then head to Thingiverse and download the MakerBot MixTape design plans and create your custom tape on your Replicator from there. If you don’t have a Replicator, MakerBot can send you a blank one to add your own music from your computer.
A long time ago, before Pandora or RDIO or even ancient technologies like iTunes, there was the mixtape — a carefully selected group of songs, organized into a playlist and recorded onto a cassette. You had to get these songs from other tapes or even record them from the radio. You had to have a machine that allowed for transferring songs from one tape to another tape. The whole process took planning… and patience. But the payoff was oh so sweet.
The MakerBot Applications team, our division of makers and designers, have figured out a way to bring this magic back to life — with a modern twist — and make it 3D-printed, too.
