REWINDThe REWIND blog
Short guides for people who like old audio gear and want their own music on an iPhone. You will find how-to posts on adding files and making mixtapes, explainers on wow and flutter or tape saturation, and histories of the cassette, the portable CD player and the MP3 player.
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Where should I start?
New to importing files? Read how to add music files to iPhone. Curious about the sound? Try what is wow and flutter and what is tape saturation.
For history, begin with the history of the compact cassette.
Can You Play Any Record on Any Record Player?Size, speed and stylus decide what a turntable can play: 7, 10 and 12 inch discs, 33, 45 and 78 rpm, and what not to try.
Can You Slow Down Apple Music Songs on iPhone?What works and what is blocked when you slow down Apple Music or Spotify songs on iPhone, and how to get a slowed and reverb version legally.
Can You Still Buy a Discman or Walkman in 2026?What Sony still sells, where to find working cassette and CD players, what to inspect, and the cheapest way to get the feel on a phone.
Can't Play MP3 on iPhone? 8 Fixes That WorkWhy an MP3 will not play on iPhone and how to fix it: iCloud downloads, bad files, the Music app, volume and player apps.
Cassette Adapter for iPhoneWhat a cassette adapter does, wired or Bluetooth, which iPhone adapter you also need, and how to fix a noisy one.
Cassette Player Not Working? 9 Common Faults and FixesNine common cassette player faults with step-by-step checks: no sound, slow or fast playback, chewed tape and jams.
Cassette Recorder App for iPhoneA plain answer: REWIND plays and does not record. What to use for voice, for music and for digitizing old tapes.
CD Player Won't Play CDs? 9 Fixes That WorkWhy a CD player says No Disc or skips, and nine fixes: disc type, cleaning the lens, burn speed, power, belts and when to stop.
Does Apple Music Have a Visualizer? Options on iPhoneDoes Apple Music have a visualizer? What exists on Mac and iPhone, and how to get animated, music-reactive backgrounds for your own files.
How Does a Record Player Work? Groove to SpeakerPlatter, stylus, cartridge, preamp: the path from a wavy groove to sound, and how to play a record in six steps.
How to Connect a Boombox to an iPhoneBluetooth, AUX cable or cassette adapter: the three working ways to play an iPhone through a boombox, with steps and fixes.
How to Connect a Record Player to an iPhoneThree ways to join a turntable and an iPhone: phone into player, player to Bluetooth, and vinyl recorded to your phone, with gear lists.
How to Transfer Cassette Tapes to iPhoneHow to digitize cassette tapes and put them on iPhone: gear, recording settings, splitting tracks, export and playback.
How to Use a Cassette PlayerLoad, play, rewind, fast-forward, flip and eject a cassette, what each button does, and what to do when the tape jams.
iPod App for iPhoneCan an iPhone become an iPod? What Apple offers, which third-party apps copy the click wheel, and what REWIND does instead.Is the iPod Classic Still Supported in 2026?Dates, what still works, Apple Music limits, supported formats, batteries and SSD mods for the iPod Classic, and phone alternatives.
Lo-Fi Music Player App for iPhoneLo-fi radio apps versus a player that adds tape and vinyl sound to your own files on iPhone, with honest limits.
Mixtape Ideas and Examples25 mixtape themes, a track order that works, side lengths for C60 and C90 and label ideas, with a way to build one on iPhone.Old Music PlayersA dated timeline of old music players with the names people used, from phonograph and gramophone to cassette, CD and MP3.
Reel-to-Reel vs DigitalReel-to-reel against digital audio: noise, running time per reel, cost, upkeep, and why people still choose open-reel tape.Spotify Local Files on iPhoneHow Spotify local files work on iPhone, why they break, and a simpler offline alternative for your own music.Turntable Speed33⅓ and 45 rpm in seconds per turn, how speed errors change pitch, three ways to check, and what an iPhone app can and cannot do.Use an Old iPhone as a Dedicated Music PlayerSet up an old iPhone as a single-purpose offline music player: which models, storage, battery, apps and a step-by-step plan.Walkman App for iPhoneIs there a Walkman app for iPhone? What Sony offers, what the Walkman was, and which apps give you a pocket cassette player.
Walkman vs MP3 PlayerTape against flash memory: storage, sound, battery, speed of finding songs and what each is good at, with 1979 and 1998 dates.What Is Lo-Fi Music? Hiss, Crackle and ImperfectionWhat lo-fi music means, where the term came from, which sounds define it and how to get the lo-fi sound from your own files.What Is Slowed and Reverb Music? Origin and SoundWhat slowed and reverb music is, where it came from, how it is made and how to hear the effect live on iPhone.
Aesthetic Retro iPhone SetupA practical recipe for a retro iPhone setup: choose an era, match colors, pick a machine and scene, and keep it usable.Anti-Skip CD Players ExplainedHow anti-skip buffers worked in portable CD players, with buffer sizes, battery costs and the shock absorbers they replaced.Apple Music Songs Won't Import? Why and What to DoWhy Apple Music downloads cannot be imported, a troubleshooting checklist, supported formats and legal ways to get files you can use.Belt-Drive vs Direct-Drive TurntablesBelt or direct drive? How each turntable drive works, where each wins, and why DJs settled on the Technics SL-1200.Best EQ Settings for Headphones on iPhoneStarting EQ values for five bands, what each band does, how to dial in your headphones, and common mistakes.Cassette Player App for iPhoneWhat separates a real cassette player app for iPhone from a skin on a stock player, and how to test one in five minutes.Cassette Tape TypesNormal, chrome and metal cassettes compared: coatings, bias, equalization, notches and what to use today.CD Player App for iPhoneHow portable CD players worked, what a CD player app for iPhone can recreate, and how to use your own rips.History of the Compact CassetteFrom a pocket-sized dictation tape in 1963 to the Walkman era and the modern revival: the dated history of the Compact Cassette.History of the MP3 PlayerFrom the MPMan F10 and Rio PMP300 in 1998 to the 2001 iPod and the smartphone: a dated history of the MP3 player.
History of the Portable CD PlayerThe Sony D-50 in 1984, rubber shock absorbers, anti-skip memory and the MP3 CD era: a dated history of the pocket CD player.How DJ Scratching WorksThe mechanics of scratching: how a hand, a slipmat, a direct-drive motor and a crossfader make the sound, with the main scratch types.How to Add Music Files to iPhone Without iTunesFour ways to get MP3, FLAC and M4A files onto an iPhone, and how to import a whole folder into a player.How to Make a Mixtape on iPhone, With a Handwritten LabelHow the mixtape tradition worked, and a step-by-step way to build one on iPhone with sequencing tips and a handwritten label.
How to Play Music Offline on iPhone, Any TimeStreaming downloads versus owned files for offline listening on iPhone, with a setup guide and a plane-ride checklist.Linear Tracking Turntables ExplainedHow a tangential tonearm avoids tracking error and skating force, with the Technics SL-10 as the landmark and the trade-offs.
Music Visualizer App for iPhoneHow visualizers began, the main types, and how to choose a music visualizer app for iPhone that reacts to your own files.Retro MP3 Player App for iPhoneWhy the first MP3 players looked the way they did, and how a retro MP3 player app for iPhone recreates two of them.Slowed and Reverb Any Song on iPhone, LiveWhat slowed and reverb is, where the style came from, and how to apply it live to your own music on iPhone.Vinyl Record Player App for iPhone, ExplainedWhat a vinyl turntable app actually does on iPhone, which turntable designs exist, and how to get the crackle right.What Is Tape Saturation? The Sound of Magnetic TapeThe physics of tape saturation, why bias exists, what harmonics it adds, and how to set a tasteful amount.What Is Wow and Flutter? Tape and Vinyl Pitch DriftWhat causes wow and flutter, how it is measured in percent, and how to add a gentle amount back to digital music.Where to Buy DRM-Free MusicWhere to get music as files you own: Bandcamp, iTunes, Qobuz, Amazon, Beatport and CD rips, plus how to check a file is DRM-free.Why Cassettes Are BackReal numbers on the cassette revival: US and UK sales, who still makes tape, why people buy it, and what it cannot do.
Why Old Music Sounds WarmTape saturation, vinyl limits, tube harmonics and the ear itself: the causes of warm sound, and how much of it is taste.Why Vinyl CracklesThe physical reasons vinyl crackles, how a stylus reads a groove, and how to add or avoid the sound.Frequently asked questions
Do blog posts explain how to use the app?
Some do. Guides such as making a mixtape or adding files walk through REWIND step by step, while history posts stand on their own.
Keep exploring
How to Add Music Files to iPhone Without iTunesFour ways to get MP3, FLAC and M4A files onto an iPhone, and how to import a whole folder into a player.How to Make a Mixtape on iPhone, With a Handwritten LabelHow the mixtape tradition worked, and a step-by-step way to build one on iPhone with sequencing tips and a handwritten label.REWIND FeaturesSound, mechanics, library and comfort features of the REWIND iPhone player.Retro Music Players for iPhone30 retro machines from 1968–2005, grouped by type.