You've spent hours mining. Your chests are overflowing with cobblestone and dirt, but the silence of your base is starting to get a bit creepy. Honestly, the wind whistling through the blocky mountains only goes so far. You need tunes. You need a jukebox. But for a lot of players, especially those just starting out or returning after a long break, the process of how do you make a jukebox in Minecraft is usually followed by a second, more annoying question: where on earth do I find a diamond?
It’s a simple block on the surface. Eight planks and a shiny blue rock. But that single diamond represents a massive shift in your gameplay loop. It’s the difference between "just surviving" and "actually living" in your digital world.
The Raw Materials (And Why One of Them is a Pain)
The recipe is straightforward, yet it’s a gatekeeper. To craft a jukebox, you need eight wooden planks and one diamond. You can use any type of wood. Oak, spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, dark oak, mangrove, cherry, or even the weird pale oak from the Creaking heart if you're playing the latest snapshots. It doesn't matter. Mix and match them if you want; the jukebox doesn't care if it's made of mismatched scraps.
Open your crafting table. Put the diamond right in the center slot. Surround it entirely with those eight planks. Boom. Jukebox.
But let’s be real. The planks aren't the problem. You can punch a tree and have those in ten seconds. The diamond is the bottleneck. In Minecraft 1.20 and beyond, diamond ore generation changed significantly from the old days. You aren't going to find them at Y-level 11 anymore. Well, you might, but it’s rare. You need to go deep. We're talking Y-level -58 or lower. Most veterans suggest strip mining at -59, just above the bedrock layer, or exploring those massive, terrifying deep dark caves where the Wardens live.
It’s a high price for a music box. Think about it. That same diamond could be the start of a pickaxe that breaks obsidian. It could be an enchantment table. Choosing to spend your first diamond on a jukebox is a total power move. It says you value vibes over efficiency.
Why the Jukebox is Actually a Weirdly Complex Machine
Most people think you just click a disc on it and walk away. That's fine for a starter base, but jukeboxes have some hidden mechanics that make them surprisingly useful for technical players.
For one, did you know jukeboxes emit a Redstone signal? It’s true. Since the 1.19.4 update, jukeboxes interact with Hoppers in a way that finally makes sense. You can actually automate your music now. If you put a hopper on top of a jukebox, it will feed a music disc into it. If you put a hopper underneath, it will pull the disc out once the song is finished.
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This changed everything for builders. Before this, you had to manually eject the disc every single time "Cat" or "Chirp" finished playing. Now, you can build a literal "record changer" that cycles through your entire collection while you work on your farm.
Redstone Signal Strength
The jukebox also outputs a specific Redstone signal strength through a Comparator based on which disc is playing.
- "13" outputs a signal of 1.
- "Cat" outputs a 2.
- "Blocks" is 3.
- "Chirp" is 4.
- "Far" is 5.
- "Mall" is 6.
- "Mellohi" is 7.
- "Stal" is 8.
- "Strad" is 9.
- "Ward" is 10.
- "11" is 11.
- "Wait" is 12.
- "Otherside" is 13.
- "5" is 14.
- "Pigstep" is 15.
That means you can use a jukebox as a key for a hidden door. Want a secret entrance that only opens when you play the funky beats of "Pigstep"? You can do that. It’s a bit of a flex, sure, but that’s what Minecraft is all about.
Finding the Music: The Hardest Part
So you know how do you make a jukebox in Minecraft, but it’s just a decorative block until you find some vinyl. Music discs aren't craftable. You can't just throw some coal and iron together and hope for the best. You have to go out and earn them.
The classic way to get discs is the "Creeper-Skeleton" method. It’s a bit of a dance. You have to find a Creeper, weaken it with a couple of hits, and then position yourself so a Skeleton accidentally shoots the Creeper instead of you. If a Skeleton’s arrow deals the killing blow to a Creeper, the Creeper is guaranteed to drop a random music disc (excluding the special ones found in loot chests).
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It’s stressful. You’re standing there, heart racing, trying not to get blown up, all for a copy of "Mellohi."
Then there are the rare discs. "Pigstep," arguably the best track in the game composed by Lena Raine, only spawns in Bastion Remnants in the Nether. If you want "Otherside," you’re looking at Stronghold altars or Ancient Cities. And "5"? You have to find "Disc Fragment 5" in Ancient Cities and craft nine of them together. It’s a grind. But when that music starts playing in your base, it feels earned.
The Note Block vs. Jukebox Debate
Don't confuse the two. I see new players do this all the time. A note block is made with wood and Redstone dust. It plays a single note when you hit it or power it. You can change the instrument by putting it on top of different blocks (wood for bass, sand for snare, etc.).
The jukebox is the premium version. It plays full, multi-minute compositions. It’s an investment.
Also, keep in mind that a jukebox is a "solid" block. It doesn't allow light to pass through, and you can't push it with a Piston in the Java Edition of the game. Bedrock players, however, get to enjoy pushing their jukeboxes around with pistons, which makes for some pretty cool moving sound systems.
Technical Nuances You Might Have Missed
The sound from a jukebox travels about 65 blocks in every direction. As you move further away, the volume fades. It’s a nice touch for immersion. If you’re building a massive castle, you might actually need two or three jukeboxes strategically placed so you don't lose the music when you go to the kitchen.
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Also, if you're playing on a server, remember that jukeboxes are "tile entities." Too many of them in one area probably won't lag your game, but if you have a massive automated Redstone machine hooked up to twenty of them, your frame rate might take a slight dip depending on your PC.
Wait. One more thing.
Allays. If you find these little blue fairy creatures, jukeboxes are your best friend. If you play music, the Allay will dance. If you give it an item while it’s dancing near a jukebox, it will drop any items it collects at the jukebox instead of bringing them to you. It turns your music player into a central delivery hub for your automated gathering.
Moving Forward With Your Music
Making the jukebox is only the beginning. Once you have the block, your real mission is to fill a chest with every single disc available in the game. It’s one of the great "unofficial" achievements of Minecraft.
To get started effectively:
- Set up a Creeper trap. Use a trapdoor over a hole to trick Creepers into falling into a 1x1 pit.
- Lure a Skeleton into a separate spot nearby where it has a clear line of sight to the Creeper, but you're standing behind the Creeper as bait.
- Carry a Shield. Seriously. One stray arrow or a mistimed explosion and your jukebox dreams are over.
- Deep Slate Mining. Don't just wander. Go to Y-59. Use "branch mining" (tunnels every two blocks) to maximize your chances of finding that diamond.
- Listen for the sound. If the music stops, the disc is still in the machine. Right-click to pop it out before you try to put a new one in, unless you have a hopper system set up.
Once you’ve got the diamond and the wood, you’re ready to turn your silent base into a home. It’s a small detail, but in a world made of blocks, the music makes it feel real.