Record Collections

Ok So I know everybody has different formats and styles and stuff and I know some of us have Records or CDs or whatever and Since this is a forum for DAPs I realize most of you think about digital music but  here is what I wanna know. 

How do you organize our hard music collections? CDs Albums Tapes 8 tracks what ever? 

Conversionbox wrote:

Ok So I know everybody has different formats and styles and stuff and I know some of us have Records or CDs or whatever and Since this is a forum for DAPs I realize most of you think about digital music but  here is what I wanna know. 

 

How do you organize our hard music collections? CDs Albums Tapes 8 tracks what ever? 

My CD’s are in and around a box on my floor…not organized at all, since I ripped them all to FLAC. I don’t have any more tapes, and I have four records but no turntable…lol.

If I was to organize my CD’s, I would do it alphabetically by artist, each artist’s albums in order of release date.

Most everything I have is backed up on digital (FLAC) on hard drive.  I organize by Artist (first) Album (second) and lastly (year).  Then, as best as I can, I document my entire collection on an Excel database where not only album details are listed, but where on my premises these albums are physically located.  So far, I’m pretty much caught up on my CD releases… and now I only add to my database my vinyl albums that I have restored.  Because of the quanity of vinyl I own, I may be caught up digitally in about 10 years.

I keep the vinyl collection secure in its closet, cool and comfortable, the hallowed hall of my old favorites.  In my 20s, collecting albums, browsing all that wonderful album art- when there was enough room to print some serious art, of course… the collection runs from Tchaikovsky to the Toy Dolls.

During those years, I savored every album, listening through the complete sides.  Perhaps, that’s whne I got in the habit of listening to an artist “all the way through” rather than today’s singles affliction.  Listening with the Sansa, I can’t rocket through a tune or so, I still cue up the entire album for a play or two.

The big NAB tape reels from the Studer and the 909 keep calling for me set up the deck, a future project.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

In a perfect world, they would be alphabetical by artist and then albums chronologically with live albums/“greatest hits” at the end by release date. Classical separate, alpha by composer. Then movie soundtracks (alpha by title), and finally multi-artist compilations/tribute albums. If I liked musicals, I’d probably put them between the classical and the movie soundtracks.

In practice… My CDs live in towers with bins instead of individual slots. While they start out in the ideal arrangement, the one I last listenend to goes to the top of the stack in its bin, so I wind up with a vaguely-alphabetical assortment, and my soundtracks are mixed with the compilations. I don’t have enough LPs, 45s, or 8-tracks to bother with organization, sadly, so on top/in front in the order they were last played.

Since I probably have the smallest collection of music on these forums, CDs sit in small piles in certain cabinets.  That’s about it.  I’m definitely not old enough to own any records although my mom has quite a few, but I don’t know if they are any good anymore.

Don’t worry too much about that, saxmaster!  In a few years, your collection will expand for sure.  My parents had a basic collection of classical and jazz LPs.  I started collecting LPs after high school, and when the CD came of age, I collected those too.

Come to think of it, I remember when there were specialty shops selling Compact Discs, and having to look for them.   The record shops kept to the 12-inch racks for quite a while, until the CD took over in sales.

That wasn’t all that long ago, and now, even the venerable CD is becoming nostalgic, isn’t it?

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

I prefer to keep all my music as real CDs.  I worry too much if my sometimes stupid computer will crash if I buy digitally.  The only good thing about buying music off of, say, iTunes is the fact you get it immediately.

Oh, and I found one of only two things iKnow (Ha ha.) iTunes doesn’t have.  One is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy soundtrack.  The other, someone told me, is Black Sabbath.  I don’t really like Black Sabbath, though, so I don’t really care there.