How do you sort (organise) your CDs, LPs, K7s, Tapes; physical medias

[Astrozombie]

I ran out of room for my CDs so i just shove um now wherever I can. What I wanted to make was a spreadsheet so I remember which ones I've bought.

 

[Sal1950]

What I wanted to make was a spreadsheet so I remember which ones I've bought.

Something like this?

 

[dualazmak]

I ran out of room for my CDs so i just shove um now wherever I can. What I wanted to make was a spreadsheet so I remember which ones I've bought.

Something like that I shared in my post #4 in this thread?

 

[Sashoir]

I myself keep my physical media (almost all compact discs, but also a few LPs) in disorganised heaps by genre.

I'm far more scrupulous about my HDD music, which are kept in a temporary "quarantine" directory until I'm happy with the metadata tagging (though I only just learned from Dualazmak's earlier post that the cover image can be embedded in the tag structure, rather than as a stand-alone file with a special name-thank you!-now I can rid myself of the library's internal directory structure).

Having the physical discs haphazardly "filed" makes it easier to browse when I'm not sure to what I might like to listen, whereas having the HDD rigidly organised makes it easy for me to find exactly what I want if I've something particular (like a Kingsway hall recording of a Strauss tone poem (if I have one)), or something merely more specific than "jazz" or "rock" or what have you) in mind.

The ideal (for me) library would also have a third way of consumption, namely via some sort of "multi-graph". So to harmonie's point about genesis--phil Collins-(Hugh Padgham-Sting-Vinnie Colaiuta-Frank Zappa- Edgard Varese-...) But with more edge types linking the various nodes. Of course, this is the world wide web for music, but my use case would be merely for a slightly more interesting and harmonious "shuffle" experience.

 

[dualazmak]

....
I'm far more scrupulous about my HDD music, which are kept in a temporary "quarantine" directory until I'm happy with the metadata tagging
....

That is very nice and convenient way before putting the tracks into "organized" (permanent) folder in HDD (in my case into SSD). I sometimes do the same at rather busy occasions.

By the way, now I use dBpoweramp CD ripper/converter which is very reliable, secure and also good at collecting metadata through automatic internet search; of course I always edit many of them "until I'm happy fully with them" just like you.

I mainly use JRiver MC's tag editing function which is really nice since it remembers all of the "so far used tag wordings" in each of the so many tag fields, and it also allows to edit a tag field for all the selected tracks at once.

 

[Timcognito]

Nobody said, after you put them on a HDD/SSD buy Roon at $10/month and get all the album art, liner notes, and reviews and fabulous search engine that has multiple ways of looking them up.
Also, these boxes hold between 85-90 with end labels up so you can read them and fish them out. You can of course label the box anyway you want, by genera alphabetical etc. I haven't done this but think you can add box number to the metadata? I have one box with the rare and valuable ones all to own in case of evacuation, that would be fire or tsunami where I live.

https://www.staples.com/18-L-x-10-W...EM:ordconfrm::sku&data-cta-category=[PRODUCT]

 

[dualazmak]

Among the metadata fields (I mainly use aif [for CD ripping], flac and DSD format for full metadata compatibility), we have "comment" field in which you can put any wordings you like, and JRiver MC's search function can survey all of the "comment" fields throughout your entire library...

 

[UniPolar]

For physical media ( mainly CD's ), I have a sequential number assigned and taped to each disk clamshell, in no particular order.

The music server I use allows me to store that number in a special field and search on any other field and metadata ..
.
So, even if I don't have the CD ripped to the server, I can still create a record for that particular CD and fill in the metadata either manually or automagically from one of the online tag sources.... Searching for 'Slow Hand' for example shows me all the hits and the clamshell number.
This serves to satisfy my OCD .. And yes, I TRY to keep the clamshells stored in the correct order...
.

 

[Sashoir]

That is very nice and convenient way before putting the tracks into "organized" (permanent) folder in HDD (in my case into SSD). I sometimes do the same at rather busy occasions.

By the way, now I use dBpoweramp CD ripper/converter which is very reliable, secure and also good at collecting metadata through automatic internet search; of course I always edit many of them "until I'm happy fully with them" just like you.

I mainly use JRiver MC's tag editing function which is really nice since it remembers all of the "so far used tag wordings" in each of the so many tag fields, and it also allows to edit a tag field for all the selected tracks at once.

Dear Dualazmak, I should also take the opportunity to thank you for your very informative set-up thread. I don't yet understand all of it, but I've learned a great deal from it so far.
I, too, use DB Poweramp for ripping, but I find metatogger to be my favourite metadata management solution.

 

[babayaga]

To keep track of what I have in my collection I have an AppleScript program that dumps the contents of my NAS music folder to a text file. And just recently, I have download the Discogs app to my iPhone. It works great to quickly show me what I have in my collection to avoid buying duplicates...

 

[MCH]

I keep an excel document in my phone to avoid buying a lp that I already have (has happened too many times...). The guys selling think I am checking the value in the internet and and often get long faces....

 

[Harmonie]

I keep an excel document in my phone to avoid buying a lp that I already have (has happened too many times...). The guys selling think I am checking the value in the internet and and often get long faces....

Very same happens to me, but I've never bothered to make a copy in my phone.
I have a (very) old software, originally on Floppy disks !!
Never had the patience to retranscript all data to a newer soft and wonder if I can find a way to just find a transfer ?

 

[babayaga]

Give Discogs a try...The only thing you have to do is enter your data. Just remember, baby steps! Do a few each day. It's a useful little tool!

 

[Harmonie]

Give Discogs a try...The only thing you have to do is enter your data. Just remember, baby steps! Do a few each day. It's a useful little tool!

I used Discogs to edit all the new tracks on Flac files.
But what I need, is to convert 2000 Cd's data that were edited in a very old software into a contemporary soft.

 

[dualazmak]

Recommendation of taking HiRes photos of your physical CD-SACD-DVD racks/shelves

This post is a self-follow-up of my posts #4 and #85.

As I shared in my posts #4 and #85, I have already systematically ripped all of my CDs SACDs DVDs, as well as vinyl-LPs, into my SSD digital music library for convenient sort-search-play by JRiver MC, and I have been still maintaining physical disk library on shelves with glass windows upstairs.

Spoiler

In my post #4, I wrote:
9. Physical LP, CD, DVD library
I also keep all the physical LPs, CDs, DVDs in shelves with glass window, in LP, CD, DVD sections; the order in each section is mainly;
Genre - Category - Composer (alphabetical) - Artist (alphabetical)

Categories in classical music is historic order like this;
old ancient, early+Renaissance (before baroque), baroque, classical School (Wiener Klassik, Viennese School), romantic, impressionist-period, modern contemporary, etc.

Some of the unique Labels/Companies are separated as a group in specific shelf space, like "Dorian Recordings", "Gimell for The Tallis Scholars" (I have all Gimell's), etc.

Jazz and popular physical disks are of course separated, and in usually artist's alphabetical order.

I still keep all the physical disks for occasional access, for example when I would like to read the liner notes (booklet) in detail. I usually well remember the location of specific disk in my disk racks/shelves, but sometimes it becomes a little bit of frustration finding the specific physical disk since the disk catalogue number printed on the side of disk-case is in very small font/character.

Furthermore, I recently heard that an earthquake and a tornedo happened in Japan caused collapses of music disk racks/shelves of several audio-enthu people, and they are almost giving-up re-building/re-construction of their physical disk library, especially it would be very difficult (or even impossible) to rearrange the disks to the right positions/orders as they were before the tragedy.

I decided, therefore, to take and keep HiRes photos of my present physical CD-SACD-DVD racks/shelves.

This is one of the eight (8) HiRes (6720x4480 pixel) photos of my disk shelves; each of the similar eight (8) shelves contains about 450 CDs (SACDs DVDs), i.e. total about 3,600 physical disks. I used my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera + EF24-105mm F4L IS II USM lens, and shot photos with tripod and cable-release on live-view mode with very careful manual focusing and exposure control in ISO 2500, f/11-13.

When I enlarge on-screen the red-rectangular portion of above original HiRes photo, it can be seen like this for easy reading of the smallest fonts/characters of CD catalogue numbers.

 

[Mart68]

That's impressive resolution.

 

[Sal1950]

I couldn't imagine where I'd be today if I hadn't changed to computer file serving for my media. I currently have over 4,000 albums on my hard-drives, none in less than 16/44.1 Redbook resolution, hundreds are 24/96 5.1 and beyond. That doesn't include a few hundred HD movie rips and more. The shelving space needed would have pushed me out of my house and I've had a couple ex-wife's do that already.

 

[J. Lohmann]

CDs: Alphabetical by artist, spelling out alphanumeric names (i.e. "3 Doors Down" goes under "T")
LPs: By genre, and then alphabetical by artist/act
12" Singles: By genre, then alphabetical by song title
45RPM Singles: Alphabetical by song title
Blu-rays/DVDs/Ultra HD 4K Blu-rays: Alphabetical by name of film/show

 

[pablolie]

My entire collection is ripped and digital now. Clearly it all resides in folders belonging to the lead artist, and in there are their different albums/singles.

But I mostly listen to playlists, which I keep creating or extending. Playlists are my killer app. I seldom listen to entire albums.

 

[dualazmak]

My entire collection is ripped and digital now. Clearly it all resides in folders belonging to the lead artist, and in there are their different albums/singles.

Do you still keep the physical disks with liner notes booklet, after ripping, systematically in your shelves?
I assume this would be the main inquiry of OP @Harmonie, right?