Big CD boxes. How do YOU keep track of their contents?

[VodkaDilc]

Looks interesting, though presumably Windows only. Are there any good Mac ones?

http://www.bruji.com/cdpedia/index.html

I've been using it for years. Best few pounds I've ever spent.

[richardfinegold]

Of course, these programs are only useful if you have burned all your CDS to a hard drive in the first place...

[Dave2002]

http://www.bruji.com/cdpedia/index.html

I've been using it for years. Best few pounds I've ever spent.

Looks like you either have to insert a CD into the computer drive, or scan a bar code. Does this work for bar codes on box sets with 50+ CDs?

[gurnemanz]

Looks like you either have to insert a CD into the computer drive, or scan a bar code. Does this work for bar codes on box sets with 50+ CDs?

You need to scan each CD separately, which only takes a few seconds. You don't need to burn it which would obviously take much longer. Because the online databases used for automatic data entry are not consistent in the fields used (eg no field for composer), you need to do some fine tuning to get it the way you want it, but worth the effort.

[Dave2002]

You need to scan each CD separately, which only takes a few seconds. You don't need to burn it which would obviously take much longer. Because the online databases used for automatic data entry are not consistent in the fields used (eg no field for composer), you need to do some fine tuning to get it the way you want it, but worth the effort.

I've been there with ripping. Seems way too much effort to be worthwhile, unless you don't do anything else. I've largely given up ripping - just play the CDS, and try to keep the CDs in the correct sleeves and boxes, and periodically go through and reallocate "ones that get away" back into their correct slots.

Maybe just scanning the barcode is easier though, but then the editing of the data later may be problematic too, as you mention.

[Cockney Sparrow]

If I understand Gurnemanz, and after a quick look at the website - loading the CD into a Disc player on the PC enables it to identify the CD (mostly, no doubt -and as said possibly some tweaking to the tag data) - I've used the dBpoweramp Ripper program, just for example, and that part is quite quick. Actually ripping the CD takes longer, but that isn't required. (You probably fully understand that Dave, but it isn't explicitly stated in your post).

I'm tempted to try (but not imminently) the "OrangeCD Catalog" program referred to - its Shareware and of modest cost and offers a 30day free trial. Presumably if I was to scan the barcode I'd have to buy a piece of equipment to connect to the PC, but if the program worked well enough trialling it by loading the CD to identify it, it might be worth trying scanning the barcode.

If you are there, Gurrnemanz - does OrangeCD Catalog cope well with the large CD box sets - e.g. Colin Davis on RCA; Decca Mono Years, DGG Originals (and many others)?

My only feasible way forward is a mixed economy - I'd never be able to invest the time to rip, check tags etc for all the CDs so a physical library is necessary. A better index database of the CDs would be desirable though. I also have downloads so I'll need to master jRiver Media for playback (presently on my home office system but then via (I hope) Chromecast Audio or possibly some other device in the living room etc).

[Dave2002]

A quick solution for those large boxes in which the individual CDs have identifiable covers - e.g Living Stereo, Mercury etc. might be to lay all the CDs in their covers on the floor, then to photograph or video them - either all in one go, or individually. Then put them all back into the big box. At least it might then be possible to spot which is in which box by this technique, and if they are kept in order in the box that could provide a quick access method.

As a solution it won't work well for those sets where all the covers are very similar except for minimal identification and a CD number, so it's not a cure all.

[umslopogaas]

I started an Excel database of my CDs, but I buy a few every month on the basis of Gramophone reviews, and have now fallen so far behind I doubt I shall ever catch up - and of course every month the unentered pile gets even bigger. But I dont think it is particularly important, I have them shelved alphabetically by composer and can usually find a work I want. The only problem is when two or more composers are represented, if its a major work by Bartok and a filler by Busoni, for example, I'll file it under Bartok and the Busoni piece will be lost for ever unless - unlikely - I can remember its there.

The problem is compounded by these bumper bargain boxes, I know I'm never going to catalogue them, its just down to "Oh that's the sort of thing Toscanini might have recorded, lets look in his box and see if its there." I now have three shelves of these boxes and I doubt I'm going to listen to all the discs even once.

I also have an Excel database of all my LPs and that is relatively up to date, with just a small outstanding pile waiting to be entered. As with the CDs they are shelved alphabetically by composer and the same problem arises when there is more than one composer on the disc, but generally the system works quite well, there are relatively few multiple composer discs. The columns are CODE LETTER, CODE NUMBER, COMPANY, COMPOSER, WORK, SOLOIST, CONDUCTOR, ORCHESTRA, COMMENT, CONDITION, FIRST OR OTHER LABEL. So, I can tell you how many three digit HMVs, how many Deccas, how many Beethoven Fifths, Oistrakh,s Soltis, LSOs just by sorting on the relevant column. I have been told that Excel isnt really designed for this and I should have used Access, but life is too short to do it all again and the system works well enough for me.

[Dave2002]

I have been told that Excel isnt really designed for this and I should have used Access, but life is too short to do it all again and the system works well enough for me.

Life is too short to mess around, but if you wanted to use Access or another database (I don't know if you have Access or any other database) then you should be able to export from Excel in a format which will work easily with other databases. I think there are benefits, but also downsides. One possible problem (with Excel) which might be avoided is loss of data through a data entry error or bad sort, so if you stick with Excel I hope you keep backups of your data files going back a few versions.

[umslopogaas]

Thanks Dave, that is beyond my mediocre computer skills, but I was told by the local computer expert that this was possible and I thought she said she would do it for me - she has a copy of the Excel database - but so far nothing has appeared.

I have a backup copy on a memory stick.

[richardfinegold]

I've been there with ripping. Seems way too much effort to be worthwhile, unless you don't do anything else. I've largely given up ripping - just play the CDS, and try to keep the CDs in the correct sleeves and boxes, and periodically go through and reallocate "ones that get away" back into their correct slots.

Maybe just scanning the barcode is easier though, but then the editing of the data later may be problematic too, as you mention.

Yes, I had only skimmed the link at first and didn't realize that the CDs could be scanned. That would be a time saver compared to ripping (I, like Dave, have been desultory about making inroads into the thousands of CDS threatening to take over the house), although the theoretical advantage of doing the rips is that one can discard the CDS and retain the music. In practice, most of us here would only discard our Silver Discs at gunpoint).
I didn't realize that CDs had bar codes

[VodkaDilc]

Looks like you either have to insert a CD into the computer drive, or scan a bar code. Does this work for bar codes on box sets with 50+ CDs?

Scanning the barcode is easy and all the works on a set of CDs are provided - though I usually tidy up the form in which they appear.

Burning CDs onto a hard drive is not needed and, although the discs can be read by inserting them into the computer, reading the barcode is easier, quicker and avoids any direct contact with the CD.

Another huge benefit with CDPedia is the customer service. Any email sent to them is answered immediately by the creators of the system. I could not speak more highly of them or of CDPedia.

As an experiment about finding works included in big boxes, I have just made a search for Dvorak's New World Symphony, using CDPedia. All the individual CDs have been found, but also versions on the Living Stereo first box and the recent New York Phil's 175th anniversary collection. I hope this will be helpful to Dave2002.

[Cockney Sparrow]

As I'm considering trying out Gurnemanz's suggestion "OrangeCD Catalog" - I thought I'd try out loading a CD from the Radu Lupu complete recordings box set into dBpoweramp CD Ripper program on my PC. 7 tracks 40 minutes total. Although it is a program to rip CDs, it firstly identifies the CD, so I can check the tags etc. It offered the correct CD Details in under 10 seconds. So OrangeCD Catalog would probably take about the same time to identify a CD and offer tag details for checking before it went into the database.

As a trial, purely for comparison, I then ripped the disc to a FLAC format and it took 4minutes 20 seconds.

As I only want to catalogue the CD into the "OrangeCD Catalog" program database, I only need to spend about 10 seconds** per CD. Presumably if I found the program very valuable and wanted to construct a database of all my CDs, I could save some of the 10 seconds (**plus opening the box, CD drive tray, replacing the CD into the box) by just scanning the barcode on the case and I would investigate adding a scanner to my PC.

This is, of course, quite different from ripping all these discs into a hard drive and having a music program (iTunes, jRiver, many others) file, store,retrieve and play them - which isn't under discussion (well, not by me) in this thread.

[pastoralguy]

Many thanks indeed for all the responses.

[gurnemanz]

If you are there, Gurrnemanz - does OrangeCD Catalog cope well with the large CD box sets - e.g. Colin Davis on RCA; Decca Mono Years, DGG Originals (and many others)?

CDs in a box set are usually also available singly or have been at some point. Each CD in a box set is therefore scanned as a single CD. You can name it as part of a set, eg Decca Mono Years CD1 etc. Having done that, you can bring up all the CDs in that set by making a query which will select the CDs with that name - very convenient for quickly checking box set contents.

The programme is extremely flexible and endlessly adaptable to your own preferences, also very satisfying and enjoyable to work with.