Do you have any special way you order your physical collection?

5318 Views 42 Replies 27 Participants Last post by Albert7, Jul 25, 2015

brotagonist

Discussion Starter · May 17, 2015

I have IKEA shelves, 4 stacking units, that I have placed side-by-side, two high, to create a nearly 2m-long, low unit with four shelves.

I had the entire collection ordered alphabetically by composer (classical, some ethnic) or performer (jazz and popular, some ethnic), without regard for genre.

I have categorized my collection into four genres: classical, ethnic, jazz and popular. This covers my collection well, without the need to make tenuous exceptions for some albums: categories fit logically. I call it Radio CEJP.

Lately, I had thought I might like to separate the genres, since I mostly play classical, so I wanted those on the upper three shelves (no doubling up, yet

), and the other genres on the lower one (partially doubled up). I stayed up until 3 last night getting it done. Wow! I like it. I no longer need to peer at floor level to get at Wagner or Xenakis.

How do you organize your physical collection? Do you have separate shelves for each genre? Even keep them in separate rooms for different types of listening? Do you have them on shelves or in stacks? How do you deal with exceeding the capacity or non-standard album sizes: get more shelves, double up, etc.? Any unique solutions?

21 - 40 of 43 Posts

hpowders

· #21 · May 18, 2015

I put all my performances of Les Troyens together. I don't care much about the rest.

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Xaltotun

· #22 · Jun 7, 2015

One shelf for classical music, two for heavy metal, one for all the rest. CM is organized alphabetically by composers. The stack of one composer is organized so that works in a similar "genre" are next to each other (symphony, orchestral, choral, chamber etc.), and inside a "genre-stack", works are organized by opus number.

So, for example my stack of Dvorak records begins like this:

Piano Concerto op. 33
Cello Concerto op. 104
Stabat Mater op. 58
St. Ludmila op. 71
Requiem op. 89
etc.

Reactions: 1

Pugg

· #23 · Jun 8, 2015

Art Rock said:
I have two big main cabinets (and some smaller storage spaces, used e.g. for jazz CD's), one for most of the pop/rock CD's, one for the classical CD's.

The classical CD's are in alphabetical order based on composer last name. CD's with two composers are listed under what I consider the main one, CD's with more than two composers come at the end. Within composers, I order them in the sequence symphonies, concertos, other orchestral, chamber, solo instruments, vocal. The same sequence applies for the CD's with more than two composers.

Must be in our genes, for me the same.
I do also have a cabinet of recital discs by singers also on the last name.

Reactions: 2

Albert7

· #24 · Jun 27, 2015

I will photograph up my collections when the renovations are done soon. More to come...

Manxfeeder

· #25 · Jun 27, 2015

Mine initially was on a lovely artsy bookshelf, and I organized all the pieces by era, and within the era by composer, and per composer by the year the piece was composed. It's beautiful. But then I ran out of bookshelf space and time, so now recent acquisitions are stacked on my desk or the floor according to purchase date. Now my office looks more like an episode of Hoarders. But it's strange; I can still remember where everything is.

Morimur

· #26 · Jun 27, 2015

Office boxes. As soon as I get the CD in the mail, I copy it (in FLAC) to one of my external drives and then store it in an office box, never to see the light of day again.

Reactions: 2

bigshot

· #27 · Jun 27, 2015

All my records and CDs used to be in alphabetical order... then I moved. Thankfully, iTunes takes over the alphabetizing duties for me now. My music server has pretty much replaced all my disks. They're on shelves now in boxes.

Reactions: 1

G

· #28 · Jun 27, 2015

An IKEA floor standing metal revolving thing in the main, specifically for CDs - don't think such antiquated items are still produced?

Box sets / odd shaped things go on a shelf.

Classical and non-classical are kept separate to prevent interbreeding. Everything alphabetical by composer (non classical also chronological).

I also have some cassettes (!) living in an old office tray. Some of that stuff is Baroque, recorded at the time of composition. It's really the remnants from my days of vinyl.

G

· #29 · Jun 27, 2015

Morimur said:
Office boxes. As soon as I get the CD in the mail, I copy it (in FLAC) to one of my external drives and then store it in an office box, never to see the light of day again.

Indulge an old fart - how does one go about the FLAC thing please?

KenOC

· #30 · Jun 27, 2015

Dogen, FLAC is a lossless format, so when you copy the files on a CD to FLAC they can later be restored to the identical files. But FLAC files are about half the size of the CD files, so less space is needed to store them on your hard drive. The space savings are maybe 300 MB per CD, or thereabouts.

You can rip CDs to individual FLAC files using any number of programs (I use Foobar2000, a free and very capable program, but with a learning curve).

Some players will play FLAC files directly. I don't think iTunes will, so you'll need to convert your FLAC files to an acceptable format that iTunes can use. FooBar2000 will do this too.

G

· #31 · Jun 27, 2015

KenOC said:
Dogen, FLAC is a lossless format, so when you copy the files on a CD to FLAC they can later be restored to the identical files. But FLAC files are about half the size of the CD files, so less space is needed to store them on your hard drive. The space savings are maybe 300 MB per CD, or thereabouts.

You can rip CDs to individual FLAC files using any number of programs (I use Foobar2000, a free and very capable program, but with a learning curve).

Some players will play FLAC files directly. I don't think iTunes will, so you'll need to convert your FLAC files to an acceptable format that iTunes can use. FooBar2000 will do this too.

Thanks for the info Ken.

campy

· #32 · Jun 28, 2015

My CDs are shelved alphabetically by composer, with operas separated out.

Reactions: 1

bigshot

· #33 · Jun 28, 2015

KenOC said:
Some players will play FLAC files directly. I don't think iTunes will, so you'll need to convert your FLAC files to an acceptable format that iTunes can use.

People who use iTunes rip to ALAC. It's the exact same thing as FLAC.

Saintbert

· #34 · Jun 30, 2015

I have one shelf where all composers are found in alphabetical order. Of course that's just one shelf, so the rest (most) are in random order, random places.

Reactions: 1

Azol

· #35 · Jun 30, 2015 (Edited)

4

Since I was unable to purchase any decent shelves/cabinet for reasonable price, I decided to do it myself. So I ordered materials and it went like this:

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Hardwood

Property Building Rectangle Wood Textile

Passive circuit component Circuit component Wood Adhesive Audio equipment

Bookcase Furniture Shelf Shelving Publication

I attached glass doors to the finished shelf, will upload the photo later on. That was 3 years ago - now I am up for assembling the next one since this shelf (fully dedicated to classical music) has been at full capacity for a long time. Have all materials ready :^)

As for organizing digital music (and CD/DVD collection as well), I created this thread (http://www.talkclassical.com/38722-music-catalog-software-do.html) and I use CATraxx since I can't now even imagine being without a full-fledged catalogue in my PC.

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jenspen

· #36 · Jul 4, 2015

Well, since you ask. Like at least one other poster, I am going to use Billy shelves for my CDs, as they are adjustable for height (and cheap). I have been using a rather nice mid-century wall unit with adjustable shelves but we moved house this week and the wall unit stayed behind with the wall. I probably had 12 metres of compact discs. CDs suit my current favourite way of enjoying music - supine, eyes closed, concentrating, sometimes blissfully drifting off...

Also, like several other posters I arrange carefully and I also give away any CDs that I have stopped being interested in - over the years my shelves have, almost of their own volition, shed all non-classical CDs, any collections of random pieces, well-intentioned gifts and all opera. Everything left on the shelves is pure listening gold for me.

I arrange by (main) Composer's name then by the usual sub-categories:
Orchestral
Chamber
Solo instrumental
Choral
Solo Vocal

For some crowded categories (e.g. Bach Cantatas) I keep spreadsheets - BWV and then conductor. But mostly I know what I've got and am able to lay my hand on the CD I want even in the dim light by which I like to listen to music.

I wasn't always organised and I wish I'd known when I was younger that "a place for everything and everything in its place" was actually sage advice and one of the keys to a stress-free existence.

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Musicophile

· #37 · Jul 4, 2015

Same as several above, all CDs are alphabetically stored without their jewel cases in this kind of box in the basement, and will probably never see the daylight again.

Rectangle Home appliance Gas Output device Crash cart

Computer audio is the best thing that ever happened to classical music listening. The only downside is that proper tagging of the works takes forever. It is worth it though, in one click I have access to all my 40+ Brahms 1 for example. The "album" concept just never made sense for classical music in the first place, where the CD companies had to fill 70min of music no matter how long the actual work was.

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Antiquarian

· #38 · Jul 4, 2015

I have my LPs catalogued chronologically, by era, and then alphabetically by composer within that scheme. Compilations, oddities, and the uncategorisable are in a separate section of The Great Wall of Classical Music. I started this unarguably ponderous system when I began my listening adventures, and I never gave it up. With CDs, I am sensible and have everything alphabetical by composer. My LPs are in a custom made oak bookcase on one wall of my music room. My CD collection is in several racks that I commissioned a local furniture designer-maker to produce. Each one is made out of a different specie of tree-- cocobolo, lacewood, cardinalwood, black walnut, cherry.

Reactions: 2

geralmar

· #39 · Jul 7, 2015

I organize my LPs and CDs by label; then by catalogue number, when I am so inclined. My "index" is old Schwann catalogues and memory.

Reactions: 3

Albert7

· #40 · Jul 24, 2015

I even got my jazz and classical compact disc collection up and running in my bedroom now.

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