How do you sort your CD's, cassettes and/or LP's?
- Thread starter Yazmin_Salinas
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I used to sort out everything by genre ("jazz", rock n' roll", etc.) Now it's all over the place. My collection is nowadays mostly comprised of CDs and CDRs, but I do have a stack LPs in my closet that once belonged to my father. I keep them as collector's items, because they'll mostly albums long since out of print. I recently got rid of my cassette collection, because I no longer have a cassette player.
In my one EXPEDIT unit, the top row is all 180g and audiophile vinyl. Below that I have 3-1/2 sections of jazz, and 2-1/2 of rock/pop. The instrumental/pop vocal (a la Sinatra, Peggy Lee, etc.) is on the base of a different set of shelving, and the 12" singles on another.
I wish the EXPEDIT (or its replacement, KALLAX) had a 4x3 unit, as that would fit perfectly here. 4x4 is too wide, and I don't have room to put two 4x2s in the room.
I need a good isolating audio rack first. And it has to be sturdy--the turntable alone is between 50-60 pounds. And when I upgrade the power amp, it'll probably be twice that weight.
I wish the EXPEDIT (or its replacement, KALLAX) had a 4x3 unit, as that would fit perfectly here. 4x4 is too wide, and I don't have room to put two 4x2s in the room.
I need a good isolating audio rack first. And it has to be sturdy--the turntable alone is between 50-60 pounds. And when I upgrade the power amp, it'll probably be twice that weight.
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree more ive always stored my vinyl and cds vertically ( or upright) and that works great for me. I have my music stored in sections on shelves one cabinet has various Jazz. Another has Easy Listening ( or muzak) and one section has all many Rare A&M artists along with my Herb Alpert And BMB Needle drops and others. And a whole cabinet devote to Download to Disc Cds ( music downloads converted to CDR. Which has a variety of mixed genres) when i download i immediately commit it to Hard copy CDR's. Gotta back up your media.
Moritat
Well-Known Member
I sort my lps by category. Rock & folk in a closet. Jazz in the second bedroom, etc. Within each category, I sort by label. Within a given label, I don't have the need to sort alphabetically as it only takes 10-12 seconds to find what I need. Sorting by labels works great for me as the spine of the lps for each label has it's own unique look. Verve with the many thicker gatefold lps, Impulse is all orange with black trim, Atlantic is pure white, Mercury is black, and so forth.
Time for an update. My 180 gram collection has taken over more space, pushing the rest downward. 
Especially some of these recent 45 RPM sets, which are in thick double gatefold packaging, and most have outer poly sleeves on the jackets. (That is on the plate for 2016--most of my LPs will be in poly sleeves. Just trying to find a good bulk source at the moment.) Then I have the jazz section and the popular section. 12" singles take up two KALLAX spaces, about 85-90 discs each. Finally the pop instrumental/vocal stuff which is in three sections. I have maybe two open KALLAX spaces in total, so it's time to weed out some. I have a few duplicate records that I need to clean, listen to and then discard the ones that are in sad shape.
All CDs are going back in storage later this year. Only the SACDs will remain out, until I find a way to rip those directly to DSD files (which I can play on the Oppo). I keep thinking I'll want to look at the jewel cases and booklets, but I can't even remember the last time I've looked at one. I still have a few hundred CDs stored in boxes in the basement which need to be ripped. When I move to a place that is configured a bit better, I may be able to accomodate better storage.
Especially some of these recent 45 RPM sets, which are in thick double gatefold packaging, and most have outer poly sleeves on the jackets. (That is on the plate for 2016--most of my LPs will be in poly sleeves. Just trying to find a good bulk source at the moment.) Then I have the jazz section and the popular section. 12" singles take up two KALLAX spaces, about 85-90 discs each. Finally the pop instrumental/vocal stuff which is in three sections. I have maybe two open KALLAX spaces in total, so it's time to weed out some. I have a few duplicate records that I need to clean, listen to and then discard the ones that are in sad shape. All CDs are going back in storage later this year. Only the SACDs will remain out, until I find a way to rip those directly to DSD files (which I can play on the Oppo). I keep thinking I'll want to look at the jewel cases and booklets, but I can't even remember the last time I've looked at one. I still have a few hundred CDs stored in boxes in the basement which need to be ripped. When I move to a place that is configured a bit better, I may be able to accomodate better storage.
bob
Active Member
I store my cds, vinyl and other recorded material by artist, since I live in Cleveland,ohio there was a peaches
record and tapes back in the 70's and you can go on line and check out there web site
www.peachesrecordcrates.com
bob
record and tapes back in the 70's and you can go on line and check out there web site
www.peachesrecordcrates.com
bob
jfiedler17
Well-Known Member
Interesting topic!
I have an awfully elaborate sorting system for my music. It's actually kinda hilarious to an outsider just how overly detailed it is. (Chalk it up to my years as a disc jockey.)
I have my 45s organized in boxes organized by category:
- 50's and '60s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), subdivided by genre and then by artist
- '70s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- '80s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- '90s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- Top 40 hit reissues, whether from either the original label (i.e. A&M's "Forget Me Nots" series) or reissue labels like Collectables, Eric, etc.
- Hot 100 hits that didn't reach the Top 40 (original stock copies), subdivided by decade, genre, and artist
- Non-charting singles
- Promotional copies
- Christmas/Seasonal singles
My system for sorting LPs (all stored vertically in cabinets or on bookshelves) similarly is very category-oriented:
- '50s and '60s LPs, subdivided by genre and artist
- '70s LPs, broken down into pop/rock, R&B, jazz, and country categories and then in ABC order by artist
- '80s-and-after LPs, similarly broken down into pop/rock, R&B, jazz, and country, and then by artist
- New Wave/Power Pop/Alternative Rock
- Soundtracks
- Christmas/Seasonal LPs
I also make a point of separating the records I have that are in poorer shape, so that I can more easily tell which records I have adequate copies of and which ones should ideally be replaced if possible.
For some reason, I've never bothered to file either my CDs or cassettes in nearly so elaborate a fashion, and simply file those by genre first, then in ABC order by artist name, with a separate section for soundtracks. I don't have enough shelf or drawer space for my CDs, though, so at least half my CDs are stored in boxes at the moment.
If you think this system is ridiculous, you should see how I have my collection of sportscards organized ...
I have an awfully elaborate sorting system for my music. It's actually kinda hilarious to an outsider just how overly detailed it is. (Chalk it up to my years as a disc jockey.
) I have my 45s organized in boxes organized by category:
- 50's and '60s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), subdivided by genre and then by artist
- '70s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- '80s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- '90s Top 40 hits (original stock copies), similarly subdivided
- Top 40 hit reissues, whether from either the original label (i.e. A&M's "Forget Me Nots" series) or reissue labels like Collectables, Eric, etc.
- Hot 100 hits that didn't reach the Top 40 (original stock copies), subdivided by decade, genre, and artist
- Non-charting singles
- Promotional copies
- Christmas/Seasonal singles
My system for sorting LPs (all stored vertically in cabinets or on bookshelves) similarly is very category-oriented:
- '50s and '60s LPs, subdivided by genre and artist
- '70s LPs, broken down into pop/rock, R&B, jazz, and country categories and then in ABC order by artist
- '80s-and-after LPs, similarly broken down into pop/rock, R&B, jazz, and country, and then by artist
- New Wave/Power Pop/Alternative Rock
- Soundtracks
- Christmas/Seasonal LPs
I also make a point of separating the records I have that are in poorer shape, so that I can more easily tell which records I have adequate copies of and which ones should ideally be replaced if possible.
For some reason, I've never bothered to file either my CDs or cassettes in nearly so elaborate a fashion, and simply file those by genre first, then in ABC order by artist name, with a separate section for soundtracks. I don't have enough shelf or drawer space for my CDs, though, so at least half my CDs are stored in boxes at the moment.
If you think this system is ridiculous, you should see how I have my collection of sportscards organized ...
I used to keep everything strictly alphabetical--vinyl and CDs. So in vinyl, 12" singles were mixed in with the LPs, as were the audiophile pressings. The only thing I've done in CDs now is put the high-res titles (SACD and DVD-Audio) at the beginning, alphabetized, with the rest following, all alphabetical. Box sets are scattered around the house--they don't fit my shelving, so they are more a nuisance than anything else. Once I pack away all the CDs, the only thing I'll have left out are the SACDs as I do not have a way to rip those directly to .dsf files yet. (DVD-A rips beautifully to both 2.0 and 5.1 high-res FLAC files.) For CDs, soundtracks and various artists sets are lumped together in a separate section (after "Z") and then, the classical titles, which are constantly in disarray since I never know how to order those on the shelf. For those, I do not mind grouping by label, since the spines are similar.
I'm trying to think of why I divided up my vinyl the way I did--I think I've based it on my listening mood. Largely, I put the audiophile section together partly because I would forget I bought something, and then forget to play it. That is also my most active section. Jazz and related titles are next, and then pop/rock. The instrumental and pop vocals (Sinatra, Cole, Peggy Lee, etc.) are in their own section, and 12" singles are split out as well. I figured that when I'm in a mood for a certain style, it is easier to pick among similar titles as, again, I tend to overlook things when they are scattered.
I've never been a 45 buyer/listener, so I have this very small rack I keep my handful of collectibles in (primarily non-album tracks), and rarely play them anyway. I have a couple hundred beaters in the basement, many being promos I picked up from a local recording studio back in the 70s. And, 45s I had early on that weren't always cared for. Those I plan to use on the Victrola 45 I've had for a while, and will be restoring finally later this year. I'd love to find some bins of 10-cent or 25-cent 45s just to load up on some hit singles to play on it. For my collectible 45s, I wish IKEA made a tiny version of the KALLAX shelving to store them on. A little 4x4 cube would probably be enough for the rest of my life.
I'm trying to think of why I divided up my vinyl the way I did--I think I've based it on my listening mood. Largely, I put the audiophile section together partly because I would forget I bought something, and then forget to play it. That is also my most active section. Jazz and related titles are next, and then pop/rock. The instrumental and pop vocals (Sinatra, Cole, Peggy Lee, etc.) are in their own section, and 12" singles are split out as well. I figured that when I'm in a mood for a certain style, it is easier to pick among similar titles as, again, I tend to overlook things when they are scattered.
I've never been a 45 buyer/listener, so I have this very small rack I keep my handful of collectibles in (primarily non-album tracks), and rarely play them anyway. I have a couple hundred beaters in the basement, many being promos I picked up from a local recording studio back in the 70s. And, 45s I had early on that weren't always cared for. Those I plan to use on the Victrola 45 I've had for a while, and will be restoring finally later this year. I'd love to find some bins of 10-cent or 25-cent 45s just to load up on some hit singles to play on it. For my collectible 45s, I wish IKEA made a tiny version of the KALLAX shelving to store them on. A little 4x4 cube would probably be enough for the rest of my life.
Acapulco 1922
Member
Cassettes "got sorted" into the TRASH, but -- I *remember* where ALL my reels and records ARE(!).
I file under "J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding", just to keep things organized and consistent (and in this case, using their names alphabetically). Seeing that I play them maybe once every few years, it's kind of a moot point.
For digital, I would similarly tag the files with the "album artist" to keep them in one place. Johnson and Winding have recorded other albums together beyond A&M, so I would tend to choose a common tag so they would all fall under the same album artist listing in my software (like JRiver). I don't need to be hunting around for multiple entries for the same two artists (or for groups, small variations on naming aren't enough to cause me to split them up--it's too inconvenient).
For digital, I would similarly tag the files with the "album artist" to keep them in one place. Johnson and Winding have recorded other albums together beyond A&M, so I would tend to choose a common tag so they would all fall under the same album artist listing in my software (like JRiver). I don't need to be hunting around for multiple entries for the same two artists (or for groups, small variations on naming aren't enough to cause me to split them up--it's too inconvenient).
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