Hi friends
I inherited (a gift from my father who luckily is still doing very well
) a quite big collection of vinyl classical records (close to 4 m of records), all sort of—from baroque to modern, chamber, solo, orchestral, symphonies, operas, and a few exotic things...
Classic records are quite complicated, as many are just a "work" (like a piano-concert etc.) while many are compilations of something (great sonatas, Schubert's piano-sonatas 1,3,8 etc.), and the interprets are "never" the same—the conductor, soloists, orchestra are very often interchanging.
We (my wife and I) haven't found a common ground as to how to organize it, and settled on the simplest and least clear structure: alphabetical by composer, which causes "problems" with records where a certain interpret is playing various pieces...
What are your recommendations for a clever structure?
Thank you!
I inherited (a gift from my father who luckily is still doing very well
) a quite big collection of vinyl classical records (close to 4 m of records), all sort of—from baroque to modern, chamber, solo, orchestral, symphonies, operas, and a few exotic things...Classic records are quite complicated, as many are just a "work" (like a piano-concert etc.) while many are compilations of something (great sonatas, Schubert's piano-sonatas 1,3,8 etc.), and the interprets are "never" the same—the conductor, soloists, orchestra are very often interchanging.
We (my wife and I) haven't found a common ground as to how to organize it, and settled on the simplest and least clear structure: alphabetical by composer, which causes "problems" with records where a certain interpret is playing various pieces...
What are your recommendations for a clever structure?
Thank you!
Yes this would be a cool method, clear and no questions left (except the „where is ….?“)
In berlin, there‘s a famous record-store (hard-wax, electronic & reggae only) where the records are sorted this way… since most of those are white or black labels, you reallyreally have to know what you’re after. But otoh, you can listen to everything there is, if you buy it you get a sealed copy. Now that’s professional!
I‘m also considering sorting the stuff by artists only, or by „style“.
Nothing really fits the whole.
In berlin, there‘s a famous record-store (hard-wax, electronic & reggae only) where the records are sorted this way… since most of those are white or black labels, you reallyreally have to know what you’re after. But otoh, you can listen to everything there is, if you buy it you get a sealed copy. Now that’s professional!
I‘m also considering sorting the stuff by artists only, or by „style“.
Nothing really fits the whole.
Mmmh, index system! Homer Simpson Mmmm Something - YouTube
No offense here, this just popped out of my head.
Yes, a good index system sure would help navigatiing the complex world of classic music, especially if - like me - one is interested in cross-references etc. … but then it gets very complicated and, well, asks for a database of sorts. And that is somehow contradictory to the analogue world.
So it (the indexsystem) should be toned down, and the records could, for example, be sorted alphabetically and get visual codes behind the protection-sleeve (colors for style/personalpreference/whatnot) and maybe one more „tag“ like a black or white mark)
And for the completion of the index (where are the barenboims?), a nice book/folder could do the „trick“…
No offense here, this just popped out of my head.
Yes, a good index system sure would help navigatiing the complex world of classic music, especially if - like me - one is interested in cross-references etc. … but then it gets very complicated and, well, asks for a database of sorts. And that is somehow contradictory to the analogue world.
So it (the indexsystem) should be toned down, and the records could, for example, be sorted alphabetically and get visual codes behind the protection-sleeve (colors for style/personalpreference/whatnot) and maybe one more „tag“ like a black or white mark)
And for the completion of the index (where are the barenboims?), a nice book/folder could do the „trick“…
I missed this post, sorry.
Yes a database is somewhat obvious, but the joy of analog gets somehow corrupted. I have tried something like that myself (with "Ninox", an easy to learn but hard to fine-tune database for mac)
Yes a rolodex could be a very nice solution!
I agree the database took a bit of time to make and feed but it was at a time were my collection was still manageable ( it was a work in progress).
25 years later the situation is a bit different and tbh i'm exhausted just at the idea to redo it!
I'm in the same situation that Billshurv: cd are a total mess to organise and find to me, vinyl (LP) much easier ( size does matter? I seems to recall more easily with bigger physical dimension).
The 45rpm ( maxi, the one i use for djing) on the other hand... but it is part of the fun to find a track amongst an unclassified 300 units in a rush when you mix analog!
I agree the database took a bit of time to make and feed but it was at a time were my collection was still manageable ( it was a work in progress).
25 years later the situation is a bit different and tbh i'm exhausted just at the idea to redo it!
I'm in the same situation that Billshurv: cd are a total mess to organise and find to me, vinyl (LP) much easier ( size does matter? I seems to recall more easily with bigger physical dimension).
The 45rpm ( maxi, the one i use for djing) on the other hand... but it is part of the fun to find a track amongst an unclassified 300 units in a rush when you mix analog!
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The Problem with analogue indexes is that the sort-order is basically one-dimensional: Alphabet, Date, whatever, and that things get complicated with compilations.
But then begins the conceptual fun: Find variations/interpretations of a "tune" (a song, an opus, symphony, etc), and find other works of an artist/soloist...
The cross-referencing à la wikipedia or discogs, applied to my/your collection keeps fascinating me.
Krivium, are you really DJing with an unsorted/unclassified set (of 300 records)? Kudos!
(I did so too, some 25 yrs ago, but had to admit I was better when I wasn't. Other DJ-friends of mine are meticulously preparing their sets and play one after the other. I always found that boring, but there's advantages )
And CDs! I found them to be so much against my tastes that I ripped them all onto a hard disc and ditched them all. A mistake?
But then begins the conceptual fun: Find variations/interpretations of a "tune" (a song, an opus, symphony, etc), and find other works of an artist/soloist...
The cross-referencing à la wikipedia or discogs, applied to my/your collection keeps fascinating me.
Krivium, are you really DJing with an unsorted/unclassified set (of 300 records)? Kudos!
(I did so too, some 25 yrs ago, but had to admit I was better when I wasn't. Other DJ-friends of mine are meticulously preparing their sets and play one after the other. I always found that boring, but there's advantages
)And CDs! I found them to be so much against my tastes that I ripped them all onto a hard disc and ditched them all. A mistake?
Here's a screenshot of the databases' structure and output (the a record is selected) BTW...
Not good for browsing, but very good for wasting time filling in the information
But it basically would show what an artist has played, composer has written, or by whom a work was played etc. (cross-reference-galore!)
Not good for browsing, but very good for wasting time filling in the information
But it basically would show what an artist has played, composer has written, or by whom a work was played etc. (cross-reference-galore!)
Attachments
Why not arrange them in order of frequency played and then play them all in reverse order?
I was going to do that, just to _have_ them played (and sorted out what's to our taste), but my wife 1.) already sorted alphabetically and 2.) objected to that idea.
Yes i did ( and still do from time to time). No kudos, like you i was quickly bored with a setlist and you never know how people will react on dancefloor...so if the series of tracks doesn't do you have to change planed orientation quickly! And i was always frustrated when i listened to planed setlist afterward ( i recorded every set at that time)...
It fitted what i played too ( only Drum and Bass) and i played minimum 4hours/day each days at that time ( and often in ping-pong/back to back with friends) so i knew my collection very well ( it helps).
Now i'm less sure when i load some tracks...
It fitted what i played too ( only Drum and Bass) and i played minimum 4hours/day each days at that time ( and often in ping-pong/back to back with friends) so i knew my collection very well ( it helps).
Now i'm less sure when i load some tracks...
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