How Do You Manage Your Collection of Audio CDs?

[StuyvesantGrad1970]

Any recommendations on how to manage a large number of Audio CDs? I’m looking for suggestions on software databases, as well as physically storing and finding the CDs. Thanks.

[eFrisky]

CATraxx is one of the best for compiling a really comprehensive database of your beloved collection. It's one of the few pieces of shareware that I've ever purchased; it's "worthy", trust me!

They offer a 30-day demo, so go and take a look for yourself.
http://www.fnprg.com/catraxx/catraxx.html

[burninfool]

I use CDTree:
http://www.webattack.com/get/cdtree.shtml
I physically store my CD's alphabetically in 120ct wire towers.

[kuser9]

I just use Excel. I put artist name, album title, and so on to each cell. After that I use sorting. So that artist names show up in alphabetical order.
For physical storage, I use Boltz rack.
http://www.boltz.com/cd/index.stm

[socheat]

I just recently converted my 300+ CD collection to Ogg files and are now stored on my spare 40GB hard drive. The CD's themselves have gone into storage, and I stream the audio to my home audio system. I like this solution a lot better because I don't have a massive amount of CD's to physically move anymore, I don't have to change discs on my CD player, I can preserve my CD's, and I can control everything through my computer (it's always on anyway).

Socheat

[StuyvesantGrad1970]

Thanks eFrisky, Burninfool, Kuser9 and Socheat for your replies.

I will try the CATraxx and CDTree programs because I want a program that looks up the artist and track information on the web at WWW.Gracenote.Com or WWW.AllMusic.Com rather than typing everything into Excel.

The BoltzRack shelves looks cool, but the 120 CD wire towers are cheaper. Both take up a lot of space. The hard drive solution is a good way to save space, but my wife has a CD player in her car, and she wants to be able to get to the actual CDs. Socheat: How do you stream from your computer to your home audio system?

I am creating a lot of CDRs that need to be stored. I am converting my record albums into CDs, using DCArt32 to get rid of the pops and clicks http://www.diamondcut.com/Catalog/dcart32.htm. I also make continuous dance music mix CDs using Mixmeister 3.0 http://mixmeister.com/ to fade in and fade out and edit the tracks. I am looking at Case Logic Prosleeves http://caselogic.com/profiles/index.htm to hold the CDRs I make and to save space and weight. The Prosleeves are available on eBay for about 10 cents a piece.

[socheat]

In Linux, there are several sound servers (ESD, Arts, and NAS). I picked up a really cheap laptop off of eBay ($100) for a little project I'm working on, which I'll post when it's finished. The laptop runs the ESD server with an extra 802.11b card I had, and XMMS (the WinAmp for Linux) has an ESD plugin which you can configure to connect to an ESD server. I then connected the audio out of the laptop to the aux inputs of my receiver, and now I can play my MP3's through my stereo.

Actually, the real motivation to do all this was my original car cd changer died on me, so I decided to get an in-dash MP3/CD player. Digitizing all my CD's just seemed like the natural next step.

Socheat

[Turkeyscore.com]

I use windows media player 9 and a 120 gig hard drive...the Physical cds are spread out throughout my room and in various cd players around the house

[ChrisX]

All of my music CDs are locked away in another room and the music is stored as Mp3 in the 80GB hard drive. So, there isn't any need for me to look for it.

My suggestion use MS Access for instant info of Artists, album, songs and the times. I haven't created the database yet and if the time I will.