# Culling your collection...



## Sid James

Do you cull your collection?

I've been doing a fair bit of this lately, so I thought I'd bring it up here.

If you cull, do you have a strategy or some rule of thumb? Do you do it on a regular basis or not that regularly? Have you seen any commonalities between the things that have been, or tended to be, culled?

I see my collection as being based on usage. If a cd doesn't get listened to for a long time, or isn't likely to be used, its a potential item to be culled (or eliminated, weeded, whatever terminology you want to use).

Usage for me can be flexible. There are things I only listen to maybe once a year, but I still see them as having a place in my collection. These are sometimes pieces I love but I don't listen to a lot. The best example is Berg's opera Wozzeck, which I am a fan of, but due to it being quite intense and depressing, I only listen to it once or maybe twice a year.

An advantage of culling is it freeing up space for me to buy cd's I really want, as opposed to ones that where in hindsight injudicious purchases and just gathering dust on my shelves. Another thing is that now I only buy things I want to listen to straight away, so that avoids adding to the notorious "unlistened to" pile which I think of as a minus rather than a plus, and a chore to get thru (thus making music not very enjoyable, more a burden or duty, so I think "what's the point?"). Not to speak of saving money ("count the pennies and the pounds look after themselves" as the saying goes).

*How about you? Feel free to join this discussion and share your thoughts and experiences on this topic!*


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## Marisol

Sid James said:


> Do you cull your collection?


Never.

My music collection is completely digitized (mostly in flac format). 
I do keep the CD's, first of all it is technically required copyright wise and second it serves as a backup but they are stored safely and do not take up too much space.


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## AClockworkOrange

It is something I have been thinking about for a while as I need to free up the space.

To try and get around this, I have used Cd files (large cases which holdcx amount of CDs and booklets) but I am coming around to the idea of a cull.

I suppose my system would be based on usage and taste. As long as I retained a digital copy to allow for my taste changing I could I this. My difficulty is that I prefer my music in a tangible format - much like I prefer books to ebooks. I can see the merits of dogital formats but (on topic) until music is more readily available in a high quality lossless format I would rather buy the CD or ideally LP. MP3 as far as I am concerned is an obsolete format now the cost and availability of memory in portable devices has come down - sell it in a lossless format and allow for conversion down to MP3 if needed.

Marisol, if I may ask a question - what is the difference between FLAC and .WAV? I understand they are both lossless formats but are there any benefits to FLAC over .WAV? I have used a mix of Apples lossless encoder and .WAV in the past but I take backing up my music seriously.


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## AClockworkOrange

> An advantage of culling is it freeing up space for me to buy cd's I really want, as opposed to ones that where in hindsight injudicious purchases and just gathering dust on my shelves


This is increasingly becoming apparent to me, more in other genres but one or two examples exist in my classical collection.



> Another thing is that now I only buy things I want to listen to straight away, so that avoids adding to the notorious "unlistened to" pile which I think of as a minus rather than a plus, and a chore to get thru (thus making music not very enjoyable, more a burden or duty, so I think "what's the point?"). Not to speak of saving money ("count the pennies and the pounds look after themselves" as the saying goes).


Wise words for the most part. My listening pile is large and I mean large. However the only purchases I have discovered I regret are the flash purchases or impulse buys which have now ceased completely. Where I have done my homework and sought advice (on this website in particular) I have found the wait to be worthwhile. It can seem daunting and indeed a chore at times but where purchases have been planned I know my reasons for purchase, for buying in advance and that I will listen to them in time. This has actually helped me appreciate some music much more than I might have as strange as it sounds.

However, I can see exactly where you coming from (I get this lecture from family at times being a music collector) and since adopting the principle of buying only what you will listen too around time of purchase I have saved money though the level of thought behind a purchase remains the same - with homework. Many purchases were made at the start of my journey into classical in block orders, thankfully I did sufficient homework that I haven't regretted them.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Sid James said:


> Do you cull your collection?


Three significant culls in my more-than-half-over life:

*The Great Pop Purge of '82*- Let me set up the scenario- Me- Significant Other-- girl I had every expectation of marrying, even. Some of her musical tastes start grafting onto me. After all, there must be something wonderful about such music, for such a fantastic person to admire it. Then a little more than two years later- a blindsided breakup- or, at least it felt that way to me, with my never-before-tested early warning system. Sometime later, I look over the commercial music in my collection- and am impelled to shake my head at about every fifth album. So- I find willing recipients for donations. Do I miss any of it? Well, I miss Gerry Rafferty sometimes... but Chicago? England Dan & John Ford Coley? Billy Preston & Syreeta? _Manilow??_eek No. I don't miss any of that. At all.

*Major Move & Marriage Cull for The New Millennium*- Somewhat more dispassionate than the last one... and driven by pragmatic considerations. If you want to keep it, you have to move it. Pick up each one and say "is it worth transporting over 750 miles?" In many cases (especially for much of the remaining vinyl and cassettes), the answer is "no." Much is left to friends and family members.

*The Minor Move & Home Ownership Cull- Ten Years Gone*- Pretty much a junior version of the previous one. Moving on up. Getting more space-- but once again have to ask "is it worth it to transport?" For the first time, a goodly number of CDs are affected. In this case, I was at least able to sell 'em off to the used shop.

I expect the next major cull will happen when I retire. I'm more than a decade-and-a-half away from that happening.


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## elgar's ghost

Apart from donating a couple of duplicated discs to the local charity shop I've never culled my collection but I sure wish I had more storage solutions for it.

EDIT: I'm referring to my classical collection which is all on CD. Most of my rock collection on vinyl is being incrementally sold to one of my ex-work colleagues.


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## quack

AClockworkOrange said:


> Marisol, if I may ask a question - what is the difference between FLAC and .WAV? I understand they are both lossless formats but are there any benefits to FLAC over .WAV? I have used a mix of Apples lossless encoder and .WAV in the past but I take backing up my music seriously.


FLAC is simply lossless compressed WAV and is equivalent to apple lossless. There's no reason to keep WAV around if you convert them to FLAC or ALAC and you will save at least 50% hard disk space using a lossless encoder compared to WAV.

I've only ever culled a small amount of things i've really disliked, something like 5% over all. Of course with streaming and on demand services these days you could potentially cull most of your collection and still have it at your fingertips, depending on how rare it is. You could even sell it all on and keep rips on a hard disk, but the legality of that is rather uncertain.


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## StlukesguildOhio

There are only a few instances in which I have given away or sold music I have bought. The first instance... which happens infrequently anymore... is when I give away what I consider "second-rate" recordings/performances of a work that I have gotten far better recordings of. As I often have multiple recordings of major works, this only occurs if I truly find a given performance is not likely to ever be played again due to better alternatives. 

The other instance in which I have given away music is when I feel a given work really sucks... and as a result I won't likely ever listen to it again. Now I have works by acknowledged "masters" that I don't like. Schoenberg immediately comes to mind... but these I keep because I acknowledge the possibility that my opinion may change over time. Karl Jenkins, however... I gave that crap away after a single listen.


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## ptr

I never cull my "collection", or the Library as I prefer to call it. But I do "cull" the "New Acquisition Pile", after the first listen I sort newcomers in to three piles; Add to library, Give Away & Recycle. 
For me, having a vast library of recordings are more important then adding a few dimes from hours of deliberation over what is standing on the shelf, it is the kind of agony that steals time from my quality listening and is something that I can do without!

/ptr


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## Marisol

AClockworkOrange said:


> I
> Marisol, if I may ask a question - what is the difference between FLAC and .WAV? I understand they are both lossless formats but are there any benefits to FLAC over .WAV? I have used a mix of Apples lossless encoder and .WAV in the past but I take backing up my music seriously.


There are two advantages I can see:

1. The FLAC format compresses the information (50% - 60% according to wikipedia).
2. A FLAC file is also a container, this enables the storage of tag information and images inside the file.


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## bigshot

I don't usually cull because everything with merit gets listened to. I only cull when I first get something. I listen to it once, and if it's awful it goes away forever. That doesn't happen very often at all.

I used to have music that didn't get listened to... not because it was bad, just because I always grabbed the same thing and some things never entered my mind to play. I don't have that problem any more. I just hit random play on my music server and I'm always surprised and delighted.


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## Ingélou

I do cull. It started with books and now I cull in every department. Taggart tries to stop me, but resistance is futile. 

The main thing with cds is that we buy something that looks nice in the shop - like a cd of Purcell songs that turned out not only to be filthy (no problem) but also sung by blokes with warbling lecherous voices (horrible). Or we hear something on (shh - is Moody there? No?) *Classic FM*, and it sounds gorgeous, so we order it, and it turns out that's the only thing on the whole cd that we like. 

When I'm culling I ask myself if I ever listen to it/read it now, and I think a) of the space I'm freeing up and b) of the work I'm saving someone. They won't have to clear out too much junk when I shuffle my mortal coil. And with so many charity shops around, at least you know that culling will do good to someone.


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## Guest

Oh, it's a horrible word, 'culling' is! I can't do it. I store, and store and store ... everything that I can't cull goes up into my attic. Up there (extremes of temperature), Mother Nature takes away any responsibility I may have had for my 'children'.


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## Kieran

I don't have a huge collection: I'm cautious and I stalk a work before I purchase it. I read reviews and check it out. Then, I rarely get doubles. So my collection is essentially only the music I've sussed out beforehand and the desire to own it stayed with me. I do have a lot of old rock stuff that I'm not sure what to do with: I rarely listen to rock music now.

A decent and generous way to get rid of a cd you can't stand is to rave about it to a pal and give it to them as a gift. I hate seeing something going to waste...


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## moody

I keep being told to cull but I find it impossible.
But if I heard one of my recordings being played on Classic FM I'd cull it there and then.
While on the subject of horrific things I was horrified to run into the Rieu person on TV all afternoon today !!


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## Taggart

Ingenue said:


> Or we hear something on (shh - is Moody there? No?) *Classic FM*, and it sounds gorgeous, so we order it, and it turns out that's the only thing on the whole cd that we like.


Luckily, now that Amazon is putting up samples and we have you tube, that should be over.


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## AClockworkOrange

quack said:


> FLAC is simply lossless compressed WAV and is equivalent to apple lossless. There's no reason to keep WAV around if you convert them to FLAC or ALAC and you will save at least 50% hard disk space using a lossless encoder compared to WAV.





> 1. The FLAC format compresses the information (50% - 60% according to wikipedia).
> 2. A FLAC file is also a container, this enables the storage of tag information and images inside the file.


I have only seen passing mention of FLAC previously. If I understand correctly Apple's Lossless codec (ALAC) and FLAC are equal in terms quality. I am guessing both FLAC and ALAC hold tag information?

I need to do some homework on this methinks.

Thanks for clearing that up Quack & Marigold. _Very_ much appreciated. :tiphat:

Sorry if this veered on a slight tangent - but I would suggest that dogital back-ups do make physical purges less painful.


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## Kevin Pearson

I have culled but not always by choice but financial necessity. I find it hard to go though my collection and get rid of anything. I always think to myself that I might want to listen to that again someday. So, I make more room one way or another. My CD collection is important to me even though I find myself listening to Spotify more than my own collection these days. And sometimes because of convenience I find myself listening to something on Spotify I even own because I am too lazy to locate and play the CD. LOL

Kevin


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## Sid James

Thanks for all of your responses. I left out the issue of what to do with the things you cull, which some people have talked about anyway. Same with how digitisation is changing things, the move away from hard copy collections to digital/virtual ones.

Like chi-town philly, I have gone through a number of cull phases, basically related to life changes. I did a huge cull of a lot of my classical collection just over a decade ago. Its ironic but I've ended up repurchasing the same or similar things now, but of course with some of them thats not possible. Culling is quite a radical thing in some ways, once you do it, there's no going back. Or no easy way to go back (eg. you spend money again rebuying stuff - if you can).

But on the whole I don't regret that big cull, as I kept what I thought to be essential and in some ways those saved items have served me well over the years. They are permanent fixtures in my collection (one of them is that recording of Wozzeck I mentioned in my opening post - its likely to stay in my collection permanently).

My latest cull has no method other than based on usage. I haven't done statistics but my collection is in the hundreds, not the thousands, so I have a good sense of what I listen to often and what I don't. & also things that I don't want to listen to, am unlikely to listen to (most of them being those impulse buys). Another thing is the 'shoulds.' I went thru a period when I was buying some things I felt I should listen to, which where things that I didn't want to listen to but felt an obligation to listen to. Well now the shoulds are gone, I see this as a hobby, so I got no list of shoulds. I only listen to what I want. I still give things a chance if I am so-so about them, but some things I have little chance of using or listening to on any regular basis, so they're culled.

I went thru the trial and error stage, I went broad and narrowed down my preferences. But this is not an exact science, and for everyone it will be different. I still think it was worth me applying that broad brush and exploring rather freely. A lot of what I buy is low in price, I never buy big boxed sets for example which are of little use to me (except maybe as a doorstop!). Can't get thru them, even struggle to get thru some 2 cd sets sometimes. But for me personally, culling is also a kind of liberation. I don't have that thing to worry about anymore. Well not until I change my mind 10 or 20 years later and end up buying it again! :lol: ...


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## bigshot

The "shoulds" are what I live for. New great music! That's what it's all about. I jealously save up some "shoulds" and then dole them out to myself like ice cream. The music I don't know is always more exciting than the music I do.

As I learn more about music, my tastes are broadening faster and faster. If they started to narrow, I'd get afraid and worry that I'm doing something wrong.


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## Sid James

^^Well that's all fine. But let me clarify what I mean by 'shoulds.' Its not about shoulds that we individually chose, new things outside our comfort zone that we personally chose to venture into. Or seeing someone say something about something, or reading something, and saying "I should listen to that." Its not those shoulds that we impose upon ourselves. Its the shoulds imposed by others. & there's been plenty of that here in the past - people telling others (in effect) that they should value what they value. & I admit I was influenced by that. No big deal. If I dip my toes in the water, doesn't mean I'll drown. So I'm saying that in regards to things here, unless I ask for advice about a composer or piece, I don't want advice or a recommendation. The impetus for further exploration should (no pun intended) come from me, not from somebody suggesting I have narrow taste or whatever if I don't want what they want.

Hope that clears it up. However I must say that I don't regret things I bought that didn't work out. Its true that if one doesn't explore things outside ones comfort zone, its impossible to know what you're missing out on. So it goes both ways. But I don't accept shoulds when they are imposed, nor when a deficiency on my part is insinuated if I refuse or decline interest. That's diversity, its like a smorgasbord, I choose what I want to further explore - or not.


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## Vaneyes

I think culling is important, though I don't have to do much anymore. The heavy lifting is over...and that was getting rid of works/performances I never want to hear/see again, and also reducing multiple recordings of most keeper works to one. 

This freeing up has allowed physical and listening room for works that require more than one recording, and additional works that I find now are mostly from centuries 20 and 21.

This process (along with collection inventory) has resulted in far more discerning buying. Otherwise, one's not much more than a hoarder, with less and less time to listen. It's never too early or too late to start culling. :tiphat:


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ....I must say that I don't regret things I bought that didn't work out. Its true that if one doesn't explore things outside ones comfort zone, its impossible to know what you're missing out on. So it goes both ways. But I don't accept shoulds when they are imposed, nor when a deficiency on my part is insinuated if I refuse or decline interest. That's diversity, its like a smorgasbord, I choose what I want to further explore - or not.


Multiple amens. No regrets. It's all entertainment or learning experiences. Too many movies, sporting events, concerts, restaurants, even acquaintances! have less than satisfactory results. That's life!


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## handlebar

I cannot imagine culling mine right now. Like losing children! I have over 4000 CD's with a large majority converted to digital files but I hate to get rid of them. I did that with albums and regret it too. So for now, they shall stay.


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## bigshot

Sid James said:


> Its not those shoulds that we impose upon ourselves. Its the shoulds imposed by others. & there's been plenty of that here in the past - people telling others (in effect) that they should value what they value.


Well perhaps our process for discovering new things is different. What I do is search out people who really know what they're talking about... whether it's fine art, or jazz, or classic movies, or classical music, or illustration, or cartooning... and I chat with them about the things they find important. Usually these people are creative artists themselves. I take notes, dashing down names and recommendations. Then I start digging and come back to them in a few months and share what I've discovered with them.

What knowledgeable people tell me I *should* be listening to is *exactly* what I want to be listening to. This is particularly important to me because often the people I'm pumping for info are great artists themselves, and researching their influences tells me a lot about them.

I mentor young artists and I've been teaching them my technique. I impress upon them that when I share information with them, it isn't just idle talk. It's the culmination of a great deal of personal research. I give the respect to those who shared with me, and I expect them to give the same to me.

It's entirely different if your interest in music or art is just casual. You don't have to understand everything. But if you're serious about it, you have to go outside yourself and listen to "shoulds" from those who have travelled that road before you.


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## Marisol

AClockworkOrange said:


> I am guessing both FLAC and ALAC hold tag information?


Yes they do but I am not sure if ALAC supports custom tags.

I use the custom tag facility that FLAC offers because the standard tags do not work with classical music very well. So I have tags like COMPOSER, PERFORMERS, ENSEMBLE, CONDUCTOR, etc.

There is another format APE (Monkey audio) which is also lossless however unlike FLAC and ALAC the source code is not 100% open source and it uses cue files which I do not like.

Apple consistently refuses to support FLAC so if you are 100% on apple devices FLAC is not a good choice.

Sound quality wise there is no difference (assuming the algorithms are implemented correctly) between the three formats.


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## bigshot

ALAC supports full tagging. WAV and AIFF do not always carry tags across from player to player. But there really isn't any reason to use WAV or AIFF for normal playback, so it doesn't matter. I use AAC 256 VBR and it is aurally identical to the original CD. I don't see any reason to go lossless.


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## apricissimus

One advantage to FLAC is that it is a free and open-source standard. One big reason why some people might not want to use FLAC is that some big-name audio players, most notably iTunes, refuse to natively support FLAC even though it would be a very simple thing to do. (I've heard that there are hack-ish workarounds, but I'm not knowledgeable about this.)


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## bigshot

ALAC is free and open source now too.


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## cwarchc

My collection is too small to cull.
Some of my less salubrious albums (for want of a better word) have sentimental value
I'm working my way through listening to all my collection (it's going to take me around a year) 
I haven't come across 1 cd that I can bring myself to let go 
Perhaps I have too small a collection. (note to self - get back on Amazon)


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## bigshot

Someone should start a poll... Can an album become more salubrious over time?


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## Kleinzeit

maybe more dubious...


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## Sid James

bigshot said:


> Well perhaps our process for discovering new things is different. What I do is search out people who really know what they're talking about... whether it's fine art, or jazz, or classic movies, or classical music, or illustration, or cartooning... and I chat with them about the things they find important. Usually these people are creative artists themselves. I take notes, dashing down names and recommendations. Then I start digging and come back to them in a few months and share what I've discovered with them.
> 
> What knowledgeable people tell me I *should* be listening to is *exactly* what I want to be listening to. This is particularly important to me because often the people I'm pumping for info are great artists themselves, and researching their influences tells me a lot about them.
> 
> I mentor young artists and I've been teaching them my technique. I impress upon them that when I share information with them, it isn't just idle talk. It's the culmination of a great deal of personal research. I give the respect to those who shared with me, and I expect them to give the same to me.


I have done that as well. I have had those types of conversations with handful of music lovers I know. But they tend not to tell me what I should listen to, they suggest things.



> ...
> It's entirely different if your interest in music or art is just casual. You don't have to understand everything. But if you're serious about it, you have to go outside yourself and listen to "shoulds" from those who have travelled that road before you.


I think that most if not all people have a type of natural curiosity or inquisitiveness. So yeah I do search out things, but I don't see that as being 'shoulds' which are by contrast imposed. The need for things, for answers to my problems or queries, it comes from me. I am all for discovery and dialogue, but in my experience if people tell me I should be doing something (even that word itself) has like negative connotations (like being in school). But that's semantics, so I won't go there...


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## bigshot

I take "suggestions" from people I respect as "shoulds". I think it's important to give that respect to the person taking the time to suggest.


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## moody

There is another way of looking at one's collection.
Once it gets to a certain size the business of culling based on how often a recording is listened to goes out of the window.
I believe that you move into a different realm and you have items there that you have because you SHOULD have them for completeness. Otherwise it is not a collection at all.
I have about 7,ooo recordings and I saw that another member claimed 10,000, some of these I have never heard but they are there!
I realise that a starter ,when young,probably can't afford this but then neither could I when I was young. Also other people have other priorities,but the point is that members' way of looking at this are different.


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## bigshot

I actually spent a ton of money on CDs in the 80s. I'd go into Tower Records every week and come out with a bagful- all at full price. (It helps to work in the entertainment business. Music and movies are research and tax deductible.) But recently, my collection has exploded. The number of fantastic box sets being released at a dollar or two a disk is amazing. Even with a little overlap with my older collection, it's still a bargain.

In the old days, I wanted one good recording of each work. Now I'm exploring variations in performances, and I'm learning a lot. It's great to have a music server where in seconds I can cue up 10 different Eroica Symphonies, or head to head on Liszt or Chopin piano pieces. The differences between performances are just as interesting as the works themselves, and I know for sure now that there never will be one "perfect" performance.


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## Rangstrom

Culling? Couldn't do it. I may have items that I haven't listened to for 30 years, but they are there if the need arises. It helps to have an accurate indexing system and a lot of storage space.


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## apricissimus

bigshot said:


> ALAC is free and open source now too.


That makes Apple's decision not to support FLAC even stranger.


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## Marisol

apricissimus said:


> That makes Apple's decision not to support FLAC even stranger.


Frankly I does not surprise me at all. (yes I am not an Apple fan).


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## Sid James

bigshot said:


> I take "suggestions" from people I respect as "shoulds". I think it's important to give that respect to the person taking the time to suggest.


Well I think that perhaps the word itself doesn't matter. But I agree that if you know another person with similar interests, there will be that type of exchange, its natural to do that. I have gotten some tips that where useful from the type of person you're talking about, a musician. & interesting thing is we didn't agree on everything, but the advice or suggestion was based on what I told them I liked. So it was a matter of good listening skills on part of that person, it certainly wasn't a case of them imposing their views on me.

& in terms of this, there where times I thought that real talk and online talk of music was worlds apart. In real talk there was advice, but no rancor if I said I don't want it (or if I implied that), but online things can get more a matter of 'take it or leave it' type attitude, no middle ground, no listening so to speak. But I think its changed for the better with discussion on this forum in recent times, with most people. Those who I can't talk to in that more or less open way, I ignore anyway.



moody said:


> There is another way of looking at one's collection.
> Once it gets to a certain size the business of culling based on how often a recording is listened to goes out of the window.
> I believe that you move into a different realm and you have items there that you have because you SHOULD have them for completeness. Otherwise it is not a collection at all.
> ....


I admit I am loathe to cull what you're implying to mean as the essentials. I mean stuff (esp. the masterpieces) by Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. Also of any big name composer. So its hard. One recent example of me regretting that, at least in a minor way, was culling some Tchaikovsky. Then guess what? A year or two later, I get into a mood for Tchaikovsky, for the very things I culled. But its no tragedy, not hard to get recordings of this guy's music, recordings of his abound, we're really spoilt for choice.

So I have some things like that I probably won't cull, or not for the moment. A good deal of it is choral, which is not my very fav area (my fav is instrumental), however I am not averse to choral & I think that I will come around to listening to these cd's. Question is though, when? Since I've had them unlistened to for like 2 years since I got them. Oh dear. But it definitely means I'm not running out to get similar things, even masterpieces, since I got a backlog which I need to listen to. I only buy stuff now that I REALLY need to hear, not more stuff to put on that damned pile!...


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## moody

Sid James said:


> Well I think that perhaps the word itself doesn't matter. But I agree that if you know another person with similar interests, there will be that type of exchange, its natural to do that. I have gotten some tips that where useful from the type of person you're talking about, a musician. & interesting thing is we didn't agree on everything, but the advice or suggestion was based on what I told them I liked. So it was a matter of good listening skills on part of that person, it certainly wasn't a case of them imposing their views on me.
> 
> & in terms of this, there where times I thought that real talk and online talk of music was worlds apart. In real talk there was advice, but no rancor if I said I don't want it (or if I implied that), but online things can get more a matter of 'take it or leave it' type attitude, no middle ground, no listening so to speak. But I think its changed for the better with discussion on this forum in recent times, with most people. Those who I can't talk to in that more or less open way, I ignore anyway.
> 
> I admit I am loathe to cull what you're implying to mean as the essentials. I mean stuff (esp. the masterpieces) by Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, etc. Also of any big name composer. So its hard. One recent example of me regretting that, at least in a minor way, was culling some Tchaikovsky. Then guess what? A year or two later, I get into a mood for Tchaikovsky, for the very things I culled. But its no tragedy, not hard to get recordings of this guy's music, recordings of his abound, we're really spoilt for choice.
> 
> So I have some things like that I probably won't cull, or not for the moment. A good deal of it is choral, which is not my very fav area (my fav is instrumental), however I am not averse to choral & I think that I will come around to listening to these cd's. Question is though, when? Since I've had them unlistened to for like 2 years since I got them. Oh dear. But it definitely means I'm not running out to get similar things, even masterpieces, since I got a backlog which I need to listen to. I only buy stuff now that I REALLY need to hear, not more stuff to put on that damned pile!...


Andre,it doesn't really matter,put it all out of your mind.
You've just proved why you should not cull because there are some recordings which may never be available again.


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## Andreas

I think it's a very healthy thing to weed out the things one does not feel connected to anymore. Or that one never managed to connect to in the first place. I've recently got rid of about a quarter of my CD collection (around a hundred discs), which were either duplicates or by composers who don't mean anything to me (anymore). One's taste changes, or rather, becomes more refined over time, which is a great process.


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## moody

Andreas said:


> I think it's a very healthy thing to weed out the things one does not feel connected to anymore. Or that one never managed to connect to in the first place. I've recently got rid of about a quarter of my CD collection (around a hundred discs), which were either duplicates or by composers who don't mean anything to me (anymore). One's taste changes, or rather, becomes more refined over time, which is a great process.


Yes,well see my post above.


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> ....I admit I am loathe to cull what you're implying to mean as the essentials. I mean stuff (esp. the masterpieces) by *Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms*, etc. Also of any big name composer. So its hard. One recent example of me regretting that, at least in a minor way, was culling some *Tchaikovsky*. Then guess what? A year or two later, I get into a mood for Tchaikovsky, for the very things I culled. But its no tragedy, not hard to get recordings of this guy's music, recordings of his abound, we're really spoilt for choice....


I think it's important *not* to cull the core...keeping atleast one recording of them. So many subsequent compositions depended on them. They're great for a very good reason.

I knew one chap who culled everything before the 20th, and thereafter only collected Contemporary recs. I see/hear connection, but some don't. That severe cull sounded ludicrous to me, but different strokes.


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## bigshot

I guess I'm not being clear... I don't ask knowledgeable people with similar tastes for recommendations of music I might like. I ask people I respect for what *they* think is important. That's a big difference. It doesn't matter if we have similar tastes, or even if I might not *like* the music they are recommending. They say it's important, and that's what I'm looking for.

I know that is different than most. People want stuff they like. I'm looking to learn, not just enjoy. If I can understand the music, my tastes will probably expand to encompass it. Even if it doesn't work out that way, I've learned something important about great music.

To address another point raised... My tastes don't change. I don't appreciate something today and not appreciate it any more in the future. My tastes grow and expand, they don't wither.


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## Vaneyes

I don't perceive taste as entity. I think that would be a severe over-simplification of the game of life. My tastes do change. My knowledge has expanded, but many of my former tastes/preferences/experiments/likes have indeed withered. And thankfully, some have disappeared.


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## Sid James

Well I agree with Vaneyes, I am on the same wavelength as your two last posts here. However as I emphasised, its different for everybody. That's the premise I opened the thread on, and its interesting to read what people think about culling. Some don't like it at all, some do a bit of it, some do a lot and regularly. It also depends on other things like what size your collection is in the first place.

Over the past couple of years, I've culled a lot of things, but the only thing I really regret culling is that Tchaikovsky example I gave in my last post here. So that's the issue for me, if I no longer think about it after culling it (as if it never existed, or may as well have not existed in my collection), I call that a successful cull.

But seriously, no-one will send the boys around to your house and force you at gun point to cull your cd collection. The decision is yours and yours only, of course.

As for changing tastes, which you raise bigshot, mine have changed but not too radically. I've probably gone more conservative or traditionalist, whatever you want to call it. I see it as no big deal. I won't cull things from my collection that are radical or not 'retro,' far from it. I like a lot of the newer or new stuff, post 1945 stuff. But I have separated out some lesser known composers in that basket to listen to, remind myself of, and potentially get culled. Not definitely, but I will decide. I am also, in contrast, buying some more 'retro' stuff, things that I got into 20 years ago and there's this gap. A lot of them where on tape and I'm getting cd's of (sometimes if I get lucky, they reissue the exact same recordings).

But what I've found useful is just separate candidates for potential culling, then listen to them, think about if you want to cull, then make the decision. Most of the times its been a decision I haven't regretted.


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## bigshot

I loved Tchaikovsky when I was a kid and I still love his music. I find that my tastes spread out like the branches in a tree. The trunk is still there, it just keeps branching out into new things. If you cut the trunk, the whole tree dies. The only music from my youth that I have no interest in any more is prog rock. I got interested in it originally out of ignorance. Once I realized that the real deal was out there to be found, Genesis and Yes faded from view completely.


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## Bradius

I have vynal, CD's, tapes and MP3s. I don't have a giant collection. I do keep everything.


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## Vaneyes

Sid James said:


> Well I agree with Vaneyes, I am on the same wavelength as your two last posts here. However as I emphasised, its different for everybody. That's the premise I opened the thread on, and its interesting to read what people think about culling. Some don't like it at all, some do a bit of it, some do a lot and regularly. It also depends on other things like what size your collection is in the first place.
> 
> Over the past couple of years, I've culled a lot of things, but the only thing I really regret culling is that Tchaikovsky example I gave in my last post here. So that's the issue for me, if I no longer think about it after culling it (as if it never existed, or may as well have not existed in my collection), I call that a successful cull.
> 
> But seriously, no-one will send the boys around to your house and force you at gun point to cull your cd collection. The decision is yours and yours only, of course.
> 
> As for changing tastes, which you raise bigshot, mine have changed but not too radically. I've probably gone more conservative or traditionalist, whatever you want to call it. I see it as no big deal. I won't cull things from my collection that are radical or not 'retro,' far from it. I like a lot of the newer or new stuff, post 1945 stuff. But I have separated out some lesser known composers in that basket to listen to, remind myself of, and potentially get culled. Not definitely, but I will decide. I am also, in contrast, buying some more 'retro' stuff, things that I got into 20 years ago and there's this gap. A lot of them where on tape and I'm getting cd's of (sometimes if I get lucky, they reissue the exact same recordings).
> 
> But what I've found useful is just separate candidates for potential culling, then listen to them, think about if you want to cull, then make the decision. *Most of the times its been a decision I haven't regretted*.


Thanks for those kind words, Sid.

If I may, a little more embellishment on *The Art of Culling*.

*SIZE*: I don't think collection size matters. If something stinks, cull it. Don't let the smell permeate an otherwise honorable collection.

*GUNS*: A gun isn't held to our heads now, but we don't know what the punishment will be in the hereafter...for hoarding stinky recs.

*REGRETS*: No regrets, but, YOU CAN GO BACK AGAIN, if you so choose. A rethink on an interp? A better remastering? It's okay, because the amount of "repurchases" isn't going to be voluminous. I have only a handful of rethinks/repurchases after many culls.

Happy culling. :tiphat:


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## bigshot

Do you really end up with that many bad records? I find that the overall quality of the kinds of music I listen to is quite high. I'm trying to think of a record I'd consider "stinky" and I'm having a hard time. Perhaps Berg's Lulu and Wozzeck, but that's just because the music requires a certain mood that I don't generally find myself in. But I keep them just in case.


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## Sid James

Vaneyes said:


> ...
> 
> *SIZE*: I don't think collection size matters. If something stinks, cull it. Don't let the smell permeate an otherwise honorable collection.


Well I think that a tightly organised and judiciously culled collection is better than one full of stuff I don't need, basically. Stuff I don't listen to and don't have much of a chance of doing so. Its a bit like if you got overgrown garden, plants that need trimming back and removal of weeds, you got to get rid of the excess stuff. So I see it as good to do from time to time.



> Happy culling. :tiphat:


Just culled about 30 in past few weeks & happy with the result.



bigshot said:


> Do you really end up with that many bad records? I find that the overall quality of the kinds of music I listen to is quite high. I'm trying to think of a record I'd consider "stinky" and I'm having a hard time. Perhaps Berg's Lulu and Wozzeck, but that's just because the music requires a certain mood that I don't generally find myself in. But I keep them just in case.


Well I know its often not easy music, but I haven't culled any major names of the 20th century especially since its a fav period of music of mine. I have culled opera though of previous centuries (quite a bit of it), esp. stuff that was unlistened for ages, but am loathe to cull choral (sacred or symphonies) as I don't mind those. So basically I keep warhorses and big names (I have actually culled some 'small fry' of the 20th century - and I think that's no big deal, I can live with that, but am wary of culling the likes of Berg, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartok and so on, basically on the principle that I like them so they are regularly listened to (or at least with some regularity) & very important for me to have in the long run).


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## apricissimus

I have something like 2000 to 2500 CD's (though most of it's not classical). I was running out of room to store it all until I broke down and got rid of all my jewel cases. I replaced them with these great little plastic sleeves that reduced by at least a two thirds the amount of shelf space I need to store my CD's.

At first I was sad to get rid of the jewel cases because I liked the way they looked on a shelf (that sounds silly to me now). But by getting rid of the jewel cases, I bought myself a lot more time before I _have_ to start culling my collection. Till now the only culling I've done is of duplicate recordings, which happens from time to time when you buy some big box set that contains some recordings that you already own.

I guess I don't see any need to cull unless space is an issue. It's not like I'm going to get a lot of money for my used CD's.

Oh, and here's a link to the plastic sleeves I use in case anyone's interested:

http://www.jazzloft.com/p-34281-space-saving-cd-sleeves.aspx


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## MagneticGhost

Vaneyes said:


> Thanks for those kind words, Sid.
> 
> If I may, a little more embellishment on *The Art of Culling*.
> 
> *SIZE*: I don't think collection size matters. If something stinks, cull it. Don't let the smell permeate an otherwise honorable collection.
> 
> *GUNS*: A gun isn't held to our heads now, but we don't know what the punishment will be in the hereafter...for hoarding stinky recs.
> 
> *REGRETS*: No regrets, but, YOU CAN GO BACK AGAIN, if you so choose. A rethink on an interp? A better remastering? It's okay, because the amount of "repurchases" isn't going to be voluminous. I have only a handful of rethinks/repurchases after many culls.
> 
> Happy culling. :tiphat:


You make it sound so easy. 
I can cull books with ease. And don't mind the double dip if the mood takes me years on.
But each CD is like a child. Even a smelly unloved one. That I find it really difficult to let go.
I'll go through my collection and give it a go one day soon though. As I'm running out of room fast.


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## bigshot

Opera is one of my greatest loves. Even if I haven't had time to listen to every opera I own all the way through in one sitting, I still get a lot out of cherry picking scenes once in a while. And having it all in iTunes makes it easy for me to quickly rack up all the "La Donne e Mobile"s side to side for comparison. Invaluable.

I wish I could do the same with my operas on video.


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## Vaneyes

apricissimus said:


> I have something like 2000 to 2500 CD's (though most of it's not classical). I was running out of room to store it all until I broke down and got rid of all my jewel cases. I replaced them with these great little plastic sleeves that reduced by at least a two thirds the amount of shelf space I need to store my CD's.
> 
> At first I was sad to get rid of the jewel cases because I liked the way they looked on a shelf (that sounds silly to me now). But by getting rid of the jewel cases, I bought myself a lot more time before I _have_ to start culling my collection. Till now the only culling I've done is of duplicate recordings, which happens from time to time when you buy some big box set that contains some recordings that you already own.
> 
> I guess I don't see any need to cull unless space is an issue. It's not like I'm going to get a lot of money for my used CD's.
> 
> Oh, and here's a link to the plastic sleeves I use in case anyone's interested:
> 
> http://www.jazzloft.com/p-34281-space-saving-cd-sleeves.aspx


*Polyethylene sleeves,* doesn't that stuff smell? I'd be wary, too, storing a CD long-term in such. A non-smelly CD could literally become smelly, and worse, even attach itself to the *polyethylene,* making a horrible mess.

Shelf spine-reading isn't easy, either, with *polyethylene sleeves.*


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## Vaneyes

MagneticGhost said:


> You make it sound so easy.
> I can cull books with ease. And don't mind the double dip if the mood takes me years on.
> But *each CD is like a child. Even a smelly unloved one*. That I find it really difficult to let go.
> I'll go through my collection and give it a go one day soon though. As I'm running out of room fast.


I hadn't thought of *smelly children*. Anyway, good luck in finding them a new home.


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## apricissimus

Vaneyes said:


> *Polyethylene sleeves,* doesn't that stuff smell? I'd be wary, too, storing a CD long-term in such. A non-smelly CD could literally become smelly, and worse, even attach itself to the *polyethylene,* making a horrible mess.
> 
> Shelf spine-reading isn't easy, either, with *polyethylene sleeves.*


The sleeves I'm using don't smell. Or at least I can't smell them.

You're right about the spine-reading though. But I really had no choice but to try to save space somehow.


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## bigshot

I use Case Logic binders. The booklet and back tray insert fit right below the CD. Makes it very easy to browse, much easier than squinting to read CD spines.


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## Vaneyes

bigshot said:


> I use Case Logic binders. The booklet and back tray insert fit right below the CD. Makes it very easy to browse, much easier than squinting to read CD spines.
> 
> View attachment 19512


Now this makes some sense, particularly for my DVD/Blu-ray.

Browsing re CDs, I see CL has wallets holding up to 320 and 352. But, capacity is reduced by half, if cover/notes are stored. That wouldn't appeal to me...having all these cases lying around, and then doing endless album page flipping to find a recording. *Polyethylene sleeves?*


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## apricissimus

Vaneyes said:


> Now this makes some sense, particularly for my DVD/Blu-ray.
> 
> Browsing re CDs, I see CL has wallets holding up to 320 and 352. But, capacity is reduced by half, if cover/notes are stored. That wouldn't appeal to me...having all these cases lying around, and then doing endless album page flipping to find a recording. *Polyethylene sleeves?*


Is it so much worse than flipping through LP's?


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## apricissimus

bigshot said:


> I use Case Logic binders. The booklet and back tray insert fit right below the CD. Makes it very easy to browse, much easier than squinting to read CD spines.
> 
> View attachment 19512


My major issue with the wallets is that they're harder to organize. I sort my CD's alphabetically, which is easy to do on a shelf. But in a wallet, if you need to insert a new CD somewhere, you may have to take all the ones that come after it out and back in again.


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## bigshot

The ones I use I get at supermediastore.com and I think they hold 500 (250 with papers)


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## Wood

I hope you cullers don't bin your old CDs etc. Send them to me instead!

I don't cull, and continue to play all of the works in my collection, playing them randomly (mp3) and serially (CD). This will continue no matter how large my collection becomes.

So what is the optimal collection size? 4,000 or 7,000 or 10,000? 

I would suggest that it is n+1, where n is the current quantity of works held.

Finally, I don't see unplayed piles of CDs as being a burden. Often, I find that for the price of one CD which contains the work I want to buy, another quantity of CDs are thrown in, effectively for free. As such, the remainder, which almost invariably have completely worthwhile music, are available to be played and integrated into my collection over an unspecified time in the future. Or not, because it doesn't matter either way.


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## Sid James

Thanks to apricissimus & bigshot for those other storage options. Looks like something I might have to look into. I've seen both those types of things in shops but nevery given it much thought before.


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## brotagonist

I cull my collection on an ongoing basis. It is rare that I manage to delete more than two to three albums a year, however, as I have pruned the deadwood over years of listening. What little that gets removed is mostly rock that I have grown tired of. I rarely make bad choices any more, as I listen on You Tube, Naxos, Amazon or elsewhere, if possible. The shelf life of classical is measurable in centuries, not years. I keep classical recordings, as old favourites are constantly recapturing my interest. Occasionally, I will buy a new (remastered) set that entirely contains an album from my collection. I pawn the culled albums at a local shop to expand my collection.


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## Bas

My collection is the result of a lot of research, there are no cd's a barely listen too. I have moods of course: there are string quartet periods, or vocal periods, operatic periods, piano concerto periods, etc. I can only think of one cd(box) I dont listen too in my collection, a box with the most important works by Debussy. It's not bad music, I just don't like it. I could sell the box or give it to someone to make some place on the shelf, perhaps. Other culling is not necessary for now.


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