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



## brotagonist

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?


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## Albert7

Separate by genre, mostly classical versus non-classical, then it's random otherwise. I don't need to organize much.


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## MoonlightSonata

No, not really... I order by a bizarre mix of size, composer and instrument.


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## joen_cph

Wish I had more space, also for the books, but do have a certain system. The collection is not in one room, but scattered, giving a somehwat lighter, less cramped effect.

LPs: 
- alphabetical by composers; 
- operas is a special section, also alphabetical, by composers
- compilations/recitals in special sections;
- albums only kept for the cover designer or considered unimportant - in a special section in a closet;
- albums where I also have the CD: a special section, in a closet
- albums waiting to be given away/sold in a special section (the loft etc.)
- jazz, rock & folk section

CDs: don´t have space for a strict overall sequence, but
- some major composers, alphabetically;
- stacks, mainly ordered by countries of the composers
- stacks, of compilations/recitals 
- jazz section
- rock & folk section
- CDRs, alphabetical
- waiting to be given away/sold - in a closet.


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## brotagonist

^ Wow! You do have a very unique, but considered and tricky, system, joen_cph!  I'll have to study that closer  for some ideas.


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## joen_cph

Well, it´s just determined by circumstances - the lack of an extra room. I´d love a real, orderly music library in the apartment .


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## ptr

I use a mix of Ikea Bonde (illustrative illustration below) and place built shelves in the same style. Each square section take abut 75-80 LPs, as I have a few such beasts I stopped sorting alphabetically when I crossed the 3000 and started an acquisition data base, today each new addition get a serial no when it is added to the "collection". Same goes for CD's and other recorded media (tapes), for the CD's I have double sided place built shelves where each shelf hold about 100 discs. (All the digital files are stored on self mirroring 24GB NAS in a fireproof safe the basement, soon to be up sized) 










/ptr


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## Bulldog

I used to have a music library that was very neat and ordered when I did cd reviews. Now, my recordings are all over the place and random; that's how I really like it best. I'm always surprised at what I find.


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## brotagonist

Bulldog said:


> I used to have a music library that was very neat and ordered when I did cd reviews. Now, my recordings are all over the place and random; that's how I really like it best. I'm always surprised at what I find.


I just use a random algorithm to make the surprise choices :tiphat:


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## Albert7

I organized my digital files easily. iTunes in purchased albums are in a laptop which is duplicated. I have a separate desktop to handle CD rips in Apple lossless.

Everything digitally now is handled by album title.


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## jtbell

My CDs are mostly grouped by composer, with composers mostly grouped by nationality:

Baroque and earlier, with composers more or less chronologicallly (Purcell, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, etc.); then Classical and later, with composers arranged chronologically within each nationality:
German and Austrian
French
Italian
Spanish
Hungarian
Russian
Czech
Polish
American
Latin American
British
Finnish
Baltic states
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Iceland
General Scandinavian/Nordic collections

Multi-composer collections usually fall (at least mostly) within some nationality, and come at the end of the appropriate "national" section. 

Finally, I have a section for "miscellaneous collections," mostly performer-oriented.


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## brotagonist

I tried the nationality approach once, but it stumbled badly.

Are Schoenberg and Weill German or American? Is Stravinsky Russian or American? Is Handel German or English? Etc.


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## Albert7

My CD's are all random honestly. Since I am ripping those to my computers I don't really care for how my CD's are put away. Since I will be loading onto my iPod touch/iPhone from that a ways.


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## Art Rock

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.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have one shelf which is made up of smaller compartments, similar to the way ptr's shelf is designed but with longer shelves. As to how exactly I organise the CDs, I have ended up with logical system of placing the CDs I most often listen to in places easiest to reach. My Boulez box set, for example, is towards the centre of an upper-middle shelf near some Mozart piano concertos, Mahler symphonies and Anthony Pateras. A number of Elgar recordings are sitting in the bottom corner shrouded in darkness no matter which direction the light is coming from.


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## brotagonist

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> A number of Elgar recordings are sitting in the bottom corner shrouded in darkness no matter which direction the light is coming from.


:lol::lol::lol:


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## brotagonist

Art Rock said:


> 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.


I have been thinking about solving that. So far, within composers, they are willy-nilly. I would need to create another column in my spreadsheet to categorize them that way, otherwise the spreadsheet and the physical collection would end up not having the same ordering (actually, they don't presently, either). And, then, there are the countless albums that have a mix of orchestral, chamber and vocal works. While I have some hundreds of classical albums (and more than twice as many classical discs) now, I think the collection is still small enough not to have to get _that_ refined... yet 

This is something to think about!


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## senza sordino

I recently bought Ikea Benno shelves that go with the Billy bookcases. I organize alphabetically by composer. Within composer I numerically order the symphonies but not much more than that. If there are two or three composers on the CD, whoever is listed first gets filed under his or her name. For my handful of multiple composer CDs, such as Anne Sophie Mutter or Martha Argerich recital CDs and opera arias CDs etc have their own place, again alphabetically. 

Then a separate place for jazz CDs, a separate place for film music and musicals, and finally a place for rock and roll. All listed alphabetically.

Of course, my collection isn't as extensive as many of you here. I've about 400 CDs, but I'm running out of room.


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## D Smith

I have two separate shelf units; one that holds classical/opera, the other pop, jazz and broadway. I keep opera in its own section, and the classical organized by composer, then recital discs by artist. My remaining vinyl is packed away now as I have copies of most on CD and really don't have much nostalgia for pops and skips!


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## Itullian

By composer, with a few separate areas for favorite conductors.


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## hpowders

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


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## Xaltotun

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.


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## Pugg

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.


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## Albert7

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


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## Manxfeeder

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.


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## Morimur

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.


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## bigshot

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.


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## Guest

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.


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## Guest

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?


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## KenOC

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.


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## Guest

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.


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## campy

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


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## bigshot

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.


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## Saintbert

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.


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## Azol

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:






























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

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

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.








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

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.


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## geralmar

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.


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## Albert7

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


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## KirbyH

When I had the room to do it, I would order mine by label. I would start with Decca, then DG, EMI, etc - I tried to go as alphabetically as I could. 

Now they're just sort of stacked on the bookshelf next to my bed, as my physical collection is tragically small. Ah well, in mp3 format I can take it all with me wherever I go


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## brotagonist

Albert7 said:


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


What! No iTunes


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## Albert7

brotagonist said:


> What! No iTunes


These CD's are before I started buying from iTunes last year. Now I'm hardcore iTunes dude.


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