# Lack of space in my room for my cd collection



## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Physical space is limited and unfortunately I don't live in a mansion. I would like to have a good baroque recordings collection and I have more problems related to physical space rather than money to pay them. It's annoying that I don't know how to do to storage my favourite baroque operas. There are some recordings that I know I will not listen to anymore and others that I don't own that are more appealing to me. I thought about getting rid of some of the old ones but I have guilty conscience to throw them away.

It would be amazing to buy a Royal Palace here in Madrid to storage them in a library and win some lotteries during a couple of months to have the collection I want


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Yep. My collection is getting unmanageable, with cases squirreled around everyplace like the animals in Winnie the Pooh's 100-Acre Wood. The strange thing is, I know where each of them is. (Well, most of the time.)


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

JSBach85 said:


> Physical space is limited and unfortunately I don't live in a mansion.


You need a 2nd room.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Unless the liner notes are outstanding, ditch the cases, and keep the discs in a CD/DVD binder. I'd still recommend pruning what you will not listen to again from your collection, but there are ways to reduce the space taken up by a collection without shrinking the collection itself.

Another approach is to digitize some or all of it.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

JSBach85 said:


> Physical space is limited and unfortunately I don't live in a mansion. I would like to have a good baroque recordings collection and I have more problems related to physical space rather than money to pay them. It's annoying that I don't know how to do to storage my favourite baroque operas. There are some recordings that I know I will not listen to anymore and others that I don't own that are more appealing to me. I thought about getting rid of some of the old ones but I have guilty conscience to throw them away.
> 
> It would be amazing to buy a Royal Palace here in Madrid to storage them in a library and win some lotteries during a couple of months to have the collection I want


That's my kind of man! There are certain Crown Royal boxes that are perfect for CDs. Also, the boxes that copier paper comes in. You can stack 'em three high before they start collapsing. Ikea makes a nice little tall & narrow CD shelf that you can stash in corners. Watch out for it falling over, though.


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

JSBach85 said:


> There are some recordings that I know I will not listen to anymore and others that I don't own that are more appealing to me. I thought about getting rid of some of the old ones but I have guilty conscience to throw them away.


Don't throw them away! Instead, maybe you could donate them to your local library for others to enjoy;
spread the (musical) love!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Throwing away wood be a desperate resolution, someday you might regret it.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Pugg said:


> Throwing away wood be a desperate resolution, someday you might regret it.


Keep in mind that on another thread Pugg's collection was described by the meters of floor space that occupied (-:
The essential point is correct, however; I periodically make attempts to prune the collection only to start immediately missing what I just gave away.
The obvious answer is to store the discs on a hard drive. Sonically there should not be compromise. The harder issues are content management and back up.. The latter shouldn't be that big a deal as long as one is compulsive about making back ups. The hard part is finding a software program that allows you to find your recordings. Most of the ones out there are designed for pop and are terrible for Classical. It would also be nice to have one that somehow emulates the experience of flipping through your collection to find the desired recording.
The liner notes would generally go missing, but as I age and my ability to read small print vanishes, I find that I almost never read liner notes anymore, but go to the Internet instead


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Triplets said:


> Keep in mind that on another thread Pugg's collection was described by the meters of floor space that occupied (-:
> The essential point is correct, however; I periodically make attempts to prune the collection only to start immediately missing what I just gave away.
> The obvious answer is to store the discs on a hard drive. Sonically there should not be compromise. The harder issues are content management and back up.. The latter shouldn't be that big a deal as long as one is compulsive about making back ups. The hard part is finding a software program that allows you to find your recordings. Most of the ones out there are designed for pop and are terrible for Classical. It would also be nice to have one that somehow emulates the experience of flipping through your collection to find the desired recording.
> The liner notes would generally go missing, but as I age and my ability to read small print vanishes, I find that I almost never read liner notes anymore, but go to the Internet instead


Notting to do with wanna get rid of* my* CD'S / L.P'S , they are all on shelf's, so what's your point?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Do you have a trustworthy friend or family member with a big house who would allow you some storage space? So long as you have everything on the computer drive, you can store CDs off-site. They also do have storage facilities at a monthly fee. Perhaps build a shelving cubicle about 4.5 x 6 feet or whatever the size may be to exactly fit your bed on top of. Line the cubicle with shelving. Also have you considered a double row of shelving around all your walls, just below the ceiling?

Less desirable, but workable is to put the CDs into paper sleeves and store them and the artwork, while tossing the bulky jewel cases.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

You could sell some of your CDs that you don't want anymore. Maybe even give them to someone who is willing to pay for the shipping. That way you can trim your collection without feeling guilty about it. Perhaps only consider boxsets when you buy new CDs. These take up a lot less room than jewel cases with the same number of discs. I have 6-8 CD boxsets which take up less room than those old 1990s "fat boy" jewel cases that hold 3 CDs. Different labels use different box sizes though so it just depends. Others have recommended the CD binders. I'm not a huge fan of those as they can scratch CDs and you still have to do something with the liner notes (plus there are those weird CDs where the track listing is only on the jewel case card and not in the notes), but I guess it's better than throwing CDs away.

I still have room for more CDs, but I'm about to run out of CD storage cabinets/drawers to put them in. I have several cabinets like these (some look a little different, but are essentially the same thing) 40 CD drawers stacked from the late 1980s/early 1990s and they work pretty well. They keep the jewel cases from getting dusty and they keep the CDs vertical which supposedly will help them last longer.

Unfortunately, I can't find any place that sells them anymore. I've looked in the thrift stores, but I can only find cassette/VHS versions of those (I use a VHS cabinet to store some of my smaller boxsets). Does anyone know who sells new cabinets like that? Or something similar? I've seen plastic cabinets that hold 30 CDs. They don't look the same, but I guess I can deal with that. Has anyone tried one of those? If so, how do they work?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

^ I have been using these 7.5 quart plastic latching storage totes from Ace Hardware. I have a dozen of them, but if I move all my other music out of cardboard boxes I might need about 20 more. They fit CDs perfectly standing up and hold around 30 or so standard single width jewel cases (I can't count one of mine because there is always a fat case or box mixed in, but it looks to be around 30 - 32). They are about 12.25 inches long inside at the bottom, which is the effective length for CD storage. They cost $3.99 each and are sometimes on sale. The nice thing is you can see the labels through the clear sides. And they are easy to pull off a shelf and they stack.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Florestan said:


> ^ I have been using these 7.5 quart plastic latching storage totes from Ace Hardware. I have a dozen of them, but if I move all my other music out of cardboard boxes I might need about 20 more. They fit CDs perfectly standing up and hold around 30 or so standard single width jewel cases (I can't count one of mine because there is always a fat case or box mixed in, but it looks to be around 30 - 32). They cost $3.99 each and are sometimes on sale. The nice thing is you can see the labels through the clear sides. And they are easy to pull off a shelf and they stack.


The only problem is Flosretsn, if you put them away , when do you ever going to use them again?
( We have a attic full of stuff)


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Pugg said:


> The only problem is Flosretsn, if you put them away , when do you ever going to use them again?
> ( We have a attic full of stuff)


Well they are put away now, but someday I hope (maybe when I retire or get a bigger house) to pull them all out again. At least when I die they will have an easier time hauling them out of the house to wherever they take them.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Florestan said:


> ^ I have been using these 7.5 quart plastic latching storage totes from Ace Hardware.


That's an interesting and inexpensive solution. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not sure how the Tupperware look would look stacked in my living room, but at least them being clear would make it easy to see what's in them without opening it and getting a CD shouldn't be a problem. One of the problems with the drawers I have is that it's hard to get to the CDs in the back without the whole drawer wanting to come off the rail and come crashing down.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Klassik said:


> That's an interesting and inexpensive solution. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not sure how the Tupperware look would look stacked in my living room, but at least them being clear would make it easy to see what's in them without opening it and getting a CD shouldn't be a problem. *One of the problems with the drawers I have is that it's hard to get to the CDs in the back without the whole drawer wanting to come off the rail and come crashing down.*


I was not impressed with the drawers.

As my bins are stacked in the basement, aesthetics are not a concern. But perhaps find an area to stack the bins (and I would have shelving so you don't have to stack more than one on another), then put a curtain in front of it to hide it. One note of warning, when I pull out the top bin in a stack of two, the bottom one slides forward. My preference would be not stacked but tighter shelves.

Of course the best is to have space for a wall of shelves sized to hold CDs, then you can have everything in sight and categorized for easy access.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Florestan said:


> I was not impressed with the drawers. As my bins are stacked in the basement, aesthetics are not a concern. But perhaps find an area to stack the bins (and I would have shelving so you don't have to stack more than one on another), then put a curtain in front of it to hide it. One note of warning, when I pull out the top bin in a stack of two, the bottom one slides forward. My preference would be not stacked but tighter shelves.


I suppose I could use those for some lesser played CDs and store them in a closet or something. That way I'd have more room for my more frequently played CDs in my drawers. My stack of drawers are right next to the stereo so it's very easy to find something and play it.

I have lots of room in my attic, but there is no way I could store CDs up there. It gets way too humid and hot (well over 100 F) during the summer here in SE Texas. The CDs would probably get damaged in no time. We don't have basements here either and the garage would have the same problem as the attic. Even the closets can get more humid and warmer than room temperature in the summer since they aren't air conditioned, but it's probably close enough to being okay.

I have two different brands of the drawers. One is branded Teac (though I've seen VHS drawers like this with no badging at all) and has rounded edges on the top and the bottom of the doors. They're not bad. The other looks like the one in the picture in one of my posts above. It's terrible. The drawers want to slide out if you pull it out even half way. I guess it doesn't matter because I can't find these anyway.

I've amassed a pretty large collection of sealed, blank audio cassettes over the years (you can call it my 4'33" cassette collection). I really ought to organize these and store them well because some of them (the type II and IVs in particular) are worth a lot of money on the used market if I ever sold them. In a way it's kind of sad that 1 sealed premium metal cassette is worth more than a compete new Beethoven cycle, Schubert cycle, and maybe another CD or two all combined!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Klassik said:


> I've amassed a pretty large collection of sealed, blank audio cassettes over the years (you can call it my 4'33" cassette collection).


Then I have a whole stack of 100 disks, all with 4'33" on them. I wonder if they are by different conductors.:lol:

Good idea to use the bins for lesser listened to music and store in closet. You could put labels on the ends of the bins to make it easier to find stuff. And in the closet situation, I would think you could stack them higher since you are not accessing them as much. There must be a stacking limit based on weight, but not sure you would exceed if you have some shelving. Just make sure the closet does not get musty or stale.


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2017)

Due to my space limitations, I've been buying more "hi-res" files than CDs lately. The main downside is that they are typically, but not always, more expensive than CDs, and one has to download the booklet--and print it if one's stereo is in a different room than the computer.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Due to my space limitations, I've been buying more "hi-res" files than CDs lately. The main downside is that they are typically, but not always, more expensive than CDs, and one has to download the booklet--and print it if one's stereo is in a different room than the computer.


Printing a booklet in color might cost as much as buying the CD depending on how much color there is. Plus, storing the notes will take up more room than the CD. I suppose this is one of those cases where a smartphone, tablet, or laptop might come in handy. Still, sometimes using digital files for classical music is not the time (or money) saver that some make it out to be.


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

For mailing DVDs to my brother I buy cheap CD "wallets" at dollar stores for the DVDs and just mail the DVDs and the paper inserts. The plastic case stays with me to clutter the garage. For CDs (I have several thousand) I have considered transferring them to "slimline" CD cases which about halve the thickness of the traditional jewel case. Many CD booklets are thin enough to be included in the slimline case. (There are "tabs" for a booklet or cover sheet). The back paper insert, however, would have to be stored elsewhere. Unfortunately it usually provides the track listing.

Actually, I just store my CDs in stacks on the floor and hope the cat doesn't notice.


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