record cataloguing software ... ?

**eagerbeaver** · 07-04-2009, 02:42 PM

folks

I'm THINKING about starting to catalogue my sprawling record collection ... there are thousands of the buggers all over the house and I'm often picking up tunes I already have, and forgetting stuff ... so I wondered if VG+ers have any recommendations for a jolly old computer program to do this in an organised fashion... ??

A Windoze program without too many fancy shmancy extras would be ideal. Since 95% of my collection is on ye olde vinyl/78s I'm not interested in looking CDs up on the internet c/o Gracenote et al. That automated stuff is not a priority. It's gonna haveta be typing and organising round here, should I actually get around to starting the job....

any thoughts?

ta
P.

**Mr_Hopkinson** · 07-04-2009, 04:53 PM

well . . . I had a sort of go at this years ago ( maybe 10 years ago ). I just used Excel, with columns that automatically calculated what bpm tracks would be at 33 / 45 / 78 and the range available from the pitch - was kind of an interesting exercise that threw up some unexpected combinations, but I didn't do it very methodically and then didn't bother to keep it up . . .

**Harvey Mettle** · 07-04-2009, 06:09 PM

I've tried various things over the years. Until recently the most effective was a basic excel list. I did try a "proper" programme some years ago but found it just wasn't lexible enough. Best and easiest IMO is (dare I say...) Rate Your Music. Simple and easy to use if you ignore the cnuts.

**Sam** · 07-04-2009, 06:14 PM

I put everything into Excel. For 7" singles I have : artist, sidea, sideb, label, cat. no and year. I then have some homebrew stuff that converts Excel files so I can look things up on the web or from a PDA on the move.

If you've got Excel then it's probably the easiest way to get started. Plus if you do ever change, you'll always be able to export from Excel and import into whatever thing you go to.

**Rich45s** · 07-04-2009, 06:34 PM

I created one in Access and then copy and pasted it into Excel as Hotmail didn't like me sending an access file to my 'on the move' email address to access wherever I am. It's a piece of cake to copy and pasted any additions to one and the other, and the two formats offer different things. Was an absolute bugger to do when you first make the decision to do it though.

Theres also this in the offing from an associate of the guy who wrote the Funk Lexicon,

http://www.soulstrut.com/ubbthreads/...ue#Post1291426

**nlgbbbblth** · 07-04-2009, 07:08 PM

I use an Access file. Simple but works out ok.

Would love to have a complex database with a tracklist for every record and cd I own complete with cross referencing but it would be a nightmare to collate.

**eagerbeaver** · 07-04-2009, 08:58 PM

Thanks for feedback, everyone .... Like the idea of keeping it simple in Excel. No idea who has the time/inclination/patience to fill in all those scary zillions of fields on software such as that linked above (what IS "Deadwax By Artist" anyway ?!?!?)

But ... ISTR that some 25 years ago I did do a fairly straightforward catalogue of my then-assortment of vinyl, on a BBC Micro, in the days before Windows/Excel .... and I only had a few hundred discs at the time. It took yonks. I think "bugger of a task" would be a good starting point these days ... hmmm meybe not then eh

**alanmck** · 07-04-2009, 09:09 PM

my favoured way to do it:

just like sticking things in a plastic sleeve (i.e. when i can be bothered), every time i play something, i try to remember to stick it in the spreadsheet thing before it goes back on the shelf.

if this doesn't work, then i try to remember to do it when a big pile of stuff is going back onto the shelf from the floor.

hardly foolproof, and certainly not lazyproof, but it works a bit.