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Post by threebeards on Mar 28, 2004 23:03:31 GMT -5
I'm just getting started down that road of collecting Littel Feat shows and I can see a wall up ahead that I'm going to bang up against. As I build my library I want to keep it organized but...those thin little jewel cases do not provide ample space on the spine to label the contents. With some shows running into five or more CDs, how do you folks keep the shows organized, stored, and accessible?
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Post by DPK on Mar 31, 2004 18:45:44 GMT -5
Piiiissssshhhhhh.... sound of can-o-worms being opened. I'll start saying, "Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm a collectahaulic." I'll spend some time describing my affliction... er storage solution. Others have a method all their own and you will too. I physically file the majority of my audio discs in Case Logic three ring binder pages. (Wal-Mart used to sell 10 pages for $9 while Best Buy sold them 3 for $6... do the math.) I have gleaned 2 1/2" - 3 1/2" ring binders and file the shows by date and by year in separate binders if needed. Before I remove a show from my hard drive I run the .wav files out to .shn or .flac archive and file them in 50 disc spindles. As a show goes on a spindle, I make an entry in an Excel list. This may seem redundant, but it's a little faster to just uncork a .shn file than to re-extract the audio. I also keep a general show list in Excel, tracking artist, date, venue, number of discs per show, quality rating, source (Aud/Sbd), notes and original person or place I got it from. In separate pages I add set list info as shows get traded out. To make getting the list out to others easier, I also opened a Phishhook.com list on the web. www.phook.org/index2.jsp Another web based list "hosting" site is db.etree.org. db.etree.org/ I found the Phishhook site a little easier to set up, but db.etree is very good. As far as storing shows in jewel cases, I have some shows that I really like to listen to frequently and for that purpose I've purchased triple disc jewel cases from www.american-digital.com/prodsite/default.asp I've made purchases of up to 200 cases at a time with the idea of vending the bulk to friends for their use. As with the 1600 blank discs I've bought in the last 2 years, they get used up somehow. My biggest problem is keeping up with the filing... but that’s another issue! Hope this helps. Dave
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Post by Little Feat on Mar 31, 2004 21:11:18 GMT -5
Love this thread. I'm currently trying to organize my discs/files too.
I use the 3 ring binder approach. Jewel cases take up way too much room. The books fit right next to the Bose.
I'm using an Excell spreadsheet but am thinking of doing an Access database instead.
Rick
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Post by threebeards on Mar 31, 2004 22:12:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the info Dave.
I'm partial to the jewel cases (call me sentimental) but the 3-ring binder idea is worth considering. I found some 4-disk jewel cases as well as two disk cases at cyberguys.com and I am going to order some up as soon as I'm done here.
I wondered about keeping a seperate backup set offsite so I would not suffer a catastrophic loss so maybe doing flac/shn files would be the ticket there. Providing I get that stuff figured out! There is always a steep learning curve at the beginning of any endeavor and I'm headed up it right now.
Tim
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Post by threebeards on Mar 31, 2004 22:15:04 GMT -5
Oh yeah, Rick, I forgot to add that I've used both Excel and Access and the latter is a wicked powerful tool once you get a handle on it. That would be my choice. Luck.
Tim
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Post by CtownChris on Mar 31, 2004 22:17:07 GMT -5
DPK is a master at this!
I like jewel cases for all the cover art I have. The slim single cases help with storage space but no room for back art or binder side title/date info. I got a 3 drawer small cabinet on wheels for storage. Easily found at Wal-Mart, Target or Office Max. I use to keep supplies in top drawer; padded envelops, stamps, mailing labels, marking pens, CD sleeves. Now all three drawers are full and I cant get to the CD's in the back of each drawer. I plan to get a bookcase style system. I arrange all my shows by date.
I like the cover art too much to file all of them in a binder.
American digital is a good source for blanks, sleeves and 2-3 CD jewell cases.
My trading list is on a web page. Easy to update and send to anyone. I save as a favorite every page of trades they sent me. I can access it anytime and hopefully it was updated. I hate to download someones list in word or excell. I have to download and save it again whenever they update their list. "Franz: are you reading this" LOL
DPK may well need a step program! LOL
CtownChris
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Post by DPK on Apr 1, 2004 2:07:08 GMT -5
Admitting I have a problem? Problem? What problem? Just 'cause I'm powerless to stop, doesn't make it a problem.... I can quit anytime I want.... I've done so several times ;D And, Chris... thanks, but "Master" is a little strong. Now Ringo over in Japan. There's your Master. You all owe it to yourselves to do a trade with him. What a treat. On topic now, in the past I've run across threads discussing the longevity of the CDr as an archiving media. Depending on the dye used and the maufacturer, some discs were prone to go bad with the slightest abbrasion of either surface. Comforting thought if one's storage method involves repeted sliding in and out of a tight storage device... like a clam shell sleeve or my ring binder pages. I think, given the oportunity to start from scratch, I might consider some method of storage that involved a Tyvek disc envelope and a filing cabinet of some sorts. Not the most space friendly perhaps, and the need to lable everything is a pain... but perhaps the method least subjected to much friction in and out of storage. Some questions may be answered here if you have the time to dig. www.cdrfaq.org/Night, night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Post by CtownChris on Apr 1, 2004 6:13:14 GMT -5
Ringo certainly is on top of his game. As we say in the hospital he does "Strong Work" Love his CD labels but wonder if they will affect the disc someday.
It helps to focus your trades. I stick to Little Feat but will always trade with someone if the want one of mine and they do not have a Feat show I need. There is so much great music out there that will never see the light of day in a store!
I also look for copies of shows I'd been to. I'm surprized at what shows have surfaced.
CtownChris
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Post by threebeards on Apr 1, 2004 16:19:46 GMT -5
So...if there is serious concern about the longevity of CDRs, what other storage options are there? Tape? Dedicating removable hard drives for digital music storage? Gives one pause to think about going through all the effort and then seeing it fade away.
Going to have to find a good "backup" plan for sure.
Still want to keep a copy in a different location for safety so maybe an alternative storage medium might come into play.
Tim
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Post by DPK on Apr 2, 2004 18:52:10 GMT -5
Tim, I didn't mean to scare you. Only indicate that depending on disc manufacture variables, there could be a horizon out there past which there would be little chance of recovery. (I hope you got a chance to wade through the CDR FAQ, especialy www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5To be honest about my addiction, It gives me something to do besides hang at the bar, play endless rounds of golf or try to keep a 20' fishing boat in the water. If in ten years my discs start to fade away I would think that there would be other mechanisms by which we could enjoy the tunes without holding onto stacks of plastic. Tape as an archive medium... I can only speculate that after some point in time it too may start to loose it's magnetic properties as was/is? the case with some cassette types. And, as a given, you must be way more careful of where you store your mag tape than you do CDR media. (Keep’em away from the big speakers, Dude!) Mitsui Gold CDRs, on the other hand, are supposed to be good for 100 years+. Now, for me, I don't know that my kids will even care to deal with my discs much less find what I'm collecting at all interesting, so I haven’t been spending the jing on that much quality. For my money, I'm banking on the CDs I’ve been getting (T-Y/FujiFilm and TDK/Japan mostly) being good for at least 15-20 years of the claimed 75 because I'm not constantly manipulating them, putting them at risk of surface damage, and I'm able to keep them clean and in "normal" room temp. Don't know much else you could do. A stack of external multi gig hard drives for your collection... Hummm, that may not be such a dumb idea. I just bought an 80g USB/2 external on Ebay but for another reason. (Check out Gateway's closeout ebay store.) .... [10 minutes lapse as calculator buttons are pushed and assumptions get made].... It would seem more cost effective to keep your shows archived on a computer. However, to listen to a show at any given time you'd have add in the additional cost for a quality sound system and perhaps even another computer... I know for what I'm running I don't try to multi task while burning, so listening to computer files while filling BnPs for me would require another machine... Then when you what to entertain, do you bring everyone to the bedroom/den/basement/attic/garage to listen to the latest show in your collection? No, you burn a few shows and next thing you know... you need storage again! LOL One must also consider they are rather fragile mechanical devices, and the “all eggs in one basket” aspect of hard drive storage gives one pause. Could be catastrophic if it all went down. Or perhaps in 5-10 years the hardware goes obsolete... Which you’d probably see coming... then keeping things fresh new and exciting would be relatively easy... All good questions and all can be answered, just assess your own priorities, needs, time and money. As far as storing archives off site... technicaly that's the best way to do it if you can manage it. Maybe when I have 2000 shows piled up and can't find my closet anymore I'll have to do something like that ;o) In the mean time, I just burn, baby, burn (Waaaay too much bandwidth wasted here! LOL! Dave
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Post by threebeards on Apr 2, 2004 22:37:19 GMT -5
Speaking of wasting bandwidth...I'm just starting into this thing, as I mentioned to you earlier, so storage space isn't yet an issue. However, I have been able to download a few shn and flac files from archive.org to get the ball rolling while I wait for some BnPs to arrive. Anyhow, I'm a teacher and my school has a T1 connection so speed is groovy at school compared to my at home dial-up connection.
To make a long story short, I thought I was going to have a way to download really, really, really (you know what I mean) big files until the computer police showed up in the middle of one of my afternoon classes today and said that I was downloading something (I was) that was eating up all the bandwidth. (Apparently the local Area Education Agency has a computer nazi who watches out for this kind of thing. Anyhow, that plan just went away. I did get about 9 shows downloaded before the party ended so it wasn't a total wash.
Now if I can just get this shn/flac stuff figured out.
Later and keep it smooth.,
Tim
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Post by SteveK on Apr 5, 2004 21:08:17 GMT -5
Go to etree.org and read all the FAQs. That should explain everything. There is also a list of downloadable software there. If you use a PC, grab mkwACT first. Great for converting to and from SHN. Just remember to uncheck "Delete input files...." under options.
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Post by Little Feat on Apr 6, 2004 4:21:51 GMT -5
I use WinAmp to listen to most of my audio files and they have a plug-in that allows you to listen to SHN files without decompressing.
I don't know if there's one for FLAC files.
Rick
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Post by threebeards on Apr 6, 2004 5:40:12 GMT -5
There is a flac plug-in for Winamp. Found my link a etree.org if I remember correctly.
Tim
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Post by FeatFanMike on Apr 7, 2004 18:42:50 GMT -5
I think, given the oportunity to start from scratch, I might consider some method of storage that involved a Tyvek disc envelope and a filing cabinet of some sorts. Not the most space friendly perhaps, and the need to lable everything is a pain... but perhaps the method least subjected to much friction in and out of storage. That's exactly what I do. I started off with a 3 ring binder and found that I was shuffling things back and forth way too much. I purchased a few hunderd paper sleeves for like 10 bucks on line, and a 4 drawer plastic cabinet on wheels that I bought at target for like 20 bucks. I put each show in an envelope which I've already labeled with band, date, format, number of discs, size of discs, venue, and location. I have each band separated by index cards, and shows by the same band archived by date. Real easy to find stuff. I'm only using half of the top drawer at the moment. Before anything goes in the cabinet, it get's added to my html list of shows at home.rochester.rr.com/featfanmike/trading.htmlOf course, I have a stack of shows waiting to be filed, as well as 120 gigs worth on the computer waiting to be burned... edit - stupid me don't know me own website...
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