Record Collecting database/software

I just use an Open Office spreadsheet, but if you want a clever program then Delicious. A Macbook has a built-in iSight camera and you can just fire it at your CD's bar code (or vinyl if it is has a bar code) and Delicious will catalogue it.

I purchased Delicious but you can try it for free and load about 40 items before you buy. It's really superb. It even recognises as LPs the LPs you may have that include a barcode on the rear cover. They appear in the correct place on the virtual shelves amongst the CDs, but appear larger Also books, movies and even clothes can be cataloged with the same program. Plus it includes your whole iTunes music and movie library automatically.

Wow guys - too good to be true - going to get it!

Presume you can use it on your iPhone?

REgards,

Lindsay

Can it import data from Music Collector?

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
Can it import data from Music Collector?

Yes

I have been using Record Collector for about 10 years on a PC. It's OK, but not very intuitive, and now perhaps a bit old fashioned.
Is there something better for PCs? Apart from a home made database, that is.
I suppose for the CD only collector, iTunes would serve the same purpose.... and you could listen to all your collection on holiday!
Don, dusk, downtown York

Stu, Howard - sorry I don't know how to do it blow by blow, as I've never seen Music Collector, I just know it can be done. I know somebody who keeps everything on DL and so am confident it is a good program.

In the DL manual it says: Import from delimited files with a flexible import assistant that guesses the file type and then has tweakable settings. So if you export from Music Collector as a CSV (Comma-Separated-Value) file then Delicious can import it.

The file from MC export will be something like

"Knees up Mother Brown","Harris Weston and Bert Lee","Island","01234"
"We are the firm","Cockney Rejects","Decca","087654"

You then just give it to DL and it'll suck it in and ask you a few questions like what order is the file in - it does a good job of guessing.

Unfortunately, my Mac is running Tiger on a Motorola processor, and DL2 will not run on it so I cannot simulate it.
Currently, I'm moving things to my new computer, which is not an Apple

Don't worry it is not a PC either - haven't a clue how those things work. Sorry, I know nothing about PCs or PC software - except how to hack into them and break them, which is dead easy, of course.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Phillips:
I have been using Record Collector for about 10 years on a PC. It's OK, but not very intuitive, and now perhaps a bit old fashioned.
Is there something better for PCs? Apart from a home made database, that is.
I suppose for the CD only collector, iTunes would serve the same purpose.... and you could listen to all your collection on holiday!
Don, dusk, downtown York

fficial&client=firefox-a" target="_blank">A Couple of possibles here

I'm having a play with DL2. It's a bit flash and blingy. I'm not convinced about the iTunes type layouts, even with iTunes.
My first attempt at importing a csv text file produced a load of blank CD covers no data.
I've produced another file wich is taking a long time to load, we will see what happens.

DL2 seems to have a lot of commands to get things into the D/B but none to get rid of anything, except a shelf.
All the blank CDs are still sitting there, and with 2500 to remove individually this could take some time.
Mac doesnn't seem to have a control click thing where you start at the top of a list and click the last to include all in between.

Shift click - might do it.

I tend to agree with you - didn't know you did not like the iTunes interface - hence suggested DL2 because it was like iTunes. I'm not the biggest fan of graphics here, there and everywhere - give me a command line interface any day.

3.Workbench:> aiffplayer <CR>
$ play HMHB <CR>
$ Trumpton Riots <CR>
3.Workbench:>endcli <CR>

Would be my ideal.

What do you want to achieve with the catalogue? If it were just a list like mine then I could import from CSV to Open Office, but if you want cover art then that is more complicated. I was thinking of putting a link in mine to AMG for each line.

Good luck.

I did find a way of selecting all in a specific area.
I find DL2 shelf arrangement looks awful,the list looks better. I got a few albums in by entering name or bar code. Failed to get any thing from csv files. Entry by iSight was a failure too.
I think what I need is Music Collector, it's seems to do what I want, but a little flakey when it comes to updates.More back ups methinks.
Perhaps a numbers file for back up.

My problem with Apple products probably stems from inexperience.
My main criticism with iTunes unlike MuC is sorting by artist surname,first name. Short of altering all/most entries, a choice that MuC gives would be helpful.

Unless anyone knows different?

quote:

Unless anyone knows different?

That is why most bands are filed under "T". AFAIK there is no way to sort on surnames using iTunes. It is problematic to do so - would you file Captain Sensible under "C" or "S" and if "S" then what about Captain Beyond. I think an algorithm to work that out is a bit tricky even for Apple.

It's where MuC has an edge, it allows each entry to be edited as you enter data, to rearrange the order for sort and/or dispaly. So as I want I can have individual artists surname/first and groups as is.
I can then have all the e.g. Thompsons together.
I wouldn't have any Captain S or B to file so not a problem here.

quote:

Posted Tue 13 October 2009 0:34 Hide Post
It's where MuC has an edge, it allows each entry to be edited as you enter data, to rearrange the order for sort and/or dispaly. So as I want I can have individual artists surname/first and groups as is.

Agreed BigH. My one gripe with DL.

quote:

Originally posted by JeremyB:
I purchased Delicious but you can try it for free and load about 40 items before you buy. It's really superb. It even recognises as LPs the LPs you may have that include a barcode on the rear cover. They appear in the correct place on the virtual shelves amongst the CDs, but appear larger Also books, movies and even clothes can be cataloged with the same program. Plus it includes your whole iTunes music and movie library automatically.

There is one feature of “delicious” that I find annoying: when you quit the program you are not given the choice to save or not to save the changes made. This is annoying since it is quite easy to delete records inadvertently.

I have tried Delicious now it really is very good so I'm thinking of buying it. Thing is though I want to be able to take my collection with me on an iPhone or equivalent and also catalogue from the iPhone and upload to the Mac. Would this be possible? Simple answers please guys - I'm useless with IT I really am.

Regards,

Lindsay