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Cataloging/Database Software (on Mac)?


chris

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I am wondering if any of you have recommendations for good software for cataloging my CD (and a few LPs) collection on a Mac? I am not a historian looking to capture and create discographies. My primary reason for the catalog, beyond just knowing what I have and browsing (which iTunes and other music playing software with library capabilities does fine), is to be able to find performers across discs/tracks.

I once used Music Collector from collectorz.com -- it worked OK and I might go back to it -- but I want to weigh my options first!

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You could always try Delicious Library. It works by enabling scanning of bar codes on CDs.

http://delicious-monster.com/

Having played with a lot of these, my view is that the better ones are Windows only. The other point is that it helps to start with a small collection rather than attempt to catalogue a large collection.

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I agree with Jazzjet about starting with a small collection but, if you haven't already got a small collection, you gotta do what you can with a big one :)

Personally, I'm not keen on using stuff that people have designed to hold record collection data. To the people who'd want something like that, music is very important and I'm pretty sure everyone has quite different ideas about what they want to record in the db and how they want to organise it. (Personally, I have a three-tier hierarchical structure for record labels and I seriously doubt that any ready-made programme would cater for that.) So I'd prefer to use an actual database programme. I'm on MS, so I use Access (which is pretty pricey) but I'm certain there'll be a choice of database programmes that work on Apple.

Those kind of programmes enable you to start small, by only putting in a few details of each album, which can be expanded as you feel the need, in whatever way you wish.

MG

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I agree with Jazzjet about starting with a small collection but, if you haven't already got a small collection, you gotta do what you can with a big one :)

Pure filth!

Seriously though, you're right that every serious collector's needs are different and building your own system is probably the best way to go. Also, maybe concentrate on a single artist or label until you've got things the way you want and then expand from there. Another good suggestion I've heard is that if you have a young (preferably nerdy) offspring or nephew/niece then hire them to do a lot of the basic input for you.

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That's American English. According to the Oxford Dictionary it's "cataloguing": http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/catalogue?q=cataloging#catalogue__15

I think the Oxford Dictionary is a bit more trustworthy than wikipedia.

Edited by J.A.W.
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The situation on the mac is difficult (I vastly prefer it and don't know why I switched, but this is a weak area for the platform). There doesn't seem to be a decent Access-like (in terms of being a consumer product) option in general (this includes reviewing most of the suggestions on a Stack Exchange thread I started..Filemaker is a pseudo-SQL db, other options are very "proprietary" in their approach).

That has left me with, for building my own, a bunch of MySQL based tools...which is fine, but I'm OK with leaving my developer/programming days behind in exchange for a few missing features. I just don't have it in me to build my own system right now (and if I did that, I'd need to do one for my fountain pen collecting...and then one that indexed and had photos for my origami book collection, etc).

Ultimately, building something myself would certainly meet my needs for customization, but since I'm just one man I am evaluating products that already exist :) Beyond Category is interesting and I may go that way. Music Collector remains a decent product.

Nothing is going to take the pain away from the cataloging, so who knows...maybe I'll just continue to let perfection remain the mortal enemy of the good!

PS "Cataloging" is a common American-Englishism. I can't win...when I use British English terms (whether they really are or whether they just seem to most to be), I get accused of being pompous. So it goes. I highly recommend David Crystal's astounding book _The Stories of English_ if you think about such things at all, though I warn you that you'll likely come out of the experience a changed person when it comes to how you think about such linguistic divergence and evolution, including in the form of constructions "those damn kids and their texts and tweets" use. I know I did!

Edited by chris
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