How do you organize your digital music library?
HeavyHands
Posts: 2,130
I was just thinking that I need to back up my music library because I haven't done it in ages and I have a lot of irreplaceable stuff. That got me to thinking about what tools and techniques everyone else might be using to keep their music organized and whether or not they are happy with what they use and how they use it. Here are a few questions (and my answers) for anyone that would like to chime in:
Do you use mp3's? FLAC? SHN?
I stick to mp3's because they can be used universally on any computer without needing to install further software.
Is your stuff stored on a hard drive? Is it external?
Everything I have is on a single external hard drive. Shame on me. Single point of failure.
Do you ever back your stuff up? On CD's? DVD's?
Starting to today. I need to use DVD's. My library has somewhere around 24,000 songs in it. Not to mention all of the pictures on the same hard drive.
What program do you use for organizing your digital music library?
I stick to iTunes because I'm so familiar with it and the fact that it can provide album art pretty quickly.
Are you satisfied with how the program does things?
For the most part. My biggest gripe is that when I import a CD from say, Bruce Springsteen, iTunes automatically files it in the "B's" for Bruce when all logic tells me it should be in the "S's" for Springsteen. You know, organized like a phone book.. The only complication comes in something like the Jimi Hendrix Experience where it is a band but also a name. Where do I file it? "J's" or "H's"?
What bit rates does everyone like?
When I import a CD I use 192kbps. I find that for all my casual listening this bit rate allows me the best listening experience overall while saving hard drive space (over going 256 or 320). If I go less than 192 I can hear the artifacting considerably more prominently. Even in a car. 192 seems to be the sweet spot for me.
Looking forward to reading what everyone else does. Cheers,
HeavyHands
Do you use mp3's? FLAC? SHN?
I stick to mp3's because they can be used universally on any computer without needing to install further software.
Is your stuff stored on a hard drive? Is it external?
Everything I have is on a single external hard drive. Shame on me. Single point of failure.
Do you ever back your stuff up? On CD's? DVD's?
Starting to today. I need to use DVD's. My library has somewhere around 24,000 songs in it. Not to mention all of the pictures on the same hard drive.
What program do you use for organizing your digital music library?
I stick to iTunes because I'm so familiar with it and the fact that it can provide album art pretty quickly.
Are you satisfied with how the program does things?
For the most part. My biggest gripe is that when I import a CD from say, Bruce Springsteen, iTunes automatically files it in the "B's" for Bruce when all logic tells me it should be in the "S's" for Springsteen. You know, organized like a phone book.. The only complication comes in something like the Jimi Hendrix Experience where it is a band but also a name. Where do I file it? "J's" or "H's"?
What bit rates does everyone like?
When I import a CD I use 192kbps. I find that for all my casual listening this bit rate allows me the best listening experience overall while saving hard drive space (over going 256 or 320). If I go less than 192 I can hear the artifacting considerably more prominently. Even in a car. 192 seems to be the sweet spot for me.
Looking forward to reading what everyone else does. Cheers,
HeavyHands
"A lot more people are capable of being big out there that just don't give themselves a chance." -Stone Gossard
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My digital library is all on an External Hard Drive. The "back up" is actually on my laptop.
I have folders for all the artists. Then folders for the albums. Then each music file named beginning with track number fe. 04 Go
I went through all my CDs and hand picked the songs and loaded them into my library on the HD. I play the songs on itunes and have them labelled, classified, artworked, etc on there where they are loaded into my Ipod. I have an 8GB Nano I use for running so I am very selective. Its kind of my "top 1,500" list. There are many songs in my library not on itunes. If I listen to them I use MP so they arent in my Ipod library. I am going to get a high capacity portable device though for my entire library.
Flac files are included in my master HD library... mainly in the Pearl Jam Bootlegs. The software to listen to FLAC is very easy and safe to download and listen to. Otherwise I have a lot of MP3's and any MP4's from IStore I convert to MP3.
I dont know nuthin about no bitrates.
but I use Itunes to import to the ipod
files are stored on two externals (one for back up) because my laptop only has 80gb hard drive.
I have so much stuff I could never find again
he also loads my ipods for me. burns discs for me. whatever. :oops: hahaha.
i am sure it really isn't all too *organized* and surely if i did it it would be, but that's ok. i do enough organizing of all the other stuff in our lives. we do utilize an external hard drive and keep all our music in itunes. that's about it.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
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I use AAC. I regret using it though, I should have used mp3 as it is universal.
Is your stuff stored on a hard drive? Is it external?
Everything on an internal hard drive. I really need to back up my collection, just haven't gotten to it.
Do you ever back your stuff up? On CD's? DVD's?
Nope. On my "to do" list
What program do you use for organizing your digital music library?
iTunes, I concede that I may not be utilizing all of iTunes features but it seems kinda bland. Its pretty to look at in the apple simplicity kind of way but I wish it had more features for organization
Are you satisfied with how the program does things?
ehh. I'm happy with how simple it is to use it, but i'd prefer more of a directory approach rather than just a giant list. Anyone have an iPod and use an iTunes alternative?
What bit rates does everyone like?
192 also. I did some testing early on and it did seem like at lower bit rates there was too much loss. In the future, when an iPod Touch has the room to hold my entire collection in apple lossless format, I plan on re-ripping, until then I'm sticking to 192.
steve