Organising your music - How do you do it? [Archive]

KIDTAF

15-Oct-07, 01:16pm

Hey guys just wanting to know how everyone organises their own music on here.

I use CDJ's so what I tend to do is burn one track from each artist onto each CD, or if I have multiple tracks from the same artist I'll burn them onto the one CD also.

After I do all that i've just chucked em into a big CD case to hold the music, but as i'm downloading more and more tracks, especially from different genres (house, hard-house, progressive, funky/soul house etc) i'm finding it too unorganized to keep all my tracks in the CD cases randomly.

I'm thinking of just splitting up the genres, so have a CD case just with hard house/club tracks, another one for funky/soul house, maybe another for commercial stuff etc..?

Anyway that's what i've been doing so far so just wondering what you guys do to sort your tracks out and organise them:rainman:

hoppuspears

15-Oct-07, 01:42pm

I think i would be good to do it like that different genres. Or even make heeps of random cd's like you are lable them in nnumbers and if you have a laptop make a data bass of all your songs and infomation on which cd there on.

Bumpy

15-Oct-07, 01:42pm

I burn one song to a CD with all different mixes or just the original..

This has also been covered use the search button :)

richcur

15-Oct-07, 02:05pm

My answer hasn't changed from the last time I answered this question a few weeks ago in another thread the same as this one.. (search function FTW)

1 track per cd, organised harmonically in 4 separate CD wallets, suborganised by genre and sub-genre (1 wallet each for commercial, progressive, tech/tribal/electro, trance)

chappo_85

15-Oct-07, 02:16pm

folder on laptop of each genre i collect. burn cds required with tracks suitable for gig and place them in order of how i want the set to progress roughly in my cd wallet. if too lazy bring laptop to gig and burn as i need. the majority of my music is already burnt using my old 8 tracks per cd method but i was finding it hard to make my sets flow how i wanted them so now i prepare a bit more :-0

hoppuspears

15-Oct-07, 02:33pm

1 track per cd seems a bit extreme!!!! I mean your constantly changing cds. And carry like so many cds around. i dunno up 2 u.

gamblore

15-Oct-07, 02:43pm

1 track per cd seems a bit extreme!!!! I mean your constantly changing cds. And carry like so many cds around. i dunno up 2 u.

Yeah you would have a shit load! I got a lot of tracks so I would have 10 X 300 CD wallets if I was to burn them all as single tracks.

I put as many songs as the CD will hold on it, usually 9 or 10, but I burn 2 copies so I can play any song off the same CD with it self. I burn according to the tracks I download, so I have a bunch of tracks, burn them together, normally have the CD track order with cruiser or songs I like more as the early tracks, and other tracks I'm not into as much or are a bit harder at the end of the CD. I only play house, so I don't have to worry about organising by genre.

cowabungadude

15-Oct-07, 02:44pm

1 track per cd seems a bit extreme!!!! I mean your constantly changing cds. And carry like so many cds around. i dunno up 2 u.

yeah i think 5 to 10 per cd is fine, that's not too many, just make duplicates of each, that way you've always got a backup handy anyway :blush:

DannyDazzler

15-Oct-07, 02:53pm

This is a post I did a while ago in another forum...

Ok this is the way I do it...

Organising Music:

1. Put every single song into "singles" folder in "My Music"
2. Import entire folder into iTunes.
3. Ensure that mp3 ID tags are up to date, i.e genre, year, key.
4. Show columns; Name, Artist, Disc #, Time, Comment (Key), Genre, Year.
5. Sort Alphabetically (can be changed).

Burning a Disc:

1. Create new playlist called "Disc 56".
2. Add 7-10 songs into playlist.
3. Update "Disc #" tag of every song in playlist to "56".
4. Burn playlist to disc.
5. Print that playlist's track listing.
6. Write "56" on actual disc and place in CD wallet.

Advantages of this System:

� Damaged/Lost discs can be replaced easily.
� Newly burn discs have the album title the same as the playlist title, i.e "Disc 56".
� Disc track listings can be printed.
� Songs can be found using the search function in iTunes.
� An entire catalogue of your music collection can be printed.
� New discs can be added with ease.

threestyles

15-Oct-07, 02:53pm

cd's scatted all over the floor that how i do it

richcur

15-Oct-07, 03:44pm

1 track per cd seems a bit extreme!!!! I mean your constantly changing cds. And carry like so many cds around. i dunno up 2 u.

You're crazy if you carry every single song with you to each gig.. The 1track/CD forces you to keep your wallet full of only the BEST and/or FRESHEST music - I dunno how many times I've only played a track once, and never used it again.. What's the point of carrying it around forever?
Also having 1 song per disc makes it easier to organise the songs in the wallet, and it means I can write more info about the song on the cd / update /change that info down the track without having to worry about printing shit all the time, or re-burning discs.

(ps. the wallets I use can take 240 discs = plenty of music for any gig)

Funkedub

15-Oct-07, 04:47pm

if you have a laptop make a data bass of all your songs

that's a neat name for a record label ... unlike database

My tunes are in some vague sembelance of genre ... but after a weekend or 2 of mixing out & about this order gets smashed

at the momentonly my techno and trance are in the right crates ... myriads of breaks are strewn about my room ...

Majestyk

15-Oct-07, 05:38pm

I do the same as DannyDazzler with one wallet per genre.

gamblore

15-Oct-07, 06:00pm

You're crazy if you carry every single song with you to each gig.. The 1track/CD forces you to keep your wallet full of only the BEST and/or FRESHEST music - I dunno how many times I've only played a track once, and never used it again.. What's the point of carrying it around forever?

Why not? I hate not having all my music with me. There is nothing worse than digging through your crate and realising you didn't pack a song you want to play. If it's there, it can be used. It's not taking up any more space is it?

Also having 1 song per disc makes it easier to organise the songs in the wallet, and it means I can write more info about the song on the cd / update /change that info down the track without having to worry about printing shit all the time, or re-burning discs.(ps. the wallets I use can take 240 discs = plenty of music for any gig)

Yeah that is an awesome advantage, but pretty impractical IMO. Each to their own I guess.

I like DannyDazzler's way, that's how I do it. A good advantage of this is you can then search your iPod at a gig if you can't remember which CD a song is on.

richcur

15-Oct-07, 07:23pm

If it's there, it can be used. It's not taking up any more space is it?

Well yes it is, that's pretty much the entire reason behind my method!

hrdde

15-Oct-07, 07:36pm

im one who uses a visual trigger for my tracks, e.g vinyle sleeves, usually i burn a few tracks from the same artist, or a few tracks from the same label, or a few mixes of a individual track, i try to avoid burning single tracks to a cd but i have a got a few, im also a big fan of www.cdjshop.com, some piccies for potential ideas

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6425/pa150001pr9.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pa150001pr9.jpg) http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5069/pa150002cs7.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pa150002cs7.jpg) http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4409/pa150002cb8.th.jpg (http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pa150002cb8.jpg)

trenthalliday

15-Oct-07, 07:59pm

Maybe im lazy but I just chuck songs on a cd that sound good, scibble something on it then go and play around with them....they are organised on the computer by the date when I got them but then im not going to put a song I dont actually like onto a cd to then never use it....but then I also burn copies of all the songs to listen to driving too and from work for 3 hours a day....

whatever works really.....I dont play out though, but I think if I did I would want my music organised alot better than I do right now, prob go 1 song to a cd then as richur says it would force you to select only the songs that will work for the night, and so oyur not carrying around yesterdays anthems....guess it would be an easy way to say no to a request??

SparkyMark

15-Oct-07, 09:18pm

So far I've sorted them out by key, and put 9 songs onto a disc and made two copies in case I want to mix a song into another from the same disc.

Although I'm thinking of databasing my tracks onto a laptop to take around with me. Searching through pieces of paper sucks balls.

djsimonmann

15-Oct-07, 09:31pm

Loosely by genre in a record shelf.

cowabungadude

15-Oct-07, 10:14pm

saad

15-Oct-07, 10:20pm

Everytime i get a few ne tracks, i burn them onto CD, 2 copies, 6-9 tracks per cd. Now and again, I'll burn a few cd's bya rtist, if i have a few tracks by them. Also, if i buy a release, Ill burn the release. I then change the comment in itunes to 'burned'

I might reburn eveythging eventually though, with a betetr system, but right now, the cd's are roughly chronological so not too bad

KIDTAF

15-Oct-07, 10:28pm

Hey guys yeah sorry my bad forgot to search before i made the thread haha :S

Interestin ways to see how everyone sorts their music.

I like to sort my tracks out singally on CD cause I think it's nice so you know which song your playing without having to sort through bunches of CDs to find the CD which the track you wanna play is on but each to their own I guess.

I reckon a good way is maybe when you accumulate a lot of tracks maybe just sort them in different genre files but maybe burn 10 songs to a disc in Alphabetical order? Would take aaages and would be hard to update when you get new songs I guess but i dunno haha... hard to make a decision of how to sort my music :S

gamblore

15-Oct-07, 10:49pm

how do you work out the key of a song? :?

Get a piano or keyboard, play the track at 0% pitch then play around with the keyboard and try and find the note that 'fits' best with the song. You can tell, it matches really nicely. Find out what that key is called. So this is the 'root note' (I think?). Then you have to work out wether the song is a major or minor. They say if a song feels sad they are in minor, and happy songs are major, but this can be difficult to work out and not always true (E.g. the lyrics are sad, but it's a poppier tune). A better way to do it is find 'the cord'. This is 3 keys played together. A major is the root note, then the 4th key (including black keys) after this is and the 3rd key after that one. A minor key is the the root note, then the 3rd key after that, then the 4th key after that one. Play around and see which one sounds best.

Man that is hard to explain in words! :rainman: It is much easier if someone can teach you in person.

This is purely a music n00bs description, I've DJed for 5 years, but this was the first time I touched an instrument when I was first taught how to do this. I'm sure I have some termanology wrong, but this process works great! If I have anything wrong, feel free to correct me. The process is correct though.

It sounds difficult, but after a while your ear gets better and you can pick it up quicker. It is time consuming though!

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 12:01am

Get a piano or keyboard

or better yet use the search function...

I still buy a lot of records but the way to go I reckon for me would be to burn the same as the vinyl arrangement... or burn a disc per label once a month of everything i've bought from that month...

Ps... lrn to search... it's not that hard :rainman:

SparkyMark

16-Oct-07, 12:01am

Yeah pretty much what he said :)

And also like he said, you will eventually pick it up by ear.

I may actually reburn all my discs soon, might sort some of them up by artist, and the rest by key.

I'll update with whatever new anal setup I come up with!

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 12:09am

Get a piano or keyboard, play the track at 0% pitch then play around with the keyboard and try and find the note that 'fits' best with the song. You can tell, it matches really nicely. Find out what that key is called. So this is the 'root note' (I think?). Then you have to work out wether the song is a major or minor. They say if a song feels sad they are in minor, and happy songs are major, but this can be difficult to work out and not always true (E.g. the lyrics are sad, but it's a poppier tune). A better way to do it is find 'the cord'. This is 3 keys played together. A major is the root note, then the 4th key (including black keys) after this is and the 3rd key after that one. A minor key is the the root note, then the 3rd key after that, then the 4th key after that one. Play around and see which one sounds best.

Man that is hard to explain in words! :rainman: It is much easier if someone can teach you in person.

This is purely a music n00bs description, I've DJed for 5 years, but this was the first time I touched an instrument when I was first taught how to do this. I'm sure I have some termanology wrong, but this process works great! If I have anything wrong, feel free to correct me. The process is correct though.

It sounds difficult, but after a while your ear gets better and you can pick it up quicker. It is time consuming though!
www.musictheory.net

dj-s

16-Oct-07, 09:16am

I burn 8 tracks per cd. Each cd covers 1 genre. Tracklist, genre & cd numbers are printed on the cd. Works well for me at the moment. I would like to add the key of each track at some stage in the future though :stroke:

richcur

16-Oct-07, 09:46am

Keying your Tracks (Harmonic Sorting)
It's the topic for another whole thread, but it's been mentioned a few times now.

If you search around on the net you'll find somewhere (sorry can't recall where) a download which includes all the 24 major and minor chords as small .wav files - someone has recorded them on a synth. As gamblore said, listen to the track and get a feel for the dominant key (start with the bass line then the vocals etc, even if they roam they will normally come back to one chord at regular intervals) and hum that note while you play those .wav chord files to find one that matches.

After long enough you don't need the chord samples, your ears just pick the key up naturally.

clayq

16-Oct-07, 09:47am

100 songs per disc (mp3), all from the same month, number with a nikko pen. Folders for each artist/album/group of songs

(Aug 07 cd1)

:thumb:

Funkedub

16-Oct-07, 09:54am

fark .... :lol: ... 100 tracks/month

how do you get to know your tracks like that?

that's essentially 3/day, EVERYDAY you have to get to know ... and remember

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 10:08am

that's essentially 3/day, EVERYDAY you have to get to know ... and remember

It ain't that hard :thumb:

beatfreakn

16-Oct-07, 10:10am

how do you work out the key of a song? :?

Go to www.mixedinkey.com check the site out and download the trial..

Will solve all your problems and no piano needed.

clayq

16-Oct-07, 10:11am

I get a lot more than 100 a month, I just burn the ones I like. I get to know them pretty quick, and it helps my memory - eg. I will remember like 'hey, justice remix of NY excuse is on September 07 cd2...' Its a good memory game ;)

Funkedub

16-Oct-07, 10:27am

^^^^

must be expensive buying that many tunes/month

clayq

16-Oct-07, 10:31am

I only pay for the ones I play out...

Funkedub

16-Oct-07, 10:33am

It ain't that hard :thumb:

definately more than i'd care to cram into my head ... takes me quite a few listens to get to know a track.

i'm more of a quality over quantity kinda guy i guess :ninja:

Funkedub

16-Oct-07, 10:39am

I only pay for the ones I play out...

:stroke:

am i the only one here that finds this about as believable as a John Howard election promise?

clayq

16-Oct-07, 10:45am

I roll more like K-Rudd ;) but anyway, I am all for supporting the artists... if I like it I will buy it from Beatport, as I'm sure most people here do. I do support the 'try before you buy' philosophy though - why waste money on a crap tune before listening to it first.

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 11:26am

definately more than i'd care to cram into my head ... takes me quite a few listens to get to know a track.

i'm more of a quality over quantity kinda guy i guess :ninja:

Same... I'm just able to d/l and listen to a hell of a lot of radio shows and set rips... I'm lucky enough to be able to use my ipod at work... probably an hour or two in a ten hour day I don't have earphones...

gamblore

16-Oct-07, 11:42am

:stroke:

am i the only one here that finds this about as believable as a John Howard election promise?

:lol: I think this is another children overboard scandal if you ask me.

I roll more like K-Rudd ;) but anyway, I am all for supporting the artists... if I like it I will buy it from Beatport, as I'm sure most people here do. I do support the 'try before you buy' philosophy though - why waste money on a crap tune before listening to it first.

Beatport has previews dude, fucking use them you theaving bastard.

richcur

16-Oct-07, 11:50am

Go to www.mixedinkey.com check the site out and download the trial..

Will solve all your problems and no piano needed.

The concept of this software is spot-on, however in its execution it is hardly 100% accurate. Up to you though if you wanna trust it to get every key correct, or find out the hard way mid-gig when you realise its a minor not a major and you probably shoulda just done all your keying by hand!

cowabungadude

16-Oct-07, 11:52am

I only pay for the ones I play out...

60 minute mash-up, one track a minute
:daftpunk:

saad

16-Oct-07, 02:54pm

i buy most o my tracks. Ones i dont buy i got as promos, or there is territory restriction on beatport. Then I say fuck it, and i get it off soulseek or something

cheekyage

16-Oct-07, 03:27pm

gamblore

16-Oct-07, 03:47pm

The concept of this software is spot-on, however in its execution it is hardly 100% accurate. Up to you though if you wanna trust it to get every key correct, or find out the hard way mid-gig when you realise its a minor not a major and you probably shoulda just done all your keying by hand!

Yep, I tried some other software and it did the same thing. Got close, but a few were wrong. I ended up wasting all that time recording samples, exporting them, running them through the program, labeling the vinyl, etc. Best and most accurate way it to use a keyboard and your ear (however my ear wasn't too spot on to start with either).

Majestyk

16-Oct-07, 04:08pm

now this is class!

well done hrdde - ur sleeves look awesome! :thumb:

im guessing u just print to cd using a cd/dvd printer?
where do u usually get the cover art for the discs from?

cdjshop.com. They print out the cd for you...

hrdde

16-Oct-07, 05:41pm

theres only 1 in those pics from cdjshop, the nic chagall - what you need disc
yeah i just print them up on my printer at home, the labels i mostly get from www.discogs.com or the labels myspace page or website
glad someone appreciates my effort, cheers cheeky

kasper_flip

16-Oct-07, 06:12pm

i use vinyl so organise my collection by label (A-Z) then by cat number... dont have a particularly huge collection so its not hard to find the tracks i want

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 06:54pm

i use vinyl so organise my collection by label (A-Z) then by cat number... dont have a particularly huge collection so its not hard to find the tracks i want
I do this as well.... mainly cause it makes everything easy to track on discogs... except my collections 6 months out of date atm :meh:

jimrocks

16-Oct-07, 07:40pm

Burning a Disc:

1. Create new playlist called "Disc 56".
2. Add 7-10 songs into playlist.
3. Update "Disc #" tag of every song in playlist to "56".
4. Burn playlist to disc.
5. Print that playlist's track listing.
6. Write "56" on actual disc and place in CD wallet.

How do you tell all those CDs with 56 on em apart?

DannyDazzler

16-Oct-07, 08:57pm

How do you tell all those CDs with 56 on em apart?

Not to sure what you mean but "Disc 56" is just an example. After I've burnt disc 56 I'd make a new one called "Disc 57", then "Disc 58", and so on.

Axel Axis

16-Oct-07, 10:57pm

How do you tell all those CDs with 56 on em apart?

You made a funny.

I hope.

plan-b

16-Oct-07, 11:12pm

You made a funny.

I hope.
http://a410.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/47/l_37cf02ad3a3a6a1c606f25b4b5169e59.gif

saad

17-Oct-07, 01:26am

I also, if its a full release, print the artwork on the CD, eg, the Zabiela and Fancuilli Human Single. I got both tunes, then I found a pic of the artowkr, or vinyl, then print on the cd

kasper_flip

17-Oct-07, 03:55pm

I do this as well.... mainly cause it makes everything easy to track on discogs... except my collections 6 months out of date atm :meh:

hahah yeah i also do this cos of discogs. when i buy something i add it to my discogs account which shows me where to put it... sif bother going thru the alphabet to find where it goes :)

KIDTAF

18-Oct-07, 12:47am

haha noob question but what is/are discogs?:rainman:

Funkedub

18-Oct-07, 06:47am

htpp://www.discogs.com

cowabungadude

18-Oct-07, 10:24am

htpp://www.discogs.com
a simple answer for a simple question, i love it

rquinsee

18-Oct-07, 11:38am

hey Hrdde...nice work! Im in the process of doing somethin similar

Im a on track a cd guy now...did use 10 per CD for ages but after taking 200/300 pr gig i found it harder to pick the right trac at the right time - too bussy scanning tunes lol...just my personal preference to keep things simple...

I do 1 track per cd, and treat it like vinyl! when i have a gig i sit down and figure out what tracks i will take with me...just like vinyl - who brings around every 12" they own to a set? hell no! lol

Keeps it fresh and simple, for me anyways

Like Hrdde, im getting covers from discogs and printing them and keepiung then in plastic sleeves next to my 12"s, essentialy using them just like records... time consuming but i enjoy having and sorting through the art work alot, so worth it :)