I'm having a CD storage problem!

[Lance]

I've run out of space ... have BEEN out of space for some time, probably for the last three years, at least. I have thousands of CDs to file and I can no longer have custom cabinets built. I have decided to try to buy plastic "baskets" (like those plastic letter files you find at Staples or Walmart). I'd like to file these discs with the readable end UP in those kinds of baskets so that baskets can be stacked on atop the other. The baskets should be able to accommodate two to three rows of discs. So far, after visiting many stores, I have not found a basket that that would accommodate 5¾" in height (the long, edge side up). In your travels, has anyone found anything like this. I'm looking for easy portability in moving baskets around to find items; the discs would be filed in numerical order.

[some guy]

This is what I use. I have four of these. And need two more, now.

http://www.meritline.com/600pcs-aluminu ... k-216.html

The sleeves don't accomodate booklets very well, so I have those separate from the CDs. But it does mean you get rid of all your jewel cases, which is where most of the bulk is, anyway.

[Holden Fourth]

OK Lance - some hard questions

Do you still have your CDs in jewel cases?

Is it important to be able to see labels on the spine of the jewel cases)?

If not then....

A year ago I rationalised my system and got rid of all my jewel cases. Boxed sets in actual boxes were the exception. This meant storing my CDs in a different manner. I put them in paper sleeves and stored them like LPs. This meant removing the info from the back of the jewel case and storing them somewhere else but it does mean that I have a separate record of my collection for insurance purposes. If I want to sell a CD then I can get a jewel case and reinstate the packaging to original condition. The cover booklet goes into the sleeve with the CD. This also means that I can browse my collection with the CDs facing towards me ike many CD stores do nowadays. It meant the addition of place markers but that was simple process.

[Jack Kelso]

We're having wooden wall-to-wall cabinets unstalled, it should accommodate hundreds of CDs. But since we don't have "thousands" this will be sufficient.....hopefully!

Tschüß!
Jack

[Ken]

Space must be an issue for every collector, even those (like me) who only have a few hundred CDs that need a home. Personally, I like keeping my jewel cases--for practical reasons as well as because they give each disc a 'personality', so to speak. Right now I'm using the less glamorous approach of storing my CDs in two large dresser drawers, though I can't imagine the sorts of problems that seasoned collectors like you, Lance, would face with a collection so large!

[piston]

Do you also have a book library, Lance? In this house where space is shared by different occupants, the CD-space issue boiled down to a pretty tough question: "What do you wish to readily have at hand -- books or cds?" Normally, once a book is read it isn't as useful to have access to it as a CD. I built some book shelving space in the basement, realigned the shelves in two book libraries upstairs and stacked CDs in them. In the struggle for space, music won, literature lost....

[barney]

I have shelves purpose built, so that I can maximise the space. But, like many, I am increasingly turning to the megasets as a space saver. Eg, I just got the Karajan Bruckner set, followed by the Karajan symphonies set (Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schumann, Tchaikovsky all complete) which is barely twice as big, though it's 38 CDs compared with nine. The Bruckner set will go to a lucky friend, so I save the shelf space from duplication. But I have room for about another 35 CDs, which will be gone by February-March. Then what, I don't know.

[Seán]

Storage is a real problem for me too, this year I bought more than 350 CDs and I am running out of shelves too. In Dublin it is impossible to buy ready made cabinets so I'm looking for flat packs, but they have to have high waf.

[Auntie Lynn]

Sur l'autre main, custom cases just might add to your property value...?

[dirkronk]

Lance:

Like Holden, some time ago I started transferring all my CDs out of jewel boxes (which I usually donate to my local library--they're always dealing with broken boxes) and into two-sided plastic sleeves from JazzLoft. These cost maybe 15 cents or so each in bulk (haven't bought in the last few months) and accommodate both the back panel from the CD and the booklet as well as the CD itself, while taking up perhaps a third the space or less. The space saving is incredible when switching from the old style two-CD jewel cases. I then store in cardboard shipping boxes--three rows of CDs in each, with cardboard spacer between each row. This allows me to store the CDs heads up and face forward, so I can flip through the collection quickly, though I could also do them spine up if I wanted. This arrangement allows me to store both the plastic sleeves and paper sleeves together (which I occasionally use for downloaded CDr music that has no booklet or insert) and also mitigates one of the only drawbacks to the plastic sleeves, which is that they're "slick" and don't easily fit into bookshelf style storage side-by-side without slipping around a bit. I use this method mainly because I keep all of my CDs at work, in 10 cardboard boxes stacked under my cubicle desk and hidden by a simple black poster board for appearance. I suppose this is rather like a poor man's version of the (very nice looking) boxes with hanging plastic sleeves that some guy pointed you to in his post...except of course that mine don't hang.


Good luck on figuring out your storage situation.

Dirk

[GK]

Two CDR's fit perfectly into storage spaces designed for one CD. I've done that for some of my CDs in which the jewel box did not contain a booklet including all my BBC Music Magazine discs which were slim but larger than CDR"s.

[Istvan]

I have a friend who downloaded all his CDs onto his Mac and then sold them. However, when I played him a few of mine which had been demagnetized with "Acoustic Review's" RD-3 demagnetizer, he was very put out when he realized how much better sound could have been got out of his silver discs.

[Chalkperson]

I ripped all my CD's to Hard Drives and put the CD's into Bankers Boxes which go into storage so 13,000 cd's fit in an area just a little bigger than a Shoe Box, then I have about 1,000 SACD's which I keep in my shelves which hold about 1500 CD'S and a couple of hundred DVD's, records I really like I copy onto Mobile Fidelity Gold CD'S and then I remove with the back cover and store the CD and booklet in a jewel case half the thickness of the regular one, I keep two bankers boxes discretely hidden for the hundred or so new CD'S which I am listening too...I keep Boxed Sets and about 500 Valuable CD'S in the other room which is basically a huge walk in closet...

[Sylph]

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

[Chalkperson]

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

[Lance]

And when you pull out the cables and re-wire, be sure to also make time to record Grieg's Piano Sonata for us!

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

[Chalkperson]

And when you pull out the cables and re-wire, be sure to also make time to record Grieg's Piano Sonata for us!

Given that it won't be connected to the speakers for half a day I was going to spin my Arthur Fiedler Recordings whilst re-wiring...

[Sylph]

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

Oh, great!!!

[ch1525]

And when you pull out the cables and re-wire, be sure to also make time to record Grieg's Piano Sonata for us!

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

I thought I was the one who was supposed to record Grieg's Piano Sonata?!

(I did happen to practice it today, though. I wish I still had it memorized.)

[Chalkperson]

And when you pull out the cables and re-wire, be sure to also make time to record Grieg's Piano Sonata for us!

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

I thought I was the one who was supposed to record Grieg's Piano Sonata?!

(I did happen to practice it today, though. I wish I still had it memorized.)

I assumed that it was the music Lance uses to see how his Piano Tuning has turned out...

[Lance]

Actually, I play various of Chopin's Etudes, Opp. 10/25 to test out the piano. Sometimes I use Alkan's Festin d'Esop!

And when you pull out the cables and re-wire, be sure to also make time to record Grieg's Piano Sonata for us!

Chalk, have you ever posted a photo of your "music space"?

No, but that's because I don't have a camera, actually I have one but don't know how to work it, I have five people who take pictures for me, i'm like a Film Director in that way...but I am just waiting for some new power cables to arrive which means I have to pull it out to re-wire it and at that point I will have somebody photograph it and will post some photos, that will probably be in about three weeks...

I thought I was the one who was supposed to record Grieg's Piano Sonata?!

(I did happen to practice it today, though. I wish I still had it memorized.)

I assumed that it was the music Lance uses to see how his Piano Tuning has turned out...

[Sylph]

Actually, I play various of Chopin's Etudes, Opp. 10/25 to test out the piano. Sometimes I use Alkan's Festin d'Esop!

Not the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2?

[ch1525]

Is it true, Lance, that if you really want to test out your tuning of the piano, you will sit down and play through all of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum from memory? That's the word on the street, at least.

[Chalkperson]

Is it true, Lance, that if you really want to test out your tuning of the piano, you will sit down and play through all of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum from memory? That's the word on the street, at least.

Lance must feel relieved that he does not live on your street...

[Lance]

Yes, on occasion, the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, but only in the Liszt/Horowitz/Cziffra or Katsaris transcription, which greatly amplifies Liszt's original technically and sometimes harmonically. Not only can I check the tuning, but the repetition of the piano's action.

Actually, I play various of Chopin's Etudes, Opp. 10/25 to test out the piano. Sometimes I use Alkan's Festin d'Esop!

Not the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2?

[Lance]

Well, I have done it; it was a BEAR to learn and commit to memory. However, the last time I tuned Sorabji's Bösendorfer Imperial concert grand [9'6"], it was mandatory that I play for him, as a piano "test" his music and he requested the Clavicembalisticum, one of the great wonders of the piano literature, in its entirety and from memory, or else he'd find a new tuner-technician. I didn't want to lose Old Sorabji as a customer. So I started in and about one third through, the strings in the bass started to snap off. One almost hit him in the eye. Suddenly, some of the keys broke in half right on the balance rail in the action and the keys stayed down. More strings broke in the high treble, and smoke actually started to come off the hammers. I thought there was going to be a fire in the piano and so did Sorabji, so he took a bucket of water from his kitchen and threw into the piano. In the end, it cost about $6000/USD to fix everything and I told him, politely, to find a new tuner-technician. He called me back several times, but I never felt I could accommodate the quality he needed for his very special compositions only of which, it seems, the great John Ogdon could do, without breaking strings or hammers off their shanks, or create a fire in the piano. [I've been told I have a very vivid imagination!]

Is it true, Lance, that if you really want to test out your tuning of the piano, you will sit down and play through all of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum from memory? That's the word on the street, at least.

[ch1525]

HAHA, vivid imagination indeed!!!

Here is a video of Lance G. Hill playing a piano he has just freshly tuned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoTyDD0C93U

[Sylph]

You play the Rhapsody? Really?

[Seán]

HAHA, vivid imagination indeed!!!

Here is a video of Lance G. Hill playing a piano he has just freshly tuned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoTyDD0C93U

My oh my! But why does he insist on wearing that ridiculous hat?

[Ralph]

If you think about it, you probably no longer need a kitchen. Take out suffices nicely. Rip out the stove, refrigerator and useless cabinets and you'll have a terrific new CD storage room.

[Seán]

If you think about it, you probably no longer need a kitchen. Take out suffices nicely. Rip out the stove, refrigerator and useless cabinets and you'll have a terrific new CD storage room.

Don't be silly Ralph. I do need a kitchen, otherwise where else would my wife prepare our gorgeous meals? I need a kitchen, my music room, the bathroom and I'm happy to use the rest of the house for storage, but I'll never get wife approval for that.

[Lance]

I wear the hat to keep my brain warm so I can better hear all the "beats" whilst tuning. The hat appears to keep all extraneous thoughts from coming in. That hat has become my trademark, of sorts.

HAHA, vivid imagination indeed!!!

Here is a video of Lance G. Hill playing a piano he has just freshly tuned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoTyDD0C93U

My oh my! But why does he insist on wearing that ridiculous hat?

[Lance]

Great idea, Ralph! Trust me, I'm thinking about your suggestion. Just thinking. We are in the throes of having all our rooms painted in the house, and some minor repairs and cracks fixed (except the one in my head, apparently), having our silver tea set polished, windows cleaned, throwing out tons of stuff (trying to find new places to place books and CDs). You have NO IDEA how disruptive this whole thing is, really! The workers have been here for almost two weeks already and still have a ways to go.

On the other hand, what will I do when I open up the house for big party for all CMGers next summer? I won't have any food, cold beverages, etc. to serve with no appliances to take care of those projects. The primary entertainment will be a recital given by our good friend, Donald Isler—on a superb Baldwin grand piano— (and some duets he will play with our illustrious CMG member, Dame Susan Hammond and Werner Isler, with a hearing of the complete Ring cycle by Richard Wagner in the legendary Furtwängler recording (with, especially, Chalkie and Slyph in mind, just trying to please everyone). I suppose, given the extra pounds I seem to be carrying, I could exist on any accumulated fat cells for at least a little while, perhaps more than a little while. I very much appreciate your fine response and possible solution, however!

If you think about it, you probably no longer need a kitchen. Take out suffices nicely. Rip out the stove, refrigerator and useless cabinets and you'll have a terrific new CD storage room.

[slofstra]

Dirkronk,

Thank you very much; I've been looking for something just like this. This is a fantastic solution, and Lance, I think it would be the answer to all your troubles.

Link to movie demonstrating the Jazzloft CD sleeve

I'm going to purchase some. I would also put the CD inside a lined paper sleeve first. Also cardboard seperators, which are readily available in CD size, will keep the polyethylene from sliding around. With a shelf unit like the one below, your CDs stand up more easily anyway. I have a few of these, and then a similar affair, half height. But with this Jazzloft sleeve, I will easily save one third of the space.

Dirk, how slippery/slidey are these things?

[dirkronk]

Dirk, how slippery/slidey are these things?

Pretty darn slippery, Henry. Like I say, I personally wouldn't figure on using them in bookshelf storage...unless I had short runs between divider uprights and maybe a sort of low footer or rail thingie in front of them. Honestly, though, either your narrow shelf OR your cardboard divider idea might work fine. The sleeves don't really stack vertically very high, either, when you have 'em loaded with the booklets and backs; they tend to slide forward or back easily, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Fact is, even with those cautions, I have to tell you that they were a godsend for my storage needs. And in my case, the cardboard shipping boxes were the best storage option. When I finally retire or quit and have to take my CDs home from the office, I figure I'll find a furniture quality multi-drawer file to replace my cardboard boxes...if only to keep peace with my spouse.


BTW, if you decide to go the Jazzloft sleeve route, I don't think you need to worry about separate paper sleeves once the backs and booklets are in the plastic sleeves; I've found that the paper of the inner side of the back is smooth enough to protect the CD "read" side from scratching--but of course, that's your call. What I DO use paper sleeves for is when I have a 3- or 4-disc set; sometimes it's possible to fit all 3 or 4 CDs into one plastic sleeve, with one CD in paper and another "naked" in each side of the plastic case.

Cheers,

Dirk

[slofstra]

Dirk, how slippery/slidey are these things?

Pretty darn slippery, Henry. Like I say, I personally wouldn't figure on using them in bookshelf storage...unless I had short runs between divider uprights and maybe a sort of low footer or rail thingie in front of them. They don't really stack vertically very high, either, when you have 'em loaded with the booklets and backs; they tend to slide forward or back easily.

But even with those cautions, I have to tell you that they were a godsend for my storage needs. And in my case, the cardboard boxes were the best storage option. When I finally retire or quit and have to take my CDs home from the office, I figure I'll find a furniture quality multi-drawer file to replace my cardboard boxes...if only to keep peace with my spouse.


BTW, if you decide to go the Jazzloft sleeve route, I don't think you need to worry about separate paper sleeves once the backs and booklets are in the plastic sleeves; I've found that the paper of the inner side of the back is smooth enough to protect the CD "read" side from scratching--but of course, that's your call. What I DO use paper sleeves for is when I have a 3- or 4-disc set; sometimes it's possible to fit all 3 or 4 CDs into one plastic sleeve, with one CD in paper and another "naked" in each side of the plastic case.

Cheers,

Dirk

Okay. I think I might order a 100 and see how that goes. At least I will have something for those BBC disks. Incidentally, and you may know this, the substrate that carries the information in a CD is closer to the label side of the CD. So a deep scratch on that side can do worse damage than a scratch on the side that is read.

[dirkronk]

Incidentally, and you may know this, the substrate that carries the information in a CD is closer to the label side of the CD. So a deep scratch on that side can do worse damage than a scratch on the side that is read.

Yeah, I knew. But I still find that a lot of people like to keep the downside as unscratched as possible. My wife gets all worried if she finds a used CD she likes but it has a few light scratches on that side; I haven't been able to convince her that scuffs or minor scratches on CDs don't have the same effect as scratches on old LPs.

Good luck. Hope the Jazzloft sleeves work for you.

Dirk

[RebLem]

Dear Lance,

Custom made shelving systems are not necessary. I am not sure why you got the custom made stuff or why you can't any more. Two possibilities suggest themselves--you don't have enough space or they're too expensive for your present circumstances. I am inclined, until you say otherwise, to believe that the first alternative is not correct as the alternative you have in mind would seem to take up just as much space. So, I am assuming the latter.

I recommend you get rather inexpensive CD storage from Home Decorators. Here is one example--10 shelf units. If you go around the website, you will find they have double wides and triple wides, too, but I prefer the singles, because they are more versaitle. The one on display in the ad is rather unattractive, being all black, but you have four finish alternatives. I have one of these in the very attractive dark cherry color. I have had it for several years, and I house my Bach collection and most of my Early Music collection in it. I can assure you it is sturdy and more than adequate to the purpose. My other cabinets I got from an Unpainted Furniture place. Six 6 shelf units, which I had a furniture repair guy screw together and finish in a dark maple color, so that I have three 12-shelf units. This, however, turned out to be more expensive than the Home Decorators alternative. So, take a look:

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Oak_Ven ... _Case/210/

[dirkronk]

Nice looking cases, RebLem. In my situation, however, I think I'll be looking for a multi-drawer cabinet that has drawers the depth of CDs--as I alluded to in my post above. Presuming, of course, that such a thing exists.

In my distant art director past, I had flat files (typically used by architects and graphic designers) that had large drawers to store posters and large ads. The nicer flat files were available in golden oak and looked great even in a residential setting. The drawers were too shallow to hold CDs, but if I could find something similar that WOULD work, I'd be a happy camper.

Question is, does anyone here own...or has anyone seen...a cabinet of this sort? I figure it's not too soon to start the search.



Dirk

[slofstra]

Nice looking cases, RebLem. In my situation, however, I think I'll be looking for a multi-drawer cabinet that has drawers the depth of CDs--as I alluded to in my post above. Presuming, of course, that such a thing exists.

In my distant art director past, I had flat files (typically used by architects and graphic designers) that had large drawers to store posters and large ads. The nicer flat files were available in golden oak and looked great even in a residential setting. The drawers were too shallow to hold CDs, but if I could find something similar that WOULD work, I'd be a happy camper.

Question is, does anyone here own...or has anyone seen...a cabinet of this sort? I figure it's not too soon to start the search.



Dirk

Most computer shops have cabinets of this nature to hold software CDs and data. If I understand what you're asking; I may not.
For example, Staples sells one like this - not cheap though.




How close is that to your concept?

[HoustonDavid]

Lance, there are several Websites selling CD storage devices similar to the one on Reblem's Website at relatively reasonble prices. I've also seen much the same thing (in various wood finishes) at Best Buy, minor assembly required; they look much like bookshelves but without as much depth. The shelves are adjustable and can thereby be used for DVDs as well. For that matter, what's wrong with using bookshelves (matching, of course)? They should be even easier to find and would hold a good many CDs. Just a thought.

David

[dirkronk]

How close is that to your concept?

That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about...only in oak or teak or something that my wife wouldn't divorce me over if it suddenly appeared in the third bedroom (which currently acts as my home office/LP collection room). Thanks, Henry.


Dirk

[Chalkperson]

How close is that to your concept?

It contains DAT Tapes, Cassettes and Zip Discs...may be an old photo perhaps...