Database for music collection??

Subject: Database for music collection??
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 02:59 PM

I'm trying to create a database of all my CD and tape tracks so I can search it to see if I have a recording of a particular tune or song, and if so, where it is. I'd also like to have a searchable keyword field. I tried MS Access' standard Music Collection format, but it doesn't appear to let me search by tune/song title or keywords. Does anyone have a database that will do what I want to do?

To be honest, I am not interested in spending a lot of time creating my own format so if someone has something that works in Access, the easiest thing would be to e-mail me the database and I'll just replace the existing records with my own. How's that for lazy? PM me if you can help and I'll give you my e-mail. Many thanks!!

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 03:07 PM

why dont you try www.gracenote.com its a database of cds over 800,000 and tracks or tunes for each cd. you can search by musician/band or title its quite handy for a blind fiddle player friend of mine she can look up names of tunes on specific cds without having to scan in the cover Cheers Petr.

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 03:12 PM

Dick Greenhaus of DT recommend ASKSAM to me (find on WEB), and I've been very pleased with it. You set up the fields you want and can search in any field or globally for any string you want. It uses special symbols to mark beginning and ending of field (they aren't fixed length fields), so a little overhead is all you have for an empty field and Steve Roud's folksong index is then about 15% as big as I had in DBASE IV. It will read in data files from a variety of popular formats.

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 03:25 PM

My Easy CD Creator 4 software can access www.gracenote.com (formerly cddb) and download the song titles for the album that's in my CD-ROM drive. It builds a file that my computer identifies as an Access file, but I can't open it with my Access 95. Does anybody know if it will open with Access 2000? What's the quality of the database it builds?

CDDB/Gracenote led me to download something called QCD Player. I gather that it's supposed to build a database of your CD's and song titles by downloading from CDDB/Gracenote, but I can't get it to work very well.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: radriano
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 06:55 PM

I use Microsoft Access and find the program very searcheable. Place your cursor on the title column, for example, hit Ctrl+f, and you'll get a search dialog box. You can choose to search the entire field or part of a field.

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 08:09 PM

hold on! Saw just what you need..lemme go find it

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 08:14 PM

I'd say there's a few people watching this one with more than passing interest! I've thought about attacking the problem with Access - but never quite worked up the energy.

Regards

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 08:23 PM

here is one..freeware...

Music Database

you can ALSO go to where I found it originally Son of Spy Pricelessware ...the 'best' freeware on the net and find LOTS more neat free stuff...

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 08:59 PM

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. radriano, the "music collection" template in Access doesn't let me search the "track" field, probably because it's embedded in the main database somehow. If I set up my own database format I could probably do it, but I was hoping someone had already done it for me.

petr, Bruce O, Joe Offer and Bill D, I will try your suggestions and report back on which I like. Thanks again.

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 09:06 PM

Susan-Marie...the whole point of these programs is that they DO set up a format where you just type in data...*smile*..it's just a matter of whichone you like...

also...if you are willing to spend a few$$$$ (or go looking for cracked serial) here is another:

MusiFind Pro

it works pretty well...

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 09:12 PM

one more..$17....Music Catalog 5.0

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 09:18 PM

and that last one now has a big brother especially for Win 9X

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: radriano
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 11:15 AM

Susan-Marie,

I've never used any of the templates in Access but custom designing a database is so straightforward that I've designed databases that do everything I want for my record collections, my songbooks, cassette tapes, CDs, and tunebooks.

I've only had access to Access so that's all I've used up to now. I'm sure that some of the programs others have suggested are quite good as well.

Richard

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: radriano
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 11:20 AM

Susan-Marie,

I'd be happy to share my database format with you but you're certain to run into difficulties if you don't understand the program you're working with.

You can reach me at: [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 01:54 PM

Bill, do any of those programs hook into CDDB so you don't have to type the song titles? My Easy CD Creator and also the free version of RealJukebox do that and do build a database - but I haven't figured out how to access and search the databases they build. So, I've got two song databases on my computer, but I can't access them to search for a song. -Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 06:27 PM

yeah... I think one of them does do the CDDB thing...(remember glancing at a line to that effect)...but one needs to be able to just type in stuff about tapes and LPs too. I have 2 or 3 programs which search for CD info, but I have 98% LPs, and half the CDs I get aren't listed in CDDB anyway...(TOLD you I go for obscure stuff!)

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 07:18 PM

yep,,that MusiFind Pro program does do CDDB

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: GUEST,Kernow Jon
Date: 01 Feb 01 - 09:42 PM

Joe Some of the CDDB programmes store their info in a file called cdplayer.ini usually in the system directory. You can read this with Notepad. If you want to check yours and this is the case let me know and I'll work out a way to move the info into a DB hot you.
KJ

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Feb 01 - 02:03 AM

Thanks for the tip, KJ. I found the cdplayer.ini file, and I can figure out how to export it to a database. Now, if I can find the program that's supplying the ingformation....
There's not much information in the cdplayer.ini file, so I'm trying to think what player I may have used to play those CD's.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 03 Feb 01 - 10:08 PM

OK folks, here is MY feedback on the suggestions in this thread, but remember, YMMV.

Access will do what I need if I build two databases and link them. The first DB has all the album info, the second DB has all the tracks for each album, and they are linked by a common control number. You could do it all in one database but I think it's a waste of time and space to type in all the album info for each track.

I didn't do much with AskSam because I figured if I was going to use a standard db program I might as well use one I already know a little about.

The freeware Bill D suggested (Music Database) doesn't have tracks, just the album info.

Bill D's two shareware suggestions are both good. I prefer MusiFind Pro because it will link to CDDB and copy all the tracks into your database for you. That is so cool! If you've ever spent hours typing strange gaelic song titles into a database, you owe it to yourself to watch the internet do it for you. Thanks a million, Bill.

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: GUEST,rob baas
Date: 04 Feb 01 - 06:34 PM

O.K. I've seen al the reactions. Now, does a guy from Holland has to learn a lesson to all you North Americans out there? And learn that lesson with an "all-American "product? I use the program VISITRAX. I Can do everything with it (search on album/artist/ song/ part of tune), I can import/export from textfiles, ofcourse I can use CDDB, free updates, an explorer-like view... No fancy stuff, but just the things you need.And the service they give: Converting the data you already have is no problem Why bother inventing the wheel again when someone else already did it? Access? Nice if you want to build something that does not exist... but for this: Go to www.synapsa.com , download the light version and try it: No cost And about the QCD (The Quissential Cd player, or something like that: it works as well, but has a funny look) It also works on CDDB. Its worth to try it

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Feb 01 - 06:51 PM

well, rob bass, that does look good..I may just try it. There are SO many programs these days, and new ideas are always welcome! (I had to scroll down a ways to find that VisiTrax does indeed allow entering data about albums and singles..etc.. dont know how well it compares to MusiFind , but we shall see!)

thanks.....

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Feb 01 - 04:08 PM

and so.....I have installed it...it seems like a possibility, but I am still puzzling it out...will post more later. It does add CDDB date easily, but I'm still trying to figure out how to integrate it to the list..

Subject: RE: Database for music collection??
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 01 - 06:31 PM

Bill, if any question...mail to Visitrax ! They do a good service. I had all of my tapes in another database. I just sent it over to them and they converted it..within 24 hours!! By the way: It might seem I have an interest in the program.. In no way on a financial base, just like the program so much that I wished everybody could benifit from it. Greetings, Rob