How Do You Organize Your Vinyl Collection?

[DTR]

By genre, then record label (alphabetically), then by cat number

[Panotaker]

I have the most popular stuff that I like to listen to in the spaces that are at eye level and easier to reach, in no particular order. The stuff I play less often are in the lower spaces. Half the fun of vinyl is digging, even if it is digging through your own stuff. I have a rough idea where everything is. The problem with being organized is staying organized.

[disparate]

I work with people like you

I sometimes wish I'd started a spreadsheet when I started buying records...

[Badger]

My "Wall of Records" has one major division, between DJ remix service compilations (like Ultimix, X-Mix, Hot Tracks, and Razormaid) and all other commercial/promo releases.

Inside the "remix service" division, they are divided by service, then by subservice (for instance, Ultimix is immediately followed by Ultimix subservices Funkymix, Rampage!, and Looking Back), then by issue number within each subservice.

Inside the other division, I have all of the genres together, sorted alphabetically by artist name. Each artist's work is sorted with the albums first in (feasibly) chronological order, followed by singles in (feasibly) chronological order.

The "Wall" contains about 60-70% of my total collection. Depeche Mode gets another section in a different part of the studio, since I have over 300 vinyl releases just of theirs.

I try to keep my scratch/breakbeat releases in their own division outside of the "Wall" as well, but I'm not too good about that; they seem to be scattered here and there, many stuck in along with the extras - duplicates and other unsorted whatnot - in a series of crates safely stacked up off to the side. The crates, unfortunately, are almost totally random... so if I'm looking for a record that's not in my "ready to go" record cases and not available up in the "Wall," it can sometimes be a bit of a task finding them.

Overall, I have what I believe to be around five to six thousand pieces of 12" vinyl, and I really wish that I had them organized better, although I usually do pretty well the way that I already have them.

Alphabetical, I have an excel file with Genre, Year, Aca, Inst, and BPM columns listed so I can search when my memory fails me.

Good idea! I used to keep a spreadsheet like that, but it was specifically for the songs in my DJ remix compilations. I had columns set up for artist, title, remix name, remix service, remix subservice/issue number, remixer, BPM, and track length. I had over eight thousand different entries in the spreadsheet before computer issues forced me to abandon the project over a decade ago. I would love to pick it back up and start the whole thing over with a more modernized database that I could view/print as a spreadsheet... but it'll be a while before I can take on such a project.

[Mrspyaman]

Good idea! I used to keep a spreadsheet like that, but it was specifically for the songs in my DJ remix compilations. I had columns set up for artist, title, remix name, remix service, remix subservice/issue number, remixer, BPM, and track length. I had over eight thousand different entries in the spreadsheet before computer issues forced me to abandon the project over a decade ago. I would love to pick it back up and start the whole thing over with a more modernized database that I could view/print as a spreadsheet... but it'll be a while before I can take on such a project.

I simplified how it sounds in my post. I actually record the records into digital then break them up by song and tag them all. After that I use a program called copyfilenames to extract the file names to excel with the tag info by columns. Been doing it for about 5 years now. I really enjoy diggin through the storage shed picking the next lot to record (A old memory recalled daily).

[The Blackest]

I tried to create an excel file w/ all of my tunes and ended up mixing tunes I haven't touched in years!! LOL!! Everything is organized in alphabetical by label.

[chipsky]

I'm up to over 5,000 albums and sort them purely alphabetical. Going by genre and then alphabetical got cumbersome as the number of crossover groups and genre's increased (I'm long in the tooth). YMMV but that's how most of my collector friends and DJ organize as well.

Edit: Looks like my post count restarted... guess I've been away too long.

[disparate]

I tried to create an excel file w/ all of my tunes and ended up mixing tunes I haven't touched in years!! LOL!! Everything is organized in alphabetical by label.

That's the beauty of any sort of reorganisation or change of process (even something as simple as playing vinyl rips through Serato rather than on wax), you'll always seem to discover some tunes you've overlooked for a while!

[Amadeus]

By genre, then record label (alphabetically), then by cat number

I go by this as well, works a treat though at about 800 records, my collections still manageable, we'll see if it works when I have 3/4 times as much.

[Subprime]

Mines a mess with stuff all over the place but it should easier to organise than digital.

Uhhhh, easier to organise than digital? Are you sure about that?