Continuing with CDs?

(you all realise, i hope, that if you resell or give away the actual cds then you aren't legally the owner anymore so shouldn't be listning to your rips...)

don't think i've ever got rid of a single cd. oh, actually, i had some duplicate 'free 4ad sampler with purchase' things (and my spare sarah singles) that got swished.

and this is why i can't move in my flat. (i'm still using the big black ikea carousal that mike helped me lump back from wembley that one time)

looking to buy a bigger condo mostly so I can have an extra bedroom to use as a media room, CDs clutter up the joint and personally I just don't like my living room having a TV in it, the focal point should be a fireplace.

no way am I getting rid of my CDs or their cases though! I'll jettison my vinyl first, most likely.

Time for a new link to https://spacesavingsleeves.com/ - I junked my jewel boxes for them many years ago.

I've been eyeing those sleeves for quite some time! I have a question though. I'm assuming you've got to store those vertically, right? I ask because the way most of my shelves are built, I have to store the CDs horizontally (stacked on each other) since they aren't specifically designed for single row CD storage. I'm assuming stacking these would crush the spine side of the tray card and defeat the purpose, but I was curious. I'd love to reduce the space though, I just don't have the budget for all new shelves too.

not sure i want to buy anything from Jazz Loft.

(oh, he's only the youtube uploader. still...)

Fwiw, as I understand it, the current place to buy them online is no longer Jazz Loft.

https://spacesavingsleeves.com/

I seriously considered going that route instead but tbh I couldn't justify the expense for an innovation that while neat would simply not save *enough* space for my requirements

space is a consideration, but for me the burden of a collection is mostly mental, this thing that requires curation and attention, etc.

(i'm still using the big black ikea carousal that mike helped me lump back from wembley that one time)

Oh wow - that was... 21, 22 years ago?

I went from crates to purpose-built bookshelves-on-wheels to a wall of Ikea shelving to a row of glass-fronted cabinets. That's where the rot set in. The cabinets were behind the couch, so opening the doors fully / getting to stuff on lower shelves was a pain. Stuff would just sit out for months next to the stereo.

i have those sleeves, and they do save tons of space. I have all 600 or so of my cds on a rack which used to hold less than 200, I think. I kept a few in jewel cases and all mine which were in digipacks

they aren't perfect, mainly because they are formless enough where it can be hard to get them to stand so that you can read the spines easily.

you can't stack them on top of each other, after 5 or so they will just start to spill and slide all over.

i used to have one of those large Boltz cd racks. It seems so silly spending hundreds of dollars on something to nicely hold cds now. That thing was so heavy.

The space-saving gatefold sleeves seem popular, as I've had many post-sale enquiries from Discogs buyers asking where I got them from. I also prefer the way they protect the booklets: Say Goodbye To Teeth-Snarl Woes, etc.

> 1000ct CD SLEEVES
> From $169.95

holy cow. and i'd need more than one of those...

actually, i don't. the existing shelves are fine, i'd just need enough make enough space to house the overflow, probably a few hundred.

and then there's the dvds...

(yeah, 21+ years. have been in london since '99 and it was before that, but i'm not sure how much before.)

Those sleeves look OK but a good 50% if not more of my CDs are digipaks. I really don't think I would get that much benefit from swapping half of my CDs into that format - it would just make them look weird next to all the others.

it also seems kinda hard to make out the spines...

Yeah, those are the reasons why, though I've considered the sleeve option, I'm fine without it.

all these de-packaging solutions sound like violence :-(

Seriously. "If you tear the covers off your books, you can fit more books on your shelf!"

also that way I can't judge them

but seriously, it's just stuff. for the most part I could lose it in a fire or flood and I'd be over it within a week

but seriously, it's just stuff. for the most part I could lose it in a fire or flood and I'd be over it within a week

if i grabbed my NAS drive en route out of the house, then yeah, otherwise, absolutely f*ckin not.

I was considering those sleeves but they're way more expensive than I remembered. Wanted the paper sleeves too (apparently they give more protection? But how?) but that's probably just too much. Maybe I don't have as many CDs as I feared.

I don't even get the point of owning physical media if you aren't going to keep the packaging. Why not just rip it all to flac or whatever and get rid of the discs too?

Seriously. "If you tear the covers off your books, you can fit more books on your shelf!"

That's.... not at all what this is like though. Those sleeves are specifically just to eliminate the jewel case - they allow you to keep the liner notes and the tray insert. I wouldn't use this for anything in a digipak or in any other kind of non-standard packaging. I wouldn't feel like I'm losing anything, and it's totally reversible if you ever want the jewel case again.

For what it's wroth, I'm not going to invest in these myself, but I totally get the appeal.

A revolving tower design of shelfs (with a lazy susan as the base), say about 5 feet tall, is an easy way of storing over 1000 CD's without taking up much space. The only catch is, since's it a greater concentration of media within a smaller space, it's also heavy AF, so once you fill it, don't expect to move it unless you take everything off the shelves again. (Also make sure you leave enough space around it so that it can rotate without bumping into any obstacles.) A good one can be expensive, but they're also easy to build if you've got the basic tools.

*shelves not shelfs

*since it's - sorry I need to proofread these before I post

The biggest reality is that I just need to cull my collection.

all these de-packaging solutions sound like violence :-(

― brimstead, Wednesday, 8 July 2020 20:28

This ^^ I can get it if you've absolutely no space. But it seems to defeat the purpose of owning physical media. I think I'd rather go totally digital before getting rid of cases etc

Never knew people loved jewel cases so much. I'm only getting rid of them if I'm struggling for room.

A significant part of my collection is not jewel cases. I don't like the idea of half de-packaged and half not. Plus, I don't dislike jewel cases. They have a practicality I can get behind. Completely renewable, for example.

lol @ the blurry 240p video on that space sleeve site

> 1000ct CD SLEEVES
> From $169.95
holy cow. and i'd need more than one of those...

and you'd have to pay import duty to the UK.

(says a UK person who ordered a box of them and paid import duty and then didn't get round to using most of them. I guess I should revisit that as I'm obviously home a lot and desperate for space atm)

I used a few and I think you have to fold the wider back section, which is annoying, and it seems to expect you to use some smaller liner to put the CD inside the sleeve, but I don't have any, so eh. I've only used it for stuff I don't really care about so far, but then I thought "if I don't case about this I should just put it on discogs", and then guess what I also didn't get round to.

Plus nobody wanted the empty jewel cases and they don't recycle locally and I felt bad putting them in the bin.

Jazz lofts for all!

Imagine trying to browse 6000 CDs on that rack made for 1000...

I like mixing the space-saving sleeves up with the digipacks. The digipacks give a bit of rigidity, plus their spines are more visible, so if you store alphabetically then you know roughly where you are. But I've always loathed jewel cases. Ugh, vile things, begone with them. They seem to have almost disappeared for newer releases, and when you do get them, they look like cumbersome anachronisms.

I'd perhaps choose a jewel case over a digipak. Lasts forever

yup, agreed

well, unless you drop one and it's a special color

I like the format. I can live without the packaging most of the time. shrug

vinyl packaging is another story. lyrics I can actually read, for one thing

all the replacement jewel cases I’ve bought in the last several years have been utter trash. Flimsy af.

just ordered two things on vinyl that don’t exist on CD

digipaks, paper packaging looks a lot prettier on a shelf than jewel cases, IMO. like cute little slim books

what’s funny is I’m totally cool looking at spines in my own home but I kinda hate shopping for used CDs that way. makes me think it’s all gonna be dust covered freedy johnston and stroke 9 and Santana supernatural jewel cases for some reason?

Usually is, yes.

My solution - used Mac Mini (2010 model about $100). Set iTunes to lossless rip inserted CDs, pop in a disc to play, wait a couple minutes, play from rip, eject disc and place case in higher density less accessible housing (shelves in laundry, boxes slid under bed etc. So gradually, collection goes digital, artwork retained, minimal playback inconvenience, can be transcoded for phone library, played to other locations in the house, etc. and physical media there if you ever need it, out of the way if not.
iMac would do just as well if there’s space, they seem to command lesser prices than Minis for that reason I guess. I did a collection of 2500 discs this way (including some bulk ripping sessions) and never looked back.

My solution - used Mac Mini (2010 model about $100). Set iTunes to lossless rip inserted CDs, pop in a disc to play, wait a couple minutes, play from rip, eject disc and place case in higher density less accessible housing (shelves in laundry, boxes slid under bed etc. So gradually, collection goes digital, artwork retained, minimal playback inconvenience, can be transcoded for phone library, played to other locations in the house, etc. and physical media there if you ever need it, out of the way if not.
iMac would do just as well if there’s space, they seem to command lesser prices than Minis for that reason I guess. I did a collection of 2500 discs this way (including some bulk ripping sessions) and never looked back.
Oh and Max Mini has good DACs for direct output, or use the optical/USB outs to a dedicated DAC for an upgrade.

ugh sorry got confused by Zing

xp that Freedy Johnston cd is not bad

I've had incredible luck with thrift shopping for CDs in toronto tbh

gah yeah jealous of big city CD thrifting, fuck it feels like another era already

I have my whole CD collection ripped as well, including new stuff as it comes in. But I still have room for the discs, which is nice because I still play them in the truck CD player.