Author Topic: Mp3 catalog/database programs (Read 37877 times)

superboyac · « **on:** March 06, 2006, 07:07 PM »

I know we had previous discussions about the best mp3 tag/renamer previously, so here is a complementary topic: good mp3 catalog programs. I don't have time to do a full-blown review right now, but my vote goes to MP3 Collector from:
http://www.collectorz.com

It's great, I've used it for years. It's highly customizable, etc. All the things a poweruser could want. I'd also be interested in others' opinions. Other programs I've run across are:

Mp3rat
http://www.kaylon.com/mp3rat/
It's by the maker of Powermarks, the best web bookmarking program ever. Honestly, I've never tried the program, but if it's by the same author, I assume it's a good program with some interesting features, possibly.

There's another program that I've never tried, and the name escapes me right now, but it's by the same guy who wrote a program to automatically scan directories and attach the bitrate to the folder name. I'll post the actual name and link when I get home. Anyway, he mentions that his program is extremely efficient and can scan thousands of mp3's in very little time. Anyway, just based on the author's reputation, I'm assuming it's a good program also.

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2006, 10:25 PM »

i've been using musikcube recently, it has some catalogging function though i must admit i don't use them (http://www.musikcube.com/).

vrgrrl has praised collectorz in the past as well on this forum (i think she uses the dvd collectorz programs).

Veign · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2006, 10:44 PM »

What about MediaMonkey:
http://www.mediamonkey.com/

superboyac · « **Reply #3 on:** March 07, 2006, 02:07 AM »

I downloaded musikcube recently and played with it, and I actually did like it. But I'm so hooked to the increasingly sluggish winamp and my skins and plugins, that I can't even attempt a transition yet. And I never use a player's own cataloguing system. I just feel like that playing and cataloguing are two distinct functions that should be done independantly. If no one's noticed yet, I'm very, very hesitant to use any all-in-one devices.

Same goes for mediamonkey, although I haven't really tried it.

When I found out about collectorz a few years ago, I was pretty active on their forum and they were really responsive and helpful to new features and suggestions. I'm barely ever there anymore, but I assume they are still good about all that. Although I've noticed the new versions come out much less frequently now, I think that is more attributed to the fact that the program has matured well.

The other program I was talking about was this one:
MP3 Archive Manager
http://www.audioinfosystems.com/

He also does a movie collection program and the bitrate labeling program I mentioned in my first post. Although I haven't used his cataloguing programs, I have a really good gut feeling about this guy's programs. He seems to have a good philosophy and intelligent approach to his software.

The only reason why i don't even attempt to try his stuff out is because I have absolutely no complaints with collectorz.com yet. This might very well be the case where there are more than one really excellent solutions to the same problem. I have a feeling that audioinfosystems may be a bit more minimalistic than collectorz, but also, I feel like his program may be able to handle extremely large collections more efficiently than collectorz.

This is probably the most you'll ever see me write about a software I have never even downloaded! For some reason, I'm fascinated by his programs. I swear, it's all speculation, I really have no reason for any of this other than a gut feeling! weird...

wr975 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 07, 2006, 03:06 AM »

Guess I'm the only person who likes using Winamp.

I use the freeware Album List for Winamp to organize my MP3 albums. It isn't that fancy or powerful like some commercial organizers, but it's enough for me + I like the album search.

While am writing, another plugin I like a lot Toaster.

superboyac · « **Reply #5 on:** March 07, 2006, 09:45 AM »

Yeah! Toaster is cool, I think I just found out about it a few months ago.

As for the winamp plugins for organizing albums and stuff, I used to do that back when I had only about 500 songs. but once you get much larger than that, you have to have something more powerful. And remember, not everything is always on the hard drive, some are backed up on other media as well.

brotherS · « **Reply #6 on:** March 07, 2006, 10:22 AM »

Yes, Toaster is great, I'm using it since ages

Another nice plugin: DFX for Winamp enhances the sound a lot, it's unbelievable until you heard it yourself, much better than just the equalizer: http://fileforum.bet.../detail/1030468205/1

And now back to the topic

Since I'm using the free and great Mp3tag (check http://fileforum.bet.../Mp3tag/1056224000/1 and notice the awesome rating!) I have no use for another, expensive tagger. But I'm more and more interested in a catalog program for long-time storage, so I took a look at the sites mentioned above.

http://www.mediamonkey.com/ looks really good! According to http://fileforum.bet...aMonkey/1004522272/1 it IS a lovely app, I have to try it! Another nice fact about it: "MediaMonkey is generally compatible with Winamp plug-ins written for Winamp 2" (quoted from http://www.mediamonk....com/dsp-plugins.htm ) - so DFX and PaceMaker are working for it too!

brotherS · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2006, 07:52 AM »

I like MediaMonkey so far, many people put lots of thought into its features!

brotherS · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2006, 02:51 PM »

A quick update: I like MediaMonkey even better now, it's great to archive old mp3 files on CD or DVD. Give the CD/DVD a unique name when burning (i.e. date when burned), let MediaMonkey add its content to the database and you are ready to search all your mp3 files (whether archived or still on your PC) in no time!

If you want to test it (it's free!) you'll find the URL two posts above.

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2006, 11:15 AM »

Nice, and anyone knows a good catalog software to save Data CD/DVD information like backups and that?

Thanks

superboyac · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2006, 11:51 AM »

Nice, and anyone knows a good catalog software to save Data CD/DVD information like backups and that?

Thanks
-Dr-Leech (October 17, 2006, 11:15 AM)

Well, if you mean keeping track of all sorts of files in general, I don't think anything beats Whereisit.
http://www.whereisit-soft.com/

It's a great program, one of the first programs I ever bought. Free upgrades for life.

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #11 on:** October 18, 2006, 05:05 PM »

Well, if you mean keeping track of all sorts of files in general, I don't think anything beats Whereisit.
http://www.whereisit-soft.com/

It's a great program, one of the first programs I ever bought. Free upgrades for life.
-superboyac (October 17, 2006, 11:51 AM)

Thanks.. I'll check it..

And also.. for catalog CDs and DVDs with MP3s ?

brotherS · « **Reply #12 on:** October 18, 2006, 05:20 PM »

And also.. for catalog CDs and DVDs with MP3s ?
-Dr-Leech (October 18, 2006, 05:05 PM)

Please read the posts above

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #13 on:** October 18, 2006, 05:27 PM »

oh, yes..

forget to say "another software"

bc I don't like collectorz..

And the other software here discussed is just for on-HD and I need to catalog thousands of cd/dvd with mp3s

superboyac · « **Reply #14 on:** October 18, 2006, 06:34 PM »

oh, yes..

forget to say "another software"
bc I don't like collectorz..

And the other software here discussed is just for on-HD and I need to catalog thousands of cd/dvd with mp3s
-Dr-Leech (October 18, 2006, 05:27 PM)

What is it that you don't like about collectorz? Because that info will help us make better suggestions. Mp3 Collector will do exactly what you're asking, so I need to know what you don't like about it. My only complaint about MP3 Collector is that it can be a little slow for large libraries, and it's filter feature is especially slow (at least for me). But I have a relatively old computer and a large library.

MP3Rat is a really nice program, but it's old and hasn't been updated, and it may lack certain features. But it can't be beat as far as it's searching feature. MP3rat is actually designed around it's search engine (same for it's sister product Powermarks). That's cool, because it's a great search engine and a lot of programs could use something like it.

I can't remember other products off the top of my head that will do removeable media like CD/DVD.

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2006, 07:00 PM »

Exact, I don't like Collectorz bc it's so slow.. I have around 200 cds with mp3s and it's almost impossible to browse with collectorz, and search.. uff.. takes centuries.

And about MP3Rat seems to be no so much user-friendly to manage CDs and DVDs, because it doesn't sort by volumes but categories and tags.

I'm currently using MPEG Audio Collection, it's nice, fast and ok, but I'm looking for an alternative and that developers continues upgrading/supporting.
Just looking for alternatives..

superboyac · « **Reply #16 on:** October 19, 2006, 12:56 AM »

Exact, I don't like Collectorz bc it's so slow.. I have around 200 cds with mp3s and it's almost impossible to browse with collectorz, and search.. uff.. takes centuries.

And about MP3Rat seems to be no so much user-friendly to manage CDs and DVDs, because it doesn't sort by volumes but categories and tags.

I'm currently using MPEG Audio Collection, it's nice, fast and ok, but I'm looking for an alternative and that developers continues upgrading/supporting.
Just looking for alternatives..
-Dr-Leech (October 18, 2006, 07:00 PM)

Well, I will admit that MP3 Collector is kind of slow, but I wouldn't say it's unbearably slow. But that's subjective.

I'm sure there are alternatives, but I haven't tried any. There's this one:
Advanced MP3 Catalog
http://www.wizetech.com/amc/

There was this program that I mentioned in post#3 of this thread, but the company's website is gone and so is all traces of the product. I remember the programmer being focused on simplicity and speed. I still think MP3 Collector is your best bet, despite the speed. I don't know what the programmers can do about the speed, maybe it's inevitable when the amount of files gets so large, i don't know.

brotherS · « **Reply #17 on:** October 19, 2006, 02:15 AM »

oh, yes..

forget to say "another software"
bc I don't like collectorz..

And the other software here discussed is just for on-HD and I need to catalog thousands of cd/dvd with mp3s
-Dr-Leech (October 18, 2006, 05:27 PM)

This must be your blind week!

Let me quote myself for you:

A quick update: I like MediaMonkey even better now, it's great to archive old mp3 files on CD or DVD. Give the CD/DVD a unique name when burning (i.e. date when burned), let MediaMonkey add its content to the database and you are ready to search all your mp3 files (whether archived or still on your PC) in no time!

If you want to test it (it's free!) you'll find the URL two posts above.
-brotherS (April 20, 2006, 02:51 PM)

vegas · « **Reply #18 on:** October 19, 2006, 11:35 AM »

If you can get past the initial shock of pricing system, check out Music Label 2006/2007 (http://www.codeaero.com/). It is by far the best out there for cataloging music. Otherwise, I would say Where is it? (http://www.whereisit-soft.com/).

superboyac · « **Reply #19 on:** October 19, 2006, 12:48 PM »

If you can get past the initial shock of pricing system, check out Music Label 2006/2007 (http://www.codeaero.com/). It is by far the best out there for cataloging music. Otherwise, I would say Where is it? (http://www.whereisit-soft.com/).

-vegas (October 19, 2006, 11:35 AM)

Nice find, vegas! Never came across this one. I will have to check it out. The price isn't that bad, I think it's almost the same price as the collectorz software. Perhaps when I have the heart, I will do a shootout of the music catalog software. I agree, Whereisit is a great catalog software for files in general, and I think even if you use it for just mp3's, it's not half bad either. And I think it's fast enough to satisfy our friend Dr. Leech.

superboyac · « **Reply #20 on:** October 19, 2006, 01:49 PM »

So, I've just been trying out Music Label 2006, and here's what I can tell just based on a few minutes of experimentation.

While Music Label is much more polished than MP3 Collector, I don't think it has nearly the feature set of collectorz. Overall, ML does much more than just catalog mp3 files--it also does regular cd's and has a loan manager for lending out cd's, and some other extra features. Actually, if you're familiar at all with my reviews, you'll know that I don't like it when a software tries to do more than what it was initially meant for. So ML has a lot of extra features, but it doesn't have the capability to do what MP3 Collector can do as it strictly relates to mp3 cataloging. One thing I noticed right off the bat was the importing capabilities of Music Label...not that great. Sure, it imports the tags of the mp3 files, but if you try out MP3 collector's import routine, you will see how much insanely more powerful it is (I won't go into all the detail).

One thing I like about collectorz software is how they have separate software for mp3's and another one for cd albums (Music Collector). Their philosophy behind it (and I agree) is that albums are a cohesive unit of songs, whereas mp3's are individual files (even if you can have several mp3's from the same album). the point is that they need to be catalogued differently, and it would be difficult to mix the two mediums in a way that maximizes both of their characteristics. Because of this separation of software, I believe collectorz has more ability to include more powerful and extensive features than Music Label.

Anyway, that's my real quick review of it. Sorry, Dr. Leech, but I think MP3 Collector is the best as far as cataloging mp3's, especially if you have them on many cd's instead of the hard drive. I haven't seen another software come even close to it. The speed issue...well, personally, I just suck it up because I haven't found anything close. However, I used to be active on their forums...sometime, I'll go back and ask them what is the reason for the slow speed and if there is anything they could do to improve it. In the past, they have been very responsive to user suggestions.

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #21 on:** October 19, 2006, 02:28 PM »

Thanks superboyac, I'll give MP3 Collectorz another try giving it more time between searches (jk)..

Have you seen MPEG Audio Collection (link above) ? It's the one I'm using at the moment.

superboyac · « **Reply #22 on:** October 19, 2006, 03:10 PM »

Thanks superboyac, I'll give MP3 Collectorz another try giving it more time between searches (jk)..

Have you seen MPEG Audio Collection (link above) ? It's the one I'm using at the moment.
-Dr-Leech (October 19, 2006, 02:28 PM)

I just tried MPEG Audio Collection right now. I can tell you right away that it's pretty good for basic catolging, but not very flexible at all. It doesn't have many features at all. It does feel pretty lightweight, which is good, but it just doesn't have enough customizability for me.

One of the great things of MP3 Collector is how easy it is to change the way you "view" the database. You can quickly change from looking at the database by location/artist/album/individual tracks, very easily using the dropdown bar on the right pane. This is very handy if your library is spread out over many discs (for example, I have over 200 cd's/dvd's)I haven't seen another software do it that easily and with that many options. And as I mentioned before, it's importing options are far beyond the capabilities of any other software.

Dr-Leech · « **Reply #23 on:** October 19, 2006, 03:13 PM »

right... well.. going to see MP3 Collector again, this time in deep..

If I could like it, I'll start to catalog every cd/dvd again... uff..

thanks

brotherS · « **Reply #24 on:** October 20, 2006, 04:28 AM »

What do you guys miss in MediaMonkey, that other MP3 catalog programs have?