Welcome to CDLite Classical™! I hope you find this database useful for cataloging your classical music CD's!
CDLite Classical™ is distributed as freeware.
Now some documentation.......
CDLite Classical™ requires FileMaker Pro 2.1 to run and at least 800 kbytes of disc space to unstuff. Other than that I don't think there are any other limitations. CDLite Classical™ works fine on 12" monitors on up and works best in color.
Features:
• Fields for Record Label, Catalog #, Music Catagory, Media, Recording Date, CD Title,
Up to 7 different composers per CD, Works, Track #'s, Work Time, Total CD Time,
Conductor, Ensemble, Soloist (up to 5), Soloist instrument, Rating, and Notes, CD Cover,
and Sound Bite...
• Layout for easy searching of your CD collection.
• Layout for viewing and printing your CD collection as a list which includes ...
Composer, Title, Conductor, Ensemble, Rating
• A Classical CD Cataloging system that provides a "Location Number" for each CD.
This allows for easy location of all your CD's - and once the system is learned you can
even find a CD just by knowing what you are looking for. The system is loosely based on
the United States National Library of Congress cataloging numbers.
• Ability to print out Labels for cataloging your CD's. This is set up for Avery® Labels #
5267 (the smallest I could find for a laser printer) which allows for 80 labels per
printed page.
• A "Fragmented" construction that allows the main database to handle large numbers of
CD's more efficiently.
• The ability to store information on "Disc Sets" (up to 5 CD's).
• All of this with an easy to use interface that also looks good (I think).
••••••••••••••••• Added since version 1.0 •••••••••••••••••••
• Turned Headings for "Composer" and "Work" into buttons to open the respective file.
• Turned Heading for "Time" into a button to "re-lookup" time values from the "works"
database.
• Added buttons to automatically transfer composers and works to the "works" database.
• Added the ability to search by "work"
I developed this database in response to E-mail received about a database I released earlier in the spring. CDLite™ and CDLite Pro™ worked fine for conventional Rock, Jazz, Reggae, Pop, ..., but did not work so well with classical music. Because there are many recordings of the same piece with different ensembles, composers, soloists, ... I struggled to come up with a way to store all that extra data and still have the database be easy to use and understand. To my knowledge, there is not really anything out there that deals with classical music well - so here is my shot.
The way the database works....
CDLite Classical™ is a suite of 5 databases - all information is accessable through the main database.
The main database stores all the basic CD information. Individual "Track" information would clutter up the screen so there is a button next to each "Work" that when "clicked" opens up the "works" database (which appears as a small window). Here individual track info is stored, along with track times and the total of the track times (automatically calculated) is transfered to the main database as the "work time".
I thought it would be nice to have information available on composers so there is also a button next to each composer name that opens a "composer" window which has fields for
Composer name, Dates, Picture, and Notes. The composer database is also available within
the "works" database. Both the works and composer databases allow you to view by lists
as well as individually.
The Help button in the main database accesses the "help" database which is three screens
to offer some insight on how to use the program.
The coolest part (I think) is the "filing numbers" database. The main database works in conjunction with this little bugger to creat "location numbers" for each CD. The way it works is in the Main database there are 3 menu-lists of catagories; Catagory, Sub-Catagory A, and Sub-Catagory B.
• The main catagory is something like "Solo", "Duet", "Orchestral",....
• Sub-Catagory A is the main instrument type .. "strings", "horns", "ensemble", "violin",
"piano", "Choral", ...
• Sub-Catagory B is the technical music classification ... "Variations", "Fugues",
"Symphonies", "Concertos",...
A 4 digit number is automatically calculated based on the first two catagories and a decimal place is added for sub-catagory B. For instance "Orchestral" is 30, "Violin" is 20, and "Concertos" is .74 so a "Violin Concerto" would be 3020.74. A Cello concerto would be 3022.74, and piano concerto 3010.74. A quartet is 14 and "strings" are 01 so a "String Quartet" would be 1401.something (depending on if the music is "dances", "suites", "variations", ...).
The first letter of the first composers last name listed on the CD is added to the above number and a "bottom number" is calculated by using the first two and last two letters of the composer name as it is entered into the database. So Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus would be
"Mous". Then there is space for a user (that's you) entered modifier number. That is for the instances where you have multiple copies of the same piece, or for when there are multiple pieces by the same composer (ie 3rd symphony, piano concerto number 21, ...). The way I use this number is I put in the piece it is for that composer and then a decimal point and then
which copy it is for me. So 1.1 would be the first (or only) piece by the composer, and the first (or only) copy I have.
An example of the above follows....
Rachmaninoff, Sergei Piano Concerto # 3..... My only copy.
the number would then be R3010.74
Raei3.1
You don't have to remember any of these numbers - the database automatically calculates everything except the user modifier.
I hope that explains it. Actually, I believe the labels generated could easily be used for a large library. One of my brothers (who is at Oberlin in Ohio studying Cello) tells me that it is an easier to understand, and more complete system than the one they use up there. I make no guarantees, though.
I hope the database works well for you. If you are interested in something for other types of music you can check out my releases of CDLite and CDLite Pro (CD-Lux). The latest version of CDLite Pro is 1.1.
I may eventually try and combine the lot of them so you can easily keep track of all you CD's in environments that work well with each music type. That may be a while in coming, though as I am about to become burried in work that actually pays bills.
CDLite Classical™ is distributed as freeware. You may customize it however you like. I do ask that you obtain my permission before redistributing this software in whole or in part. I make no warrantees what so ever about the functionality of this database or anything in it. Use it at your own risk.
I am very interested if anyone finds this program useful, so feel free to send E-mail:) Remember, I developed this database in response to some E-mail.
