Suggestions/Ideas

Here's a big list of things I've been thinking of for the past while and would like to see implemented into the OrangeCD Catalog software if at all possible. If any of this is already possible, please let me know!

Forgive me if some of these have already been suggested/discussed/denied before.

Aliasing - Could apply to artists but I lean towards implementing this in regards to producers/engineers, etc. For instance Neil Young also calls himself Bernard Shakey when he produces/engineers his albums, same with Bob Dylan being Jack Frost. If there could be some way to link a persons aliases into one so they would be easily to search for/come up nicely in statistics that would be great. Further details: when searching Bob Dylan under the prodcuers category, results for Jack Frost (and whoever else has been added as his alias) would also turn up.

Duration - Have duration be an optional field upon export to HTML and/or have it not show by default when the time is 0:00 as some analog releases (vinyl, cassette) may have track times that are harder to determine and "Total time: 0:00"/"Duration: 0:00" is a bit of an eyesore and technically is incorrect (as every album has a length). Much like how it doesn't say "0:00" beside each track when the length is not specified and instead leaves it blank.

Matrix Numbers - A place to enter matrix numbers would be handing when getting down to the nitty gritty of every minor detail. Discogs has a section for this when uploading a release and it would be nice to have it in OrangeCD. As it stands right now I just created a custom field and enter the information in there but I'm sure other people can figure out a better looking way to include it in the program. [URL="http://justsaynorecords.com/ocd/b0888d00.html"]Reference album[/URL] (also note the "Duration: 0:00" problem mentioned above).

More export options - I'd like to have virtually all available information on an album be optional to export via HTML. Producer, composer, reissue information, the whole nine yards.

More images - I'd like the capacity to add more images to an album, like scans of the record labels, inserts, etc. A gallery type of deal.

Multiple roles per person - Many people have more than one role they performed during the production of an album and simply typing "Alan Douches - Producer, Mixing, Mastering" leaves him out of the search individual results for "Producer", "Mixing", and "Mastering". One way to get him to show up is to list him three different times: "Alan Douches - Producer", "Alan Douches - Mixing", "Alan Douches - Mastering", but then that shows up rather awfully in the credits on the

Racks and Tags - Composers: When listing composers of individual tracks on an album and uploading to Racks and Tags, RaT displays the composers as the artist/performers ([URL="http://www.racksandtags.com/shakehurst/3486952/Louis-Armstrong-Hello%2C-Dolly!"]see here[/URL]). Louis Armstrong performed all those songs but they all get credited to the composers, the same way artists on a compilation get credited, which is quite confusing. I'd like to see composers not be listed like that on RaT.

Reissue Information - On the General tab when adding a new release to the database there is an option to input reissue information, but that information never gets displayed on the album page in the database nor is it even an option to be exported to any of the HTML templates. My personal preference is if it's a reissue that the album be sorted by the original release year and the reissue information listed and displayed in place of what the original release information would be.

For example:

Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly! (1964)
Reissued: 1972
Label: Coral COPS 1780
Country: West Germany
etc, etc, etc,

Where 1964 is the original year of release and 1972 is the reissue date. Though, perhaps "reissue" isn't exaclty the right term. While there's definitely reissues sometimes the same issue of the album might be released a year later in a different country and I wouldn't call that a reissue at all, so I'm not sure on how to word it, but I think you know what I mean.

Vinyl - On both Racks and Tags and HTML export I'd like to see the tracks actually separated by vinyl side (A1, A2, A3, etc, B1, B2, etc) instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, etc, 7, 8, 9, etc like it is right now.


Thanks for taking the time to read this massive post and hopefully some of this stuff will be made possible!

The other big one that I just remembered:

Multiple labels.

Especially in the punk/hardcore world, but definitely elsewhere, too, multiple labels co-release a record together and they are all credited as releasing it. Right now the input for this is okay, but it takes some playing around.

Example for an album that 2 labels co-released:

Label: LABEL / OTHER LABEL
Number: 001 / 123

Would look like this on the finished page:

LABEL / OTHER LABEL / 001 / 123

Whereas if only LABEL released it, it would look like: LABEL 001

One way to get around it is on input:

Label: LABEL
Number: 001 / OTHER LABEL 123

Which translate on the finished page to: LABEL 001 / OTHER LABEL 123, but then makes a mess of the "Number" textbox.

It would be nice to have an option for multiple labels and catalog numbers

OK, Shakehurst...I like several of your ideas here...

First, regarding aliases, I like the focus on the producer/engineer aspects. But, let's not forget the artists either. Does anyone know who Winston O'Boogie, Eivets Rednow, The Glimmer Twins, The Bunburys, Suzy & The Red Stripes, & Percy Thrillington are? It would e nice to cross-reference these aliases with their real names...aka...John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Eric Clapton & The Bee Gees, and Paul McCartney (Last 2 musical disguises).

Regarding matrix numbers, there is the box underneath the "label" box for this type of entry...but regarding the inclusion of more images, that would be nice, but it would be good to have it optional. Suppose you want to just show an album cover, that's OK, but there would be an option (maybe a checkbox) where you could have 4 squares (You could show album front cover, album back cover...nice if you have a signed album on back, maybe to highlight tracklistings or liner notes...and be allowed to zoom in on each square...maybe when you put your cursor over each image, they would automatically enlarge...Then the bottom two squares could be for record label, or actual record...side one and side two...this would be good for 45's and picture sleeves...have the option for two squares to show side one and two of a 45'...four squares for sides one and two, plus picture sleeve front and back (on picture sleeved 45's). You could expand it to 6 or 8 squares to show front cover, back cover, side one, side two, plus inside cover art (good for gatefold albums, liner notes, lyric sheets, included posters, or any other such ephemeral details about a particular album that you'd like to add...picture of an artist, label close-ups, or whatnot...). It's a good idea, as sometimes the back covers can be just as interesting as the fronts, and I hate only having one option to download...What if I have an album, and I show the front and back of the standard album, but say I have a promotional release of that album with a different cover that I want to add? Having the option to put two photos in the artwork section would be nice for 12" remixes and maxi-singles, too. But I would encourage it to be an option that I could switch off for each individual album.

...Good idea for Racks and Tags, too...artists and composers should be listed and categorized separately...I like the idea on reissue information...I have many albums that were released much earlier, and reissued again under a different label, with different tracklistings, too, sometimes. I'll give you an example..."The Ventures In Space" was released on Dolton in the 60's, but later reissued on Pickwick, with some of the tracks missing, but the same title, and different artwork. Sometimes, when looking up an album like this, I only see cover art for the standard release, but it's harder to find the reissue art, or vice versa. Sometimes, an album is released with different covers on the same label...like the infamous Beatles butcher cover. Then again, you may have the same album released on the same label, but the titles are different (Sometimes UK titles were different than the US versions of an album...or an album came out under one title, then it was released again a few years later with a different title...confusing, I know!!!) Let's not forget that were actual reissues, such as 45's on Lost Nite, CD's on Rhino, Blue Note, and Collector's Choice...or Sundazed and Norton vinyl reissues of rare albums and singles.

I like the idea for multiple labels and catalog numbers, but again, it should be an option...I like the idea of being able to customize and specifically tailor each entry.

Some of this stuff it would be good to have checkboxes for.

Maybe, even an added drop down box for Customization (Next to Database...Album...Library...Query, etc...), where you could check off, or highlight circles for info or features that you want to include, but then again, it might be easier just to have the "optional" checkboxes on the pages they correspond to...like on the artwork page...off to the side, you could have the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, more...with circles next to them...highlight 2 and 2 squares appear...4...and 4 squares appear... you could copy and paste different photos or artwork in each individual window, and also have to option to delete, if you make a mistake...If you just wanted to show one album cover, that would be OK, too...that would be the standard...Just opening up the artwork window a bit would be a great improvement.

Regarding reissues and re-releases...I always go by first year an album was released, but it only gives you the option of putting one year in the year box. A lot of albums I have are reissues, too. The original may have been released in 1964. I have a reissue from 1980, or a budget reissue from 1972, maybe a re-release of the '64 album in 1966, say. I can only put in either 1964 OR 1972. I can't put in "1964, 1972" (2 years in the same box), so maybe a box for "Original Release Year" and a box below it (I don't know if this would be better standard or optional, though) "Reissue Release Year". It would be nice to have 2 boxes side by side or the option to put more than one year in the same box. The music may have come out earlier, but this is a different version on a different label of the album. Maybe I only want to put in the reissue year. It would still allow me to go to the next window, whether I entered in an original date or a reissue date. I hate having to put in info, when I know it's not TECHNICALLY correct, just to use the program, but I guess I'm a little anal in that regard...

A lot of these ideas can be obtained by workaround solutions or by playing around with the software, but it would be nice to have more options in the software to deal with these little issues when they come up. Maybe we just have to deal with these "workarounds" and get used to them, even though the pages can look messy, cluttered, and/or ugly...But one can always improve, I say...

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of multiple labels, which in my opinion should work exactly the same as artist collaborations.

I'd also like to have the ability to link label name variations together, in the same way as artist name variations can be linked under Artist properties.

I think that artwork could at least start with a simple link that says "additional images" (hidden if there aren't any). When clicked just open an image gallery window showing whatever supported image formats you choose... click image for larger view. There are many plugin routines available for images scaling around. (possibly allow linking to a picture viewer of their choice like picassa if installed)

Let the user create and populate this folder with anything they want. I might include pdf as a supported file along with the usual jpg, png bmp etc.

I would say that where this folder was could be handled the same way it is done for locating the actual files for playing. just provide a way for the user to point to a folder of their choice.

Leave more sophisticated integration for later versions.

Just a thought.

Fred