Adding albums automatically

Open up the Add Automatically screen by clicking the left most button on your toolbar. With this screen you will unleash the power of Music Collector by quickly and efficiently adding albums to your collection.

(BTW: Music Collector uses the word "album" as a generic term for entries in your database, whether they are CDs, LPs, cassettes or any other format.)

Adding CDs using the Scan CD feature

The best way to add a CD to your database is to let Music Collector "scan" the CD's ID using your computer's CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive. The program can then use this unique CD ID to look up the CD's information in the Collectorz.com online CD database. Laser-targeted and fast.

• Insert the CD in your computer and click Scan.
• You will instantly see the results from the Collectorz.com music database.
• Select the correct Album.
  (In most cases their will be only result, automatically preselected for you.)
• Hit Add Selected or Add Checked to add the album to your collection!

Tip: Use the "Auto" checkbox next to the Scan button: it will automatically open your CD-ROM tray after scanning so you can put the CD back in its jewel case.

Searching by Artist and Title

A convenient way to find CDs in the Collectorz.com online CD database. Just enter the artist name and CD title, click Search Now and select the correct entry from the Search Results.

A few helpful tricks to be aware of...

• Watch the Number of Tracks and Cover indicators, they will help you find the best result.
• Double-click a result to preview its data in the Preview panel.
• Can't find your CD in the Collectorz.com database? (yes, this happens in rare cases) Then use the Add Anyway button to add the Album anyway (with just your Artist and Title filled)

Instant Info from the Barcode

Searching by barcode has the advantage that it instantly returns only *one* result: the exact edition that you own.

( Like how that works? Then consider speeding it up with one of our barcode scanners )

The Queue Mode

Ready for some advanced stuff? Then let's try the Queue Mode, a way to do searching, selecting and adding in batch. Here's how to use it:

1. Switch to Queue Mode using the Show Queue button on the right. The Search Queue will appear and the Search Now button will be automatically be replaced by an Add to Queue button.
2. Now, enter an album artist and title and click Add to Queue. See how it is added to the queue?
3. Do the same with some more CD titles.
4. Try scanning some CDs as well, just enter the CD in your CD-ROM drive and hit Scan. The CD will automatically be added to the queue.
   Tip: Check the "Auto" checkbox next to the Scan button. When checked, your CD-ROM drive will automatically spit out the CD again after scanning it so you can put in the next CD to add to the queue.
5. Once you have a couple of searches queued, hit the Search button. Music Collector will now perform all searches in one go.
6. When its done, you can start selecting results. Just select the first search in the queue and its results will appear below. But there's one important difference with the Search Now mode: Here, you have to select results by clicking the checkbox to the left of the result you want. This tells the program to remember your selection for this search.
7. Do the same for all entries in the queue, each time selecting one checkbox.
8. When you're done checking boxes, hit the Add All button. Music Collector will now start downloading the details and album covers for all checked results.
   Everything will be added automatically for you!

Using the Queue Mode can be useful when you're on a slow dial-up connection, because it lets the program do the slow internet stuff in big batches. And while it's doing its thing, you can brew come more coffee, take a nap, run some errand... whatever!

And it is essential when using one of our cool laser barcode scanners with built-in memory. These gadgets can automatically unload hundreds of barcodes into the queue, ready to be searched!

Can't find your album?

Tried all possible searches but still can't find your album? You may want to add the album manually.