Adding Albums Automatically

Adding Albums Automatically

Introduction

The Add Albums Automatically screen is the fastest way to add albums to your database. It enables you to connect to our central database and download detailed information to your own collection. You can search by artist, title or by barcode then add the albums directly to your collection, or to your wish list. Click the links below to learn more about the various options available to you in the Add Albums Automatically screen.

Contents

Searching by Artist/Composer/Title

To search for an album:

  • Type the artist and/or title into the appropriate field.


  • Click Search Now on the right, or press enter on your keyboard to start the search.

  • Music Collector will search our database for appropriate matches.



  • Double click on one of the search results to see a detailed preview on the right.

  • Use the columns and preview to select the correct album from the search results, then click Add Selected.

Tips

When an album is released in different regions (USA, Europe, Asia etc.) they often have minor differences, for example, the covers in Europe usually differ to those in the USA, that's why it's important to select a regional match when adding your music; it ensures you get the most accurate information in your database.

When searching by title you will usually see lots of results for just one album, each result is for a different release. To find an exact regional match we recommend searching by barcode but you can also find exact matches with a title search. Here are some tips to help locate accurate, regional matches.

  • Check the columns, they provide useful information about the result provided such as the format and release year.
  • Use the preview on the right to check the cover image matches your album, if you'd prefer a different cover, right click on the result from the search queue and click 'Find Cover Image'.
  • Still can't find an exact match? Try adding the barcode and CD ID to your search.

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Searching by barcode

You can search by manually typing the barcode into the barcode field. Like how that works? Then consider speeding it up with one of our inexpensive barcode scanners.

Click here to learn more about using a scanner with our software.

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Searching by CD ID

One of the best and most accurate ways to download information from our database is to scan your CD using your CD-ROM drive. This allows you to obtain the CD ID, a unique reference which makes it easier to find an exact match for your particular release.

When viewing the Add Albums Automatically screen:

  • Insert the CD into your computer and click Scan.
  • You will instantly see the results from the Collectorz.com music database.
  • Select the correct album. In most cases there will be only one result, automatically preselected.
  • 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 eject your CD after scanning it.

Add to Collection or Wish List

Music Collector includes Collection Status filters, making it easy for you to manage both the albums you own, as well as the albums you want. When adding albums, you can choose whether to add them to your Collection or to your Wish List.

At the bottom left of the Add Albums Automatically screen you should see options to Add to:

  • Collection
  • Wish List

You can learn more about managing your Wish List on our website. Click here for more information.

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Queue Mode


Important: Queue Mode is a Pro Only feature. Click here to learn more about the differences between Standard and Pro.

Queue mode allows you to add albums in batches. You can add multiple titles and/or barcodes to the search queue then search for them. Queue mode is the most efficient way to add albums to your database. Combined with a barcode scanner, it makes light work of even the largest collections.

To enable queue mode, click the 'Show Queue' button.

With the Search Queue visible you can start queueing albums.

  • Type the artist/title or barcode into the appropriate search field then click Add to Queue.
  • Once you've added your albums, click Search All.
  • When the search is complete, click on a title in the queue to view the results.

You now have three options for adding your albums:

  • Add Anyway: This will add the selected album to your database without any additional information, using only your title/barcode information. This is useful if no results are found in our database. You can add the album title to your database then add more information manually.

  • Add Selected/Checked: This will add the album you've selected to your database. First, click the album in the Search Queue, select a result by clicking on it or checking the box next to it then click 'Add Selected'.

  • Add All: This option will remain grey until you click a result from the Search Queue, then select an album from the Search Results. You can use the check box next to the album then move to the next album in the queue. Once you've selected a result for each album you can click Add All to add the albums to your collection.

Tip: You can select and add multiple albums from the search results. For example, if you search for 'Metallica', you'll get a lot of results from our database. If you own a lot their albums, you can check the boxes next to each album then use the Add Checked option to add all of them. This allows you to add multiple albums with just one search!

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Settings

You can find the settings in the top right corner of the Add Automatically screen. From here you can check the connection and view the main Settings screen.

Check Connection

The Check Connection icon allows you to test if you have a working connection to our database. If you aren't getting any results from our database, click this icon to check if you have a valid connection. If there is a connection problem you will be notified of it here. If you are unable to Connect to our database please contact us via our Support Form.


Search Settings

Click the Settings icon in the top right corner to access the Settings screen. The settings screen allows you to control the functionality of the Add Automatically screen as well as controlling what information is (or is not) downloaded.

Main:

The 'Proxy Settings' are only required if you connect to the internet via a Proxy. The remaining options are self explanatory.

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Can't find your album?

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