Help untangle my remote control mess

I'd appreciate some best-practices guidelines for reconstructing a home entertainment "system" that has become more like Frankenstein's monster. 

If I disconnect the five remotes, AppleTV, cable box, unused CD player, iPhone, MacBook, iPad, CiderTV bluetooth app, Apple TV Remote wifi app, LG sound bar and unused game system, what is the best and most logical way to put it all back together? 

1. The cable box remote, not the TV remote, should turn on the TV.

2. I should be able to control the Apple TV by some method other than the silver remote control. It's a second- or third-generation.

3. iTunes volume should be controllable somehow.

I am a dues-paying member of the death by remote club  

Several years ago, I added a Samsung sound bar to by 60” TV in a room with an 18” high ceiling which sucked up sound and whisked it away into our loft space. Experts who came to our aid could not integrate the sound bar with the Samsung TV. Comcast would/could not help out since the bar is not Comcast’s! Hence, three remotes are in play: TV, SB, Comcast cable. No one in my family can turn the TV on but me, since one misstep causes much confusion. Adding a remote for our CD (rarely used because of complexity) and we have a basket of remotes.

I few weeks ago, obviously not thinking clearly, I ordered two fire sticks . The time I tried to connect one, the Amazon menu appeared on the screen, but no volume — the sound bar struck again!  Then I had yet another remote to toss in the basket.

The second device remains unopened. 

I am a huge fan of the Harmony Companion. I set this up a few years ago and it runs the tv, cable box (x1), denon receiver, ps3, ps4 (kind of) and my connected lights. Apparently, it also works with Alexa, which I haven't tried. There's now one simple remote - when I have guests, they can easily turn on the tv without having multiple remotes or understanding the order in which to fire up the components. I'm a big fan. You can go with the more expensive Harmony, but I've been very happy with the Companion.

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-companion?crid=60

Hands down Harmony is the way to go. There are different versions of Harmony remotes. We are using an older model that is not sold anymore, but I'm looking at the companion that ltc mentioned, as well as some of the higher end models https://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-universal-remotes

Prices on Amazon are usually a lot less then directly from Harmony.

It controls actions, not devices. You tell it which devices you have and how they are connected to each other. Once it's setup, all you do is push the button to 'Watch TV' and it turns on your TV, your receiver and your cable box, it also selects the proper input on your receiver.

Push 'XBox' and it does the same, but instead of the cable box it turns on the XBox and again selects the proper input on your receiver.