How do you stay organized?

[fusilierb]

I'm curious to see how you all keep your workflow organized. I've got so many different ideas (unfinished bits and pieces) spread out between two different DAW's and Sibelius with names like Guitar effect test one, Friday drum groove, string ideas and on and on that are just sitting in directories with names like electronic, horror, etc. I'm constantly forgetting about things and sometimes just spend a couple of hours opening sessions to remind myself what most of this stuff is.

Then once I find something that I want to pick back up, it goes through a few different names as I work on it and now I've got multiple versions of ideas in these folders. And these are just the ideas. Then I've got things that I'm working on for specific projects and I'm stuck with the same issues.

Then, when something is actually almost finished, there are all the multiple mixes to keep track off. And then stems and alt's.

Sometimes I'll listen to audio the folder I render everything to and will find a mix of a song that I forgot about and like, but can't even find the original session, because the mixed down name was chosen randomly when I exported it and it no longer points back to the session. So now I'm just randomly opening sessions (with lot's of Vi's loading which takes forever) just to learn that that isn't the session either.

It's really gotten unwieldy and it only seems like its going to get worse.

I'd like to hear how you attack this and hopefully get some good ideas that I can incorporate into taming this sprawl.

[Casey H]

I don't.

[fusilierb]

I don't.

Ha! I've got a feeling that is going to be the most common answer.

[Casey H]

On a serious note, I don't do anywhere near as much or the kind of work that composers like you do.

But a few suggestions...

There's nothing like a plain simple ToDo/Reminder list is a spreadsheet, Outlook, or other program. It can be free-form, just put everything you think of in a list when you think of it. You could get fancy and categorize for easy searching but writing things down where you can find them again in 90% of the battle.

Use Windows/Mac Folder names with as much detail as you want. Nothing wrong with "Sunrise Over Brooklyn - Version Where I Cut Out The Intro For Library X"...

Lately, I've been putting ReadMe.txt files in folders with notes as to what the files in that folder are... For example, a ReadMe.txt entry: "PS Sleepy Dream" is the special mix I made for Taxi listing S1101xxx using acoustic and lighter drums.

With a lot of different versions of songs over the years- re-mixes, new vocals, etc I needed to make sure I always pitched the latest and best. So I made an "Everything As Of [Date]" folder with all the latest .wav files at the root and sub-folders with .aif and 320K, 192K, and 128K mp3 versions for different submission formats. This has saved me a lot of time and aggravation.

And when all else fails, chaos rules.

Casey

[fret17]

*

[crs7string]

Bryan,


Probably the most helpful thing I've done to keep an organized flow is by separating the composer part of the process from the production part of the process.

I write the majority of my pieces at the piano in standard notation. Sometimes it is just a melody and chord changes, sometimes it is a sketch score. By the time it is done I at least have classified the piece by genre. I also have file folders for the various genres.

When I shift to the production phase I work with my lead sheet and start orchestrating the piece. I am not trying to come up with some random ideas because I know where I'm going with the track. I have found that the random ideas improvised in my DAW are the tracks floating around my hard drive with the names like Funky Groove and usually are never completed.

In the first session I also come up with a meaningful name for the track. I have started a list of potential titles on my iPad, so if I'm stumped for a title, I have a list to reference.

By the time I've reached this point there is enough of an investment of time and energy that I have the necessary momentum to finish the track.

I have also started to "batch" tracks. I did three Film Noir tracks with the same template. I recently did three "Desperate Housewives" tracks, again with the same template.

Another fairly important side effect of this approach is that I have a lot of music written that has yet to be produced. When I received the call from the library for Film Noir tracks, I pulled out my Film Noir file and several pieces were already written. I was already on the way.

Chuck

[fusilierb]

Good ideas Chuck. I agree, most of these ideas will never see the light of day. But there are some that I really like everything but the engineering of and some of the playing needs to be re-recorded to tighten things up. As I get better at engineering live instruments, I go back and practice on them. A handful of those have actually seen the light of day.

I really like your batch idea. I've got lots of things like that where one file spawns a few different pieces. That mainly happens when I buy a new piece of gear and am auditioning all the things it can do. ie. I just bought SD2 and have an Ableton file where I've got as many different patches as possible loaded so I can bounce around between them to get familiar with them. There are already three cool little quasi "pieces" that have come out of this "audition session" that I do want to flesh out. But as of now they are all just jumbled together in one file called "SD2 playing around". I've got to leave that "playing around" stuff alone for a couple of weeks now to finish up some commitments and so they will sit there and be forgotten about until I have a free day and start my easter egg hunt through sessions again. And that's how I get myself into this mess in the first place.

I think your strategy of separating composing from production makes a lot of sense. I should at least separate out the directory by that. I'm also looking at file tagging apps right now, which might be the better way to go. Something like these:

http://mac.appstorm.net/roundups/utilit ... -for-os-x/

More suggestions please!!

[mazz]

Folders are my friend. I start a new folder every year on the top level of my work drive. This years folder is called 2011. Big surprise, right?

A typical path would be: 2011/library name/project folder/session files and any other related files and audio files folder.

For stuff that isn't specifically for a client, I have a Mazzei Catalog folder. Inside there might be project folders with names like Epic01, Investigative05, etc. Same deal, everything associated with that track is in that folder. If I have an ableton or reason file in addition to the dp project, it's in there too.

For collabs I have a folder on the top level of the drive with that persons name. 2011/Joe composer/client/project

If the collaborator has sent files, they are in that folder, even if they are converted when imported.

As mixes, alts, etc are generated, they eventually end up in a separate folder inside the project folder. By this time the piece has a real title and is ready to be submitted. Since apple gives us Mac heads color coding of folders, a project folder that is green is completed and submitted. Red is in progress.

A copy of the mix folder is submitted, the originals are still residing in the project folder. If a piece is signed, the entire project folder gets moved to the folder of the client that signed it.

I use iTunes to organize my catalog until something better oriented towards composers comes along. I typically don't import alt mixes unless the client has me generate the mp3s. But the album name in iTunes is the client name. I use the year field as well. This way I can create a smart playlist that automatically updates every time I finish a piece.

HTH,

Mazz

[mazz]

I also run a daily backup with time machine and take that drive home with me at the end of the day.

[fusilierb]

Those ideas make a lot of sense Mazz. I completely forgot about color coding of folders. Thanks!