# Tips needed for (beginner's) ideas generation workflow



## pixelcrave (Nov 15, 2020)

Hi all,

Wondering what tips you might have when it comes to organizing your ideas. For a quick context, I'm a beginner who just started getting into composition earlier this year. I don't do project for clients - it's just a hobby. But I figured since I literally just started, I'm still not committed to a particular approach.

Here are the specific questions to start with :

*How to save & organize idea fragments*
I might have some ideas for a melody. Or a rhythm pattern. (for me, it almost always starts with piano segment, but sometimes only a couple of bar short, but you still don't want to lose that idea). So I would record that idea into a file. Now after having, say 10 files, I got two that I were able to follow through and make a piece. But I have these other 8 random ideas saved. Do you save ideas separately? All in one file? Right now, I have 4 main folders: _Ideas, In Progress, Finished Unmixed, Finished_. So I'd move my Logic project files through those phases sequentially. As you can imagine there are a LOT more stuff inside the _Ideas_ & _In Progress_ folder (LOL). Which brings me to the next issue...


*How to name your files — and giving your piece a title*
Assuming you do save as separate files, how do you name files? Those that are finished would need a title obviously. What's your methods. But what do you do with the other unfinished stuff? So using the above folder structure, mostly my files are named like these: SF LABS experiment 01, 02, 03; Theme from Nowhere 01, 02, 03; Ballad 01, 02; Ostinato 01, 02; Inspired by John Barry Thing 01, 02; Audio Imperia (or Spitfire) Demo 01, 02... Clearly I don't have a good naming system.
You get the idea. It can get hilariously chaotic if I just cruise along this way  Any tips are welcome. Thanks so much. 

Cheers!
Ivan


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## shponglefan (Nov 15, 2020)

I include dates in my file naming system. I then sort everything into folders by year.

Beyond that I follow a similar method as yours ( e.g. naming things based on what they are like experiments, theme, etc).


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## Spices (Nov 21, 2020)

I´m working on it right now, and this is what it look like (at the moment)

* Folders with styles - 6 of them (at the moment)
* Names and date
* Names, Variations and date 

Finished Work in the same order.

It just might work

Spices


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