# How do you guys label your projects?



## Ben E (Aug 28, 2017)

More specifically; how do you label them so that you kind of know what they are before you open them?

Not for jobs, but the projects you do for fun, practice, experiment etc.

I’ve only been doing this for a couple years now. But I have now dozens of projects I started, got about 10 bars in and lost interest. I’ve found, however, that coming back to them later is often inspiring — or just disappointing, depending. So I’ve taken to labeling the files things like, “orchestral slow harp oboe” or “piano boring” or “melodic but cliche” or “exciting pizz” so I don’t have to open the file when I’m looking to resurrect a project for further development. These labels are a little helpful, but 7 times out of 10 a good-sounding label gets opened and I think, “Oh, That. Yeah. Move on.”

Any strategies that you salty dogs have found useful?


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## alexkishmusic (Aug 29, 2017)

For anything unrelated to a specific project I usually just put the date in the folder name (which itself is inside a larger folder called "orchestral demos"). Then, if I write something but lose interest or want to move on, I'll do an mp3 bounce of what I have so far and save it to the folder. This way I can hear what I had written up to that point without having to open the session, and the mp3 file size is small enough that I'm not concerned with it taking up a bunch of space on my projects drive. Hope that helps!


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## Jeast (Aug 29, 2017)

At my drive, this is a total mess. Pizza v1 - v22, idea 01 - idea 28 new mix v3, etc


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## Soundhound (Aug 29, 2017)

mp3s in the project folder. Until I started doing that, finding things was always a painful chore. Now it's a (much) less painful chore. 



alexkishmusic said:


> For anything unrelated to a specific project I usually just put the date in the folder name (which itself is inside a larger folder called "orchestral demos"). Then, if I write something but lose interest or want to move on, I'll do an mp3 bounce of what I have so far and save it to the folder. This way I can hear what I had written up to that point without having to open the session, and the mp3 file size is small enough that I'm not concerned with it taking up a bunch of space on my projects drive. Hope that helps!


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## fiestared (Aug 29, 2017)

alexkishmusic said:


> For anything unrelated to a specific project I usually just put the date in the folder name (which itself is inside a larger folder called "orchestral demos"). Then, if I write something but lose interest or want to move on, I'll do an mp3 bounce of what I have so far and save it to the folder. This way I can hear what I had written up to that point without having to open the session, and the mp3 file size is small enough that I'm not concerned with it taking up a bunch of space on my projects drive. Hope that helps!


The mp3 is a good idea, from now I'll use it... Thanks alexkishmusic


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## samphony (Aug 30, 2017)

I use Trello for organizational reasons. So I create a Board in Trello. In that Board i create at least 2 lists "to do" & "done"
When working on a project and it stays an idea/sketch I put it in a folder called ideas/sketches. 
I bounce what I have and Label the bounce like the project "name of project v01". 

The bounce lands in a Dropbox folder called ideas/sketches. 

Back in Trello I then create a card with the project name, open the card and paste a link to the bounced file. Done. 

That way I can keep track of stuff I want to work when working for myself. Usually when I'm away from the studio I like listening to my stuff and take an objective view at things and put notes into the cards. Trello allows to share cards or whole boards with people (collaborators, co producers etc). 

Collaborators can comment on cards etc.


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## Ben E (Aug 31, 2017)

alexkishmusic said:


> For anything unrelated to a specific project I usually just put the date in the folder name (which itself is inside a larger folder called "orchestral demos"). Then, if I write something but lose interest or want to move on, I'll do an mp3 bounce of what I have so far and save it to the folder. This way I can hear what I had written up to that point without having to open the session, and the mp3 file size is small enough that I'm not concerned with it taking up a bunch of space on my projects drive. Hope that helps!



The mp3 idea is perfect. Thanks!


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## ThePrioryStudio (Oct 26, 2017)

I use software called Post Haste, https://www.digitalrebellion.com/posthaste/.

It's a great piece of free software that allows you to create a folder structure and a naming convention with pre-defined folders and documents inside. You're presented with a schema that you fill in when you start a new project. It then creates all the folders, names everything etc etc 

This goes for both 'test' and spotting projects. I have folders created in years and a 'Working on' folder. I set that folder as my default location for post haste. Coming from a TV edit background it's really great to have everything named the same and consistent. Post haste even creates folders for you inside the main project folder, you can therefore create your DAW template and it will rename it to how you want the project to look.

My parameters are Project_Client_Date. If i'm testing or doing things for fun or trying new sounds, I'll just leave project and client blank and it will just create a project called *today's date*

Thinking of what to call things is hard enough when you hear the piece, let alone before 

Thanks,


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## Jeremy Spencer (Oct 26, 2017)

Like this...

https://www.gearbubble.com/audionaming


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## mc_deli (Oct 26, 2017)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Like this...
> 
> https://www.gearbubble.com/audionaming


Ha!

I realised I have to have an MP3 bounce no matter what state an idea is in... I also just started numbering every idea by concept/theme. My sketches are usually part of some grand scheme to make an album of XYZ, so now every theme has a number and every idea/track has a number. I can keep track of ideas, mixes, different stages much easier. It also helps because nine times out of ten the project/track name will change when I realise what it actually is - or I realise how rubbish the original name was - this way the prefix "12-01" is constant, which helps.

Dates in document titles don't help me - version numbers as a suffix do though. In the day job documents with dates in the title and multiple revisions always end up making the date meaningless - when the date is much more easily tracked from the "date modified". Version numbers are much more obvious, easily referenced and foolproof IMHO. They are also a useful reminder of when client X has made you do changes after delivery. Start at v0.1, aim to deliver with v1.0, minor changes v1.x, f***-you-should-be-paying-more changes at v2.x, you-will-agree-extra-budget-or-it's-voodoo changes at v3.x+...


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## ThePrioryStudio (Oct 26, 2017)

mc_deli said:


> Dates in document titles don't help me - version numbers as a suffix do though. In the day job documents with dates in the title and multiple revisions always end up making the date meaningless



That post haste software can be tailored to suit, it doesn't have to have dates. There are just some preformed conventions you might find useful. It also has unique numbers that are created numerically, 001, 002, or 01, 02 each time you create a project. 

Yeah, I know what you mean. Dates can look meaningless and it does add more to your project names. When I'm saving different versions or mixes, I append the filename with A, B, C for each version I save hopefully not going into AA, AB


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## Krisemm (Jan 10, 2018)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Like this...
> 
> https://www.gearbubble.com/audionaming



yep, I've done that final FINAL quite a few times


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## Krisemm (Jan 10, 2018)

I must have the weirdest system ever.

I have a main work folder I call "work pool" that currently has 3 project data folders ( 3 being the most recent ). I have hundreds of projects, possibly even into the thousands, and I work on about 100 tracks at any one time.

I work on something till my interest begins to wane, then I save it with a real track name ( from a list of potentials I've saved in Evernote ), with a version number , then I completely forget about the track ( this is both a deliberate thing, AND an unintentional thing, as I have a bad memory ).
That partiucular track might get opened in a month from now, or, as has happened, 5 years from now.
If I really love the track, it gets bounced to stems, just in case something ever happens to the project data file, or a synth becomes abandonware and doesnt get updated from 32bit or something. I just have the bpm on the stem folder so I dont need to manually try to work out the tempo 2 years down the line. 

I just tend to work on tracks as if I'm a bee pollinating a flowerbed. My dad is an artist, and he works the same way with his painting as he'll add a touch of blue to one, then in a few days work on another one and add a bit of vermillion. 
It's admittedly haphazard, but it keeps things fresh and i've not had creative block in over 25 years.

Now that im testing the waters with "sync", I know my labels have got to change to a more descriptive theme so I know what the track is gonna sound like before I load the data file. If a library emails with a brief, and I know I have something that is ideal, I don't want to be searching for 3 hours trying to find it because my filing system is useless.

The system worked when I was just making albums for myself, but sync is a whole different game and I need to be on the ball, so any advice or tips I can get here, will be valuable.


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## Krisemm (Jan 10, 2018)

mc_deli said:


> you-will-agree-extra-budget-or-it's-voodoo changes at v3.x+...



priceless


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## Noam Guterman (Jan 10, 2018)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Like this...
> 
> https://www.gearbubble.com/audionaming


lolol "i hate my life FINAL.wav"


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## Levitanus (Jan 10, 2018)

I sure, that if i don't need anything in month, i don't need it at all. So, there'is the temp folder, where sketches and backups live, and it's been cleared monthly)


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## Jaap (Jan 10, 2018)

I have different kind of folders for sketches in all kinds of ways (and also for projects of course). Mostly I start out naming a file with the intension its written for, then the mood, the setup, the tempo and then the version and ending with the date. It often looks like
LIB_Dramatic_Piano+Strings_128bpm_Cue05_V3_10jan18.wav


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