Good Digital Hygiene
Good Digital Hygiene
Getting Organized
Creators often get lost in a sea of files named things like, My Cool Beat, My Cool Beat Final, My Cool Beat Final Final, My Cool Beat Final Final Final, so it can be really helpful to develop good file naming practice. Clear file names combined with logical folder structures and a healthy backup system can be the difference between success and failure.
Naming Standards
The first thing I think about when naming a file is if it is a part of a project or not.
Project Related
If whatever is it that I am working on is part of a project I’ll start all the file names with a “project code”. This is usually three to four letters or numbers. For example, if I am working on a projects for an artist named “Oux” and the album has a working title of “Honeymood” I might start all the file names with OUX-HM
Not Project Related
If I am working on something that is not project-related, I’ll skip the “project code” and go straight to some sort of title for the file.
File Title
This can be anything you want, I usually tend towards something functional over something poetic. So for example if its a beat that I am playing with that features a lot of distorted elements, I might name it something like Distorted-Beat
File Version Notes
I often like to include any specific information about the version of the file that might help me more quickly find what I am looking for more quickly. So for example, if I am done composing and am now working on mixing, I might add a Mix after the file’s title.
Version Numbers
Finally, every file name should end in a version number. Depending on the project I either use a simple V001, V002, etc. or I’ll also include the date in the version number (e.g. 2022-09-07_V001, 2022-09-07_V002, etc.)
Dashes, Underscores, Spaces, Slashes, and Periods
While computers have gotten a lot smarter I have found it best to avoid the use of spaces and periods in file names. These can confuse different operating systems or storage solutions. For that reason, I like to use dashes and underscores in my file names:
- Underscores: I use underscores to separate the various parts of the file’s title (as discussed above).
- Dashes: I use dashes within a specific section of a file’s title in place of a space.
Examples
Professional Project: If I am working on the mix of a distorted beat for Oux’s forthcoming album “Honeymood” and I know I am going to be creating a lot of versions of it, I might name each file something like: OUX-HM_Distorted-Beat_Mix_2022-09-07_V001
Assignment for this course: If I was working on an assignment for this course, I might name it something like: FA22-MUSC-174_Week-01-Assignment_V001
Folder Structures
I like to keep my folder structures as simple as possible.
Project or Not
I start with two major folders:
- Projects: Everything that is a part of a project goes in here.
- Program Files/Program Name: Everything that is not part of a project goes in here within a folder for the program (DAW) that I created it with.
Years & Months
Once I am inside either the Projects or Program Files/Program Name folder I’ll organize files into a folder for the year that I started working on it. Then, depending upon how many things I may have in each year’s folder I may even start organizing things into a folder for each month (e.g. 2022_01, 2022_02).
Examples
An example Project folder structure might look like: Projects > 2022 > Oux - Honeymood
An example non-project folder structure might look like: Program Files > Ableton > 2022 > 2022_09 > Distorted Beat
Backup Systems
Something will happen to your computer. Let me say that again: SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR COMPUTER!!! So you’ll always want to make sure that all of your files are saved in at least two locations: on your computer and in the cloud.
Cloud-Based Storage & Backups
As a Columbia student, you have 1TB worth of OneDrive storage accessible via your Columbia email. I would recommend starting with saving and organizing all your files here. But just know that shortly after you graduate, you’ll need to migrate all your stuff to another solution like Dropbox, or GoogleDrive.
Bootable-Backups
In the future, you may also want to add what is called a “Bootable Backup” to your backup system. A “Bootable Backup” is an external hard drive with an exact copy of your computer’s internal hard drive, including all the stuff needed to run the operating system. So, in the event your internal hard drive ever presents some serious issues, you can run the computer off this “Bootable Backup,” and everything will work as if you are running off the internal hard drive. This can be a lifesaver if you’re hours away from a deadline and your internal hard drive craps out on you.
Properly Saving from your DAW
Every DAW project incorporates resources (files) from all over your computer. So when it comes time to save, it is important to understand all the saving options your DAW offers. Here are a couple suggestions on best practices.
Save projects within a dedicated project folder
To help keep everything for a single project organized, always create a folder for each project that you save everything for that project inside of.
Save project versions within that same dedicated project folder
You should save all versions of a project within that same dedicated project folder. However, do not save multiple projects inside the same folder.
Copy and save all audio files in the project folder
Not all projects will need audio files, but most do. It is always best practice to both copy and save all the audio used within a project to the project folder. Most DAWs will automatically create and save all a project’s audio files to a folder called “Audio”. However, this is not always by default, and most DAWs will only save the recorded audio to this folder not any imported audio or audio files from the DAW’s “Factory Content”. Look for an option in your DAW to “consolidate” or “Collect All and Save.”
Move the entire project folder when moving a project between computers
Now that all your project’s required resources are saved within one folder, you can more easily move between multiple computers by always moving the whole project folder.
DAW Specific Resources
I highly recommend reviewing the following resource for your chosen DAW. The better you understand these features of your DAW the less likely you will run into problems down the road.