Organization methods

[Envy]

Okay, here's a huge problem of mine: Organization. (The song I'm currently working on has almost 300 patterns now and like 100 automations just skewn about so when I want to go back and change stuff it makes it VERY tricky to find the right pattern.)

This could probably end up in the FL help thread, but I assume you have to organize stuff in other programs too.

So here's my question to you NG:

How do YOU organize your musical work place (be it your program or whatever) when making a song?

[sorohanro]

I start thinking about structure of the track and strip it to elements.
Elements I arrange (just in my head) to "important" and "just adding some color".
If some of the "adding some color" elements gets in the way of the important ones, I just cut it out.
I originally make my stuff with way too many things inside and then cut, erase = improve.

[Mrmilkcarton]

Learn to put more then one note per pattern Envy. JEBUS BHRIST 300 is too many for god only knows what.

Name them, color them, group your instruments, etc. I think you need a google search for your patterns soon.

[Envy]

It takes me like 5 minutes to find the right kick pattern. Eventually I end up making doubles of alot of percussion because It will be so far up I'll just get too lazy to scroll and make a new one. I'm terrible at being good at organizing XD.

I think I'll try color coding though, maybe red for like a lead blue for the kick etc. etc. Thanks everyone! Any more ideas feel free to keep throwing them out :3

[Steven-Polley]

Believe it or not, I just watched your "I'm Raving" video on youtube today, and I was about to comment on how none of your patterns are named lol.

Naming patterns is normally enough for me. I barely ever go as far as color coding. I keep all my patterns together, for instance, I'll call one pattern "drums.1" and then next drum patten "drums.2".

I keep them right with each other. When you're in the playlist, select a pattern,and hold the alt button. Then press the up or down arrow while holding alt -- FL's greatest feature.

Also, weren't you just complaining about the new playlist in FL 8.5??? It does you wonders while keeping organized. You can now name your clip tracks as well, to keep your pattern, auto, and audio clips in order.

[LK412]

At 3/25/09 08:02 PM, Steven-Polley wrote: Also, weren't you just complaining about the new playlist in FL 8.5??? It does you wonders while keeping organized. You can now name your clip tracks as well, to keep your pattern, auto, and audio clips in order.

Owned.

[Envy]

At 3/25/09 08:11 PM, LK412 wrote:

At 3/25/09 08:02 PM, Steven-Polley wrote: Also, weren't you just complaining about the new playlist in FL 8.5??? It does you wonders while keeping organized. You can now name your clip tracks as well, to keep your pattern, auto, and audio clips in order.

Owned.

I like the worth in your post.

I was complaining about being babied in getting better quality in songs.
But I feel an easier to use pattern interface, while being helpful, wouldn't solve my problem of being sloppy. I'll just take to take Everyones ideas to heart and start paying more attention to where I put stuff. I just have alot of trouble because I'll not work on a song for a week then go back and add stuff. It's hard to stay organized while doing that and adding new sections.

[LK412]

At 3/25/09 08:13 PM, Envy wrote:

At 3/25/09 08:11 PM, LK412 wrote:

Owned.

I like the worth in your post.

Not to sound like a prick but there have been a lot of times when i open up a thread asking for help and then i see a comment from you leaving some unhelpful post. So i dont see why i cant post unhelpful things on your thread. Im not going to go around spamming you with nonsense im just saying.

[InGenius]

I don't have that problem because I don't make such complicated tracks. There's no need to have 300 patterns and automations, simplicity is better than the "Wall of Sound" style any day of the week (personal opinion). That's why I've always been more a fan of progressive tracks, I guess.

The again, when you look at my list of files you'd note most tracks have three different mixdowns, from the core mix with prolly around 16-30 patterns, then onto the post-mix for tweaking or chopping, can have 10-20 patterns and 10 automations, and finally the vocal mix if I'm laying in vocals, wherein it's not so much "patterns" that become the problem as it is Channels on the mixer, which can number in the 40's with busses, Sends, and various routing. So if you added all of that up, maybe I would come closer to your problem, but that's why I split it up. Like analog sessions of old, sometimes you gotta write it to disk and bite the bullet, rather than clutter it all up. 4-track mentality versus 128-track, I suppose.

[nal1200]

At 3/25/09 07:18 PM, Envy wrote: How do YOU organize your musical work place (be it your program or whatever) when making a song?

What is this "organize" you speak of?

[Envy]

At 3/25/09 08:34 PM, LK412 wrote:

At 3/25/09 08:13 PM, Envy wrote:

At 3/25/09 08:11 PM, LK412 wrote:

Owned.

I like the worth in your post.

Not to sound like a prick but there have been a lot of times when i open up a thread asking for help and then i see a comment from you leaving some unhelpful post. So i dont see why i cant post unhelpful things on your thread. Im not going to go around spamming you with nonsense im just saying.

Then address me personally. No need to continue the "problem" by doing the same thing I apparently do to you in my thread.

[CWN]

Important stuff has been answered. Naming them correctly, color coding.
In Logic (and even Garageband, too) there's an option to put markers on your track. (i.e. 'intro', 'chorus') etc.
You can just drag the them and their contents around, insert, copy/paste etc. I found this to be very helpful.
Another really cool thing: HIDING stuff. Stuff you really don't need to see, or things that are already 'finished'. You can make all those pesky unwanted tracks disappear in logic :D
Great stuff.

[Envy]

At 3/25/09 09:59 PM, CWN wrote: Important stuff has been answered. Naming them correctly, color coding.
In Logic (and even Garageband, too) there's an option to put markers on your track. (i.e. 'intro', 'chorus') etc.
You can just drag the them and their contents around, insert, copy/paste etc. I found this to be very helpful.
Another really cool thing: HIDING stuff. Stuff you really don't need to see, or things that are already 'finished'. You can make all those pesky unwanted tracks disappear in logic :D
Great stuff.

Ooh, logic sounds pretty neat with the hiding thing. That would be nice to have in FL. I think I'm gonna have to also start labeling the playlist with break in patterns saying "Intro starts here down" or something like that.

[DevonAkins]

I color code and name sections to help remember which patterns are which. Here's an example...

[TwilightNecrosis]

I'm not producing electronic music, but in Reaper, you can use a folder to 'join' together adjacent tracks. Then said folder can be collapsed, freeing up screen space for other things.
Example: When I use EZDrummer, I have it in about 9 different tracks (main, which sends to kick, snare, hihat, etc.). That takes up a lot of space, so I always put all those tracks in their own folder, then collapse them down when I'm done programming the drum parts.
Same thing with guitar tracks and vocal tracks. Since there's usually only one bass track, I leave it alone. =p
The folders deal has the added benefit of allowing you to change a set of instrument's volumes en masse, instead of having to modify them individually. You mix your guitars so that they're equally loud, then use the folder volume to raise and lower them in the overall mix.

[Phyrnna]

At 3/25/09 10:07 PM, Envy wrote: Ooh, logic sounds pretty neat with the hiding thing. That would be nice to have in FL. I think I'm gonna have to also start labeling the playlist with break in patterns saying "Intro starts here down" or something like that.

I actually do that. I have patterns that just say "Strings below" or just "============" as a separator. It works well.

[nal1200]

At 3/25/09 10:18 PM, DevonAkins wrote: I color code and name sections to help remember which patterns are which. Here's an example...

What's a Syth?

[Steven-Polley]

At 3/25/09 10:58 PM, HalcyonicFalconX wrote: or just "============" as a separator. It works well.

Try using "-------" instead. FL has built in separator support after FL Studio 8 RC2

[blackattackbitch]

Here's what I do:

One pattern per instrument. (if it's a collection of instruments or a drum pack, multiple patterns are allowed.

Name each pattern after the instrument.

Shortened pattern clips on the playlist, and extensive use of the scrolling bar, so that if I want to change up the drumbeat, I just add it to the back of the other drum beat and scroll it.

Simple as that. Believe it or not, it's done wonders for organization.

Also, color coding everything takes too much damn time.

[DevonAkins]

At 3/25/09 11:04 PM, nal1200 wrote:

At 3/25/09 10:18 PM, DevonAkins wrote: I color code and name sections to help remember which patterns are which. Here's an example...

What's a Syth?

I guess I misspelled it on accident lol. That pattern is linked to an automation clip for one of my synthesizers and it's supposed to be synth.

[Steven-Polley]

At 3/25/09 11:04 PM, nal1200 wrote: What's a Syth?

I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure out what an Itnro is.

[Mich]

I always put a lot of effort in organizing my songs in FL, mostly when it gets big.
Here's what I do.

Step sequencer:
As I layer a lot of stuff, I group the layer children apart, and keep the layer parents in 'unsorted'.
I color those by type (red for drums, yellow for bass etc.) I also name them.
Mixer:

Everything gets named, and colored with the same color 'codes' as in the step sequencer.

Playlist:
I subdivide that pattern list. I start out with ' [DRUMS]_______' in white, then put all my drum patterns under there, and I name them. I also use the same color code again.
This goes for every section, sometimes I use a bit of a variation of the color for my synths though, when I use a different sounding synth, but it fits in the same category.

Clips:
I used to color those do, but I can't be bothered lately. Should start doing that again though. Also, to find your automations easily... I just create one automation clip per parameter, so not multiple instances of one clip. It's much easier to fing them when all the names are right at the beginning of the song, instead of having to go through the whole timeline of the song to find certain clips.

Quite a bit of organization for me like you see, but that's just so I don't take ages to produce (as I already do WITH this organisation.

Anyway, I hope this post helped :p

[S3C]

At 3/25/09 11:27 PM, blackattackbitch wrote: Here's what I do:

One pattern per instrument. (if it's a collection of instruments or a drum pack, multiple patterns are allowed.

Even when you make classical? O_o

Personally, i hate using the playlist, it sounds like an adlib generator when I try to sequence my songs that way. I cannot organize my songs unless I build the songs by devoting a section to just 1 pattern, even if its an EDM oriented style. I think the most patterns I've ever used on a single project is 20 or something, even on pieces that are 7+ minutes.