As a music producer and songwriter, staying organised is vital – especially when dealing with multiple songs, project stages, collaborators, and revisions. Having a clear, structured framework for naming your files is essential for effective project management and communication with clients. The last thing you need is to waste time searching for the right files or accidentally sending off the wrong mixes for review.
My File Naming Structure for Exporting
After much trial and error, I’ve developed a file naming system that I think is both simple and effective. Here’s a breakdown of what a typical file from me might look like:
24KMagic_DEMO_115bpm_AbMin_v3b_INST
SongName_STAGE_BPM_KeySig_v#_MIXTYPE
1. Project Name
The project name is self-explanatory – it’s the name of the song or production you’re working on. I always place it at the front of the file name to ensure clarity and to allow the operating system to group the project’s files together automatically when sorting by name.
2. Stage Of Production
I use a set hierarchy to define the stage of production a project is in:
WORKTAPE < DEMO < PRODUCTION < MIX < MASTER
Here’s a quick explanation of how I use these terms:
WORKTAPE
A ‘Worktape’ is typically an end-of-day bounce or, in some cases, a voice note. It’s often rough sounding and not something you’d usually share with A&Rs or external parties, but is needed for collaborators to continue working on a project, and making changes or for recording to.
DEMO
A ’Demo’ is when a song is ready to be shared externally for feedback with your managers, publishers or the artist’s team. Once the song’s collaborators are happy, it could be sent out for pitching also.
PRODUCTION
The ‘Production’ stage begins when a project has been officially commissioned, terms agreed, and we’re ready to get into the finer details of taking a song to the finish line.
MIX, MASTER
These are self-explanatory as the Mixing and subsequent Mastering phases respectively after a production is approved.
3. BPM and Key Signature
Some songs I work on won’t be in one key signature or one consistent tempo, but a lot of them are. When I’m sending songs that are in WORKTAPE or DEMO stage for others to work on (Be it, for collaborators to finish the song or demo production, or for DJs/Artists who might be pitched the song) it’s important to include this information if you can for their ease of use.
4. Version Number (and Letter)
For version numbers, I use a dual system to distinguish between revisions made to meet client notes and my personal revisions:
- v1, v2, v3, v4: These indicate revisions made based on client feedback.
- v1a, v1b, v1c, v1d: These are for my personal changes. Often, while working on a client’s notes, I might try different versions or make small tweaks to test various options, or even run an export twice to see if there’s a difference in processing.
This way the client doesn’t get confused by suddenly jumping from v3, to v5. And can keep track of what’s happening.
5. Mix Type
Mix Type refers to the specific mix you’ve chosen to export, not to be confused with the Mix stage of production. I use these abbreviations:
- INST: Instrumental Mix
- ACA: Acapella Mix
- SINGB: Singback Mix
I typically leave off any marking for the main or full mix, but if needed for clarity, I sometimes label it as MAIN or FULL.
Notes on Style
A few notes on my rationale for style choices.
- Underscores and Hyphens: I use these instead of spaces to improve compatibility across different software and when sharing files online.
- Name Placement: Placing the project name at the front and the version/mix type at the back ensures that the most important parts of the file name are shown when truncated. (MacOS Finder typically shows the first and last parts of a file name)
- Capitalisation: I capitalise the Stage of Production and Mix Type to quickly identify and avoid selecting the wrong file.
- Simplicity: I remove the artist’s name unless absolutely necessary to avoid confusion. Keeping file names concise and free of unnecessary information helps maintain manageability. I also will remove BPM and Key Signature information if it’s not necessary for the use case (PRODUCTION, MIX or MASTER stages)
Summary
In this fast-paced world of music production, staying organised is crucial. By using a structured format that includes the project name, production stage, version number, and mix type, I ensure that my files are easy to locate and understand. If you find it useful, feel free to adopt this system – or take it as a starting point – you can create your own style by taking what’s useful, removing what doesn’t work, and adding elements that enhance your workflow.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear
