Get your files sorted!

Keeping my files and folders organised has never been a strong point of mine.  after all, I'm a musician.  I want to spend my time making music.  when I sit down with inspiration to work, I want to be constructive and end up with something to show for it.  I need to grab the inspiration when it comes and be sure not to waste any time. So for a long time, I never really gave much thought to archiving sound and projects in any particular way. As for trawling through the depths of my hard drive to retrieve and organise files, I wouldn't even know where to begin.  It is very time consuming and a lot of patience is needed.

But after ten years of new project after new project, and multiple new hard drives, I started to wonder “where is all the work that I've spent so much time doing?”  Every now and then i plug in an external hard drive from 5 or 6 years ago and have a look over some of my old work,  most of it unfinished, but I usually friend something that gets the creative juices flowing, so I'll bounce down a couple of sounds and start a new project again.

 This went long enough for me to recognise that working in this way is seriously counterproductive.  If I remember, in the middle of making music, that once upon a time I made some sounds that would be perfect for what I'm doing, its not always easy to go back and find where that sound is, and often, by the time I find it the inspiration is gone.

Taking some time to consider how you like to work, and then coming up with a good file system to keep everything organised is essential for good work-flow.  I would like to go back and organise everything I've ever done but there is so much of it that that really needs to happen over time.

Now, every time I'm working with sound or music, I will store files multiple times depending on the file type.  All files from my current project will be stored in my current project folder, as well as separately in a dedicated folder for specific file types.  I have a folder for synth patches, a folder for audio that I have recorded, a folder for audio that I have recorded and processed, a folder with individual tracks from a session that could be useful in the future etc.  Making sure all of the sounds I make and all of the FX chains I make are kept in all these different folders takes quite a lot of time in a session, but the time saved when searching for what I need ultimately far exceeds it.  Having everything you need when you need it not only saves time but also gives you a feeling of clarity that is so important for making music.  

Pulling things together

Being out of full time education for the last fourteen years, I have found it quite difficult to adapt to the self discipline required to study a degree. What is actually a relatively simple task, feels like quite a mountain to clime when you have to learn the basics as you go. Getting to grips with the internet has been one of my biggest hurdles so far. I feel like Frodo Baggins, setting off on a mission through Mordor, overwhelmed by anxiety, with a huge weight around my neck that leaves me incapacitated when ever it chooses. However the rewards to be gained are also great. There is a lot of satisfaction you can get from completing even really small tasks. And piece by piece, step by step, I feel like I'm at least moving forward towards Mount Doom!

I have finally started the early stages of pulling things together with my portfolio. You can also find other web pages associated with me at about.me.

A Bit of Backgound

It is amazing to think how many different ways there are to make music. When I first learned that I could make music by myself on a computer I was excited. With no thought whatsoever about how much learning would be involved and how broad and diverse electronic music could be, I set out to get my hands on a fast enough computer and some music-making software.

Previously I had learned to play drums and been involved in numerous bands, school performances and collaborations. I loved the idea that I could be in control of everything that went in to a piece of music and I could take as long as I liked to perfect any element.

I started out buying an old second-hand imac with a basic sequencer that came free with computer music magazine. I had so much fun that sitting at the computer in my room became my ultimate past-time. Any other activities or social life seemed so uninteresting compared to creating music and being fully engrossed in my latest epic masterpiece. I had finally found the ultimate outlet for creativity.

It soon became apparent that the more doors I opened in the world of electronic music, the more there were to open. There was something about the music I was making, that just didn't sound right when I played it back on other speakers. I would analyse the problem and learn how to make it right, dissecting each part of a song and spending hours, days, weeks, and months trying to get it right. Sometimes I would be successful and other times not. I'm sure this sounds familiar to loads of bedroom producers and musicians.

Eventually I realised that it didn't matter how much I learnt, I would never reach a place where I could be satisfied, as there is always more to learn. But at the same time I realised how much pleasure I was getting from learning new skills and techniques. I felt like it was time to consider a new work flow, and a different approach to learning about sound and production.

Why Are We Here?

Why Are We Here...To LISTEN or PASS TIME?