Production Tips

The music production world has a sea of online advice, tricks, and guides … not to mention the endless courses available, some of which are great and others riddled with vague introductory concepts that serve to outline nothing more than a trending sound. Here's the start of a series of super quick production tips that have made my work easier and more efficient starting with the foundation of every composer/producer’s work:

File Organisation 

Yes this is dull, but unless you have a clear system in place searching for files will eat your time minute by minute. If you are a music writer or producer this needs to be established early on and it needs to be a system that is implemented as routine. It is something I've seen cause problems over and over again where more files get created, time passes, and before you know it you are searching through endless files all labelled Audio-01.wav (or sim.) to find the one your client needs.

After years of practice and reorganising my process I have found keeping the most simple and workable system in place is the way forward. 

Our setup has 3 separated storage systems and our project storage is backed up on duplicate external drives:

System Filing - Project Storage - Sample Storage

(for programmes and software)

For Project Storage, here's my file hierarchy:

Films

1. Admin & Contracts

2. Cue Sheets

3. Reference Files

4. Video Files

5. Scoring Files

6. Cue Folder 

   • Cue Files (labelling; Project Initials - Composer Initials - Cue Number - Cue Title - version - Timecode)

   • Mixdowns (Includes full mixes and stems for the mixing stage)

   • Recording Session Material Folder (if needed)

7. Recording Sessions (this folder is taken as a backup to sessions)

8. Session details & schedule

9. Session Files, Audio Guides, Click Tracks, Tempo Maps

10. Scores & Parts

11. Cue Folder

Library Music

1. Album Folder

2. The Brief (usually an email or a pdf doc) & Reference tracks

3. Admin Folder

   • Publisher Details, Contracts, Metadata. Delivery Specs, & any other docs associated with the album.

4. Track Folder

   • Project session files

   • Recording Session Material Folder (if needed)

   • Mixdown Folder

     • All deliverables for the track; full mixes, cutdowns, altmixes, stings (whatever is asked for)

5. Deliverables Folder* 

*One folder containing everything required for delivery, this is an amalgamation of each track’s deliverables but forces an extra round of checks before submission.

Concert Music

My work in concert music is split between commissioned work for specific events and my own compositions and arrangements.

1. Client Folders

2. Track Title/Event Folder

   • Brief sheets, Agreements/Contracts Folder

   • Score & Parts Folder; containing (pdfs), Guide audio, & possibly video score

   • Graphics/Marketing Material Folder

   • Project Files

3. Work Title

4. Ensemble Folder (if multiple)

   • Publisher Agreements/Contracts Folder/Permissions for arrangements

   • Graphics/Marketing Material Folder

   • Score & Parts Folder; containing (pdfs), Guide audio, & possibly video score

   • Project Files

As well as the project domains of my work there is the usual addition of another Business folder, which contains all the elements such as branding, finances, additional contracts and legal documents, marketing, sample logs, track catalogues, client contacts, credit logs, and so on. I won’t go into this here as every business requires a different setup but it is equally important to have a clear organised system in place which works for you.

Key take-aways: 

• Spend a little time setting a filing system which will grow as you create.

• Implement it as standard practice and maintain it as you use it.

• At the bare minimum ensure project files are backed up. Multiple smaller external drives are better for backups if you have the space, if one stops working then it is a small effort to recover.