FL Studio | Organization Pt.1

I remember when I first started using FL Studio and how unorganized I was about everything. I never used the color coding tools, I never properly named my patterns, I never renamed any of my sounds or samples to something that makes sense; I didn't even separate each pattern to its own individual tracks. Oh, not to mention my patches on the browser section were utterly confusing and thus wasted loads of time finding that one kick drum I liked to use. But the one thing that killed me the most was the lack of attention and detail to naming my project files. All of this nonsense led to several things. For one, a sloppy workflow. I can't stress enough how much production time one can actually save with a little attention to organization. Another was lack a of file management, in other words, understanding where the files were being stored. Last but not least, it led to a bad habit. Like they say--it's hard to break a bad habit. Well mine was no easy challenge, and of course, took some time to adapt to a better one. 

My message to early FL Studio users is to become accustomed to a workflow that will result a clean layout of all your tracks, proper file naming, and well, better time management. It's about taking that one step forward to calling yourself a real professional.

Try This: How I Name My Project Files

For Untitled Songs / Instrumentals - 

(Project Type)_(Genre or Similar Artist)_(Key)_(BPM)_(Date)

Example: Song_Dance-Pop_G#major_128bpm_01_31_2014
Example: Instrumental_Jason Darulo_Eminor_104bpm_02_22_2014

For Titled Songs / Instrumentals - 

(Project Type)_(Title)_ (Genre or Similar Artist)_(Key)_(BPM)_(Date)

Example: Collab_Start Again x Yez Beats_R&B_Amajor_75bpm_05_03_2014