I am using color coding in many areas of my production work. For example, on my audio-drive, the files/folders with a red label are not backed up - so I should go ahead and do this before I loose important data. Once backed up, I change the color into green. I back up constantly during sessions, via drag-and-drop into a temporary backups. This is simple and in fact, many people use the labels. The old Mac OS Classic had them and - after disappearing in OS X for a while - they came back with Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther".
At the end of the day, I activate a complete HD backup to a mirror hard drive. Every hard-drive on my system has at least two mirror HDs: one daily backup, and one fire-safe backup, and when completed one off-location archive. This way, nothing gets lost, and one can sleep safe and sound.
Now with Apple’s new OS integrated Time Capsule, we’re starting to use that automated backup system on a few Leopard Mac OS systems.
When collaborating across different studios and exchanging song files all the time, it is extremely important to be well-organized. After all, we want to load a song into the computer and start working on it without wasting too much time figuring out what audio is what and belongs where.
One aspect of that is to always keep meticulous track naming standards, and then further organize into sub folder within the main Audio folder hierarchy of a project. I include information such as BPM (beats per minute) and key in track-/audio file-/soundbite names as well, when helpful (e.g., when working on more than one version of a song in different tempi or keys, or when doing a remix in a different tempo).
Another aspect is color coding, within the main DAW (digital audio workstation) software of choice. Apple’s Logic Studio and MOTU’s Digital Performer have color palettes that allows us to color our tracks and parts in the arrange window. I came up with a new color coding system that worked for me, with my own logic as to what colors I perceive with what kind of instruments and frequency bands. Together with Frankie B., who had devised his own color coding system in Logic, we combined both our approaches, which actually shared many similarities, and we perfected it together for our collaborations and beyond. Frankie has the same studio setup as my main studio, which also helps streamline the process.
The Color Coding System is the idea to put instruments in different categories that have all their own unique color code, while also using shades within the color categories (darker = lower frequency, lighter = higher frequency):
dark purple = KICK DRUMS
dark blue = SNARES, CLAPS
pink = PERCUSSION
dark brown = BASS
light green = GUITARS
light blue = KEYBOARDS (Synthesizer, Organs, Piano, Clavinet, etc.)
green = INSTRUMENTS (all "realistic sounding" Orchestral Instruments)
red = LEAD VOCALS
dark pink = BACKGROUND VOCALS
yellow = CYMBALS & FX (sound effects, hi hats, crashes, high frequency vocal fx...)
orange = AUX TRACKS
We use these color codes all the time, e.g. even in our sound library, as well as in the Arrange Page of Logic and Tracks Overview in Digital Performer 6,:
Even Mixer Channels in the Track Mixer have their own colors. So if you keep the tracks belonging to the same instrument group next to each other, you get this as a result:
You get the idea... color coding makes things so much easier and focused. After a while, I got so used to it that I now see a dark purple track and I know without thinking: "This is a drum track".
Anything I have worked on in the last five years is color coded. If I wanna work on an older song or idea, I am literally "back in the picture" within seconds.
If you're a professional, you might know all this - but it's the same as always: Knowing about a color coding system doesn't save you any time unless you actually start using it! The increase in productivity and the additional organizational benefits of such a streamlined workflow are tremendous.
