Organizing Logic Folders for an Album

[themusiconomy]

I'm recording an album containing 12 songs. What would be the best way to store each song/project? For example, the album is called "Happy." Can I create a folder in Logic called "Happy" and then save/store all 12 songs/projects into that folder?

 

Is there a better way? Or will I run into problems with my way?

 

Logic 8 / Mac 10.6.8

[Eriksimon]

If you start a new project and you save that for the first time, Logic creates a folder (with the same name as the project) for it. That folder will in itself contain folders (Audio Files, Bounces, Project Backup Files, etc). Now any new project you start after that, you can save to that same folder, Logic will have you confirm this and will not create a new project folder.

But other than that it'll neatly keep all your files associated with the album within one folder, there is no real advantage (not even organisational) to doing so. Creating twelve project folders is also a legit way of going about it, and it is not slower or less safe or even more cluttered to do. So in the end it is a matter of avoiding the cracks in the pavement, only because you want to, not because you need to...

[EdgarRothermich]

I don't think either way is better, it depends. Here are a few considerations on one central Album-ProjectFolder vs individual Song-ProjectFolders

 

 

• * All your recordings that you do for each of your 12 songs are stored in the Audio folder. With an Album-ProjectFolder approach you could end winth a lot of files. WIth a Song-ProjectFolder approach the recordings for each song are stored in their own Audio folder. This is a consideration if you have to dig into that folder sometimes.
   
  * If you store all your EXS Instruments and Samples with your Project folder and you use a lot of that in your Project, then you could end up storing redundant files with a Song-ProjectFolder approach. An Album-ProjectFolder approach stores everything only once. This is also practical when deciding on a Movie-ProjectFolder vs Cue-ProjectFolder.
   
  * If you do many Albums or Movie Projects, then a Album-ProjectFolder approach is easier to manage (backup) over time with less Folders.

 

In either way, the important thing is to keep an eye on the Assets Project Settings so everything is contained in the Project folder for backup or transferring Projects to different machines.

 

http://DingDingMusic.com/files//WebFiles/Assets.png

[themusiconomy]

I'm leaning towards the Album folder approach because I will be writing scores for movies. This will require that I use the EXS and other external midi such as Reason.

 

I noticed that when I created the second song project and saved it into my Album folder, that the tracks from Song 1 were copied into Song 2. I had to erase the tracks in Song 2 before I could start recording Song 2. Is this possible? You mentioned something about redundancy. I just want to make sure that I'm not copying my audio files and software instrument files to each new song and eating up all my computer's memory. That means that when I start recording Song 10, that all the files from Songs 1-9 new will be recopied to Song 10!!

[EdgarRothermich]

You have to be clear on the following distinction between

 

• * The Logic Song, the one that is open in Logic at the moment
  * The Logic File, Song's file representation, the file on your disc with the extension .logic
  * The Project Folder where the .logic file is located in.

 

When you start with a new song (untitled), it doesn't have any affiliation to a Project folder. That' why when you save it, Logic creates a new Project folder with that name and puts the Logic file inside. All its assets are now stored in that Project folder.

 

When you open an existing Logic file, then that has already an affiliation to its own Project folder. That's why when you "save as" that Song, the Save Dialog window presents its Project folder. Now you have three options:

 

• 1) Save that Song (with a new name) in that same Project folder.
  2) Navigate to a different location and save it. This creates a new Project folder for that song, Same procedure as saving a new song.
  3) Navigate to a different Project folder. This will prompt and alert window that provides two options.
  
  • a) Use: This is like option 1) where the new Logic file will now be linked to that Project folder
    b) Create: This creates a new Project Folder inside that Project folder. I wouldn't do that because it creates a nested Project folder and I'm not sure what the advantage is over the possible confusion

.

http://DingDingMusic.com/files/WebFiles/UseProjectFolder.png

 

One more thing.

When you save as an existing Logic Song to a different location (different Project folder), the Assets setting decides if you move those assets with the Logic file or not!

[themusiconomy]

Thanks for your help!

 

Slightly off-topic but...I have different "instrumentent files" that I made in Propellerhead Reason. When I open a Logic Project that contains External Midi tracks, Logic doesn't know which Instrument files to open and play. I have to manually open the .RNS Reason files for them to be used in the specific Logic Project that I intended them to be in.

 

Should I also put the .RNS instrument files in my Logic Project Folders? That way I'll always be able to find the specific instrument that I need to trigger the Midi notes that I recorded? Or is there a better way to access those instrument files through Logic?