File Management for Music Production

[@grantr5417]

When it comes to backing up, there are two types of people. Those that do, and those that will

[@svenmatchell1076]

Hi, I was Will. And I the regret is overwhelming

[@vlone0018]

Man I needed this, I literally have fl studio files that are named “dasdas” “sasdsasd” thank you

[@marcell7406]

we all living one life

[@avenusbeats1016]

The real question is who doesn't? Have a nice day

[@kingech_B15]

File management just might be the most important thing about the studio.

[@moionne]

I'm looking forward to the backup-video Mike!

[@CreativeSauce]

On its way!

[@gary4gill]

Huge amounts of info/education in 22 minutes. Love your tutorials Mike!

[@KizzleTheKonqueror]

I work IT and when I saw you make a shortcut to fool the plugin location, I almost spit out my coffee. GENIUS MOVE. Very clever, sir! THAT is using your resources lol

[@spokansas]

Perhaps my least favorite AND most needed video you've done. It's to easy to let the creative process let things become chaotic, but preparation and organization ahead of time, can save a lot of time and frustration later. Something I am always needing to be reminded of. Thanks Mike!

[@B9ashtima]

I think we've come to the point in our relationship where I can like your videos at the beginning haha

[@CreativeSauce]

This is a cherished moment :) I feel there should be a ceremony and an exchanging of vows. "I, Creative Sauce, take thee as my subscriber, and promise to educate, enlighten, and occasionally entertain".

[@jackharjani]

This is one of the most important topics as a music producer. You might not think at first but one day unorganized files might hammer your creativity and stall your progress as a musician/producer, at least it did for me. Everything is organized now. Good video Mike :)

[@trajanledesma]

Hi Mike I just wanna say thank you thank you thank you for everything! I dream to be a music producer and I can start with your amazing vids! Thank you for being THE MAN for us cakewalk people!

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey TJ, thanks so much for your kind words. I have my dream job thanks to people like you :)

[@trajanledesma]

@@CreativeSauce awww this put a big smile on my face :)

[@orderd29]

Add "mind reader" to your list of skills! I've been thinking for a week or so about organising my file locations in a more effective and productive way and this video is just what I needed. A huge thanks as always.

[@CreativeSauce]

Lol, so glad its helpful :)

[@koylbeats332]

I am diving into vocal production and audio engineering after aspiring to do so for years, finally took the step, did the research and bought pro tools. Then I started realizing how much of a hassle file management was after watching a few KZbin videos. Literally began stressing out all day today as I bought a new SSD and pro tools and already have years of samples and instrumentals from producing, and wanted to make sure I was setting everything up in a way I won't regret, and after having corrupt files nightmares I am very scared of having to move files too much later. Seeing some youtubers do it one way and some do it another, I had no confidence in direction. So I say all that to say, THANK YOU MAN, the wording, the knowledge and the visual representation literally massaged my brain and saved me hours of time. Thank you!

[@picardy1907]

Mike, first of all, please can I say a great big thank you for the vast array and comprehensive range of very informative videos you have produced. I will admit to not being very clever with computers but with your help, and the help of my son Ben (who introduced me to your channel) I manage to get on. Now for this video, FANTASTIC. I followed your advice and, step by step, rearranged my files and now my computer appears to be working much more quickly and efficiently, and my drives are clean and hungry with not a glitch from Cakewalk. I would add that during each process, due to my own lack of confidence, I kept taking photos of each step and writing down every folder/file move that I did so that I could double back if necessary. This, in the end, was not needed, though the whole operation did take pretty much a full day up... time extremely well spent. A big THANKS again, and following my experience, my son Ben E P (KZbin) is also watching your video to clean his computer up. All the best and keep well from England.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you, I'm so glad its worked out for you. Actually, I often do the same thing myself (taking sceenshots), so that I know what I've done in case of errors. Good habit to get into :) Please thank Ben for getting me a viewer:)

[@bennie_p]

@@CreativeSauce No Problems! When I set up my new PC it will be a little differently arranged than it is now, following your advice Mike!

[@CreativeSauce]

@@bennie_p awesome :)

[@Zaleskee]

thank YOU!, important, very important information👍🏽

[@ScottRandall31]

Thanks, Mike! FYI I just finished my first solo album (being pressed as I type and already available online). I have to say, most of the credit for me being able to get to this point was due to your training videos! Thanks, again!

[@LonelyRocker]

The least sexy but one of the most important things to have a clear, effective system in place. Great resource. Anyone producing any kind of content should check this out...

[@zomni1]

All my new build parts are being delivered tomorrow and this is exactly the video I wanted. Thank you!

[@danielel9191]

Great video! Thank you. I stopped watching at 18:10 because I am on a Mac and at this point I need direction on how to do this on my system. I wish it was a video on macs because you are the best yet on this topic!

[@kuzbuz13]

This is hands down one of the best videos on this

[@JohnRedcorn822]

11:49 is the funniest segment break ive ever seen on youtube; you have earned a follow and a like 🤣

[@felixl2110]

Wow, Mike, What a pleasant guy

[@andrevierbucher2863]

Use the mklink command in the command-shell. That will always work in contrast to the shortcut.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you!

[@sevenfifteen]

An important topic that's rarely mentioned and never presented as you did. Very useful also to point others to. In Cakewalk you also want to adapt the paths in preferences. The default path for audio data is set to C:\\cakewalk\... for example. Those are not just lookup paths. They are used by Cakewalk to write data as well.

[@patrickburyk9973]

Greetings, Mike! Thank you for covering this, rather complex, topic! It's "complex" because there are as many workable solutions as there are users computers. BUT, users need to start somewhere and this video covers the bases - very well. I'd like to offer: YES - Samsung Evo SSDs are the way to go, if you can afford the difference in $$. But, regardless of SSD type - Do strive to keep their total storage below 75%. This is per SSD manufacturer's documentation (ALL SSD manufacturers, not just Samsung). Looking forward to your "Backups" video. !!!!!!!

[@justinritter9876]

Still a great video on practical logical File Management for Music Makers! Good Work Mate!

[@DavidSmith-ne1zp]

Exactly the info I was needing! Thanks for explaining the rationale behind where files are best located.

[@ТимурГиев]

Thank You so Much, Mike! That's Incredible Perfect Guide!🎇🤠👏🤓🤩💫😍👍🎊😁

[@manuzid6837]

one of the best channels on youtube

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you :)

[@davidmeyer8756]

I really NEEDED THIS! Thank you!

[@CreativeSauce]

Awesome man - my pleasure :)

[@makingmusiconline2309]

This is a fascinating topic! I'm setting up my first proper music laptop, with two SSD drives (2TB each) plus one or more spinning external drives. (I'll be upgrading to external SSDs when I can afford them, plus NAS for backups)

[@balorprice]

Another two big thumbs up to you Mike, this is absolutely what I needed. Everything you say has this level of "Of course! I KNEW that really", but just having it all laid out in easy to follow chapters really helped me sort everything out. I've found there are a few virtual instruments that have stamped their feet about where they are placed, but the major areas which were taxing the caching has brrj fixed now. Finally!

[@michael_j_s]

Thx Mike ~ Been considering this issue for a long time and your video really help!!

[@joegrint6280]

Great advice Mike - I have my VSTs on my data drive apart from the Air ones that seem unhappy unless they are on the system drive! I'll remember that tip for moving the documents drive - my system drive and much bigger data drive are neck a neck on space at the moment - I also have a couple of other drives with photos games etc. To reflect an earlier comment there are two types of people - those who have had a drive fail and those who will! That reminds me I must back up my recent photos!

[@MG-br5vc]

Never thought this would be a really nice post. Thanks Mike.,

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks MG. The subject is certainly a little dry, so I'm glad people like it!

[@zendakk]

@@CreativeSauce It's one of those dry "boring" topics that can really come back to bite you if neglected. Once you have a good organizational system in place, you eliminate a LOT of potential for future pain, it's well worth the initial time invested. Thanks, your videos are always useful and well presented!

[@michaeltablet8577]

Thank you so very much and hello from Texas USA!

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Micheal. I'd love to visit there one day!

[@michaeltablet8577]

@@CreativeSauce would be honored if you did! God bless you and yours and thanks again so very much for sharing your gift of music and teaching!

[@technodust7833]

Best data management tutorial ever! Thx!

[@JohnSmith-ut9ti]

Very helpful. Especially the shortcut thing. Thank you

[@PowerDrumKit]

19:58 Here is a little shortcut for creating a shortcut: Drag the folder from the right window (the target) into the left window where the original path was, by holding the RIGHT mouse button. On release it will show a context menu with the option to create a shortcut with one click right away. It just needs to be renamed afterwards. Disclaimer: I never used this method for creating these kind of redirections for libraries (usually using symbolic links), but if your conventional method works, this shortcut method will probably work as well I guess. Good video!

[@hilltop565]

If you've never tried it yourself then you shouldn't suggest it.

[@PowerDrumKit]

@@hilltop565 It's the same type of shortcut as shown in the video, so I am just providing a faster way for the same thing he is showing. I was just stating that I haven't used it for the purpose he is using it here in the video. But since he did, it doesn't matter.

[@justmejammin]

Thanks Mike I was just starting to think about this issue. Another hit.👍🏻

[@daniellesaux6152]

Great video, very well explained. You're an awesome teacher Mike! I'm looking forward to your backup video to compare what you recommend to what I'm currently doing. Stay safe!

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Daniel. Yes, that's around 3 weeks away, as its a little involved. But probably an even more important video!!

[@raidicmusic]

4:38 and 11:00 Thanks !!!!! I had to re.isntall some VSTs, because i did not found the samples folder of some VSTs. Now I now how to.

[@MrOnemoreknight0]

Mike if I had to compile a top ten of useful videos this would definitely be No1!! Not to say your other videos haven't been useful, of course they have, but this one is going to help me (and several others I bet!) enormously. One question, you talk about installing second, or third hard drives, but is it possible to use external HD's? I look forward to the back up video, I have a sneaking suspicion I am going to find that helpful as well.

[@CreativeSauce]

Awww thanks Mike, you are too kind. Connecting many external drives can get messy, but doable if you have enough ports. Doing it via a hub may cause a little bottleneck, but still probably preferable to a single drive. Another option is also a multiple bay hdd/ssd dock, I've used them in the past with good results.

[@atypeandshadow]

I wish I came across this from the beginning 🎉🎉🎉 its a complete mess once you start adding files, pluggins. I recently canceled my Waves subscription and it was a complete pain seperating the pluggins to the recycling bin.

[@Tsietsithelele]

Beautifuly done, we'll done Mike thank you very much that was super helpful

[@ronnyb5890]

great tips Mike, thanx,i moved every windows media folder to my D drive in a map called windows,in this map i created maps for download,pictures,document,etc and it works like a charm,only thing that cant be moved this way is the temp folder,there you have to create a dynamic link,wich is a lot harder,it can also be done via system variables,but either way is risky

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Ronny, some handy info there:)

[@ronnyb5890]

@@CreativeSauce youre welcome Mike,have a nice day

[@richardharmon9596]

Awesome Awesome Video !!!! Thank You sooo much

[@clockworkorangelg5198]

Very useful reference!!thanks

[@rubdub4]

This was so perfectly helpful. Thank you.

[@mlwsf]

I have also noticed the Downloads folder chews up a lot of memory. I have had to dump most of those temp files clear up space.

[@CreativeSauce]

So very true. This is another great candidate for getting off the C drive!

[@velocitystudiomix]

Great information!😎

[@HeroMike17]

The shortcut tip is a great one. I had libraries which I could redirect using regedit, searching for and editing the original path. But that was a real HACK ;-) just for programmers

[@dogriver751]

Last year I moved my cakewalk projects to an external hardrive. When I went to work.on them next I could play them but I couldn't edit them, and I couldn't add to them. I eventually gave up on them

[@davidnienast7512]

Awesome video, it was extremely helpful. I also put my plugins on a separate drive because some can be rather large files

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers David, interesting. Any in particular you find are large?

[@davidnienast7512]

@@CreativeSauce union, ascension vsts and a few other, but its mostly the presets/expansion packs

[@CreativeSauce]

Ah IC. Great tip thank you :)

[@jimmiphaze5785]

thanks mike.....just what i needed.....great job

[@HeroMike17]

Backup twice. Put the second Backup in a fireproof safe. I had a "LITEON CV3-CE256-11 256GB" SSD which failed after 3 yrs of doing very small work. Please buy quality SSDs..

[@CreativeSauce]

Couldn’t agree more. I’ve learned the hard way (on multiple occasions). Now the way I view my drives, is that they WILL fail at some point.... so better make sure I had a ‘Plan B’!

[@bjazz68]

Thank you.

[@G_handle]

Thank you Sir! This is a great gap you’re filling in the Audio KZbin arena, fundamentals. 1) Can you do one of these for Mac (or get one of your Mac based friends like you’ve done before)? 2) I also have dozens of those Samsung EVO internal SATA SSDs. They’re great bang-for-buck Internal SSDs. However, what do you think of using either the Samsung T5/T7 USB-C drives EXTERNALLY (or their Sandisk equivalents), now that they come in 2TB capacities and can operate at 500/ 1000/ even 2000Mbps? On modern Macs, the USB-C bus speed is theoretically 10Gbps, so technically you should be able to run 5 of fastest External SSDs into a hub on 1 computer port at full speed. And since you’ll never be running all five drives full throttle in Audio Production, you should be able to get a larger hub and even more drives, say for backup and redundancy, or multiple VSTi Libraries or multiple Client Drives, and stay well below the 10Gbps bandwidth bottleneck, all while NOT opening a computer case. I currently have 4 Mac Pro towers for Audio and Video production and post, loaded up with a Ton of stuff not worth listing, other than the many massive HDD RAIDs not mentioned in this video. As soon as I get the time, I’m getting a M1 Mac Mini with the intention of testing the above theory, and stress testing it as a 2021 alternative system setup. Thus far though, in their component parts, I think we may have just entered a whole new era.

[@SoleTecEx]

Thanking you for a very informative vid. Ta.

[@alfredgyimah1673]

Thank u so much this helped a lot

[@SantiagoBarceloOk]

HI Mike, many thanks for the video, clear and useful as usual. We are synchronized ! Since a few days ago I'm exactly doing this, organising drives, libraries and folders applying the same concepts from your video. The regular shortcut didn't work for me but the "mklink" did (Kontakt didn't "see" the normal shortcuts). All the best from Buenos Aires !!

[@bangerdistrict7500]

Thank you so much, sir! This really helped me a lot. 🙏🤝

[@Moss-xk5zc]

Great video, thank you for the information.

[@ezgoen3882]

Nice Tutorial Mike - As Usual! Other ways of redirecting folders, files etc - read and learn about Hard Links, Junctions & Soft Links under windows. If you're from the linux world the concepts are common and very similar. USE WITH CARE! Might help someone.

[@rahulborkar1942]

This was an awesome video and helped me a ton. Thank you.

[@whyyoumakethissohard]

Thank you so much :)

[@masterstacker2833]

I use a G-Drive HDD for my Time Machine backups. I do have separate drives for large sample libraries on my 27" iMac via Thunderbolt 3. But I went with one large drive on my new MacBook Pro Max. That drive is 3x as fast as the ones my 27" is using.

[@therealjackfisher]

Great stuff Mike. I also noticed that some of my plugins/ libaries install stuff in ALL USERS documents, and not my personal documents directory, and this is problematic because some people dont even know they have different users installed in their windows and they cant find the installed files. It took me few days and reinstalls before i figured out that many programs hide files there. Some software install in OneDrive wich is cloud space in windows and that cloud can get clogged and some files get lost fast. I had to turn off One Drive because that thing causes so many loses. OneDrives terrible design is a serious threat to data that is being saved there. I never trust OneDrive.

[@philodox7599]

Awesome video!

[@RonnieVaiArovo]

Just my personal opinion, from my experience on multiple Windows computers, I don't think there will be a performance decrease if you write your DAW project to your C Drive while working on it and then store it in the data storage second drive when finished along with other DAW projects. This is because the OS drive usually has the fastest access times and therefore would perform the best. The only exception would be if the C drive is close to being full or over 50% full in which case, system performance is compromised EXPONENTIONALLY. To summarise, working on big DAW projects on C drive is better as long as this C drive is not more than 50% full.

[@djmufeed7347]

nice sir

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks and welcome

[@SamplesStudios]

This video is very helpful and I've been using it to organize my files. Thank you! I have a question for a common problem, which is deciding where presets go when using 3 drives. 9:43 It seems like they either belong in the 1st drive (with daw & plugins) or 3rd drive (with daw projects). My third drive happens to be a fast external ssd, which I'll use to load daw projects using several computers.

[@CreativeSauce]

Glad it's helpful. You could do either place. Presets are such tiny files, and not accessed often, so performance will not be an issue either way.

[@tourmgt]

GREAT INFORMATION God Bless

[@kawilamana5768]

Greetings Mike! Great Video with excellent tips. Query 1. If you use music composition software (e.g. Finale/Sibelius, etc.), where do you suggest storing your music scores and related audio files (e.g. with Finale, .wav audio files)? Query 2. For Project Files and Music Score Files, what file naming convention do you use, i.e., year-month-day-title (name) or other?

[@parambajaj85]

Great video!!!! I have a query- Should I use a pen-drive to keep some of my stuff onto?

[@ROQSTAR]

Great tutorial!

[@jonathanhoward5716]

Hey very informative video. This helps alot. I did have a question. Could you clarify pluggins vs instrument libraries and why you leave the pluggins on the main drive? I am getting confused by the different terminology. I dont understand the difference between DAW pluggins vs. 3rd party Pluggins vs. Pluggin Effects vs. Virual Instruments vs. VST/VST2/VST3/VSTi vs.....all of it. I have a basic understanding but alot of the terms overlap in nature. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[@ThePrideJJ]

Thanks! Do you provide one on one mentoring?

[@reevant2215]

Hi Mike, another good video. Unfortunately I pretty much have only 2 physical drives but I still break up the physical drives pretty much as you have. Why? I find it easier to run my backups that way. There is a lot of stuff that does not change (photos, videos in my case) and other stuff that does. e.g. Projects and renders of tracks, finalised backing tracks and so on. I regularly backup the changes. The critical stuff has been copied to another system altogether (a laptop I use for performances). I still worry however. Soon I’ll need a new PC mainly because I’m out of good SSD space and my PC is getting too old for the higher speed SSD. I think I should have started this “in the beginning there was ....”. Tony

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank Tony. I will be interesting to compare notes after I make the backup video. I agree, having more segmented makes that somewhat easier.

[@gthcstudios]

Instead of using simple shortcuts I usually use junctions. So I make sure I can still navigate to specific files inside the folder from its original location. Just move the desired folder to its new location (or copy and rename the original folder) and then use command prompt (CMD) and enter the following command: mklink /j "SHORTCUT LOCATION" "TARGET LOCATION" Of course the SHORTCUT LOCATION and TARGET LOCATION have to be replaced with the corresponding folder names and locations. Like: mklink /j "C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3" "E:\VST-Plugins\VST3" This is working great for all kinds of Sound and Sample Libraries as well as the VST3 plugin location or even your Dropbox folder, for example. Edit: Some locations require you to run cmd as an admin to create the junction, depending on the write permissions of the location where you want to create it.

[@gthcstudios]

BTW: Inside CMD enter mklink /? for a detailed description or help with this command.

[@gthcstudios]

One more thing: If you use junctions you should exclude either the junctions or the target folders from your backup. Otherwise the whole folder content gets backed-up twice, which is probably not what you want. Instead, you can create a simple batch file to restore all your junctions, if you havee to restore your system from a backup one day. And btw: Junctions are only working on NTFS formated drives, which is todays standard format on Windows systems. The drives can be internal or external drives but no network drives, as far as I know.

[@mrlabon123]

Mike, can you make the video on backing up the files? Thanks.

[@edblake9428]

Thank you very much Mike! But there are two things; 1. I have two internal drives. One SSD for my operating system and one HDD. Does it smoother my workflow if I move Documents to internal HDD? Because it is not as fast as a SSD drive. And 2. I’ve already moved my Documents file to second internal HDD as you explained successfully. But I can also see same documents in their previous place. It is not like moved, it is like copied. Should I go ahead and delete them manually?

[@bhajan_bula_roo723]

Thanks for your tutorials Mike where did you put your Pictures and Music Folders or did you leave them on C: drive?

[@donseitan]

Thanks! I always wondered how someone would keep 400 vst's after reinstalling windows hahahh

[@striverfor7628]

11:50 12:49, 13:04 Recommendation for a Solid State drive

[@MrMaestrodon]

Great video again Mike. I just wondered what your thoughts are about using a partition on the C drive with just the OS and the other partition with DAW, programs etc. Makes me think that if windows ever goes down I can possibly reinstall and my programs etc remain intact and no need to reload. Would this be possible and if it is would it be a good idea?

[@mattavalon]

thanks so much for these videos! is the principal the same for mac?

[@redbaron1111]

Thanks very much Mike for this sensible advice to avoid tears at bedtime! Am I safe to presume although this article is primarily based on Windows desktop with internal SSDs, some info applies to Apple systems too with a little adaptation. Additionally, some PC laptops and especially Apple MacBooks don’t have upgrade paths for internal HDDs/SSDs. Does this mean external peripherals with a few USB leads are the only option in the main for portable devices? Cheers...

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Red. Absolutely yes, the same principles apply for Mac. Yes, most modern laptops (PC or Mac), provide less if zero internal upgrade paths. Multiple USB cables are the option most will take, but its also worth considering an external hard drive dock, that can hold multiple drives.

[@redbaron1111]

@@CreativeSauce Much appreciation Mike for the suggestion of an “external hard drive dock”. This could point to a potentially efficient RAID type set up too?!

[@CreativeSauce]

@@redbaron1111 I can't say for sure, as I havnt used in that way, but I guess potentially!

[@mrlabon123]

I needed this kind of a video. Thanks. I want to install a new drive to my laptop. Is there a way to do it externally via a SATA USB cable?

[@CreativeSauce]

HD/SSD enclosures normally connect USB, but have SATA connections inside. If your laptop has a USB C connection then use for faster transfer speeds. Failing that, go USB 3.

[@Lordcamilli]

"Dislike twice" won my like. Great content, mate.

[@RicheyZhang]

A very newbie question: why are plugins and instrument libraries separate? Many instruments are also in VST format, do they count as plug-ins and what is the boundary between plug-ins on the C drive and instrument libraries on other drives? What are the boundaries between plugins on the C drive and instrument libraries on other drives? please answer, thank you!

[@striverfor7628]

Woah, my C Drive is only 232 GB, Mike's is 930! Luckily I have a 2TB D Drive

[@Michael_Lak]

I have been using windows since 3.1 and I have never experienced OS corruption, nor have any of my family members or anyone I know. It is not renowned for it.

[@robertolopezfoto]

Excelent,, any advise for mac?

[@sticklebrickz]

Great, helpful vid. Thanks! Worst case scenario here - Running everything from a single laptop drive (2TB Samsung Evo SSD). Would partitioning the SSD for separating data be effectively the same as using separate drives?

[@ronin6643]

Great, informative video. Thanks! I’ve been working off of a single 2TB SSD and have started noticing performance issues as it fills up, now I know why! As for a solution... Would love some advice. I work on a laptop so and extra drive isn’t an option, although 2TB is enough for what I do. Would partitioning the drive have the same benefits as I’d keep all sample libraries and project files separate from the system drive? If so, how much is recommended to keep the C: drive running smoothly? A 50/50 split? Thanks again, keep it up!

[@RogerBenet]

Hi! Could you please give me your opinion for the best file management for my setup? - Mac Studio 1TB SSD, 64GB RAM - 1TB External SSD Thunderbolt - 1TB External SSD Thunderbolt I need the best solution for audio recording/mix/production AND some video editing on Final Cut. Thanks!

[@nkronert]

"If you don't like the video, click the dislike icon twice" 😂

[@shirakuyanai4095]

What if I have 1 main pc at home and 1 laptop for traveling? What should I put in which computer and what should I put in external drives?

[@egetosun6144]

For the Kontakt case, will we think the Kontakt as a plugin and all Kontakt based Instruments as Library in terms of file management?

[@ajmenanga1107]

🙏🙏✊