Recently I've spent weeks going through each of my samples in order to create a database that i could really use.
For too long my ever growing sample library was becoming increasngly more of a hindrance to the workflow having to listen to too many samples and found i tended to go to the same sounds for e.g kicks, as there was so many to look through, despite being in their in their own "Kicks" folder) On retrospect i think the reason was the time it would take to listen to them all and because i was still building the library and didn't know how the sounds compared with each other. Now though, having 200 high quality kick drums as opposed to 3000 kick drums is a big step forward for my workflow and made a massive difference to my music making (and workshops) so i thought i'd share my own method and couple of tools that can help organise large sample libraries.
The first thing is that i have always used is to create a folder structure and then browse within the DAW. The structure has gone through many revisions but the current one is working really nicely and well worth the time investment. I think its the one i'll be sticking with and while its based around my own sample collection it may provide a solid starting point for anyone looking to create their own.
So after much time and consideration my folder structure looks something like this.
- Bass / Loops folder - Samples folder
- Drum Hits / Broken down into different percussion folders
- Drum Loops / Broken down into different percussion folders
- Orchestra - Brass & Wind Section / Broken Down into Different Instrument Folders each with Loop Folder & Samples Folder
- Orchestra - Guitar Section / Broken Down into Different Instrument Folders each with Loop Folder & Samples Folder
- Orchestra - Keys & Piano Section / Broken Down into Different Instrument Folders each with Loop Folder & Samples Folder
- Orchestra - String Section / Broken Down into Different Instrument Folders each with Loop Folder & Samples Folder
- Synths, Pads & Efx / Broken down into Drones & Pads, Leads & Arpeggios, Stabs & Efx and Sweeps & Risers Folders
- Vocals Spoken / Broken Down into scratches and a narrative method of organising
- Vocals Sung / Broken Down into different styles of Acapellas
- Whole remix parts / Broken down into the song folders.
In terms of find specific samples quickly both Windows 7 & Mac OSX have very fast searching tools which is great for finding samples quickly if you know the names, and something i use when needing to replace missing samples (as ableton's in built one takes a lot longer in my experience)
If you didn't have a folder structure there is software out there designed to help. For windows users a piece of software called http://ifoundasound.com seems to allow you to chuck all your samples on your hard drive, and then create collections, audition samples and find what you're after by searching very quickly. The free version it seems wont replace actually sorting your samples out into your own system as you only allowed 8 collections though, but it may make finding them a lot easier. Plus if you have more than 8000 you also need to buy the premium version.
For users of a Mac an much more elequant option is available in the form of Audio Finder which is both shareware allows you to create custom sets of samples and preview at different pitches using the inbuilt keyboard. I think you can even do some basic audio editing too.
I've always though that you could use a music manager like media monkey or itunes and create playlists but the two stopping blocks that ive found for this approach is that your samples get mixed in with your music which with such a huge amount of samples would take a massive amount of tagging. Plus to tag your samples you would need them to be in Aiff and they're often in Wav (or at least mine are). Converting to mp3 isnt really an option for your samples as you really dont want to compromise on the quality.
Which brings us back to building a trusty folder system and using the options within our DAW. Over the years I've created many versions of a folder sample system but think for me that this is broken down into the simplest form i can.Whatever the system though, the goal is to develop something so that whatever sound we want, we i know exactly where to find it and only have to search through great samples.
If you're just starting your own library, id recommend be vigilant and only allow high quality samples in. If youve got a massive library, taking the time out to organise it into something that is highly efficient will make a massive difference.
Hope this helps people out there and if you have any comments, tips or feedback please let us know in the comments below.