Naming projects

So I fire up sonar create new project not named at this point and start playing away and click save - what do I call the project?

Has any body got any ideas on how to name projects when you may not have words etc at the time. I spend an age sometimes trying to find projects I have done when i am in scribble mode because the name is stupid (cos I needed to save the file not to lose it!)

Thanks for that I quite like the idea of a little mix - it is not that the project is not worthy of naming I tend to scribble stuff down so to speak and then come back later as I work away a bit

I'll usually use Beepster or whatever band I'm writing for (or an abbreviation), a description of the genre then the key or something that describes a main part in the song if need be.
 
Like, Beeps Metal E Chug.
 
It's not ideal though and it's gonna get weird once I start filling the system up with tunes.

Kev999
This doesn't work if you start a project without any ideas or inspiration. But who does that?

I do that a lot.
 
I know I want to create something, but don't know which way it it is going to go.  I may start by playing around on the drums, or creating a keyboard patch, or experimenting with sounds on a guitar, which then inspires me.
 
If I am starting from scratch like this, then I find naming very hard.  I might start a project using "cntrl+n" whilst I play around, or name it with something like "Thursday Rock" or "Funky Vamp" -  A "Working Title".  As soon as it starts taking shape, I will name it with a more suitable or descriptive title.
 
I remember the Genesis song "Taking It All Too Hard" was originally given the working title "Zeppo".  It just shows how an idea can progress..

jb101

Kev999
This doesn't work if you start a project without any ideas or inspiration. But who does that?

I do that a lot.
 
I know I want to create something, but don't know which way it it is going to go.  I may start by playing around on the drums, or creating a keyboard patch, or experimenting with sounds on a guitar, which then inspires me.
 
If I am starting from scratch like this, then I find naming very hard...

 
Even if you don't have any particular musical ideas when you start a project, there is usually something buzzing through your head at the time that is influencing your mood. Maybe it's something just happened to you, something that you are looking forward to, something that someone said, a news item, a TV show you recently watched, hopes, fears, rumours, anything really.

jb101

Kev999
Even if you don't have any particular musical ideas when you start a project, there is usually something buzzing through your head at the time that is influencing your mood. Maybe it's something just happened to you, something that you are looking forward to, something that someone said, a news item, a TV show you recently watched, hopes, fears, rumours, anything really.

No, sometimes I sit down with NOTHING, just the fact that I want to write.  I suppose I could call them all "Before Inspiration", but that would be confusing.
Often my ideas come from improvisation, or a particular sound sets me of.  At the very beginning when I start a project, there may be nothing at all.

What I was getting at is that there are other things going on in your life apart from the music that you happen to be working on. And that these things, which influence your mood and your outlook, should provide you with at least a title if not some subject matter.

Every year on  Jan 1, I create a new folder in my audio drive that I save that years projects to.
 
The I configure the X1 files to save to that new year's folder.
 
When I start a new project I will usually use the date to get me started.
I use day , Month , Year....
 
Once I find that I am onto something and if a title does comes to mind.....the project will get named.....if not....oh well....not high on my priority list...I am only intrested in the music
 
But then again, there is NOTHING that says a project HAS TO HAVE A NAME!
you can just use dates, or dribble or what ever....I sometimes let my finges just type and what ever come out is the projects identifier!
 
No wonder I can not even pronounce half of my projects.........but it will usually make me smile!
 
and yes that is really the way I do it......

I sometimes start off with no initial idea at all.  This is why I sometimes start with Control+N.
 
I may then noodle around on the piano, or skip through some synth presets, or lay down some drum parts, or start programming a synth patch, until something inspires me.  At this point I think of a name that will remind me of the feel of the piece, such as "Hammond Vamp" or "FunkyTuesdayStrat",  and then use Save As.
 
Doing it this way means I don't have hundreds of random names that mean nothing to me later on.  It's all very well Kev999 suggesting I have to think of title first, but if I call it "Morose Monday", because that's how I feel at the time, and I end up writing a catchy riff or progression, it will give completely the wrong idea about the project when I next look for it.
 
I could, of course, then Save As with a different title, but I don't see what benefit that would give ME,  other than even more randomly titled projects cluttering up my hard drive.
 
Anyhow, that's the way  find most helpful FOR ME.

jb101
...if I call it "Morose Monday", because that's how I feel at the time...

 
I would keep away from anything generic, commonplace, descriptive or even meaningful.  Think of some unresolved issue that's been bothering you lately, or some silly remark that you overheard.  Something irrational is even better.  The song title doesn't need to mean anything to anyone else except you, and you don't need to explain or justify it.

Kev999
The project title should be the name of the song or piece of music. If the song doesn't yet have a name, then call it something. If the song doesn't yet have a definite subject, then call it after whatever you doing (or the place you were visiting, the book you were reading, or whatever) when you first got the inspiration. If you change the name later, then rename the project. Simple really.
 
This doesn't work if you start a project without any ideas or inspiration. But who does that?

I refer to this post.
 
Some of us start with no initial ideas.  Maybe you start with a lyrical idea, or story, as I sometimes do.
 
This is not how everybody starts all the time.
 
You said "Even if you don't have any particular musical ideas when you start a project, there is usually something buzzing through your head at the time that is influencing your mood. Maybe it's something just happened to you, something that you are looking forward to, something that someone said, a news item, a TV show you recently watched, hopes, fears, rumours, anything really."
 
Then you say "I would keep away from anything generic, commonplace, descriptive or even meaningful.  Think of some unresolved issue that's been bothering you lately, or some silly remark that you overheard.  Something irrational is even better.  The song title doesn't need to mean anything to anyone else except you, and you don't need to explain or justify it.
 
Maybe we are talking at cross purposes.  Sometimes, when I start creating, there may be no initial idea  I don't even know if it will be an instrumental track or a song.  Hence, I will use the Cntrl+n to start, and then name it as it progresses.
 
I think I will bow out of this thread now, as I'm not used to being told how I, or others contributing here, should come up with initial inspiration.  Sometimes the good fairy takes one by the hand..  Forcing a muse to fulfil its name can be limiting.. 
 
To the OP - There are many ideas here about naming tracks, but just remember the Cntrl+n  if you want to start with a blank canvas...

Can I just ask... I can't name a project initially as I too just sit and play until inspiration hits me. But when it comes to giving the track a name; if I change the name would that also change the names of any audio files related to the track or would they retain the original name? Files could get pretty mixed up, especially if I decided to change the track name more than once.

As far as I know that shouldn't. Sounds like to me, you're better off writing down a list of titles as renaming each file is a hassle. Now, you could mean this: "I've got too many stems/to many files (as I'm saving tweaks)" which in terms of mixing at least, you should do this. Sure, you'll end up with a gazillion or so files, but you can always clean this up later.
 
However, this sounds like this is more of a lyric thing. I'm working on a track (from scratch no arrangement) where "Home Again" kept popping up, so that's what I named the song. Of course, many usually do one part first then do the other part later or have someone else work on the other part. IOW, collaborating may help immensely.