2013/06/10 06:00:34
Kev999
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.
2013/06/10 08:39:28
dcumpian
All of my projects start out as doodling. So I create lots of projects and name them YYYYMMDD. Once I pick one to actually work on to completion, it gets a name.
 
Dan
 
2013/06/11 15:05:11
Truckermusic
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......
2013/06/13 17:45:59
davdud101
I usually name it the first thing that pops into my head, although I intentionally spell every name creatively wrong- that being that since I do a lot of electronic-type instrumentals, some names are 'Inbadors', 'FakeGuitar', etc.
It's actually pretty inconvenient, but I don't have clients or do pro work, so I have pretty much endless amounts of time on my hands.
2013/06/14 06:01:26
jb101
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.
2013/06/14 06:56:29
twistofate
I usually start a new project with out naming it and depending on where it ends up ill use a name from either a synth preset or a sample ill use , if its an analog piece such as a guitar riff ill name it something like "drop D riff" or something that resembles the feel of the piece. Maybe it's a drum track with a blues bass line, so ill give it a name like "blues bass in E". It's all well and good for a name to kind of remind me of what the piece is. Of course I've got lots of little projects started and have used a preset or sample name , but as someone said you can give it a real name later. I'm also finding that the more serious projects I'm working on tend to get more of my time and have come along a little farther and a name is inspired from that. Projects that have been finished , mixed and mastered go into a folder marked "completed projects".
2013/06/14 19:06:52
Kev999
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.
2013/06/14 19:06:52
Kev999
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.
2013/06/14 21:35:36
jb101
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...
2013/06/14 23:00:40
Kev999
jb101
...Maybe we are talking at cross purposes...

 
It's looking that way.
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