Guide · Organising

How to organize music files: recordings, stems and mixes

Give every song its own folder, and inside it separate folders for raw recordings, stems, mixes and notes. Name every file song, what it is, version and date, so files sort themselves. Keep one place for everything, and review it once a week.

Updated 20 Oct 2026

One folder per song

Songs/
  Lighthouse/
    Recordings/
    Stems/
    Mixes/
    Lyrics and notes/

Everything about the song lives under one folder. Archive finished songs to a folder of their own so the active list stays short.

A naming pattern that sorts itself

Start with the song name, then what the file is, then the version or date: "Lighthouse, demo, v3, 2026-10-12". Dates written year first sort in order. Never name a file "final" without a version: there is always another final.

Recordings, stems and mixes

• Recordings: raw takes, voice memos and anything you captured.
• Stems: individual tracks bounced from a session, named by instrument.
• Mixes: the combined versions, with a version number, and one marked as the current.

Keep versions, but mark the current one

Do not overwrite. Save a new version, and say which one is current in the file name or a note.

One home for everything

Files scattered across a phone, a laptop and two drives are the real problem. Pick one home and move things into it. See how to back up voice memos for a second copy.

Common questions

How should I name music files?

Song name first, then what it is, then the version or date.

Where should I keep stems?

In a Stems folder inside the song folder, named by instrument.

How many versions should I keep?

Keep them while the song is active. Archive them when it is finished.

How do I stop losing files?

Pick one home for everything and back it up to a second place.

Should I keep voice memos?

Yes. They are often the first take of a song. Back them up and sort them into songs.