Time for action—saving our first project
Working with versions is simple. It's mostly about naming your files correctly and using subfolders. Let's save a project as First_Time_Out_v1:
- When we do this, we should be presented with a menu that looks something like the following:
- Now we need to add a new directory by hitting the following button:
- This creates our new directory, which I'll name First_Time_Out:
It's important to note that we're using underscores. This is a method of substituting spaces so that there's no issue with the way the computer sees this file. It's a holdover from the days when having a space in the name of your file could mean bad news.
- We're now going to save into this folder. Use the name First_Time_Out_v1:
What just happened?
Now we have our first version of the song. So let's say we work for a night on this project and put it away. The next night we create a new project with a new subdirectory and go to town. When we revisit First_Time_Out_v1, we should save First_Time_Out_v2 and continue working. If we decide to change direction on the piece, we can save a new version mid-stream. When we do this, we should indicate what the new version has that is different from the first. We should be descriptive. Something like First_Time_Out_v3_DubstepAttempt. If our new direction doesn't work, no problem! Just revert back to the previous version and save it as First_Time_Out_v4. Always be working on the latest version. Even if you backtrack, create a new version. This way you'll be able to take a trip, come back, and know exactly where you have been with your current song.
Many people wonder why version management is so important. It's really just about making sure that at every step of the way we are giving ourselves a chance to see the progress that we've made on a project. Some people will not follow these rules and end up saying things like, 'LMMS lost my file!' or 'My Computer put my file somewhere!!'
No. No, it didn't.
