Here is a workflow tip for all Windows users…

I don’t know about you but I know as a Keyboardist and Producer, there are a gazillion-and-one details that I must know.  Seriously, these are must know things like progam mapping, controller re-mapping, Scales, intervals, inversions, Midi, yadda, yadda, yadda.  My head would explode if I had to try and retain all of that data in my brain, yet I need some way of referencing this data quickly and easily…

So, without further ado, here are my lifesaving tips:

Custom Toolbars and Shortcuts – Using Custom toolbars and shortcuts, I can access anything on my computer without having to leave whatever screen I am working in.  I set the toolbar to automatically hide itself so that it doesn’t get in my way while working.

Some of the things I reference are:

Manuals – Every manual for every piece of hardware and software I own, can be accessed from one menu on my toobar.  Windows uses those expandable, accordian, type menus so you can put your shortcuts into folders, into folders, into folders.  I probably have a thousand different manuals I can reference with one quick click of the mouse.

I also have one for Stand-alone instruments, which I can launch with a click and another for applications I use often while working in my DAW.

Another of my best kept secrets is a little Microsoft Application called One-Note.  One-Note is a Library in and of itself.  Like any library, it contains books, which contains, Sections, which contain Chapters, which contain pages.  You can have as many as you need of any of these to organize all of that information and it is very adept at accepting different formats (.pdf, .jpg, .bmp, .png, audio, and even video).  You can assign tags and labels, highlight and write notes.  Absolutely an amazing piece of software.

Some of the things I store are Tips, like this one, Articles, Troubleshooting notes, and all of that stuff I mentioned at the beginning…