Decoding My Showfile Naming Scheme
Efficiently naming, saving, and archiving showfiles is boring. It requires effort most people would rather not extend. You say to yourself, “why does this even matter? I use the same console every day. I will just take the last showfile at the end of the tour.”
For better or worse, I would consider myself a data hoarder. As seen in a previous post, I have many forms of data storage. There have also been multiple times in my life where I forgot to hit save frequently on a project file and lost hours of work. I like to treat my console file the same way I treat a DAW session file. Fortunately, console files are much smaller and I can just about have as many copies as I would like.
Because console files are small and easily copied, I like to utilize a detailed naming scheme. Especially when you have a flash drive full of showfiles, folder structure can sometimes get a little complicated to navigate depending on how deep you go. Regardless, I do recommend separating showfiles by console brand. Even though they can be easily differentiated by format, it makes it easier to search the file you are looking for.
As a disclaimer, I do believe that even though this naming scheme may not apply to your preferred console or workflow, I would highly recommend adopting something that is both consistent and descriptive. In such a cluttered digital age, it will make your life easier.
As someone who primarily uses DiGiCo consoles, I run into a couple of complications when naming. One of the first digital console I got to work with was the DiGiCo D1. The theater I worked in would have a template and save each showfile with the name in the “Session Title” section. This did not seem too odd to me until I began to work outside that theater and realized that you can only read the “File Name” and not the “Session Title” unless you are on a console or in an offline editor. “session027.ses” became much less helpful. This sparked a quick shift in how I managed showfiles.
Since I spend a lot of time in the DiGiCo world, I also end up on multiple different surfaces. Despite the similar software, it does require you to convert the file when changing surface. This also proved to be a bit complicated when naming showfiles. How would I know which surface the file was for without loading it up in the converter and checking the source file console? With so many showfiles, it can get quick difficult to keep straight. Additionally, the same holds true for firmware version. You can go forward in versions, but as soon as you save it in the new version, you cannot go back. During those months after an update from DiGiCo, it is imperative to know what version the file was built on. I also like to add as much detail into the showfile name as possible; similar to how one would deliver audio tracks to a mixer mixing an album. So where does that leave us? How do I name my files?
An example of a recent showfile name would be:
cp25 mon q7v2025 seoul sk v2.ses
Let’s break it down.
cp25 — This is the artist and the year; Charlie Puth, 2025.
mon — This just indicates to me that it is a monitor file. If I share the same name scheme with a FOH engineer, they can easily distinguish which file is which should we have to send files ahead to prep.
q7v2025 — The most crucial part. It saves so much time knowing which console type and which firmware version the file is from. I break it down into console + version number, so this would be a Quantum 7 version 2025. If I had a Quantum 338 Pulse on 1926, it would be q3pv1926. It looks random, but when you know the lineup of consoles and firmware versions, it’s immensely helpful.
seoul sk — This part is essentially just the name of the show, but I typically just put the city.
v2 — Whenever I make a big change to the showfile like adding a channel or macro, I ALWAYS do a save as an increase the version number. It is like a checkpoint. Rarely do I need to go back, but it is always a lifesaver when I do.
A few more things I like to add depending on the context:
The Date — I always start my multitrack record session files with the date, but not so much showfiles. However, when I do add the date, I always do YYMMDD because it allows me to search chronologically much faster. Even though the date is saved in the metadata, if something gets edited after the fact, it will not necessarily reflect the right day.
My Last Name — I like to add “cruz” before or after the “mon” section above. This allows me to know what is my file among other showfiles if the desk is shared for a similar event and not a tour.
I will say, I do not always use the same order for showfiles if it is not a tour or consistent artist. For example, using the extra above descriptors at a theater or church, I would probably have my showfiles look more like “250828 cruz mon q3v2025 cool event”.
I like to order the descriptors in a way that makes them easily searchable. The date or artist being first allows me to narrow exactly when or for whom the showfile existed. Next, I can verify that it is the monitor file I am looking for. If I am searching for a specific showfile, it is usually because I need to make sure it works with a specific console or firmware. Having that third makes this straightforward. Lastly, I can confirm which show I would like to pull the showfile from.
One more thing I want to make note of is how I automate backing up my showfile from my flash drive. If you have not had a flash drive die on you or become corrupted, consider yourself lucky. I am pretty diligent about backing up my showfiles. I actually have gone so far as to set up a script in an app called Keyboard Maestro that runs whenever I plug in my show file flash drive. It uses a native terminal application called rsync that allows the computer to back up only new or modified files to the destination folder. For me, that destination folder is a dropbox, so I always have access to my files, even from my phone.
If you want to replicate this for yourself, below is a screenshot of the rsync script that will work natively with macOS.
I am in no way saying this the perfect way to system for your showfiles, but it helps me quite a bit when it comes to archiving, managing, and making sure I have the right showfile when I need it. If you have any other ideas, please let me know! I am always looking to improve my workflow.
