Thread
Had some conversations last week that made me realize there's some interest in my naming method and workflow for synthesis. I was hesitant to share this all for a while because I was afraid my system would be criticized. This is what works for me, adapt what you will for you! 
Disclaimer I use mostly software synths, though I'll share a little bit about how I work with hardware synthesis too
First, I make sure to save my patches OFTEN and name the patch using my categorization system. I found that there weren't great naming methods for synth recordings so I made my own. I name the patch (category)_(fun interesting name)_(adjective). The categories are as follows:
STAB - pronounced attack plus tail (think laser)
KICK - sharp attack and short
ALARM - I make enough of these that I wanted a category
RAMPUP - Riser, powering up, swell, etc
RAMPDOWN - Same as above but downwards
WHOOSH - Classic whoosh with some sense of doppler
KICK - sharp attack and short
ALARM - I make enough of these that I wanted a category
RAMPUP - Riser, powering up, swell, etc
RAMPDOWN - Same as above but downwards
WHOOSH - Classic whoosh with some sense of doppler
BY - Shorter and faster than a whoosh
MORPH - A bit abstract but something that doesn't have the doppler
motion of whoosh or by but has a soft attack and a focus on modulation
BLIP - short beeps blips clicks, etc. that you might be tempted to label "UI"
MORPH - A bit abstract but something that doesn't have the doppler
motion of whoosh or by but has a soft attack and a focus on modulation
BLIP - short beeps blips clicks, etc. that you might be tempted to label "UI"
GLITCH - anything that's particularly glitchy, malfunctioning, etc
TEXTURE - a sustained sound most notable for its texture that can be layered
DRONE - a sustained sound with less focus on texture, more ambient
TONE - a sustained sound with a distinct tonal quality
TEXTURE - a sustained sound most notable for its texture that can be layered
DRONE - a sustained sound with less focus on texture, more ambient
TONE - a sustained sound with a distinct tonal quality
I name my patch before I print record, @RJMattingly made me a Reaper script that will take the name of the preset and write it to the clip name. This way if I'm working with a patch and need variations or tweaks, I can easily recall what patch I used based on the clip name 
Having my presets named with my system makes it much easier to find and discover patches. I can easily browse for a specific sound type and either use or build off of it. This naming works for assets in the library too, and is informative for my teammates
Because I have a lot of patches, I organize them in folders based on project, release, etc. Serum's dropdown preset menu isn't my fav, it's difficult to navigate when you have a lot of presets. I use preset browser which is much more friendly for browsing yet often overlooked 
While I don't use hardware synths a ton, I have a couple processes with them too. I make sure to record a lot of variations and change something each time- motion, rate, etc. Since I'll tweak and lose the patch I gotta record what I like and make sure it's actually useful
I always question if I ACTUALLY need that reverb or delay in the patch before recording. Most of the time I don't, and recording without those effects future proofs it for a wider variety of contexts
I make sure I edit hardware synth jams ASAP. No one wants an unedited 20 min synth jam in the library. If I intend to use the source, I edit as I would any other recording and use my category system for naming
Lastly, I also use this naming scheme for very processed designed assets that are difficult to otherwise categorize. Again, this helps me and my teammates know at a glance the gist of the sample before even listening
While my categories can be seen as redundant and over specific to some, remember that I am someone who generates and uses a lot of synth source and that is the perspective I came at this system with ☺️
AH totally forgot to say if the sample gets rendered out for the library I will append synth name in front of category i.e SERUM_MORPH_Onyx_QuickSwell
