How do you organize samples when using multiple samplers?

[padillac]

I like to use a few samplers – Alchemy, Kontakt, and Falcon. I'd like to keep my samples neatly organized, but then it's a pain if I rename files or organize them into folders.

What do you do to organize samples when using multiple samplers? Assuming that you continue to add to your sample library.

I think at this point the simplest thing might be to put all the samples in a single folder, never rename the samples, and use AudioFinder to tag and add notes to the samples. Then I'll be able to search them quickly, and the samplers will never complain about a missing sample.

(yes, I'm aware that the samplers all have a way of finding missing samples, but they don't work if the file name has changed)

related: I would also like to reorganize the saved sampler patches into folders of their own – but this causes the same sort of problem as when I move samples.

To give you a concrete example of how this plays out for me:

1. I create a folder called "samples" and put some stuff into it.
2. Over time the folder grows and I want to divide it, so I create two subfolders – "drums" and "instruments", and move the samples appropriately
3. My sampler patches are now missing references, and I'll only find out when I load them
4. Over time I have a bunch of sampler patches, so I create folders for them and move them there
5. My sampler patches are broken again...

[lazyass]

Try to think about it like sample packs. You have 1-3-6 month to finish the project. All shit you recording by yourself and downloading from web going to current sample folder. All samples in this folder organized as you wish - by instruments, types, genres, tempos and etc. And when you put something inside you need to rename it properly - key, tempo, everything you want. So later you don't need to rename files or put them in new folders. And all these packs are easy to remember to cause everything in there associated with some projects.

[padillac]

I don't necessarily know how I want to organize it up front, that's the point. I want to be able to change the organization as I go. I'm trying to build up a useful library of my own samples and patches over time.