Templates again, and process

[Lawrence]

For the past few years, I've been doing much more songwriting and song production than instrumental music. As a result I've opted out of using my template, which has become buggy and needs to be attended while loading because I deleted a library here and there, there are a few missing samples here and there, etc. Songwriting and production require fewer instruments for me, so it all dovetails. My sessions are smaller and easier on the eye when I start from scratch.

The other day I got a commercial to score, and it suddenly felt natural to me to start with an empty palate and build out whatever was necessary. I did multiple demos and it was really pretty easy to build a custom set of instruments for each. Easier on the eye too-though my template has everything tucked away in folders, there are a LOT of folders, and once I start opening them...well. Long list.

I'm not saying I won't go back and rebuild. After updating Monterey, Komplete and Cubase to much newer versions, I'll probably bite the bullet and build a more workable template. It's still good to have one in my back pocket for the occasional "epic" tracks I do. However, for the time being I'm finding working template-less to be effective and stress free.

How 'bout y'all?

[Thomas Mavian]

My "template" is more or less an empty project with a lot of FX-channels and summing busses ready to be "patched".

Well, it has a single instrument track with a piano on it.

Everything else I simply add with track presets. Want to load Synchron Strings Pro? Drag in that single preset in and all tracks (1st, 2nd, Vas etc) automatically connects to the FX sends and the outputs used when saving the preset. Studio Woodwinds? Drag it in. Anything else? Drag it.

Studio One handles this very smart.

It also makes the process easy of expanding the "template" (or rather the track preset library) when getting new libraries. Load it up in the project, connect it as wanted, save it and when needed in the future it's just to drag it in.

[Guy Rowland]

I explored something like this Thomas in Cubase, but it's clunky as hell to use track presets or archives. Just horrible. In Pro Tools I think it would work really well though, their track preset implementation is super-slick.

As it is, I do have my skeleton template which sounds similar to yours conceptually - a bunch of groups and effect routings, so whatever I add manually is dead easy to have organised. What I don't quite understand is why I never ever use it - it makes so much sense!

Instead, what I use most of the time is my non VE-Pro template. This has Omni, Kontakt and Stylus ready to go, compressors on the vocal tracks, some standard effects and a bunch more stuff disabled that covers pretty much everything I actually use in practice. That works great, and it's about 20s or so to load. It's not as clean as yours Larry where you just have the tracks you're using, but I guess I'm used to that (visibility agents tend to have drawbacks for me).

My disabled VE Pro template is still going strong though for when I need it, looking forward to the next VE Pro update where all the Kontakt instances can be K8.

[RobS]

I’m absolutely incapable of being organised and work with a template, never been. But I have saved Ve Pro configurations for different projects that help me when I need some particular instrumentations, as well as Kontakt or Opus multis, so something like “template building blocks“ if you will.

[Lawrence]

I explored something like this Thomas in Cubase, but it's clunky as hell to use track presets or archives. Just horrible. In Pro Tools I think it would work really well though, their track preset implementation is super-slick.

As it is, I do have my skeleton template which sounds similar to yours conceptually - a bunch of groups and effect routings, so whatever I add manually is dead easy to have organised. What I don't quite understand is why I never ever use it - it makes so much sense!

Instead, what I use most of the time is my non VE-Pro template. This has Omni, Kontakt and Stylus ready to go, compressors on the vocal tracks, some standard effects and a bunch more stuff disabled that covers pretty much everything I actually use in practice. That works great, and it's about 20s or so to load. It's not as clean as yours Larry where you just have the tracks you're using, but I guess I'm used to that (visibility agents tend to have drawbacks for me).

My disabled VE Pro template is still going strong though for when I need it, looking forward to the next VE Pro update where all the Kontakt instances can be K8.

Do you add new libraries and squash bugs (assuming you get any) as you go, Guy?

[Lawrence]

I’m absolutely incapable of being organised and work with a template, never been. But I have saved Ve Pro configurations for different projects that help me when I need some particular instrumentations, as well as Kontakt or Opus multis, so something like “template building blocks“ if you will.

When I was using my template, I saved every VE Pro project hooked up to each Cubase song.

[Geoff Grace]

I favor the one-template-per-project approach. I like choosing a palette and imposing restrictions, in order to create a tailor-made sound. As a Pro Tools user, I often import tracks from other sessions to make easier work of setting new templates up.

I do have several large-to-gargantuan templates that I haven't used in years, though; so I'm not opposed to trying new things. For example, I'm planning to try a writing/tracking template coupled with a mixing template on my next project; but in general, I write and mix using the same template.

Best,

Geoff

[Guy Rowland]

Do you add new libraries and squash bugs (assuming you get any) as you go, Guy?

I do - and it only really works cos I always work uncoupled.

Case in point, I got a new hard drive a couple of months back and moved some stuff around, forgetting it included some obscure samples in my VE Pro template. So when using it one time I found had to repoint the samples - doh! I made a little note, and then when next in downtime I repointed all of the affected samples in VE Pro to the new location, and saved as a new template (just in case). And that's it - on every project I load, even from way back, I use the most up to date template so missing samples never bother me again. Because I just add new libraries and don't change anything existing, even projects from many years ago still all work. In some cases - like LASS 3 - I added new instances of the instruments in VE Pro alongside the old, and they share the same output routings - that means old projects still work and I can take advantage of the new instruments on new projects.

The obvious drawback is that I can't tweak anything within VE Pro itself on a single project basis. I could delve into automation if I ever wanted to go down that road, but honestly life's too short. I do all the audio tweaks on the returns in Cubase, and that includes spatialisation - all the reverbs are hosted there. If I need to get granular on the actual mixes within an instrument then I say to hell with it and just load them up in Kontakt in Cubase.

[Linos]

One template with all libraries loaded works best for me at the moment. Everything is labeled and routed correctly. I don't want to do that for every new project. Especially when I need stems at the end of the project.

For some, a template locks them into using the same sounds over and over. For me it's the opposite. When all my libraries are ready to use, I can try them first to decide which one to use for a track, or even just a phrase. If I started from a blank page, loading up fifteen strings libraries to try them wouldn't be practical.

With the visibility manager I can keep my projects relatively clutter-free. When I don't use the brass in a track, it's two mouse-clicks to hide them.

When only a handful of instruments are used - for a song, a chamber piece or similar - starting from a blank page is probably easier. For orchestral projects, a template saves me a lot of time.

[Lawrence]

All of what everyone is saying about their ways of working makes sense to me. It’s definitely composer specific.

Is everyone using disabled tracks, and if so within your DAW or in VEP? Guy, did disabling in Cubase ever stop messing up routing?

[Thomas Mavian]

I used to have a template with a bunch of disabled tracks but Studio One got a bit sluggish so I cut down on the numbers. With track presets that connect themselves to the correct buses it's almost as fast as disabled tracks.

[Guy Rowland]

All of what everyone is saying about their ways of working makes sense to me. It’s definitely composer specific.

Is everyone using disabled tracks, and if so within your DAW or in VEP? Guy, did disabling in Cubase ever stop messing up routing?

I thiiiink it's been solid now for a while on multi outs. Sometimes the graphics were a little funky in C13 but it works even if it doesn't inspire much confidence. C14 though feels more solid than C13 did for me - with the latter I'd sometimes have this weird thing where I'd get no output on launch til I changed the output config to something else and back again. Occasionally I'd have to do it 20x til it stuck. Never had that on C14.

VE Pro enable/disable is very solid (except the most recent update ironically where they busted the automation on it - fix in the works).

[Jaap]

I am using a setup with disabled tracks Larry in Nuendo.

I have basically a setup with orchestral groups (winds, brass, strings etc) and in those groups again per library and within instruments variations (smaller ensembles, horns a2 or a4 etc). Groups with a percussion setup, groups with synth setups, groups with audio input (for live instruments) and everything routed neatly to group channels, fx, send channels etc etc.

All tracks are disabled and in case a new library comes in (which hardly happens nowadays for the orchestral stuff) I just add in this setup.
Over the years this grew and grew and with all folders collapsed it still feels like an empty fresh project when starting on something.

[marclawsonmusic]

I have gone from using a template to using Track Archives in Cubase.

I start with a blank project (except for busses, and two reverbs - 'hall' and 'tail'), and build out a 'palette' for each project.

All my orchestral stuff is in Track Archives, so depending on the project I might use CS2 or LASS or Pacific. If I don't need woodwinds, I don't use them.

I also have a toolbox of Pianos, FX (sub hits, braams, etc.), Synths (common things like a basic synth bass, 808 kick, etc.), and individual percussion instruments - all in Track Archives. I just pull in what I need.

For synths, I generally audition them one-at-a-time and add manually.

I have fallen in love with this 'palette per project' approach versus a mega monolithic template. It helps with consistency too - for a film score, I pull up the palette and 'save as' for each cue. So the vibe and sonic identity of the project stays consistent across tracks.

YMMV, horses for courses and all that stuff, but this is what currently works for me.

[Lawrence]

When I got to divisions like “World Instruments Tonal” and “World Instruments Percussion” and “World Vocals Male” and World Vocals female” and “World Instruments Atmospheres”, all taking up 100 tracks or so-sheesh. Considering that one out of one hundred pieces I wrote might be “world.”..it started feeling silly.

Last night I made a template called “guitar starter”-one electric guitar routed correctly with a Guitar Rig chain. I think that’s more my speed at the moment. Heck, I might add an electric bass, a drum set or two and an organ! Instant small rock band.

I have another called “Modern D.” Piano and nothing.

[Ashermusic]

I have a dozen or so of them, for different kinds of projects, but the ease of loading saved patches from Logic Pro's library probably renders most of them unnecessary frankly.