Customize Your DAW With Templates

Save time and effort in the studio by customizing your DAW software to fit the way you work

By Craig Anderton

You wouldn't build your studio each day starting with an empty room, and you shouldn't have to start your virtual studio from scratch every day either. Two highly important, time-saving features that many musicians overlook is the ability to create template projects and save particular sets of window layouts. Templates let you open your programs to a familiar, productive environment that gives your studio time a kick start, while window layouts optimize your working environment for specific tasks.

We'll give examples of how to create and open template files with several popular programs; chances are any other program you use will follow the same basic ideas. Then we'll touch on the power of window layouts.

Templates Defined

Most programs call up a default file when you open them. This is one example of a template. Programs may also allow you to create your own template files, and set one as a default; or present you with a list of possible templates when you create a new project.

Templates often have a specific file format or distinctive name so a program can recognize it and load it by default. But even if a program doesn't have a specific template feature, you can still create templates: Set up a project exactly the way you want, and before recording any data, Save As… under the desired template name. In the future, open this template project, but before making any changes to the file (like recording), immediately save it under a different name to preserve the original. Then create your masterpiece.

Note that what your program saves in a template varies. For example, it may include any data you've put in a project (e.g., a metronomic drum track), or may exclude data and retain only setup info. Some parameters, such as sync options, may not be saved. Consult your program's manual or online help for details.

Even if there is a particular template file format, remember that these files usually exist “outside” of the host, as would any other file. If you create template files, you need to back them up as you would any other file. Then if a file becomes corrupted, or you need to reinstall the program, or some other misfortunate befalls you, you'll have access to your templates.

Templates - The Dark Side

The one caution about using templates is getting stuck in a rut. If you always start projects with the same number of tracks, same virtual synth setup, same processor settings for vocals, and so on, this may influence your music to go in a particular, stereotypical direction. There are two ways to avoid this:

• Use a very minimalist template. That way you won't have to do tasks like create bunches of tracks just to get going, but you will need to decide which signal processors and instruments to add.
• Create a template that has everything — virtual instruments, processors, maybe even drum scratch tracks — so you can choose from a huge number of options. You can then remove anything you don't need as the song progresses, which will also lighten your processor's load.

Some Practical Examples

All of the following assume you've set up a project exactly as desired for a template, and want to save it for future use.

Propellerheads Reason

Save the file anywhere you want, but an ideal place is the Template Documents folder located within the main Reason folder. You can then choose this default song under Edit > Preferences > General Page. Select “Custom” for Default Song, and browse to the default file's location.

In this example, Empty Rack.rns has been chosen as the default song.

Note that your template file can contain synth patches, REX files loaded into Dr. Rex, and so on although of course this data must be present in a way that Reason can access it (e.g., not on a removable drive).

Magix Samplitude/Sequoia

To save a Virtual Project template, go File > Save Project As Template, and save it in the Templates folder located within the main program folder.

Samplitude's Templates folder already comes with several templates, but you can add your own as well.

When you go File > New Virtual Project, a dialog box called “Setup for New Virtual Project” appears; select the desired template from the drop-down “Project Template” menu toward the bottom of the window.

MOTU Digital Performer

Go File > Save As Template. A window comes up that lets you name the file, as well as specify whether it will be the default when you open the program. When you go File > New, you'll see your choice of templates in a side menu.

When you want a New file, it can be the default new file, one of the templates that comes with the program, or one that you have created.

Cakewalk Sonar

The Options > Global > Folders tabshows the default path where Sonar saves template files. When you want to create a file, select “Save As…,” specify “Template” under “Save As Type” (this adds a .CWT suffix), and save it to the Template folder specified in the path.

Sonar has a specific file format that's used for templates. When you select “Create a New Project” in Sonar's Quick Start window, you'll see a list of all available templates.

Steinberg Cubase SX

Go File > Save As Template. The template is stored in a Templates folder, located in Cubase SX's main program folder.

You'll see the list of available templates when you go File > New Project.

Ableton Live

Save any file as a template Live Set by going Options > Preferences, then clicking on the “Defaults” tab. Under “Live Set,” click on “Save.” The file will be saved under the file name Template.als in Live's Preferences folder, and will be called up whenever you call up a new Live set.

Go Options > Preferences to save a Live Set as a template.

Window Layouts

Almost all programs make it easy to create an arrangement of windows, then save that as a layout (a/k/a screen set, window set, etc.). This is particularly helpful with single-monitor setups, where it's impossible to put all the windows you want on screen at one time, thereby requiring some degree of “window-flipping.”

But remember that the purpose of creating layouts is to save time, so strike a balance between creating so many that you spend time scrolling through lists to find what you want, and not creating enough to cover your needs. It's also important to be able to call these up with function keys or simple keystrokes. Ideally, hitting a single key on your QWERTY keyboard should be able to call up a layout.

The three most important DAW layouts for my working style (and probably yours too!) are:

• Tracking
• Editing and overdubbing
• Mixing

Given the different nature of different programs, it's impossible to come up with a one-size-fits-all approach. So we'll pick Cakewalk Sonar as an example of how to set up screen layouts. You probably won't have much difficulty translating this to your host of choice.

Sonar has a main Track View window — an “all-in-one” interface that shows digital audio clips in a pane on the right, MIDI and audio tracks and buses on the left, and an “Inspector” channel strip on the extreme left that you can show or hide. This is basically the only window I use for tracking. As I'm recording myself 90% of the time, the Inspector works just fine for monitoring the audio track with which I'm working.

For editing (which involves both MIDI and audio), the window layout includes the MIDI Piano Roll view and the MIDI Event List tucked in a corner should I need a more detailed view. The pane that shows Clips is pretty much expanded to the max, with the Track pane taking up just enough space so I can see the track names and a few other attributes.

The Mixing layout brings up the Track view, with the Console view (which looks like a mixer) cascaded on top. While I do most mixing in the Console view, having the Track view right below it makes it easy to click over and do tweaks like automation edits.

Finally, I use Sonar's Key Binding option to assign the View > Layouts command to function key F12. And here's a cool trick: Start each layout with a number (e.g., 1 Tracking, 2 Editing, etc.) so after bringing up the Layouts window, you can just hit the appropriate number key on your QWERTY keyboard, hit return, and voilà — new layout.

Then there are programs like Cubase SX, which lets you save templates of mixer and transport configurations . . . options vary from program to program, and we can't get into all of them here. But by now you should be getting the idea of how templates and layouts can save you time and effort, and hopefully, you're now inspired to streamline your workflow a bit more.

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