Templates

[nickfever]

I just upgraded my system. I now have Stylus RMX 1.6, Digital Performer 5.13 , Kontakt 3, and Reason 3.0. I've been racking my brain trying to think of ways to set up a good template/templates. So, I am curious of the different ways everyone has their templates set up.Nick

[crs7string]

Nick,I don't use DP, I use Sonar, but I'm sure there are similar features.I have saved project set ups saved as blank songs. When I load the project, Stylus, Trilogy, Kontakt 3, Dimension Pro and a midi out to my Korg OASYS are set to go.I also have a set up for an orchestral starting point, an ethnic set up with RA, Ethno World 4 and Motu Ethno Instrument.I recently submitted four tracks for the recent Japanese listing and now have a set up with koto, shamisen and shachuhachi all ready to go.Depending on what VI's are in the template and if you have sounds ready to load there is a little time after selecting the project file to get everything loaded.I view this as a work in progress. As I work on different genres I'm setting up what I need as I go.Hope this is some food for thought. Chuck

[mazz]

Nick,This is really dependent on how you like to work.With DP you can "save as template" and create a collection of templates based on the style of music, much like Chuck has done.The track folders are also a very nice feature. If you create an instrument, you can automatically create a set of MIDI tracks and the VI and it will create them all in a folder for you.I also use the V-racks a lot. They make it possible to have a number of sequences with the same track layout in one file. All the sequences point to the same set of VIs so you don't have to wait for them to load when you want to change sequences. In the film project I'm working on, I have 7 sequences set up, one for each reel. I have a number of VIs in V-racks and I'll add as necessary, turning some off if I'm taxing the CPU. I will typically use busses for the outputs of the V-racks and buss those to audio tracks inputs so if I need to record something to an audio track to free up CPU, it's already done.My orchestral template is organized in classical score order starting at woodwinds at the top working down to brass, percussion and finally strings. Then below that are things like Stylus. I have probably over 200 MIDI tracks in my orchestral template because I like to have a lot of articulations available at all times.The audio tracks are all set up with the inputs from the VIs and other computers and hardware synths and effects. For instance, I have 3 sets of 8 ADAT inputs coming from one computer and I have different groups of instruments coming in on the tracks, the outputs are set up on the other computer in Kontakt 2. When I load my Kontakt 2 template on my slave PC and open the corresponding template in DP, when I select the "VCS short KS" MIDI track, I hear short articulation cellos, just like I intended.It took days to set all this up but now I can be up and running in a matter of minutes with a ton of sounds ready to go.Start with a basic writing setup, piano, Stylus, bass, organ, some strings and tweak it until you get it how you like it and then save it as a template. Use that learning as the basis to build larger and larger templates as you go and as your needs arise.I could go on and on but I'll stop there!HTH,Mazz

[dryan]

I use SONAR also. Saving new projects as Templates are pretty much the same though. Like Mazz said, after setting up templates, your complex setup for each new track can be ready for play in two minutes.I'll focus most of my setups on genre. Actually I took a week off of writing just to setup all the genres I'd write for. I think I went overboard though and saved different variations of one template. For example: Electronic - ChillElectronic - High EnergyElectronic - RockFor the most part, I like to make sure the effects bus, routing and sequencer are setup for each track. I will usually only use 3 or 4 of the 17 different templates I have saved. What I ended up finding out is saving my Track as a Template (for SONAR) or save my VI presets is what works best for me. Inserting a VI into a track is easy as click, click. Saving my VI's as a Track Template (with necessary Audio and Midi Tracks) with all the different common effects is what I'll do.So... 1.) Setting up New Project Templates helps me more for routing, effects in buses, and common sequencer preferences. Of which I only use a couple of different setups.2.) After my project is open, I use the Track Templates for common VI or Guitar setups I'll use.As a side note, organizing the plug-in layouts saves me a lot of time too. The drawback to all this organization is now that I can create an instance of whatever instrument setup I choose within two clicks, the direction of my tracks will sometimes wander. Organization works. When you have to organize your organization you know you've gone into excess.~dr

[stoney]

HI Nick,In Logic I have a simple Vanilla set up as an auto load. 8 Audio tracks, 8 Instrument Tracks (all expandable), 16 Buses split in two, 8 for Sub groups and 8 for Send FX.On Instr Track 1 I have a piano set up with reverb on bus 8. This allows me to start playing straight away. I have it set up like this because for the work I do composing can go in a number of directions depending on the work from Sound Design to full score composing. I like to keep things Vanilla so that I don't end up using the same sounds all the time, I suppose the idea is to keep things as fresh as possible. I like to bus drums/loops, gtrs, vox etc to sub groups hence the reason for the first 8 buss being group buses. Finally I have three Stereo Outs for various monitor sets.If I have a job which demands full score I have an orchestral template purely because it takes for ever to set this up. Using a combination of VSL and EW I set things out in standard score on the arrange page.Thats just the way I do things.Regards

[mazz]

One cool feature of DP that I forgot to mention is Startup Clippings. For instance, if you're going to use Reason along with DP, you can create a Reason file and put it in the Startup Clipping. Then, every time you open the DP project, it will open the Reason project as well. Just so the Reason file can always be found, I save it in to the DP project folder.Anything to make the process streamlined and free the mind for creative thinking.Cheers,Mazz

[nickfever]

May 24, 2008, 7:00pm, dryan wrote:Organization works. When you have to organize your organization you know you've gone into excess.~drGood quote!..and thanks everyone for your input.Mazz, the track folders are new to me in DP, and I love them. I am very happy you mentioned them.I have a basic template built that I can use for now, and will be able to evolve into other templates as I go along. There are no audio tracks yet. I am trying to figure out how to organize them. .,..in an audio track folder, or right along with there corresponding midi track..I am also working on a totally seperate template for orchestral.I am trying to figure out and utilize key switching in Kontakt to see if I can work more efficiently.Nick

[mazz]

I tend to put all the audio tracks together, separate from the MIDI tracks. I leave these expanded because I've missed tracks when I bounced things down and once I didn't listen and something was missing and I'd sent it in! Lesson learned, give it a listen first!Anyway, since I have a control surface, it's easier for me to scroll to the audio tracks and have them physcically grouped together.Another tip I've learned is to assign the outputs of the VIs to busses instead of the default (i.e.: Audio Out 1and 2). Then I create audio tracks and assign their inputs to the corresponding busses of the VIs. Then I monitor via the little blue "speaker" icon on the input of the track. When I need to record the output of the VI, it's really quick since the input to the track is already matched up with the output of the VI.I've also named all my analog inputs with the synth or effect that they're normalled to. This way I can create a track quickly by name rather than "what input is that synth connected to?" I have everything in a patchbay but it's still nicer to have everything at my fingertips on the screen.Again, this all took a lot of time to set up and it's a work in progress. Just sharing how I do it to spark your thinking. If you come up with new ideas, let me know!!Cheers!Mazz