Templates and Layout for Recording

Customize your recording software for greater efficiency

By Craig Anderton

Today’s host programs have so many features and options, it’s not surprising that people don’t exploit all of them. But two highly important, time-saving features that many seem to overlook is the ability to create template projects and save particular sets of window layouts. 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.

WHAT’S A TEMPLATE

When you open most programs, they call up a default file. 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 start 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, like any other file. If you create template files, you need to back them up as you would any other file. Then if it becomes corrupted, or you need to reinstall the program (or some other catastrophe occurs), you’ll have access to your templates.

THE DOWNSIDE OF TEMPLATES

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 started, 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 examples assume that you’ve set up a project exactly as desired for a template, and want to save it for future use.

Propellerhead Reason 4: Save the file anywhere you want; I created a folder called Default Songs within the main Reason folder. You can then choose this default song under Edit > Preferences > General page. Under Default Song, select Custom, and click on the associated folder (Fig. 1) and browse to the default file’s location. Note that this 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 that’s removed).

Fig. 1: Reason lets you specify one of three default templates: An empty rack, the built-in template, or a Song file of your choosing (custom).

Digital Performer 5: Go File > Save As Template. A window comes up that lets you name the file, and a checkbox lets you specify whether it will be the default when you open the program (Fig. 2). When you go File > New, you’ll see your choice of templates in a side menu.

Fig. 2: Saving a template. Digital Performer 5 brings templates right up front, into the File > New menu.

Sonar 7: The Options > Global > Folders tab shows the default path where Sonar saves template files. To create a custom template, select Save As…, specify Template under Save As Type (this adds a .CWT suffix), name the template, then save it to the Template folder specified in the path (Fig. 3). Any template you’ve saved can be selected when you open a new project.

Fig. 3: After finding out where Sonar stores templates, you can save your own template and recall it at any time.

Cubase 4: Go File > Save As Template (Fig. 4). 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.

Fig. 4: Select “Save As Template,” give it a name, click on OK, and the template will show up as an option when you create a new project.

Ableton Live 7: Save any file as a template Live Set by going Options > Preferences, then clicking on the File Folder tab. Under “Save Current Set as Template,” click on Save (Fig. 5). This is 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. To locate this file so you can back it up, use your computer’s Search function to find Template.als (make sure that your search function can find hidden and system files). For example, in Windows, I found Template.als at C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Ableton\Live 7.0.1\Preferences.

Fig. 5: You can save the current set as a template at any time by clicking on “Save Current Set as Template.”

Adobe Audition 3: Audition’s Multitrack View lets you create a template (what they call a “Default Session”) as well as clear it. To create a template, in Multitrack view, go File > Default Session > Set Current Session as Default (Fig. 6). If the session contains clips, you’ll be asked if you want to still use the session as a default, even though the clips may not exist in the future. If you don’t want to include the clips, click on No, delete the clips, then start over and set the current session as the default.

To clear the default, go File > Default Session > Clear Default Session.

Fig. 6: Adobe lets you set a default session, as well as clear it and revert back to the factory default session.

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 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 Sonar 7 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, 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, the window layout includes the MIDI Piano Roll view and the 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 (mixer) view 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 you can just hit the appropriate number key on your QWERTY keyboard, hit return, and voilà—new layout.

Then there are programs that let you save track templates, with particular setups of effects and the like…but we’ve covered enough. Hopefully you’re now inspired to streamline your workflow a bit more.