# What to put in a Template



## Mr Mindcrime (May 25, 2022)

I don't want to beat a dead horse when with another "template" question, but I'm really kind of having a mental block just getting started. 

I'm a hobbyist and I've worked without a template for years. But I feel like I could be more productive with limited composing time, if I had instruments/libraries loaded and ready to go when inspiration strikes and time permits.

I freely acknowledge that I have too many libraries for a hobbyist. I just haven't been able to stop buying....until the past year. If I loaded every library and every articulation, I'd have thousands and thousands of tracks. How do you determine what goes in the template and what gets left out? What's the starting point? I've got SCS and CSS and HS and CS and BBSCO and a bunch of Albions and MA1 and MA2, etc. etc. 

And if I go with one articulation per track vs keyswitch vs sound variations (Studio One is my DAW), the track count goes even higher and higher.

*So the simple question is..... how would you start building a template if you had way too many libraries on your SSD's? * How to decide what goes in and what doesn't? Do you set up blank, pre-routed tracks and add the instruments later? Do you put every articulation in or just stick with 4-6 basics per instrument? Mentally I feel like if I don't put every stinking sound available in the template, then I've wasted my money cause I'll never use it. As a hobbyist, I probably did waste my money, but that's beside the point. I really need to take this mountain of a project and shrink it down to a molehill.

Thanks! It's therapeutic just to write this.
Roger


----------



## liquidlino (May 25, 2022)

Does your DAW have Track Templates or similar? e.g. in Reaper, I create Track Templates - each one is a collection of instruments/artics from a specific library. So I have, for Instance, a CSS track template, a BHCT Strings track template, a BHCT Winds track template etc etc etc.

What this means in practice, is that when I want a certain library/section I just right click, insert track template, and that template loads into the project in seconds.

Generally I've been structuring my track templates so they have a single "Buss" track folder underneath which sits all the instruments, makes for easy management once imported. The Buss also has some default plugs like reverb.

Also, I set all tracks to be "disabled" within the track template, so they don't consume any RAM or load samples etc when I first insert the track template. Then I individually enable tracks using a custom action keyboard shortcut, as and when I need them.


----------



## dunamisstudio (May 25, 2022)

That's a loaded question....


----------



## Jdiggity1 (May 25, 2022)

If you're only in the beginning stages of planning, you won't have a "finished" template any time soon.
Here's a list of principles you should recite twice a day...
- There is no 'perfect template'.
- Don't think too hard, and be OK with the idea that it will grow and change over time.
- You can always tweak things later
- If you are too preoccupied about getting it "right", you'll simply paralyze yourself and not get anywhere.
- Create your template with a goal of having it 75% complete. Heck, even 50% complete is still a bunch of time saved down the track, and qualifies as a "template".
- You don't need every single patch loaded in order for you to use it. Have some spare 'blank' tracks instead. If you need to re-route the track's output, big deal! You use five seconds of your time.
- If you haven't got one already, make a list of all the libraries you own. You might remind yourself of some along the way.

Start with some basic house-keeping -

*Groups and routing*
You will need to decide on how "granular" you want the routing to be. You could set up groups/stems for each instrument family (Strings/Brass/Woodwinds/etc.) Or you could go the "High Strings" "Low Strings" route, or even more granular and split those off into "High Str Long", "High Str Short", "Low Str Long", "Low Str Short", etc. The approach you need will depend on whether you are required to deliver stems that follow a specific protocol, or if you've found yourself needing a certain approach in the past.
If you're not sure, and your focus is just having a template that makes things quicker and easier for you, then stick with the main instruments families and wait until you find yourself wanting more control (you might never need more than this).

Right, now that you have groups for Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, Keys & Harp, Strings, Choir, Band, Synths, and Other, set up a reverb track or two, and a Mix Bus/Group. Route all of your instrument family and FX track outputs into the Mix Bus. As you add new instrument tracks, route them to the appropriate group.
In the end, your routing will look something like: Violins > STRINGS > Mix Bus

You don't need to think too hard about the reverb yet, you haven't got any instruments or music to run through it. Remember, you can always tweak things later.
If you want, save this is a skeleton template.

*Instruments*
Sticking to the 50-75% completion principle, decide on your "primary libraries", the "bread and butter" stuff, leave the rest til later. If you don't know your libraries very well, then this is where a lot of your time will be spent. Taking your list of string libraries as an example, I'd be either setting up CSS or HS as the "primary" strings library, based on which one you like the most. Either library covers almost all of your day-to-day strings needs. The other libraries you can think of as "project specific". You won't always need Ark 1, SCS or BBCSO loaded, but when you get asked to score a Batman video game, you'll know that you can simply spend a few minutes loading in some Ark 1 tracks to supplement your bread and butter libraries. You don't need these libraries cluttering up your track list for every project you work on when you might only need one or two tracks from them.

As you're doing this, try and remember that your focus is on the _technical _aspect of setting up the template. The creation of tracks, loading of instruments, and routing. Wait until you've got the main food groups in there and playable before you get nitty gritty with the mixing, as you'll need to reference different instrument groups against each other to achieve balance.


Since this post is already getting rather long, my final tip would be... if you don't have a deadline, you can make this process even more educational if you mock up an existing piece of music that you like, and use that as your starting point. Start from a blank canvas.
When you create a mock-up, you go through the process of auditioning different libraries to find the sound you like, the articulations you need, and can use the recording as a reference for your balance and mix. Simply aiming to do a decent mockup will often help you make template-based decisions that are otherwise difficult to make without a musical context.


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (May 26, 2022)

liquidlino said:


> Does your DAW have Track Templates or similar?


I just switch to Studio One (from Cubase) and I do think that S1 has Track Templates, if memory serves correct. So this is definitely a feature that I need to explore. Great Idea!!! 

Thanks.


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (May 26, 2022)

dunamisstudio said:


> That's a loaded question....


 ..... yup


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (May 26, 2022)

@Jdiggity1 Wow.... I think you hit the nail on the head. Every single suggestion is pure gold!

I have been so paralyzed with trying to do this that I've avoided sitting down at my computer for awhile just because I really couldn't narrow down my focus to "get started". Getting started seems to be my weakness in many ways.

I'll read and re-read your post, along with @liquidlino 's suggestion regarding track templates and use these ideas to get started. Starting small, I hope.... may finally get me moving forward again.

THANKS!
Roger


----------



## Saxer (May 26, 2022)

The simple way I started to work with templates was using a song that worked, erased all midi, and saved it as a starter template for a new song. Then adding the missing parts or replacing things while working on a new project.

It's not important to have everything in a template. Just enough to get started without getting lost non musical tasks.


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (May 26, 2022)

Saxer said:


> It's not important to have everything in a template. Just enough to get started without getting lost non musical tasks.


I think this is great advice!

For some reason I've procrastinated to the point that there has been this huge (insurmountable) mountain in front of me. Time to step back and think small


----------



## Loïc D (May 26, 2022)

Also, having cohesive general settings can save a lot of time : SMPTE settings, Midi routing, track & group naming policy, articulations sets, colours, etc.


----------



## GtrString (May 26, 2022)

You are asking what governing principle you should select your template by? That will depend on what you are looking for in a template. I like small templates with 40-50 tracks or less, and I like to set them up by genre. One for singer/ songwriter, one for pop, one with just Maschine, one for dramedy, one for epic orchestral ect. That will require some research into the genre expectations and your adoption/ adaption/ interpretation of them.. a template is like a technology you can use to get something done (faster)..


----------



## NuNativs (Jul 22, 2022)

If you're planning on building a LARGE template say hundreds of tracks or more, you may want to consider moving back to Cubase!


----------



## Henu (Jul 22, 2022)

Cheese, onions, some mushrooms and a couple of slices of ham.


----------



## dgburns (Jul 22, 2022)

I wrote a book. Then I erased it all. Sorry. I love templates. But mostly, I HATE tempates. But some lessons learned being in the trenches:

- the more tracks you got going the more you need to think about levels.
- have some kind of volume starting default point so that when 1000 + tracks are playing in tandem, you aren’t clipping anywhere, but you have the control to turn up a single track loud enough to be heard as needed.
- put more thought into the actual composition.
- all this x 1000 when working in surround formats.

Nothin’ means nothin’ if you ain’t got nothin’ to say musically.


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (Jul 24, 2022)

NuNativs said:


> If you're planning on building a LARGE template say hundreds of tracks or more, you may want to consider moving back to Cubase!


I have debated and debated and debated this. I just love the Studio One look and ease of use. It seems to "just work" for me. 

I have taken every word of advice in this thread to heart and have started building a template accordingly, slowly but surely. So far, so good. The fear that is nagging me in the back of my mind is that, just as you say, when the template gets too large, Cubase will seem like the better option. Another fear is that one day, when I start bringing in video to score to (probably a year or two away), will Studio One be ready to handle that. 

Other than that, I prefer S1 over Cubase. But will I regret that one day.........


----------



## Mr Mindcrime (Jul 24, 2022)

dgburns said:


> Nothin’ means nothin’ if you ain’t got nothin’ to say musically.


That's ALWAYS the number one fear........


----------

