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How big is your template(s)?

What I want to know is how often folks ADD things to their template or do some template housekeeping (adjusting parameters etc) and how long it takes them to do this?
I have a small orchestral template (by some of the benchmarks above anyway) which I use to IMPORT tracks into a much smaller "start up" Cubase template set up with all the routings, expression maps etc.
Just this week I actually properly opened the orchestral template (to add my brand spanking new CSWs) and it took ages to open - well minutes anyway because of it's size. Then I discovered I have to open it again because I forgot to make some settings to the tracks.
So my supplementary question is - what settings do folks actually bake in to their template tracks.
I use Instrument Tracks (pretty much 100%) with Cubase and I do things as follows
  • Set Track Offset
  • Setup MIDI Control with initial values for CC1, 2, 7 and 11 in MIDI Inserts
  • Routing to appropriate Group and Reverbs
  • Load appropriate Expression Map
  • Then I consider specific instrument settings eg mic mix settings, unlearning CCs for some controllers and ading others, removing built in reverb, select what I consider best or at least initial instrument options and settings etc, etc
  • I usually add an EQ instance to each track but set to bypass as default
Do others go through a routine like this?
 
I basically start with about 20 synths, 20 kontakts and 20 others, but they're all not preloaded with anything. So it's a template, but a blank template. That way I my tracks don't end up sounding the same, as one would tend to just reach for certain sounds if pre-loaded. I then expand and load more if I need more.
 
roughly 2000 tracks, all tracks hidden and disabled. Project file is the main downside, roughly 650mb.
Opening takes maybe 20 sec.

While working I have a text document where I write down changes I want to make to the template, I update my template sometimes daily or just every few weeks.
I use it for EDM bangers and orchestral stuff, I don't see any reason not to. For the EDM bangers I often delete all the disabled instruments to reduce file size after I know where the track is going and I'm sure I don't really need the template.

Templates are great, there are a lot of misconceptions about them. For me the only downsize is as mentioned the file size, but other than that it's perfect.
 
I keep my templates as small as I can. I hate scrolling and zooming in and out all the time. I have lots of separate templates I can import from other songs. I also don't like disabled tracks. I want the sound to be there on first note. I'm faster with less decisions to make inside a song even if it means I have to replace a section half way in the song. I started every sentence in this post with "I": am I too selfish?
 
I’m about to start building an expression map template. Hopefully it’s not going to be a waste of time as I’ve always preferred separate tracks. I’ll probably just do one library with expression maps to start with and just see how that goes. I’m going to make sure my touch screen will be contextual with the tracks though as I can’t be bothered with doing this unless I can instantly change the arts via a touch screen. It’s a lot of work.

Ive recently been using a bare bones template for library music and I usually just butcher the project session of a finished track and turn that into a template for subsequent tracks on the same album.

I do have a 4300ish track template using VEPro 7 and 3 computers. But I don’t have the horsepower to run that unless the majority of it is disabled and enable as I go.

Yeah things can get out of hand quite quickly when building a template.
 
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The last time I checked the big 'un in reaper was about 350 tracks but then I haven't used it in a while and stick with a collection of modules instead.
These days I'm still in the process of setting up more or less the same modules plus some new ones in Bitwig and will probably forego another monster. The best part is that I somehow just can't create an empty template but usually end up with a piece of music first, lol.
 
Till I bought a new powerful machine half a year back I relied on a master / slave setup with VEP. I used VEP since the day it came out about a decade ago when it replaced FXTeleport (some might remember). Anyway after coming across Trevor Morris' template videos I decided to go for a completely disabled Nuendo template. But this time I'm only putting in libs that sound good but also are easy and fast to use. I am also adding things in while working on projects. Templates are never finished but I feel really liberated now that VEP is not part of the process anymore.
 
It would be great if I could activate and deactivate miditracks linked to a VEP instance in Cubase, and have that happen directly in VEP at the same time as the miditracks of the instances. Then the complete control could be done via Cubase.
Then I wouldn't have to jump back and forth between monitors so often.
When I have all instances and tracks activated in VEP it pulls down the CPU power. So with VEP you also have to de-activate channels, so the process is not so completely different from using a pure Cubase template.
The connection of VEP to DAWs can certainly be improved.
 
AndyP said:
It would be great if I could activate and deactivate miditracks linked to a VEP instance in Cubase, and have that happen directly in VEP at the same time as the miditracks of the instances. Then the complete control could be done via Cubase.
Then I wouldn't have to jump back and forth between monitors so often.
When I have all instances and tracks activated in VEP it pulls down the CPU power. So with VEP you also have to de-activate channels, so the process is not so completely different from using a pure Cubase template.
The connection of VEP to DAWs can certainly be improved.
Click to expand...

You can do this. That’s how I set up my template. Never need to look at VEP then.
 
AndyP said:
It would be great if I could activate and deactivate miditracks linked to a VEP instance in Cubase, and have that happen directly in VEP at the same time as the miditracks of the instances. Then the complete control could be done via Cubase.
Then I wouldn't have to jump back and forth between monitors so often.
When I have all instances and tracks activated in VEP it pulls down the CPU power. So with VEP you also have to de-activate channels, so the process is not so completely different from using a pure Cubase template.
The connection of VEP to DAWs can certainly be improved.
Click to expand...
Using a touchscreen and setting up the automation from VEPro and having specific buttons to do this is very useful for this. VEPro 7 makes this much easier and the automation options in VEPro 6 are way more limited in comparison.
 
My Logic template is really a couple of basic routings and that's that.

A Logic patch can bundle everything you need, including articulation maps and bus routings, so I tend to set up my libraries how I like, then save as a patch for recall whenever.
 
jononotbono said:
I’m about to start building an expression map template. Hopefully it’s not going to be a waste of time as I’ve always preferred separate tracks. I’ll probably just do one library with expression maps to start with and just see how that goes.
Click to expand...
Luckily, I am a piano guy before even touching the world of DAWs. So, keyswitches are like chewing a gum to me and I don't need to waste time in these exp maps. Also, I am 99% using separate tracks for each articulation. I mainly use the keyswitches for pitch changes in sound design libraries.
 
ZeroZero said:
I have 2500 instruments. No Vepro. No need. I use Cubase and disabled tracks. It's all thoroughly organised.
Click to expand...
Me too, but Cubase project file size is huge (around 500 MB)...

For each project, I create a different versions of the music to keep history. So if a project has 10 versions, I have 5 GB of cubase project files! How do you deal with this?
 
jmquintanacamara said:
Me too, but Cubase project file size is huge (around 500 MB)...

For each project, I create a different versions of the music to keep history. So if a project has 10 versions, I have 5 GB of cubase project files! How do you deal with this?
Click to expand...
IMO 500 mb is manageable however... I don't work directly with my master template. I use it for auditioning only.
Here is the workflow: I have carefully organised it into folders and subfolders - e.g. strings/contrabass/ensembles, etc. Then when creating a piece I take a fresh virgin project and start by using Cubase's Import from Project, under file menu, to import a folder from the master, for say basses and enable them. Once I am happy I have chosen a contrabass I like, I can happily delete the rest in this music piece project without worry, as its still all categorised in the master. If I need a contrabass again I can always go back to the master.
This is easy and quick. It makes no load at all on your music project and does not involve or require Vepro. It just works.
When I get a new product, say an orchestra. I first create a template called say "Only Hollywood Strings", then when happy, I also import these into my master - so this master always carries every instrument I own. I then put the Hollywood material into the correct folders in the master.
Workling this way, I also end up with an 'Only' template for each product. I keep this rule religiously, dont use any new product until it is filed in this manner - in the master and the 'only' template.

The master takes a lot of setting up but it's very worth it. At last you know where you are on your system. I use colour codes systematically and I have saved the master's colour codes as default- and use them in further projects for consistency and clarity.
Two mistakes I made. I first decided to group all my tracks and route them. I thought I could then simply create a 'new template' which would contain nothing but a copy of this routing' This I thought I would use for all new projects. This works, but it creates extra clutter.
If I wrote my master again, I would not bother and would simply create routing as required in new projects.
Second mistake was worrying far too much about gain staging. Having researched this matter exhaustively, and having vexed a few people in this forum (LOL)! I have decided there is no need to gain stage a master template, its more accurate to do this in the context of a specific song, depending on what articulations are actually used and in what settings.

I got so fed up with having stufff I forget about and stuff I could not find!

Here is a farily recent copy of my template for you to see: (broken link removed)

Z
 
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ZeroZero said:
IMO 500 mb is manageable however... I don't work directly with my master template. I use it for auditioning only.
Here is the workflow: I have carefully organised it into folders and subfolders - e.g. strings/contrabass/ensembles, etc. Then when creating a piece I take a fresh virgin project and start by using Cubase's Import from Project, under file menu, to import a folder from the master, for say basses and enable them. Once I am happy I have chosen a contrabass I like, I can happily delete the rest in this music piece project without worry, as its still all categorised in the master. If I need a contrabass again I can always go back to the master.
This is easy and quick. It makes no load at all on your music project and does not involve or require Vepro. It just works.
When I get a new product, say an orchestra. I first create a template called say "Only Hollywood Strings", then when happy, I also import these into my master - so this master always carries every instrument I own. I then put the Hollywood material into the correct folders in the master.
Workling this way, I also end up with an 'Only' template for each product. I keep this rule religiously, dont use any new product until it is filed in this manner - in the master and the 'only' template.

The master takes a lot of setting up but it's very worth it. At last you know where you are on your system. I use colour codes systematically and I have saved the master's colour codes as default- and use them in further projects for consistency and clarity.
Two mistakes I made. I first decided to group all my tracks and route them. I thought I could then simply create a 'new template' which would contain nothing but a copy of this routing' This I thought I would use for all new projects. This works, but it creates extra clutter.
If I wrote my master again, I would not bother and would simply create routing as required in new projects.
Second mistake was worrying far too much about gain staging. Having researched this matter exhaustively, and having vexed a few people in this forum (LOL)! I have decided there is no need to gain stage a master template, its more accurate to do this in the context of a specific song, depending on what articulations are actually used and in what settings.

I got so fed up with having stufff I forget about and stuff I could not find!

Here is a farily recent copy of my template for you to see: (broken link removed)

Z
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for taking your time to reply explaining your workflow in detail.

I also have a only master template very similar to yours (thanks for sharing) but in every project I copied it completely instead of importing group tracks.

I didn't know about the "import from project" option. I have tried it and it is great, except for it takes like 1 minute and a half loading my master template to select the tracks to import. And I cannot import group tracks (I have checked that this is an improvement in cubase 10.5, so big reason to do the upgrade).

This is a very inteligent solution to have a clean and smaller cubase file project. The only little inconvenience I see is that you have to wait more than 1 minute each time you import a group track, but it is not a big issue. Thanks @ZeroZero!
 
I just came across an issue and realization, that reminded me of this topic.

My Cubase template file size was about 95MB and I wanted to see where all this is coming from, so I started to delete tracks and see what happens. Of course, when I deleted more sections and tracks, the file size reduced, but even with every single track and plugin deleted, the file size was still at around 35MB. I noticed, that there was a mixer snapshot and deleting that finally got rid of the 35MB.

I had no idea these snapshots would take up so much space, but since I deleted it in my template, the file size is also down to about 65MB.
 
Saxer said:
I keep my templates as small as I can. I hate scrolling and zooming in and out all the time. I have lots of separate templates I can import from other songs. I also don't like disabled tracks. I want the sound to be there on first note. I'm faster with less decisions to make inside a song even if it means I have to replace a section half way in the song. I started every sentence in this post with "I": am I too selfish?
Click to expand...
Is it getting solipsistic in here or is it just me? 😂
 
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