The Why, What, When, And How Of Production Templates.
Posted by Davy on / 0 Comments
There’s a big part of the recording process that often gets overlooked, and that’s the computer environment you record in. Now, I know there are millions of youtube clips, articles and courses you can take that will teach you how to operate Protools, Logic, Ableton Live, Fruity Loops, Nuendo and others, including all the tips, tricks, and shortcuts. But one very important component of working inside whichever program you choose to work in is creating your own template. It seems to be overlooked most of the time, yet it is probably the most time saving, creativity enhancing tool one could use. In this article, we will get into WHY it’s important to have a template, WHAT kind of a template you need, WHEN you could use a template, and HOW you can create one. We’ll end with some tips on setting up your template.
WHY create a template? When you’re starting to write a song, a beat or a score for a movie, you always start with a blank page. In today’s world, a blank page usually means a sequencer’s window that has no tracks created in it. In Avid’s Protools and Apple’s Logic, you must create the tracks you need as you go along. Need a piano sound? Create a midi track, insert a software synth or sampler of your choice, load the piano sample, arm the track, and you’re ready to go. As you can see, there are many steps you have to take to create a track. Now if you’re about to write a symphonic arrangement? You have to repeat that process 90+ times, and that’s even before you applied any effects. That can take at least half a day or more, and creativity can fly out the window in that time. So creating a template that already has all your sounds loaded, named and organized the way you like it will save hours.
WHAT kind of template do you need? That’s a question that depends on you! I’ve seen many different templates people use, customized to their needs. Some people even have a few different templates for different needs. Here are some examples of templates you might want to have:
1) Sequencing template for Pop music – In today’s pop landscape, you will find that you go to the same software synths often, or use the same drum sounds on many songs. Why not create a template that houses all your favorite sounds? That way, next time you sit down to create a song, all the sounds are right there, and you can concentrate on just creating! It makes it fun and intuitive when you can just flip through your favorite sounds quickly, rather than search randomly for hours. Even searching for a sound for 5 minutes can slow your creativity down.
2) Sequencing template for R&B music – Same as #1, just a different set of sounds. Repeat this process for any other style of music.
3) Sequencing template for orchestral music – When it comes to orchestral music, you don’t only need many sample libraries, but you also need a computer that’s strong enough to handle all of it. Creating a full orchestral piece can require 100 tracks of samplers running at the same time. Preparing your DAW for that can take a week! Stay ready by creating your own template and customizing it to your needs.
4) Vocal Recording template – In today’s world, very often singers or rappers record their vocals to an instrumental track they receive from their friend, download from the internet, or create themselves. We call that file a 2track. When recording vocals, you’ll often have many vocals tracks going; doubles, ad-libs, background parts, harmony. A typical pop song can easily have 30 tracks of vocals. When you start adding reverbs, delays, compressors and EQs to the equation, that’s a lot of tracks and a lot of mouse clicking, creating tracks and adding plugins. Why not be ready? Spend an hour creating your vocal template, and your process will be much faster next time.
5) Mixing template – Most engineers who mix music have their preferences and go-to plugins. Save time by creating a template with your favorite plugins and settings.
WHEN do you need a template? Every time you start making music! It just makes it easier, faster, and more fun. You will feel like a kid in a candy store. Often, the number of sounds and plugins our computers can hold can be overwhelming. When you limit yourself to only what’s in your template, your creativity opens up, and you can focus just on creating.
Another important point to note is when you should create your template, or rather when you should update it. I say, whenever you get tired of your sounds, spend half a day updating your template. Discover a new soft synth, add more sample libraries and loops to your library, and add them to your template. Some people I know redesign their template every six months, some update it once a month. Whats important is to keep your workflow comfortable and inspiring.
HOW to create a template – It’s fairly easy today to create template inside your DAW of choice. You start a new session, add all the sounds and tracks you want, and then look for ‘Save as template,’ which should be under the ‘file’ menu. Easy as that! You can create as many templates as you wish, for different recording situations. Programs like Logic and Pro Tools actually come with many templates already, so if you use them, try those out to get ideas on what works for you.
And now, the fun part, some TIPS!
– Set up midi channels with your favorite Soft synth.
– Set up Soft synths with your favorite patches; you can absolutely have four tracks loaded with your favorite soft synth, and load 4 of your favorite patches, ready to go.
– Set up audio channels ready to record (for example vocals/guitars)
– Name and color everything! This is very important. It will make your template visually easy to understand and navigate through.
– Effects! You can set up effects on bus channels in your template. It will make life much easier when you know you have your favorite reverb on bus 1, your 1/4 note delay on bus 2 and so on.
– Set up Groups – Grouping your drums, guitars, synths and vocal tracks makes it much easier to control your mix.
– Mastering effects on the master fader – Makes everything sound better! Find what works for you and keep it in your template.
So in conclusion, if you want to speed up your workflow, increase creativity and output, take a few days to create a template. It will change your life. Enjoy!
Davy Nathan is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and musical director. His experience working with artists such as Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Jason Derulo, NKOTB and others has put him at the center of the creative process for some of the greatest all time performers and writers in the industry. He is passionate about sharing his wealth of knowledge with the next generation of hitmakers.