In a bid to increase my productivity, I’m going to set up a template in Ableton live with the hope that it helps with the option paralysis that I often face.
What’s in your DAW template?
Lately just a single audio channel.
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I haven’t actually done this yet but I’ve had an idea for a while to create section markers (i.e. Part A, Part B, Part A Variation, etc.) across the blank arrangement space that I can drag around and set the measures for each section, so when I have an idea it will encourage me to keep moving forward horizontally instead of stacking and layering up a single loop/section.
Ableton has those play head markers that you can name which would make this easy, but I’m sure most DAWs have a similar feature.
Apart from the option overload you mentioned, I find not keeping forward motion when in creation mode can get you easily stuck. Sometimes I can go back to an idea and keep going but it is very rare.
16 tracks all populated with this one :
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An empty MIDI track. That’s it, haha.
I have tried to come up with templates loaded with stuff for the purpose of starting from a focus point, and every time I would start a project, I end up taking the template apart. It became apparent to me that a template was pointless, and ironically making me waste time by taking it apart every time. I approach every new project like it is a whole new world to explore and I don’t know what’s going to happen in it, and every project is a new opportunity to think outside the box and not confined to one.
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Couple of Midi, 4 Audio all with a utility and limiter efx rack. Also have a quick and somewhat transparent mastering chain on the Master. I try to get the mastering setup ahead of time so that when I’m happy with a composition, I don’t have to go back and screw the sound/loudness up, which can potentially change the entire sound.
I work in Logic Pro X but I guess it’s the same principle.
3 sends/aux-tracks. 1 with a compressor, 1 with a reverb and 1 with a delay.
I’ve tried all sorts of templates over the years but have recently realised I’m more creative when I start off with a completely blank canvas. I was finding that my different templates were kind of funnelling me towards specific creative approaches right from the outset. In the DAWs I use (Live 11 and Reason 12) it is so fast and easy to add instruments, set up effects returns, drum busses etc and TBH I think the same is true for any DAW.
The only exception is when I’ve used hardware as part of a hybrid OTB/ITB setup because remembering to set up track latency delay to adjust for MIDI latency and also setting up audio and MIDI routing correctly was pretty tedious… that is best done once and stored as a template. But for pure ITB stuff… a single audio or MIDI channel only to start with, then build up from there to wherever the track takes me.
Thinking about what a template might be (because I currently use the default Ableton project. I have seen some pre-done templates that seem a bit overcomplicated.
Probably what I’ll setup for myself will be a few basic changes like having MIDI overdub on by default, a re-sampling track and other quality of life things like reducing the volume of each track to -6db or something. Aside from that, maybe a sidechain track and a few standard effects on all tracks (eg: spectrum, utility etc.)
Actually that’s probably enough for me to actually go and make it now heh.
four armed audio channels for AR and DN mains and two individual outs from AR if I want to separate something, routed into Main bus instead of Master track.
two returns that I never use, probably should delete it from there…
Main track has some effects, basic mastering chain and analyzers rack.
[HP/LP filter, Valhalla Supermassive, sometimes Valhalla FreqEcho]
[saturation > compressor > eq > limiter]
[utility (mono bass, adjust stereo width) > scope > spectrum]
I monitor everything from the audio interface and then hit record in ableton when ready to record, turn off the synths and adjust the mastering rack slightly, sometimes I use the 2 effects to add more transitions if I didn’t have enough while recording, very simple hp or lp, little freqecho madness and bit of smearing with the supermassive.
I really like this workflow, I can jam / build my patterns inside the machines and then just record into 2/4 channels and do some post processing/effects, but I leave most of the recording as is.
I also have a group for the template in my EC4 for most of the master chain params, so adjusting is easy and fast.
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I have an eight-track template in Ableton Live. I have eight tracks of my Syntakt (Overbridge) mixed down to four of those for the rhythm section. The other four template tracks default to four instances of Arturia Analog Lab V, and each has a default role I have in mind (lead, pad, arp, hook…). I have those set up to receive midi in from the Syntakt on four different midi channels.
Most of the tracks have sidechain compressor, gain and limiter ready to go. I find the structure helps me move forward with tracks. Once I have done the creation and rough arrangement, I’ll multitrack record everything and re-arrange it all for the finishing stages.
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8 tracks with my to-go timbres & drum kit.
8 because that’s what i use in hardware setups (number of mixer inputs is the limit).