Glenn Stanton

an aux track can be used as a buss since you're using a patch point to route there. for example, if i had several vocal tracks i wanted to put into a few compressors or reverbs and wanted those to be in proximity to the tracks - aux tracks would be handy so you don't have to move around too much to tweak things, or if you want to set up some variations by grouping them via an aux track as a "vca" type control, etc. i have a couple of templates i set up like this based on some tutorials based on ProTools but i don't use them. but as Lord Tim pointed out, depends on what you need - per instrument, per group, or global effects. one thing to note: with stems you can never truly recreate the global effects in individual stems because they don't have the cross-mix of others. so usually i assign my "per stem" effects to those groupings, and then tie in a set of global effects for my mix down, but when sharing, i'll just document the global effects so they can be recreated by whomever is taking the stems and produce a "global effects stem" which may or not be useful. it's also handy to produce "dry" stems as well and document those effects in case they will recreate on their end. one other note: use the export function. the ability to setup a bunch of tasks to produce stereo, multitrack, buss, buss as stems, dry (no fx), etc and variations on mixes (no vox, no solo, no drum, etc) and re-run if needed saves a ton of time.

i truly forgot about linked clips. what's nice is you can unlink from the source and create a new linked group easily.

true - it does depend on what you need -- for the rare cases - i just use the chordz vst. most times though i'm composing in MuseScore or Hookpad. then import the MIDI into the DAW for the actual instrumentation.

then again, if i need to filter etc i just copy the MIDI over to the track that needs it ?

imho - templates are mainly about speed and efficiency - to get to the point where all the baseline work is done: file prep and load -- including naming and so on general leveling to get a sense of the material (especially if there is no reference mix) "typically" things such as routing to sub-mixes for easier overall mix actions: drums, bass, guitars, vocals, keys, orchestral, etc maybe some FX like reverbs and delays to get started this is the stuff that you generally need to get out of the way so you can focus on the actual creative aspects. any number of the big names likely have their interns/assistants to take care of the prep stage, but i'm sure it depends on the project (single song versus an album for example).

agreed -- the composing template for me just gets me into the process faster as it has my tools and basic tracks ready to go. so, between that and some other tools like MuseScore 4, Band-In-A-Box and Hookpad, i can rapidly get ideas down. and each tools forces a rethink if i'm trying out parts or whole songs in different styles. and when i really want to start fresh -- i have my "blank" template (which using the start screen means i don't have to save anything or create a folder -- different than "file->new") for something i might throw away. whereas the record template comes into play when i've got the song far enough to put into audio ? so if i'm doing something with guitar, keys, drums and bass, then the template is just really fast to get those "done" and then i can focus on interesting things like synth, vocals, and solos -- or change up the arrangement even if i did the full arrangement as i thought i might like it... but agreed, too much focus on the template early on could lead to same old same old...

it would be nice to adjust the # of samples under WASAPI Shared...

in the past couple of years since i posted this, i've re-thought my process & templates. i found my process for personal work was significantly different than my client work, and now that i'm (somewhat stuck at the moment) using a lower power laptop, i decided to make my personal process more like a client one: 1. i have separate composition and separate recording templates - this puts all the VSTi stuff into their project which preserves CPU for later. the output of the recording projects are purely audio files - same as if i get them from a client. the recording project either includes the full arrangement, or the parts to easily create it. i don't record the VSTi tracks into the project, i use the export function with "{trackname}" to create the output audio. this saves storage space on the order of gigs... the project files (i may end up with 3 or 4) are small. the audio tracks whcih are recorded live are in the normal audio folder, and i export all the tracks to audio/export/tracks folder + a stereo raw file for reference and also for recording vocals or solos. i have a separate vocals template for those projects. 2. the audio files are imported into the mix template project and all of the mix activities occur there. this has significantly reduced the load on my laptop as all non-mix stuff is no longer there. no extraneous things to inadvertently get touched, no scrolling or hiding/unhiding tracks not essential to the mix. if i need to "re-perform" a part i go back to the recording project and re-export the changed tracks, re-import and edit them as needed. actually somewhat faster than un-archiving and un-freezing (on my system anyways). 3. the stereo or multitrack (depending on the project) are exported from the mix project and then imported into the appropriate tool for "mastering" -- and then subsequently into the output files required. if the project is going to a professional mastering house, then whatever it is they need - stereo, multitrack, stems etc. so, while there are now a number of project files (grouped within a single folder), it's not a hardship and it has created a clean break in my mental approach to composing, performing, mixing, and "mastering". it has significantly reduced system load for me and avoids cluttering. as a note: the CW export function with tasks makes life so much easier to quickly setup outputs on each stage and add others, then run the tasks and take a break. the templates have the export tasks preset and i simply adjust them as needed. not recording the VSTi into the project but simply exporting saves me a lot of storage space which would be redundant waste. attached are my latest templates.Project Templates.zip

you can just do the instrument tracks if that is simpler for you. typically one per instrument. as scook notes: you'll need to unfreeze or re-record if you need to change the MIDI or the instrument settings. my suggestion was only because i find it simpler and more flexible to have an audio output track and a source MIDI track because, erm, it's just the way my brain works. ?

depends on what you are trying to achieve. you could record the audio of the instrument track but you may lose flexibility unless you're done with the MIDI parts. as a general note, i only use MIDI and audio tracks, not instrument tracks. this way i can do things with either independently - for example, i may want to "reuse" the MIDI on several synth patches on the same instrument - i'll set up an audio track to the synth output and record it, then add another audio track, change my synth patch, record that, etc until i have all my tracks done. of course if i need to go back and change the MIDI or patch setting, i'll need to re-record them, but for me that's not big deal. saves device resources instead of loading a bunch of synths for parts i think are going to be stable. for fades - also depends - if i have parts fading into each other - i'll do that as part of the mix process as opposed to the recording process. that way i have flexibility for change arrangement sections and cross fades etc. if i'm doing for the overall song -- i'll do that in the "mastering" process where i have the stereo track and can define if i'm simply fading out, or cross fading with another song etc.

usually i would put the VI into the synth rack so i can use it across several MIDI or audio tracks

live at ronnie scotts. BB King -- "I don't have those notes on my guitar." ?

i had looked at some code a few years ago and it was C++. a lot of programs which require higher performance in relation to HW abstraction layers use it still.

i do an export of the tracks into WAV files (you don't need to record them as audio first). then create a new mix template project and import those files. this way all the overhead is gone (from the VST). basically i treat it the same as if i got files from a client.

i think the UI change would be minimal but the internals of routing the MIDI effectively might be more challenging.

oh sure, that's what they all say, then suddenly there's arpeggiators, strummers, basslines, melodies... where does the madness end! ?

as a note on this: i generally don't ever use this approach. if i need parts duplicated - i just copy the MIDI since more often than not i'm tweaking it for each instrument so a single copy wouldn't work. but i can see the need for it especially if you're creating orchestral sections in detail.

so, firstly, get your mind out of the gutter ? one day i was sitting in my living room playing my acoustic guitar and the electricity went off. i really only noticed because all of the electrical appliances went quiet, which was nice. about 20 minutes later the power kicked back on. and my TV set and cable box turned on without sound. and it was a soap opera channel... there were two fabulous women on either side of a nicely dressed man, and the brunette was getting all the attention and talking, whilst the blond on the other side was looking for the opportunity to get a word in and get the man's attention. she just had this look on her face like "why aren't you coming on to me since i'm just as, if not more, attractive than the brunette"... i just started strumming a I - iim vamp and using my Neil Young impression, sang "come on to me" and it made me laugh, so i had to make a song about forlorn attention-getting on a social scene. of course, it could be misinterpreted so a group dance may be, erm, awkward... ? major update - basically a complete re-do ?

check your plugins list and then disable it there if it is still in the list, the vst (or vst3) might still be in one of your vst paths (although deleting it from the folder you find it in would likely be better)

of course, after i thought about this more, i realized that RX7 has plugins ? since i don't use RX7 or Ozone in the DAW, i completely forgot about them as plugins... and add them then process them...

i usually do cleanup on RX before i set up the mix project. ? that said, do a search for CW Tools Editor - the option to edit the utilities menu lets you set up an audio editor. close CW. run the tool editor (you need to download it first) save (write) a registry file to your desktop (or wherever you want) then open it. open CW and a project, select the clip to edit, then select your editor from the utilities menu save the file when done.

and if you're bringing your laptop to a gig with power adapter - bring a small UPS to filter to AC noise ?

if you only need the track content and none of the FX etc you can just drag a regular cwp project from the file explorer into the project and in will import the tracks (with their names) into your current project.

or just keep pushing buttons until something happens ?

and perhaps the plugin steady state settings (obviously reporting the settings on automation would likely be wasteful)...