Template For Electronic-Based Music....

Hello everyone!

I was wondering if someone could help me with how they set up their templates.   I make only soft-synth electronic music.   I am fairly new with home recording.  I understand there is a tracking process, mixing process, and a mastering process.   I was wondering the BASICS of how do you guys approach these tasks.  Do you use ONE project for all of these steps?  When do you bounce to audio?   When and where do you apply compression to the master or to individual tracks (like maybe the drums).  

I was wondering if anyone has any screenshots or templates they would like to share with me to get me started?  I don't know exactly the point of the sends and having multiple busses....    Im not looking for any big tutorials, I am going to read the books, but just to get started, i was wondering how other people work :)  What does your track view look like?  

Thank You,
Adam

First I start a new project and write the music and select what instruments/sounds to use (I also often ad some effects here like saturation, effect delay, chorus etc). I usually have the melodies/rythms (sometimes the whole song) already in my head or they just appear and I just insert what I hear into my daw.

When I'm happy with a basic loop I start to build an arrangement and ad chorus (If I have not already done that in my loop), breaks, intro/outro etc. After that I make a rough mix by setting levels and maybe pan but leave the compression and eq so it gives me a basic idea of the sound but far from done. Then I just slap a limiter on to make it about -15 rms average and bounce it out for the ones who will make the vox for it and be the artist (sometimes me, often somebody else). Sometimes I already have vox to write around but I still proceed the same way so the person who wrote the lyrics can rehearse.

When lyrics are done and the artist have rehearsed so everythig is go I start a new roject called "[songsname] rec.cwp" record on top of the rough mix audio file and help the artist along the way with ideas and encouragement (nothing is as important as making the artist feel like a star beacause if they do they will sound like one) and produce the tracking.

When vox are recorded I reset all layers and turn all effects (except say saturation and maybe amp sims or chorus) off, reset all levels and bounce every track, vox and instruments, from the projects to seperate 24/96 files and start a new project for mixing. I use buses for reverbs and sometimes delays as well as for some groups that fit together as a single sound (like maybe layered vocals to one bus instead of comp and eq on every track but would maybe use another bus for say adlibs) or groups that sometimes benefit from being treated together (like for example drum bus compression or sending a few orchestral instruments to izotope vinyl to make them sound like from an old record).

There's so much to be said about mixing that it'd be a book writing everything but a few pointers might be to start from the foundation and build the mix upward from that. Also, always remember to tweak an instrument in it's context and stay away from that solo button when tweaking compression and EQ or you might find yourself with a guitar that sounds totally beautiful on its own after an hour of work but that sounds like crap in the mix. Also, take regular breaks to rest your ears and listen, listen, listen to your song and don't be afraid to reset alll levels and start from scratch.

After mixing is done (oh I mix through very slight, max 2 dB GR 2-bus compression) I bounce the mix project to a 24/96 stereo track and start a new project for mastering. Listen a lot to the track and compare it to other tracks you like in the same genre before aproaching the mastering part. If there is something when mastering (or rather pre-mastering really) I find that seem to need something more than just a slight tweak for punchiness or gentle boost or cut with an EQ I go back to the mixing project and rework it there. Mastering is just a fine coating of the final project to make it more shiny but it don't really change what's already there (even if when mastering for others and not had the possibility to remix, or even stems, I have been able to really enhance some songs through for example multiband compression).

This is more or less how I do it as of now but nothing says I wont find out a better way to work tomorrow so just try to get into a workflow that suits you. Before I used to do everything in the same project from writing to tracking, mixing and mastering but I like the way of having different steps I can go back to if I find something late that I want to change.