Hello Everyone,
 
I was wondering how people are configuring their project templates?  I want to setup a project template for my new songs, was wondering how you guys configure your projects!  I'm looking for ideas on what's the best ways to set it up.
 
Thanks,
Adam

I have project templates for different scenarios.  For example:
Midi Orchestra (this loads up the most common used samples and sample libraries for the below situations) -
Love Scene template
Sad Scene Template
Comedy Template
Soaring Strings Template
Horror Template
Drama Template
- These include busses and reverb presets for the different orchestra sections
 
'Normal' Template
Guitars 1-4
Bass 1-2 (direct/Mic)
Vox Main
BG Vox
VST drum template that separates all the drums in their own tracks
Keys/Piano
 
This is then routed to a bunch of busses, my favorite effects are also automatically inserted in each track, but bypassed.
Pro Channel makes this easier, as it is already a "effects template" of sorts, since it's automatically on each track.
 
I started making a video demonstration on making track templates for ProTools, I guess I will finish it and do a Sonar one as well.  It's always cool to see how other people work, and hopefully I can offer a tip or two that can make life easier for someone else.

I have several project templates set up, with split-screens (one screen has Console View, and the main screen has Track, Inspector, Browser, Transport). 
 
The different templates have the above, plus usually a custom kit in Battery 3, with each custom cell kit piece routed to its own outputs, and matched to a Drums track folder - which has audio tracks for each kit piece of the loaded custom kit.
 
The above gives me a good starting point for drums, with control over all aspects of each drum kit piece via them being assigned to their own audio track.
 
Basic levels for each kit are also set, and then I just load up whatever synths I need for the project and get to it.
 
I will also be experimenting with using the Abbey Road Drum and Drummer kits within Kontakt, but have to understand first how to route output for each kit piece there, if I am to use them.
 
Bob Bone
 

Mine is very simple and very clean. No tracks and the browser and consul hidden.
 
I then use track templates a lot.

I use "blank".
 
The possibilities seem endless.

mines here (the opening of the video) in this video I made called, "creating templates in sonar x2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJmu4pqZthU
 
but I have a few, one for creative song writing, one for writing with synths, one for writing with guitars,rock and one with my 30track template for tracking.

My 'Normal' has two tracks for acoustic guitar (one through a UA 4-710d and one through a Avalon AD-2022) because that is how I compose. After that it's track templates all the way, many custom one's but I also use the ones that come standard with Sonar.
 
At one point in time I had several 'project' templates but over time I just stopped using them.
 
Regards,

I do that to. I have lots of track templates that open with record armed.
 
One click and I'm ready to hit R.

Unless you routinely create songs that are all in the same narrowly-defined style and genre, you'll probably find track templates more helpful than a complex default project template.
 
For a long time I kept adding things to my default template, which made for convenient start-ups - for a while. But over the years my tools and techniques changed, and I found myself deleting or ignoring more and more of the preset stuff in my project template. So I started trimming it back, making it simpler and more generic.
 
For example, I had a specific setup for Superior Drummer that took awhile to configure from scratch, so I'd included it in the template. But then I realized that this standard setup was making every drum track sound alike, requiring further tweaking to SD for each song anyway. So I took SD out of the default project template and created track templates for it instead.
 
Each of these templates is named for the song I originally created it for, making it easier to choose one for a particular feel. (I use the same naming convention for custom effects presets as well.)
 

All depends on what you are writing really.
 
One of my templates has
 
1) One instrument track of Alchemy
2) One instrument track of Zebra2
3) A separate midi and audio track for a V-SynthGT
4) An instrument track for an Access Virus
5) One instrument track for Battery4
6) Several instrument tracks for EWOrchestra
 
All tracks go to their own bus, every bus has a send to a reverb bus on which is EWSpaces reverb.
Every track and bus has the console emulator with the trim set to 2.
 
A different template has
 
1) 4 EWOrchestra instances
2) Several midi tracks feeding the EWOrchestra VSTi's
3) Strings go to a single bus
4) Brass to a single bus
5) Woodwind to a single bus
6) Solo instruments to their own bus
7) Percussion to a single bus with most likely an active compressor on the bus (CA-2A)
 
Once I have a project written I sometimes delete all of the clips and automation and then save the empty project as 'OrchestralTemplate000.000' for example then use that template again for similar work.