21 Things You Should Absolutely Do In Your DAW Template

[@cjvanamusic]

If you don't wanna go frame by frame for his mix process notes, here you go! #1 Organization 1) Remove Original Recording Tempo From All Tracks 2) Set Tempo and Key / Time Signature 3) Color All Tracks 4) Get a Two Minute Volume Balance #2 Edit 1) Cleaning - Clean Audio (Strip Silence, Crossfade, ETC) - Use Gates or PSEs on Drums/EG - Transfer Vocal Breathes Onto New Track - DeEss Lead and BGV Subtly 2) Gain Automation - Find Instruments or Vocals with Large Macrodynamics. Split Into Sections and Gain Appropriately - Fix w/ Crossfades 3) Phase - Align Stereo Mics 4) Rhythm - Nudge Instruments Forward or Backward to Fit Better - Tempo Align or Quantize if Necessary - REMEMBER: The drums set the tempo of the song. All instruments are either pushing or pulling on the drum beat. The correct edit usually isn't getting the instrument in time with the drums, but rather getting the instrument in time with itself, and then asking yourself, "Should this instrument be pushina against the drums, or pullina on the drums? Should the drums sound ahead of the beat or behind the beat?" 5) Tuning: - Tune lead vox, and turn down any problem sibilance - Tune BGVs, and turn down all sibilance #3 Balance 1) Fix: - Find room resonances and cut them - Cut the noise of each instrument's unused low end 2) Enhance: - Balance the mic levels of any stereo instruments - If there are stereo mics, pan them L/R - Shape each instrument's tone with pre-tape EQ #4 Final Prep 1) Bounce: - Select Bounce > Track in Place for each inst bus. [Any room mics need to be bounced seperately.] - Move original edited versions to "EDITS" folder. - Turn the tracks off; bypass all plugins; hide all tracks. 2) Reorganize:  - Organize, recolor, and rename new stereo files - Seperate vocals into V/C/B sections  - Find two references - Lower the width of all stereo pan knobs to mono #5 - MIX: 1) Volume Balance:  - Loop the loudest part of the song  - Listen to your references  - Do an initial volume balance 2) Tonal Balance, Pt. 1: - Listen to your references again  - Set up your mix bus processing  - Do your range allocation EQ 3) Dynamic Balance: - On each instrument, set up the compression saturation, and limiting (if necessary) 3) Tonal Balance, Pt. 2: - Listen through your mix. Where are the problems in the tone? - Go ahead and fix those issues. 4) Spatial Balance:  - Pan your instruments  - Add reverbs and delays 5) Automation: - Automate your volume - Automate your panning - Check your dynamics and make sure that they'll work for mastering - Stop here on your first mix draft 6) Make It Interesting:  - Add your modulation - Change up the arrangement  - Add your effects  - Add any creative ideas 7) Final Tweaks: - Listen through the song and write down notes on what needs to be fixed  - Go and fix it!  - Make any necessary changes for future drafts - Send it off to mastering

[@lukaselliot.]

Thank you!!

[@killianmaduro3664]

The hero we didn't deserve.

[@CoryRyanHoward]

I’m going to have to watch this 12 times LOL. I still don’t quite understand bus/sends/routing but seeing it laid out in such an organized way makes me see a tiny pin hole of light at the end of the tunnel.

[@phenominalblak9797]

OMG! THANK YOU!

[@DoubleDared]

Thank you.

[@dalydose221]

Thanks for all you do. For taking the time to help others I appreciate it man. God bless you bro

[@GauravKhuranaxy]

How do I get access to the templates? Don't want to join a subscription program but will pay for the downloads.

[@MattGarwood777]

Just overhauled my process and set up my routing according to this video. Amazing. Thank you 3000 dude! Any chance you’d be willing to share or do a video on your notes? I saw a TON of stuff when you opened your notes and I’d love to learn more about your process.

[@brianfeldtman]

Dylan this is awesome...probably the best Logic video I've ever seen. Pace and content was just spot on!

[@Guitarsg62]

This video is fantastic, can’t believe how much it has helped me organize my mixing process! Thanks! 🙏

[@BPMusic06]

Timely video :) I’ve been updating my templates for my new projects. Great teaching.

[@GetSongsDone]

Same here... So many tracks though 😯

[@starrio713]

This video is one of the best thing I've come across on the internet! Thank you!

[@robbielitchfield9838]

This video is amazing! Nice job. Only thing I'd like to contend is starting your sessions on bar 0. I found out the hard way, at least in Logic, that you can NOT export midi files that start sooner than bar 1. I think it has to do with SMPTE or something, idk, but I have to start everything on bar 1 now

[@thomaswhite7538]

This has totally changed my workflow. Thank you!

[@Bittamin]

I’ve been working on a template on and off for a week now and I’m finally getting towards the end, very happy to find this video to wrap the process up and check everything off the list

[@cekirdekci32]

for avbleton users. we have this M4live device called NTPD2.i use that one for notes. colorful and nice. you dont have to open the plugin to read the notes. its already shows on the track like ableton's eq . easy to read.

[@stargame520]

The mixing template just blew my mind

[@masteringcom]

Glad to hear that!

[@mat6161]

Wow this is such a great video! Some great template ideas I hadn't even considered before. This will seriously help my workflow!

[@michaelzeoli3613]

Awesome as always. So many timesavers in here. And 146 tracks to 8 is some serious Zen organization.

[@mymindreact]

awesome video man. thank you! one thing you should do tho is; go to mix - I/O labels - find the bus (double tap on long) to make the name feks (1/4 delay) so that it says 1/4 d instead of Bus 10, and so on. even easier to locate and it looks more pleasant :) just a tip, keep making great videos!

[@DarrenClark]

Realize this video is 4 years old, but question nonetheless. Are these 3 separate templates, or is this one integrated template for the main processes? What I’m not clear about is how you’re getting the tracks from the writing, to recording, to mixing template.

[@felipepablorodriguezo.3488]

Uffff great!! Really really great! Appreciate a lot! Thank you so much!

[@masteringcom]

Glad it helped!

[@jonteearle3817]

Hey! Just wondering what you are doing in terms of your lead vocal tracks. I'm just a little confused on what tracks 63 - 81 are actually doing (more specifically, what is the DB.# mean?). I'm not sure if i'm just mind blanking and can't remember, or if it's just a trick you specifically use... Thanks, Jontz

[@matthewleger5605]

What a game changer. Thank you so much!

[@trevtronix9338]

Fantastic. Wish I had watched this a long time ago. Thanks y'all!

[@PaulRamos-Entrepreneur]

Solid Template any way to get a copy of it? Is it up for sale anywhere - that would save me some time :O)

[@haydin9605]

What Kontatk patch are you using for the bass in your songwriting template? Sounds good - I want it.

[@BrynScottGrimes]

Amazingly useful video here! I've followed it pretty much step for step, but there are a ton of tracks now and I'm not sure if it's all properly set up/routed correctly. Are you available for a quick (paid) Zoom call to check my template? If not, do you know of anyone who does that sort of thing? Thank you!

[@jessesolomonscott]

Thank you so much for this amazing template. Really changed my workflow and made my brain stress free when mixing

[@hersheybell8444]

GREAT vid .. longtime Logic User and I was familiar with most everything in your video (apart from the organization - which I will now surely use) .. BUT QUESTION - when I click on settings in a strip, I don't see an option for USER CHANNEL STRIP SETTINGS - how do you create those - for example, love how you can choose just your fave reverb (at around 33:00) .. but how did you set that up to start with? Is there a video that shows that? Thanks.

[@DodaGarcia]

Omg that 0 bar thing blew my mind! So many times I've had to move the song one bar down to account for pickup notes and then it messed up my whole grid

[@ZimransGhost]

please can you share this template?

[@patriekvd]

Can you please explain how to create these nested folders in Logic? Once I created a Folder Stack, I can only add Summing Stacks to that. This looks different in this video.

[@phinn9823]

currently trying to figure this out myself

[@GiulioPirondiniMusic]

Logic deep nesting system just sucks. Yet there's a weird trick you can use to create as many track stacks subfolders you want to. Check this out (sorry it's in Italian..hope it may be helpful anyway)! kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6fYmqJ-h82WmKc

[@KanshaChannel]

Thank you for that you do to help us newbies!

[@notsmelliott]

Great video, thank you so much!

[@joseespasandin7487]

How would you work in Logic with the "MixInDepth" like Chris Lord Alge did with his Plugin "Epic" 4 Delay in 4 Reveb on a Matrix?

[@Ant3739]

Great advice, thanks! I was wondering whether a gain plugin on all channels for mixing might not be useful in order to have the faders as much as possible at unity gain. Sometimes you might need an instrument or audio track to be quite low in the mix, resulting in its fader to be near the bottom of its range. The issue is that the fader has much less resolution there than at unity, making it more difficult to mix with precision. So, in my example, I would tweak,i.e. reduce the gain on that track I wanted low in the mix, until I got the desired volume AND its fader would be as close as possible to unity gain.

[@ASJerrell]

What were you using for bass in the video? Sounds great!

[@aryeganegi]

How are you getting that red color though... Thanks for the amazing video

[@jpzy2899]

Does the subscription include a download to the template ?

[@vewilli]

Meanwhile things have changed and this video is a lot more understandable for me. Can I also make a template from one of my songs, e.g. when I delete all the regions and then save it in the templates folder?

[@BryanButler]

A lot of people start with Templates by doing this

[@old1hit]

Do you have to add audio files to your mixing template 1 by 1 so that each file gets placed to the correct track or is there a faster way?

[@BryanButler]

seem like the only way

[@brightman1398]

Musician on the Mission was a very Catchy Name which gave you such name ,fame , income.

[@keysyun1430]

Is there a more detailed, Logic specific video by Dylan on templates? (I feel like I saw it, but can't find)

[@ghertrudz]

Thanks! Big big help :)

[@CARLTONMOXLEYUnknownpianist]

Do you make a template for people I know it takes a lot of time to set one up and nobody wants to pay a lot of money

[@zackforget3767]

Alright I know this video is old but im trying anyway... How do you transfer your recordings from the recording template to the mixing template? this is what is stopping me from 3 different ones

[@OFOTCN]

I have the same question, that doesn't make sense to me.

[@WaBoo78]

hello dylan, I saw the video of you and the song "Boogie Nights" and saw your template in action! I started to build my own template, but at the beginning it is a little frustrating! I have 2 questions for you: 1. Do you use or change the IO label in Logic for your buses / sends? 2. is there a sketch of your template? greetings from Austria

[@andreineagu.online]

I'm curious about what's the point of creating a simple folder instead of creating a BUS folder. For instance I see that all of your drums are grouped in a simple DRUM folder. You could instead just create a DRUM AUX folder that include all of your sub aux folders with everything. Is there a reason for using a simple folder group? Also, very inspirational video!

[@dafingaz]

How do you create sub folders for MIDI instruments ?

[@conrow1157]

isnt it better to use summing stack tracks either then just folder tracks?

[@jpzy2899]

How did you create a stack for the stacks ?

[@gdkemble]

Forgive me if I missed this, but I have a question: if you start a song in, say, a songwriting template, how do you move it into the Recording template? Or when you finish recording, how do you apply the Mixing/Editing template to the song that was already recorded using the Recording template?

[@BryanButler]

seems to me like he bounced all tracks he was keeping from the mix session, and then bounced all audio tracks from the recording sessions into the mix sessions, just like you would get if you had a client send you a folder of stems.

[@seekeyk]

Amazing video! Something I’ve been looking for and finally inspired for my own songwriting template preparation. One question tho.. I’m also heavily dependent on Amp sim VST for my guitars (prefer AmpliTube) and something I’ve been not sure, for a long time.. Are your guitar channels set to Stereo or Mono out? I’ve heard, especially if you double tracks, which I also do, it’s better to use mono.. but typically I apply some delays and reverb inside AmpliTube, which is stereo effect. What’s your opinion on that?) Thank you!

[@nathanstatham5022]

From what I’ve learned from professional guitar recording videos. Rhythm and lead guitars always need to be double tracked in mono. One hard panned left, one hard panned right. Even with effects on them (reverb, delay, etc), double tracking is going to give you that really rich thick sounding guitar. Stereo would be ok for a solo or ambient background effects, but for the most part, guitars 8/10 times needs to be mono, hard panned. The subtle differences of the two track performances will make the double tracked guitar sound fuller versus just having a single track coming from 2 speakers. Try it out and see which one sounds better to you. Chances are, you’ll like how the double track sounds. To answer your particular question though, I’d open up two instances of amplitude in mono and hard pan then each to the sides

[@seekeyk]

@@nathanstatham5022 Great answer, thanks a lot!

[@djfull4442]

I lost it at 21:57. What do you mean by "running into bus 11 but the input is also bus 11"? Did you actually mean "output" or am I missing something? EDIT: I also don't understand 29:04, how can you "re-bounce" a track which was backed up as already bounced, not as pre-bounce source tracks?

[@genolexismusic983]

I really wish the video was a little clearer because I have weak eyes but it is definitely one of the best tutorials.

[@Leopold_Official]

Does anyone know the key to collapse all folders at once? I've looked EVERYWHERE! How does he do it! :D

[@Leopold_Official]

Found it out! Search for Open/Close All Track Stacks in the key commands then assign your own command to it! It's an unassigned command.

[@stringwhore]

Nice

[@eliarz3512]

Option + Click

[@jamessanders2007]

How do you make a folder in a folder in lpx?

[@MASERSTUDIOS]

Did anybody have this problem? When routing to mix bus and then to stereo out, No audio signal is received.

[@florinmeica141]

Can I have an empty project with all this preset stuffs please ?

[@peteryu9866]

Train in the DAW.. So that you don't have to DAW.. train to fight so you don't have to fight.. Take a shower so you don't have to take a shower.. Spend time so you don't have to spend time.. That is the way.. Template so you don't have to template..

[@zynel413]

how about just don't take a shower lol

[@klownaround5464]

Yea Confucius spews poems here on YT…

[@coledd9487]

Would it be possible to have a copy of the procedural text that you include in your mixing template notes (on the right)?

[@masteringcom]

Dylan here - nahhhhhhh. You've gotta figure your workflow out for yourself. 😉 The real reason is that it's all in "Dylan-speak" shorthand that wouldn't make sense to anyone else. 🤷‍♂️

[@iamjordanpass]

Hit K for pause, then use . (period) to go forward a frame and , (comma) to go back a frame. Go to the list he created and frame through it.

[@HakeyDesRois]

Should put these templates out there just as a start

[@mateusnoel9602]

you can download some templates on their paid platform (Home Studio University). Seems fair (and worth it) for me.

[@iamjordanpass]

I have to use icons over colours because I'm colourblind. So frustrating

[@prolokol]

Thanks for the nice video and good tips. But how do you get your recordings (from the recording template) in your mix template?

[@masteringcom]

Dylan here - All of your recordings are saved in the session folder under "audio files". If there are tons of tracks in there you're not wanting to use, then bounce-in-place the tracks in your recording template, and name them something specific so that they stand out in the audio files folder. I like to put a z before the file name so they show up when sorted alphabetically... like "z_Lead-Vocals".

[@prolokol]

Musician on a Mission thanks!🙏 really appreciate your help

[@Rialas]

Musician on a Mission Sounds like a nightmare to organise. Start a song and finish it in the same template. Done.

[@pleasingannie467]

@@Rialas Agreed. The mix template is probably useful if you're mixing someone else's song. But if you recorded the song in your own template, seems like it'd be a lot more efficient to just stick with that same session that you wrote/recorded in.

[@gregforbes4479]

Does anyone know how to make the sub-folders like he has in Logic Pro X? I can make summing folders etc but can't figure out how to make the folders within folders.

[@ziggyv4011]

Create Track Stacks. logicproxfordummies.com/folder-track-stacks/

[@masteringcom]

Dylan here - you can create multiple summing stacks inside of a single folder stack. Just create a few summing stacks for your instrument parts, then select all of them and create a folder stack.

[@ronallen2458]

I think this is what you are looking for. Nested summing track stacks: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKXMkoaMmZVor5Y

[@Kris_jellybeard]

@@masteringcom seems 10.5.1 they got rid of the nested stacks function??

[@spiv05]

i'm struggling with sends, i'm using software instruments only atm, i'm sending the output of my first track in my send folder to bus 33, then selecting the send on a midi instrument, i turn it up, and nothing? please help.

[@spiv05]

dw i figured it out :-))

[@antkn33]

How did you do sub folders in Logic? I thought it wasn’t possible.

[@masteringcom]

At the time of writing this, it's not possible to MAKE a track stack inside of another track stack, but it is possible to DRAG a track stack inside of another track stack. Why Apple programmed it that way, I'll never know. So just make the track stack in the arrange window, and then drag it into another folder. But you can't drag in a summing stack into another summing stack. You have to drag a summing stack into a folder stack. LPX is weird that way.

[@cleesely]

​@@masteringcom that end part makes sense - you can't put a sum stack into a sum stack, but you can create a folder to contain multiple sum stacks

[@pennypacker7209]

Apple commenters say not to go zero or negative numbers in Logic Pro. I guess it causes stability issues

[@richmerlino6480]

Thx

[@zip7806]

You got a How to? I subscribe to this channel because you guys Use LOGIC.

[@ronallen2458]

Great video as always! Your template confused me because Logic does not normally let you put a summed stack in a summed stack (only folders). But - Logic can be forced to nest summing track stacks instead of putting them in a folder. Here is a method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKXMkoaMmZVor5Y

[@GiulioPirondiniMusic]

And you can have a folder stack inside a folder stack as well..thus creating a real deep nested hierarchy of folders&subfolders as many as you like. There's a weird trick. Check this out (sorry it's in Italian..hope it may be helpful anyway)! kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6fYmqJ-h82WmKc

[@NebMotion]

07:37 - honestly, I would avoid setting your start position to bar 0, you can run into issues bouncing your project which can make things a bit annoying once you have a massive project with automation data and everything... I believe logic does not bounce anything from before bar 1 (though that may have changed as I only recently made the jump to X and this habit is already drilled in my workflow)

[@treulseth9678]

you can totally set the bounce to start on different measures! once you hit command B it gives you the option to pick the starting and ending measure

[@vewilli]

Nice, but I‘m afraid this is not(hing) for beginners as I am one.

[@michaelzeoli3613]

Not necessarily true. Pick 3 things in this video that make you go "huh?". Spend no more than 20 mins each researching those 3. Then rewatch this video. Rinse and repeat as time permits. You'd be surprised how many of the "huhs?" turn into "ahhh!"s. YMMV, but it helps me keep from going down a rabbit hole on one concept while constantly trying to push my knowledge envelope. Hope that helps.

[@theDanDeleon]

Shoutout to everyone who looked in the description and comments for the timestamps. lmaoooo

[@FCKNMIKE]

TMEPLATE