Templates promise a streamlined workflow, consistency, and a reduction in mundane setup tasks. But could these conveniences be subtly undermining the very creativity they aim to support? In this article we consider the pros and cons of using templates for the creative professional.
The Upsides of Templates
Efficiency
Templates are fundamentally about efficiency. By pre-setting elements like track routings, effects chains, and even instrument loads, they significantly cut down the time it takes to get from an idea to its execution. This is invaluable in a professional setting where time is often synonymous with money.
For instance, a mixer working on a TV series can deploy a template to ensure that each episode’s audio is consistent, saving hours of setup time. In some cases this approach may also be useful when mixing an album where you want the songs to have the same aesthetic throughout the album. Even in the world of playlist listening, maintaining the same sound has little to do with the order the songs are played in.
Consistency
In audio post-production, consistency can be as crucial as quality. Templates ensure that every project adheres to certain standards, which is particularly important when dealing with serialised content. This not only helps in maintaining a uniform sound but also ensures compliance with technical standards which might be mandated by broadcasters or production companies.
Sanity
Templates minimise the risk of errors—such as incorrect signal routing or mismatched output levels—that can occur when setting up complex sessions from scratch. The joy of modern technology can sometimes quickly turn into a nightmare when you’re trying to figure out complex routing. Input routing is where templates can stop you having to reinvent the wheel and lose your hair!
Collaboration
In today’s globalised workflows, templates play a crucial role in collaboration. They can provide a standardised framework that all contributors can follow, regardless of their location. This is especially useful when files are being passed between different teams or freelancers, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. Anything that can help those in the food chain from having to waste time deciphering a session should be welcomed
The Downsides of Templates
Boring
The most significant critique of templates is that they might stifle creativity. Relying on predefined paths and settings could deter audio professionals from experimenting with new ideas or exploring unique solutions, potentially leading to a homogenization of sound where many projects end up feeling and sounding similar.
If used too frequently much of our work may start becoming ‘cookie cutter’ and samey. One sound designer I spoke to who worked on a top TV drama told me how he used templates for the same kind of scenes, for example the same gun sounds for characters etc. However, at times he decided to ditch the template and build the entire scene from scratch.
Inflexible
Templates are not one-size-fits-all. Each project has its unique requirements, and a template that works for one might not suit another. This can lead to situations where professionals spend more time tweaking templates than they would have spent setting up from scratch. A common issue with templates is that certain plug-ins may be missing, or if you are composing virtual instruments may not be installed on the machine, then one has to spend time reverse engineering the template.
It’s crucial that templates are used as a base, with flexibility in mind.
Overengineered
For simpler projects, the time spent setting up or modifying a template could outweigh the benefits. In these cases, starting afresh might be more efficient and can encourage a more tailored approach to the project at hand. If the work is a simple voice over and music bed, then a template may be over the top. In the same way if one wants to get a musical idea down fast then it may simply need a vocal track and piano.
Going Beyond The Music
Many of our readers are audio professionals, making a living from either music or post production. For this reason, I want to expand our thinking about templates and ask you to consider other ways in which templates can help.
The first is a life template. WHAT! What I mean by this is using a calendar to template your day/week/month/year. I used to think scheduling was the quickest way to lose flexibility, after all I’m a creative person, so I need to be free, not constrained. However, over time I’ve come to the conclusion that not planning my days as a creative professional leads to being inefficient and ineffective. I used to use the concept of freedom to justify me wasting time.
Now I have a daily template to protect me both from myself and from other interruptions. As a creative professional it's been a revelation. My days are planned from when I wake up until I go to bed. What time I will run, what time I’ll take my daughter to school, then any meetings, but most importantly for my work, focussed work slots where I can be creative without interruptions. For some you may be having a seizure as I describe this. I can say, having been one such person in the past, that I’ve found the whole idea of templating my days and weeks liberating.
Steve Jobs used to be asked why he wore the same clothes all the time. His response was that it was so he didn’t have to waste time thinking about what to wear. I’m the most easily distracted person on the planet, so anything that keeps me focussed is a benefit and helps me be more productive. My working day template is my turtle neck and jeans. And of course I can always take a detour when I want to. It’s a plan, not a prison.
The second area where templates are useful, especially for busy audio freelancers, is for responding to client enquiries, creating quotes, writing creative treatments, invoicing, chasing money. This is where ChatGPT can help those who struggle with coming up with the written word, I use it a lot to come up with ideas or to test my own written content.
There’s two ideas, outside of the DAW, that audio professionals should consider using templates for.
The Balancing Act
The key to effectively using templates in music and audio post-production lies in balance. Professionals should view templates as a starting point, or the map for a journey. It's essential to customise and adapt templates to suit the specific needs of each project and to remain open to discarding them when they are stifling your creative workflow. Sometimes we can rely too heavily on them and before we know it our work has become derivative and, dare I suggest, boring.
In a survey we conducted back in 2020, the use of templates was evenly split across the community. We asked how often people used them, here’s the responses;
Some of the time 26.67%
Always 26.24%
Most of the time 24.09%
Never 23%
How are you using templates? Do you find them helpful or a hindrance? Have you considered using them outside of the DAW? Let us know in the comments.