Feature Addition Request: Save As Template WITHOUT MEDIA

Scenario:
You are Recording a Band 5 Song Session.
After Song 1 is done the project setup and mixer levels etc are nicely in place so you decide you want to save a Template
However Cubase keeps all of its links to Audio files when you save this Template

Now start a new Project using this new template. The project opens up with all settings, tracks etc but also all Audio files. But what you really want is a blank canvas. So you decide to select all and delete and then go to the Pool and Delete Thrash.

Go back to Song one in the session and load it. All of your audio is now deleted forever.

Surely, as in Protools, there should be an option when saving a template to include or not include media at this stage. Minimal programming effort involved.

The same goes for the save selected tracks feature. Useful when you want to save a 16 mic track setup for another song. But there is also no option to NOT include media. Also while weā€™re at it, when you import a stereo file from a save selected track XML file the stereo input will always be set to NO BUS and have to go through each one reassigning it.

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I simply save the project - then delete all the media from the time line AND the pool (specify ā€œremove from poolā€, not ā€œDeleteā€).

Then save as a template and close the project - making sure NOT to ā€œsave projectā€ when you close.

Now you can use the template as many times as you need.

Hugh

The point is that you need to go to those lengths, being careful not to delete something you shouldnt (as in all of the audio for song one)

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I think this would be an awesome feature.

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The same goes for the save selected tracks feature. Useful when you want to save a 16 mic track setup for another song. But there is also no option to NOT include media

Make a Track Preset and you are done. Doesnā€™t take more then a second

Cheers,

Chris

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But one Track Preset for all the tracks? Or for each one youā€™ve to save it as Track Preset?

This is a good topic to read. I never realized the possible consequences that using my templates could have on the project they are created from.
It seems like a template should break all ties to the original project.
I suppose the template has to point to the audio in the original project UNLESS Cubase used a separate ā€œtemplate audioā€ folder.
The more I think about the concept of a template, I think the DEFAULT should be to have no content (just based on the definition and the traditional use of templates (i.e. Word documents, etc.) BUT I also see the advantage of having ā€œcontentā€ already in the project after creation from the template.
J.L.
EDIT: I assumed when I created a new project from a template that Cubase would make a new copy of everything in the project in the new project folder thus ā€œdisconnectingā€ the new project from the old one. If this is not the case, perhaps it should be.

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As long as you donā€™t save the project after deleting content to make a template - youā€™re fine.
Close and reopen first.
No connection at all. I do it a bunch.
Possible Cubase will say there is a newer version of the project - if so ignore it.

Hugh

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No, jaslan. If you leave wav files - content in the template - then, yes, it will use the same files.

However, you can immediately ā€œbackupā€ to a new folder and all will be new.

In many cases you wouldnā€™t want Cubase to create new copies of stuff. Loops, etc, until needed.

I think what Chris is saying is in regards to your individual track settings. You can save level, eq, comp, etc. as a track preset and then use the presets as needed. You can probably then create a template with those track presets and you should be all good.

Yes, I would agree completely. Templates should never hold data.

That would be good feature, very useful, time saving and safer as well, not risking to loose important data that might have been saved with a template and deleted later.

Good topic!

last week i was at a studio that uses Logic.
In Logic, when you have a project open, you always have access to any other project.
You have a list where you can choose what you want to import to your current project:
Tracks with or without media, with or without plugs ā€¦and so on.
I find this much better and easier to handle than using the track presets or templates in cubase.
Maybe that is something Steinberg should examine.
(This is NOT a Cubase vs. Logic post!)

Regards,
Paul

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Hi Chrisā€¦ I think you misunderstood the problem.

I believe Save as Template should have the option to not include media

I also believe Export Selected Tracks should have to option not to include media so that you can save tracks and settings for work on another project

Saving Track Presets only saves the settings (plugins etc) of a track but wont get you 16 new tracks set up the way you want them.

You could, theoretically, open an empty project and Add Track From Preset from a multi-track preset. I think thatā€™s what Chris meant.

Howeverā€¦

I recently tried to do something very similar (save an ā€œall tracksā€ preset from one project, then load the preset to all tracks of another project with identical track configuration), and had a few problems.

1.) Folders did not load properly. Perhaps folder structure is not one of the attributes stored in a track preset, but if so, track presets should not be considered a comprehensive solution for template loading.

2.) Sends to insert sidechain inputs did not loadā€“a big issue when oneā€™s default project has all kinds of triggering/ducking going on.

(This was using 6.02.)

For what itā€™s worth, I think that those seeing no need for audio/pool data in templates should consider those who work with samples and might want to load a familiar audio library with each new project. I do not personally do this, but I can at least see how that could be useful to some.

However, I do think that a.) track templates (even hugely multi-track ones) are not complete enough to be considered a template replacement, and b.) having to save a dummy project, remove events, empty the pool (while hoping you donā€™t press the wrong button and delete days of work), THEN save the templateā€¦ is a quite tedious, and involves a step that brings the user within a single mouseclick of a very serious, non-undo-able, non-recycle-bin-recoverable delete operation. Itā€™s what I currently do, but I donā€™t like it, and I think that a ā€˜Save Template with No Audioā€™ function would be incredibly helpful.

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yea i feel that the audio option should be just that ā€¦ an option!

There are 2 ideas here which would both be useful

1 Save as Template - with option to include or not include media

2 New Templates open with COPIES of the media from the original project (much like Archive Pool) - that way you have access to your media, but no risk of deleting the originals.

Iā€™ve been saving projects as Templates for ever, and I still get it wrong sometimes in the heat of the session and delete the files from the original project. Infuriating.

I posted about this quite a few months ago. It would be amazing if they had an ā€œimport session dataā€ like pro tools does. And then just select what you want from tracks and bussesā€¦

Totally agree, Iā€™ve been caught out with this too. A better solution would be well received.

Hoping this gets noticed as a major usability improvement for Cubase. Protools has this kicked for many years now.