Hello!
Today I discovered a promising workflow while trying to reduce the massive size of my 3000+ instrument track template .cpr file, which currently sits at over 1.2 GB — even though the tracks are disabled.
Over the years, there have been many discussions about Track Presets needing to recall output routing. While that feature hasn’t arrived yet, I may have found a workaround that preserves instrument routing to groups/stems while significantly shrinking project file sizes. Here’s the setup:
I started by opening a blank project and loading only my routing groups from the main rig:
120 quad instrument groups
22 quad FX groups
30 quad stem master groups
With no instrument tracks, the project file size was just 16.1 MB.
Next, I loaded a single Kontakt 8 instance with a large string library (about 4 GB into memory), set up routing, added FX sends, mapped a custom CC21 to vibrato, and recorded some passages. After this, the session file size grew to 21.5 MB — a 5 MB increase. (Imagine this multiplied by 3000 tracks!)
Here’s the critical part:
I saved a Track Preset from the instrument track via the inspector column in the project window (with routing and settings).
Then I removed the Kontakt instance from the track, disabled the track, and saved the project again.
The file size dropped back down to 16.1 MB.
After closing and reopening Cubase, I enabled the “empty” instrument track and used ‘Reload Track Preset’ in the inspector — and it successfully restored the Kontakt instance with all settings and kept the routing I assigned!!
Even better, I found that Reload Track Preset can be assigned a Key Command. I set up a multi-action button on my Stream Deck to “Enable Track” and “Reload Track Preset” with a single press — and it works perfectly.
While it will take time to save all my tracks this way, reducing the template from over 1 GB to around 100 MB would be a game changer.
One caveat: Currently, you can’t reload track presets for multiple selected tracks at once; it must be done one at a time. However, since I usually search and load instruments individually for each project, this isn’t a major issue for me.
I hope this helps others trying to manage massive templates and shrink their Cubase project sizes!