14 Boring but Effective DAW Workflow Tips for Music Producers
Every day’s a school day, and in this article, we’ll be suggesting 14 DAW workflow tips that are designed to speed up your music production process.
Music production isn’t as glamorous as many people think it is. Sometimes you need to pause, take stock and do a little bit of housekeeping to make sure you’re on the right track. Part of that housekeeping should include re-familiarising yourself with the main tools you use every day, as this can help you to improve your DAW workflow and overall productivity.
1. Read the Manual
We can hear your collective sighs as you read the heading for our first DAW workflow tip, as yes, we’ve started with the most boring of them all. Read your DAW’s manual, it’s there for a reason! The developers behind the software have poured blood, sweat and tears into this program, so it’s only fair that you take the time to understand how it works.
More important than the developer’s feelings, you’ll inevitably discover functions, settings, keyboard shortcuts and other useful tidbits that will help you to operate your DAW more effectively. You don’t have to read it all in one sitting, but next time you’re running low on inspiration, why not turn to the manual to find out something new about your DAW?
2. Check the Menus
While we strongly advise that you follow tip one and read the manual, if you’re the stubborn sort and can’t be bothered then this is the next best thing. Check all of the menus, settings, options and toolbars of your DAW for any features that might help you to speed up your production process.
Not only will this uncover ways of working that you didn’t know your DAW had, but some of those settings are also helpfully displayed as a keyboard shortcut. For example, did you know that you can use Ctrl/CMD+I in Ableton Live to Insert Silence anywhere along your arrangement? Learning useful shortcuts like this one is a great way to Work Smarter in the Studio.
3. Set up Routing (Buses/Sends/Returns)
If you’re not someone who uses a lot of complex internal DAW routing in your projects, you can move onto tip four. If you are, then you should really consider setting up your usual routing and saving it as a default template within your DAW. This means that next time you open up a fresh project, your favored routing configuration will be ready and waiting.
Your internal DAW routing might include your use of buses and groups, or sends and returns. If you keep finding yourself having to set up the same effects on the same channel for each project, this is your sign to set those effects and channels up once and for all.
4. Establish Permanent Routing with External Hardware
While not technically DAW-specific, this next tip piggybacks nicely off the previous one. Once you’ve saved all of your DAW’s internal routing as a template, you can graduate to ensuring your hardware is correctly routed to all the correct places within your DAW.
When you’re feeling creative or you’ve got an idea in your head, having to mindlessly fumble around with a mysterious muddle of cables is a sure-fire way of killing the vibe. If you’ve already established the I/O between the software and hardware world, getting your idea out of your brain and into your DAW will be considerably quicker.
5. Decide on Colors and Stick to Them
Most DAWs have the option to change the color of clips, channels, groups and devices. While you might be inclined to synchronize your color scheme with the latest trends, the main reason you should think about doing this is to keep things organized.
Being able to see which elements are where without reading the name of the channel is a guaranteed way of speeding up your workflow. So pick colors for your kick, bass, hi-hats, snare, vocals, synths, piano and so on, and stick to them.
6. Set up Custom Key Commands
As well as default keyboard shortcuts, some DAWs give you the option to set up custom key commands. If there’s a process or action that you use frequently, setting up an associated key command will mean you can spend less time clicking your mouse and more time creating.
For example, if you’ve got some reference tracks in a mix project, why not set up custom key commands so that numerical keys 1 through 4 solo each of your four reference tracks for quick switching between them.
7. Consider Scripting, Extensions and Add-ons
If your DAW doesn’t allow you to create custom key commands, or you want to go a step further, you might want to explore the world of scripts, extensions and add-ons. In some cases, these are third-party pieces of software that allow you to create custom key commands. In other cases, these are bespoke DAW extensions that alter the way your software looks or operates.
While this might seem like a prohibitively technical endeavor, there is a large amount of information online that can help to guide you towards the exact customization you’re looking for. Have a quick search for any relevant external software packages that may supercharge your ability to navigate around and interact with your DAW.
8. Utilize Plugin Presets
Whether you use only your DAW’s native plugins, or if you also dabble in third-party plugins, setting up some base presets can save you masses of time during the production process. Let’s say you have a favorite tape plugin which you regularly load into your projects to apply some creative effects, you can save the appropriate parameters as a preset for instant recall in future projects.
To really maximize what you can achieve with plugin presets, try StudioVerse, included in the Waves Ultimate subscription. StudioVerse contains the world’s biggest library of presets for plugin chains, available inside your DAW. You’ll get thousands of mix-ready chains, created by industry-leading producers and mixing engineers, with smart AI-powered search making it easy to find what you’re after.
9. Organize Your Plugins
If you’re reading this article, it’s safe to assume that you’re a curious music producer looking to up your game. With that in mind, we can also assume that you’ve downloaded your fair share of free plugins and trial software in your time. No judgment here! Free doesn’t necessarily mean low quality, and there’s nothing wrong with kissing a few frogs to find your fairytale plugin.
However, imagine if you had piles of unused hardware cluttering up your studio – it would get in the way of accessing the tools you do use, wouldn’t it? Well, the same is true for software, so take the time to go through your plugin folders removing anything you haven’t opened in years. Once you’ve done this, all of your most-used plugins will be right there, ready to load into your DAW when you need them most.
10. Have a Sample Spring Clean
Once you’ve gone through your plugin folder culling anything with an expired trial period, you can do the same for your sample library too. How long do you think you’ve spent cycling through your sample folders, trying to find the perfect snare? Doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?
Try to put your hoarder mentality to one side, and remove any samples that you don’t think you’ll ever use. Not only will this free up valuable storage space on your hard drive, it’ll also help speed up the process of finding the right sample, right when you need it.
11. Export a Demo After Each Session
It’s no secret that as music producers, we’re responsible for seemingly endless folders of unfinished tracks, recordings and rough ideas, all hidden within mystery DAW project files. Let’s be honest, some of these folders are full of junk, but many of them contain useful elements that can be recycled and reused in other projects.
Unfortunately, waiting for your DAW to load up each project while you check its contents is probably going to take an age. The solution? Export a demo of any project that you think you might want to reopen again in future. That way, you can simply preview the contents of each project without even opening your DAW.
12. Watch Others Use Your DAW
When we learn complex pieces of software like digital audio workstations, our brains quickly establish a way of working that we feel is most convenient or simple for us at the time. While that’s great for getting up and running, it can also lead us to fall into bad habits that we may never question.
Watching others work within your DAW of choice can unlock new ways of working around your software that may increase your productivity the next time you’re in a session. Try watching a few music production streams that feature your DAW, or watch a run-through of your DAW’s latest update. You may experience a lightbulb moment that changes the way you work for the better.
13. Use Timeline Markers
We’ve already touched on navigating around your plugin and sample folders, but what about navigating around your DAW itself? Setting up timeline markers lets you quickly gain perspective on where you are in your DAW at any given time. If your DAW doesn’t have a timeline marker function, you can create a dummy MIDI channel, and then label and color-code MIDI clips to guide you around the sections of your project.
14. Take a Break
While the final pointer in this article may feel counterintuitive, it’s a valuable lesson for any creative practice. If you’re struggling to keep up with what you’re doing or you can’t seem to focus long enough to find the channel, plugin or sample you’re looking for, chances are you need a break. Take some time away from the screen, get some fresh air, make a coffee, and you’ll be surprised at how much more easily you can focus on the task at hand when you return.
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