Build a template
Assemble a template from scratch in DawForge using libraries you own — pick patches, group them, link maps, save.
A builder template is one you put together inside DawForge from your own libraries, patch by patch — no Cubase project required. You pick the patches you want, DawForge groups them into a sensible folder layout, and you save the result as a template you can play in Flow or send to Cubase. Unlike a template imported from Cubase, a builder template stays fully editable: rename, reorder, regroup, add, or remove tracks any time.
This video is hosted on YouTube
Loading it lets YouTube set cookies and receive your IP address. Accept external media to watch it here — see our Cookie Policy.
When to build vs. import
| You want to… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Capture an existing Cubase project's exact structure | Import a Cubase template — frozen and faithful. |
| Start fresh — a new section, a hybrid stack, a personal starting point | Build a template (this page). |
| Hand-pick patches across several libraries you own and have DawForge organise them | Build a template. |
Open the builder
Go to /template-editor/new. You'll see two panes: a library browser on the left to find patches, and a preview on the right that shows your template taking shape.
Steps
Find the patches you want
The left pane searches only the libraries you own. Use the search box (it matches patch names, articulation names, and vendor names) and narrow with the filters:
- Vendor — e.g. Spitfire Audio, Native Instruments.
- Domain — e.g. Orchestral, Electronic.
- Family — e.g. Strings, Woodwinds.
- Instrument — e.g. Violin, Clarinet.
- Sample player — e.g. Kontakt, Opus.
Don't own the library you need yet? Add it first from the knowledge base — see Add your first library.
Add patches to the template
Tick a patch to add it. It appears in the preview on the right. Add as many as you like — across as many libraries as you own.
Let DawForge group them (or take over)
By default, DawForge organises your picks into folders automatically. Two controls shape the layout:
- Group by — Section, Library, or Vendor.
- Sort by — DawForge's recommended order, Alphabetical, or the order the library ships in.
Prefer to arrange things by hand? Turn on Sort manually to freeze the grouping and drag rows into the order you want.
You can also merge two or more patches into a single track — handy when one track layers, say, a Spitfire and a Vienna violin patch together. Select them and choose Merge; the combined track carries all of their articulations.
Tidy up each track
For any track you can:
- Rename it inline.
- Choose whether it's an instrument track or a MIDI track.
- Attach an expression map (optional — see below).
Attach an expression map to a track (optional)
A track can carry its own expression map so Flow knows what articulations to show. Click Pick map on a track and you can:
- Use a map that comes with the source patch.
- Pick one from your own map library.
- Create a new one on the spot — a small editor opens right inside the builder so you can name articulations and set their switches without leaving the page.
You can also promote a patch's built-in map into your own library, which makes an editable copy you can reuse elsewhere.
Name it and save
Give the template a name at the top, then click Save template. DawForge warns you if you're over your plan's track limit or if the name is empty. Once saved, you land on the template's page, ready to link tracks, play in Flow, or send to Cubase.
Pulling in tracks from another template
Already built something similar? Click Import tracks to copy tracks out of one of your other templates (built or imported) into the one you're working on — their map and patch links come along.
Editing later
A builder template is yours to change whenever. Reopen it from the template list and you're back in the same builder, with everything editable: rename, reorder, regroup, add or remove tracks, swap maps. Save to keep your changes. (This is the big difference from a Cubase import, which is frozen — see Cubase Track Archives.)
Playing it in Flow
A builder template plays in Flow exactly like an imported one — it shows up in the same template picker. Linking each track to a patch is optional; it's what fills the articulation grid and lets you work in groups. See Play with Flow.