This isn't exactly what you need, but you could adapt it. I wouldn't say it's a standard way of doing things, just the latest iteration of the way I do things.
It's set up for GPO5, but you can swap in your own VSTis. User notes will display on open.
The theme used in the screengrab is Easy on the Eyes Dark.
Template:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ilm5208fcj...atest.rpp?dl=0
Screengrab:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/41wtv2dneq...Temp3.jpg?dl=0
---
GPO5 KS ORCHESTRAL TEMPLATE
This is a mid to late Romantic-era orchestra, not a kitchen sink epic job. Of course, it involves quite a few compromises, but it's practical, durable and pretty efficient on resources.
Can be used either to dump MIDI from a scorewriting program for editing or to perform into directly. Or a bit of both.
It's laid out in traditional score order, the way I'm used to reading, but of course you can move things around to your heart's content. Bear in mind that the TCP and MCP tracks are different, so you'll have to move both.
Everything available is displayed by default, but you can delete or hide unused instrument tracks to save screen space. Again, remember that TCP and MCP tracks will both need removing or hiding.
The Master appears at the top of the TCP, serving as a "conductor" track, with overall tempo and volume envelopes visible.
The TCP tracks are for MIDI recording/editing, the MCP tracks are for audio trim/panning/FX/routing.
You'll need to fiddle with your theme and windowing to get it as clear as possible. I'd suggest you collapse the TCP dialogs down to the point where they only display labels. The MCP tracks are record-disabled, but their M S and R buttons control the relevant MIDI tracks.
The purple tracks at the end of the MCP are containers for the VSTi instances. They are set up to show metering for troubleshooting purposes, but they don't output audio themselves, they just send on to the individual audio tracks. The idea is that once the setup is done, they live offscreen.
(The difference between Solo Strings and String Colour is that the former is for genuine solo passages and the latter is intended to be gently dialled in to enrich the sections - it's a batch track that receives the same MIDI as they do. This does presume a one-library approach to strings. String Colour is also a container, but
brown not purple and does output audio.)
This template is set up for dry and centred samples, so everything else - panning, depth positioning and reverb can be handled in-DAW. All GPO5 samples are received as mono sources, except piano and string sections, which are stereo, but centred.
You might want to send some MIDI setting messages to your VSTis in the preroll bar. As default, the only MIDI pre-roll blips set the mod wheel to middle (GPO uses mod wheel to control volume) and centre the string sections (so you can pan them in-DAW). They also contain MIDI note names (so only in-range notes and keyswitches will display in the MIDI editor).
Spatial positioning is achieved by a depth-ranking approach. Rank one is closest to the audience (strings, piano), rank two is behind them (woods and FHs), rank three is at the back (other brass and percussion).
Rank two and three instruments have progressive modest high EQ cuts on their audio output channels. They also send to the two Preverb busses as well as the Room Reverb (reverb busses are in black).
All individual instruments have an instance of ReaPitch on them, nudged a few cents sharp and flat. Editable according to taste.
All FX used are stock REAPER ones, for maximum compatibility. You can swap in your favourites, of course.
jasonalyon@hotmail.com
27/12/17