D.Ramirez’s Template for House & Tech

“Alright — before we open up the session, let’s talk about what a template actually is and why it’s such an essential part of my process. A template is like a pre-built studio in a single file — all your tracks, instruments, effects, and routing set up and ready the second you open Live.

I make a lot of different styles of music, so I have a template for each one. The one we’re looking at today is specifically designed for house and tech house. For me, having this setup means I can go from an idea in my head to something I can hear in just minutes — without getting bogged down setting things up from scratch. And when you’re writing house, speed is everything. You want to lock into the groove before it slips away.”

“Let’s start with the backbone: the tracks. In this template, I’ve laid out everything I know I’ll always need for house and tech house — kick, bass, percussion, hats, claps, synths, and FX. They’re all labelled and colour coded so I can move quickly without second-guessing where anything is.

I’ve also grouped them into buses — drums together, instruments together, FX together — which makes mixing much faster later on. The tempo and time signature are pre-set, so the second I load this up, I’m already in the right zone for writing. This setup is all about making the space feel like a finished studio every time I open Ableton.”

“Now let’s look at the plugins. In this template, I’ve dropped in my go-to drum racks, bass synths, and chord sounds so I can jam ideas immediately. I’ve also pre-loaded my favourite EQs, compressors, saturators, and other effects — both Ableton stock and third-party — so I don’t waste time hunting through menus.

The idea here is to create a lean, ready-to-play palette. Everything loads fast, but I’ve got enough tools at my fingertips to sketch out a full track idea without stopping the flow. Basically, when I open this template, it feels like walking into a studio where everything’s already patched in and warmed up.”

“Next, let’s talk about the mastering chain. I like to have a pre-set chain on my master so that even my first loop sounds polished and exciting. That doesn’t mean it’s a final master — it’s just there to glue things together and give me that energy right from the start.

This chain includes subtle EQ, compression, saturation, and limiting — nothing heavy, just enough to give the track shape and impact. For me, hearing the music sounding close to finished as I’m writing makes a huge difference in how inspired I feel.”

“And that’s the breakdown of my house and tech house Ableton template. With everything prepped like this, I can open Live and be jamming within minutes.

The beauty of a template is that it evolves with you — swap out plugins, update sounds, and keep it fresh as your style changes. Most importantly, it keeps you focused on music, not setup.

Thanks for joining me here at Raven Studios. Now go take what you’ve seen, adapt it for your own workflow, and use it to make more music, faster.”