DARK TROOPER EDUCATION • MODULE 01

SESSION & PROJECT SETUP

Organise files, tracks, routing and versions so the session supports the music instead of slowing you down.

MODULE 01

PRODUCTION WORKFLOW FOUNDATIONS

00MODULE HUB01WELCOME & MIKE'S STORY02THE WORKFLOW MINDSET03SESSION & PROJECT SETUP04SIGNAL FLOW & GAIN STRUCTURE05REFERENCES & DECISION-MAKING06PRACTICAL CHECKPOINT
MODULE PROGRESS
Lesson 3 of 6

MAKE THE SESSION EASY TO UNDERSTAND

Session organisation should reduce friction, not become a ritual. The standard is simple: if you reopen the project in six months — or another engineer opens it tomorrow — the important parts of the session should make sense without detective work.
▶SESSION & PROJECT SETUPSuggested video: create a clean DnB project from an empty DAW session and save it as a reusable template.

PROJECT FOLDER

01 PROJECT: the DAW project/session files.

02 AUDIO: recorded, resampled and consolidated audio used by the project.

03 EXPORTS: dated rough mixes and final bounces.

04 REFERENCES: commercial reference tracks and notes.

05 ASSETS: artwork, notes, lyrics, stems received from collaborators or other project material.

NAMING

Use names that describe function rather than source. Kick Main is more useful than Audio 47. Likewise, Bass Reece Mid tells you more than the preset name that happened to create it.

VERSIONING

Save meaningful versions before destructive changes. A simple format such as TrackName_2026-09-06_v07 is enough. Avoid files called FINAL, FINAL2, FINAL_REAL and FINAL_REAL_2. A date plus version number is boring — and dependable.

ROUTING TEMPLATE

Create groups only when they serve a purpose. A useful starting point for Drum & Bass might be Drums, Bass, Music, FX and Vocals, each feeding the master. Within those groups, add subgroups only when you need shared control.
DRUM SOURCESDRUM BUSMIX BUSMASTEREXPORT
Do not build a huge template because somebody else's template looks impressive.
Every pre-routed channel, plugin and bus is another decision already made for you. Keep only what genuinely saves time.

PRACTICAL TASK

Build and save a clean starting template containing only the routing and utilities you use on almost every project. Then open a messy older session and rename, colour/group and consolidate it until the signal flow can be understood at a glance.
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