A session is your whole project: tracks, clips, takes, mixer settings, buses, the master chain, markers, the loop, tempo, snapshots — everything. This chapter explains how sessions are stored and the many ways AnalogDAW protects your work.
AnalogDAW saves each project as a .analog project. This is a self-
contained package that holds:
Because the audio is copied into the project, a .analog project is
portable: you can move it to another drive, hand it to a collaborator, or
open it on a different device, and the audio comes with it.
Imported files are copied in. When you import or drag in an audio file, a copy is placed in the project's Assets folder. Your original file is never moved or changed.
You don't have to remember to save. AnalogDAW continuously autosaves:
In practice this means that closing the app, switching apps on iOS, or an unexpected crash will not lose your work.
You can still save on demand from the main menu (☰):
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save | Writes the current project to its existing location. |
| Save As… | Saves a new project under a new name/location and continues working in that new project. |
| Save a Copy… | Writes a duplicate of the project elsewhere but keeps you working in the original. Great for milestones ("v2 before mastering"). |
New Session… (⌘N) | Starts a fresh, empty project (prompts for a save location first). |
| Open Session… | Opens an existing .analog project. |
AnalogDAW autosaves continuously, so there is no dedicated Save keyboard shortcut — you rarely need to invoke Save by hand.
The first time you save a never-named session, AnalogDAW asks where to put it and what to call it.
If the app ever closes unexpectedly with unsaved changes, the next launch shows a "Restore Unsaved Changes?" prompt naming the session and the time the changes were captured. You can:
The recovery copy is kept until your next clean save, so even a second crash before saving can still be recovered.
If you open a project whose audio files can't be found (for example, the project was copied without its Assets, or files were deleted), AnalogDAW shows a Missing Audio Files prompt listing what's missing. You can:
A snapshot is a saved photograph of your mix and arrangement settings (no audio). Use snapshots to A/B different mixes, store a "safe" version before a big change, or compare alternate balances.
A snapshot captures all track strips and their order, every bus, aux return, cue bus, the master, VCA groups, edit groups, tempo, time signature, the loop, and markers.
To use snapshots (main menu ☰ ▸ Snapshots):
Snapshots live inside the session, so they travel with it.
A template is a saved session configuration with no audio content — your tracks, channel strips, buses, master chain, tempo, and quality settings, but with all clips cleared. Templates are perfect for a repeatable starting point, like a "Band Tracking" or "Podcast" setup.
To use templates (main menu ☰ ▸ Templates):
Templates are stored in the app's Templates area and are available across all your sessions.
Open ☰ ▸ Session Settings… to set the recording quality for this project:
| Setting | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Rate | 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz | Higher rates capture more detail and use more disk/CPU. 44.1 kHz suits music; 48 kHz is common for video. |
| Bit Depth | 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit float | 24-bit is the recommended default. 32-bit float gives the most headroom. 16-bit is smallest. |
Bit depth applies to new recordings and exports — existing audio files keep the quality they were recorded at. FLAC export is always capped at 24-bit.
The sample rate is authoritative: AnalogDAW sets your audio interface to the rate you choose here, the way a pro console expects the session to drive the hardware. Change it and the engine retunes the interface to match.
If the selected interface can't run the chosen rate (for example, a 96 kHz project on an interface that only does 44.1/48 kHz), AnalogDAW warns you and offers a one-click switch to the nearest supported rate. Playback keeps working in the meantime (older clips are resampled to fit), but recording is disabled until the project and interface rates match — so you can never capture a take at the wrong rate without realizing it. The same check runs if you plug in or switch to an interface that doesn't support the project's rate.
Bit depth and sample rate are project settings (what to record/export at). The playback buffer and hardware device are set separately in Audio Settings.
Next: The Interface →