Where Does Mixbus Store Sessions and Settings?
Mixbus session data, preferences and license files on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how the Ardour roots show through.
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Mixbus follows each OS installer conventions, then keeps user data in the familiar Ardour family roots with Mixbus in the name. Sessions are self contained folders, portable across platforms. Licensing is a file hunt: home folder first, then OS specific harrisonconsoles support paths.
Version numbers ride along in folder names, so Mixbus 9 and 10 keep separate trees. Copying prefs across major versions sometimes works and sometimes produces odd mixer behavior; sessions themselves are the safe part to carry.
Where Mixbus stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mixbus
Config tree carries the major version in its name. License alternatives include C:\ProgramData\harrisonconsoles or the home folder root. MIDI maps for controllers install under the program's share folder, not here.
~/Library/Preferences/Mixbus
Preferences root with the version in the name. License fallback is ~/Library/Application Support/harrisonconsoles. The app bundle itself drag installs from the DMG into Applications.
~/.config/Mixbus
Follows XDG with a versioned folder name. License fallback is ~/.config/harrisonconsoles or the home root. The Linux build ships as a zip with an install script rather than a package.
Frequently asked questions
Mixbus says UNLICENSED after install, where does the license go?
Move the license into your home folder (or the harrisonconsoles support path for your OS) and restart. The manual lists several searched locations; first found wins, so duplicates cause confusion.
Can I move Mixbus sessions between Windows and Linux?
Yes. Sessions are folders with audio inside, portable across all three OSes. Preferences and keybindings travel by copying the config tree, watching the version number in the folder name.
Is Mixbus config compatible with Ardour?
It shares Ardour's engine and conventions, including config roots and MIDI map folders. Skills transfer directly, but sessions and preferences are not interchangeable between the two apps.
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