Create, save and recover sessions

A session brings together the work you build up in Medussa. The .mdss file keeps the project and its settings so you can pick them up later. An exported MIDI file or video doesn't replace the session.

Create and save

1. Choose File > New Session or press Cmd+N.
2. Import a MIDI file, start recording or create an empty project in the editor.
3. Press Cmd+S.
4. Type a name and choose a folder.
5. Save regularly with Cmd+S as you work.

To keep a variation without replacing the earlier file, use File > Save Session As… (Cmd+Shift+S) and choose another name.

Open and close

1. Choose File > Open Session… or press Cmd+O.
2. Select the .mdss file.
3. Wait for the associated instruments and media to load.
4. Play a passage to check that everything is available.

You can also use File > Open Recent. Close Session (Cmd+W) closes the current work. Close MIDI File (Cmd+Shift+W) acts on the loaded MIDI: it isn't the same operation.

Open a sample session

Medussa includes two pieces ready to explore: Bach — Präludium in C-Dur, BWV 846 and Clementi — Sonatina in C, Op. 36 No. 3, with split hands and training plans already set up.

1. Choose File > Sample Sessions.
2. Choose the piece.
3. Play it, or go into Practice to use its plans.
4. If you want to keep your changes, press Cmd+S and choose a name and folder.

Samples open with no associated file, so the first Cmd+S works like Save As… and creates your own copy. The original files ship inside the app and are never modified.

Choose what happens when Medussa opens

1. Open Settings > Global > On Startup.
2. Under When Medussa opens, choose between starting blank, opening a new session that keeps your settings, or reopening the last session with its media.
3. Close Settings and restart Medussa to check it.

Media (backgrounds and audio) loads when a project opens, never while the app is starting up.

What to keep when you move your work

The session keeps visual settings, editor content, instrument selections and plugin states, plus the practice data saved with it. Images, videos and reference audio may depend on linked files.

1. First save the session in its own folder.
2. In Settings > Global, check the policy for linked files.
3. If you want to gather the media with the project, choose the option to copy into the Media folder next to the session before adding that media.
4. When you move your work, keep the .mdss file and its media folder together.
5. Open the copy at the destination and check the backgrounds, audio and instruments.

Any plugins you used must be available and compatible on the other computer. Saving their state doesn't install the plugin. If the media was already linked before you changed the policy, check where it lives: don't assume the change copied it retroactively.

Recover an automatic copy

1. Open File > Recover Automatic Copy….
2. Check the dates and select the copy that matches the work you're looking for.
3. Open it and check its contents.
4. If you want to keep it, save it as a session; use a different name to compare it with the earlier one.

Recovering doesn't overwrite the original project on its own. In Settings > Global you can turn on backups and choose the interval and how many are kept. These copies are separate from saving manually with Cmd+S.

Reuse a setup

1. Set up the look and settings you want to reuse.
2. Choose File > Export Settings… and save the .mdss-settings file.
3. In another session, choose File > Import Settings… and select that file.
4. Check the result and save the session.

A settings file is for sharing a setup; it doesn't include a MIDI performance and doesn't replace your plans or practice history.

Continue with Play MIDI or see the file formats.