Cubase Backup Project Hack: Turn Any Mix Into a Template in Minutes
Stop Rebuilding Your Mixes From Scratch
Every mixer knows the pain: you’ve just finished a great mix, and the next project starts… only for you to rebuild your entire setup from scratch. Your vocal chain, your drum bus, your FX routing—all gone. Time wasted.
The Overlooked Cubase Feature That Solves This
The Backup Project feature in Cubase isn’t just for archiving—it’s a secret weapon for creating reusable templates from any finished mix in minutes.
Here’s How to Do It
- Open your finished mix session.
- Save As a new name so you keep the original safe.
- Delete all audio events in the session.
- Go to File → Backup Project, choose a new folder, and name it.
- Check Remove Unused Media Files—this cleans out all leftover audio from your pool.
- Delete unnecessary tracks and automation.
- Go to File → Save As Template to make it available every time you start a new session.
Why This Works
You instantly keep all your routing, plugin chains, and settings—but without any old audio clutter. This means faster load times, cleaner sessions, and zero rebuilding.
Bonus Tips
- Create different templates for different genres—rock, pop, acoustic, hip-hop, etc.
- Use Backup Project on old sessions to reduce file size for archiving.
- Merge templates with client sessions using Import Tracks from Project.
Want to see exactly how this works?
I walk you through the full process in this video, step-by-step, so you can watch me create a Cubase template in real time.