4 Cubase Time-Saving Tricks to Reuse Mix Templates and Presets
Let’s be honest—you shouldn’t be rebuilding your entire mix session every time you start a new project in Cubase. You finish a great mix, and the next week, you’re dragging in plugins, recreating FX chains, and re-routing buses from scratch. It’s a massive waste of time.
But here’s the good news: Cubase gives you four powerful ways to instantly recall everything you need—mix templates, FX chains, plugin settings, and more. Whether you’re starting a new song or refining a favorite setup, these tips will save you hours in your workflow.
#1 - Import Tracks From Project
This Cubase Pro feature lets you open any previous session, pick the exact tracks you want, and import them into your current session—including plugins, routing, automation, and even folder structures. It’s perfect when working with a master mix template or reusing parts from past projects.
#2 - Track Archives
Think of this like the reverse of importing tracks. You’re in a source session and want to save a group of tracks—drums, FX buses, instruments—as a single file. Track Archives lets you export selected tracks into an XML file that you can load into any session later. It’s portable, lightweight, and doesn’t depend on a specific session.
#3 - Save & Load Channel Settings
Want to reuse your exact FX chain or EQ setup from a previous mix? Right-click on any channel and save it as a Track Preset. You can recall it with a couple clicks and apply it to new channels instantly. Bonus tip: add “00_YourName” to the filename so it always appears at the top of the list.
#4 - Save Plugin or Insert FX Chain Presets
If you only need to save the insert effects—like your mix bus processing or vocal chain—Cubase lets you save just that section as an Effects Chain Preset. You can also save individual plugin presets inside the plugin interface itself.
Backing Up Presets (And Finding Them)
Once your presets are saved, you can manage and back them up via the MediaBay under “User Content.” Whether it’s a track preset, FX chain, or plugin setting, you can locate, rename, or copy them to an external drive for future use—even if you switch computers.
With these four methods, your best mix setups are never more than a few clicks away. Stop rebuilding from scratch—let Cubase do the heavy lifting.
➜ Want to see how it works in a real session?
I walk through every one of these features step-by-step in this video—so you can see how I use them in real-world mix workflows.