# Save the settings. Keep the original media. Canonical: https://phasevoid.com/journal/save-vj-show-local-media/ Published: 2026-11-04. Updated: 2026-11-04. By [Balance IT](https://balanceit.pl). Category: Show preparation. A saved setup and a packaged media archive are different things. Make that distinction before leaving the preparation computer or handing a show to another operator. ![Event horizon visual reference from PHASE VOID Studio](https://phasevoid.com/scenes/event-horizon.webp) Event horizon · a procedural reference. The image is not a backup of a private session or its local media. ## Treat the show as settings plus original files. PHASE//VOID session JSON stores settings and video references. It does not bundle the original audio, artwork or video bytes. A useful handover therefore has two parts: the actual saved JSON and the original media needed by its composition. Keeping only a screenshot, world name or browser tab leaves the next operator with an incomplete recovery path. This is also why a file name in a review is not proof that the browser can read the file. The [MDN File API guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/File_API/Using_files_from_web_applications) describes access to user-selected local files. In our current workflow, reopening a session requires deliberately reattaching the relevant originals. A settings file does not grant general filesystem access. ## Review before requesting the settings download. Use Studio menu → Save session. It opens a review of a frozen settings snapshot and the original-file list. Opening or closing that review changes no show and downloads nothing. Only Download settings JSON requests the settings file. The review is a chance to notice the wrong setup before carrying it to the venue. After the request, confirm that the JSON actually exists where you intended to keep it. A browser download request is not evidence that a file was saved successfully. Keep the matching media deliberately and label your own versions clearly. Avoid replacing the only known working copy until the replacement has been reopened and reviewed. The [session recovery guide](https://phasevoid.com/guides/troubleshooting/#session) remains the operational reference. ## Inspect the incoming session before Apply. Import session reads a chosen JSON into a review. Check its normalized world, frame, cue and mapping counts, MIDI bindings, title and video references. Close, Escape or choosing a different file lets you correct a mistake before replacing settings. Do this during preparation, not as an experiment in the middle of an active performance. Apply session settings replaces the reviewed settings and stops sequence/MIDI operation. Current audio and artwork are separate; imported video references need their original files attached. Finish recording, rendering, loading, Room connections or a performance before applying. An import is a settings operation, not a command to reconnect devices or resume a running show. ## Use the recovery receipt to find the next job. After Apply, Continue this session shows the actual attached/total video count and missing filenames. Review video files opens the existing Video library. Review sound, Review show and Check output lead to their existing controls without starting playback or asking for a device. These are useful next steps rather than an assertion that everything is ready. Reattach the required originals and inspect the matches. Names, dimensions, durations and cue references help review the intended material; they are not a cryptographic identity check. Reopen Review / Undo last import to refresh the attachment status. Prepare the show and inspect the resulting picture before taking it live. A zero missing-file count alone does not establish the right composition or sound route. ## Plan a move to another computer. For example, a show may use one MP3, two video originals and an artwork image. Keep the JSON and those originals deliberately available to the receiving operator. Use your own clear folder and version label;PHASE//VOID does not create a packaged folder archive. A reference in JSON is still separate from the file bytes. On the destination, review and apply settings, then inspect the missing-video list and attach the originals. Review audio and artwork separately. An unrelated file with a similar name can look plausible in a list, so inspect the resulting cues and picture. Save any revised settings deliberately after acceptance. A successful import means settings were accepted;it is not commissioning of the entire transported show. ## Use Undo as a short recovery window, not the backup. Undo session import temporarily retains preceding settings and owned local video files in this tab, with clips restored paused. Newer settings or video attachments are protected. Another full-session load, Discard Undo or reloading ends that one-step history. It is useful for a mistaken import but cannot replace a portable saved copy. The JSON can contain private titles, timed words, map geometry and Room settings. Share it deliberately and keep installation details out of public posts. The public [Privacy page](https://phasevoid.com/privacy/) explains local handling. Continue with the [live-show rehearsal plan](https://phasevoid.com/journal/live-visual-show-rehearsal/) to test reopening and the operator fallback before relying on the setup. ## Try the idea [Review the existing media-recovery task](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?help=recover-media). Opening this task starts no audio, selects no file and grants no input permissions. Review the controls before changing the show. ## Related articles - [A cue recalls a picture. Plan the music separately.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/vj-cues-vs-playlists/) - [Rehearse the recovery as well as the drop.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/live-visual-show-rehearsal/) - [A room scan finds surfaces. Alignment places the picture.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/room-scan-vs-projector-calibration/) - [Choose the window. Keep the rest of the picture intentional.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/projection-mapping-windows-and-walls/) - [Save the room reference, the mapped picture, and the show deliberately.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/save-room-scan-map-session/) - [A picture on the wall. A different job from lighting the room.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/projector-visuals-vs-event-lighting/) - [Hand over a room someone else can actually operate.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/visual-room-handover/) - [Choose the sound your video actually contains.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/music-visualizer-video-soundtrack/) - [Choose a video file your destination can use.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/mp4-vs-webm-music-visualizer/) - [Sound-reactive is not the same as beat-synced.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/audio-reactive-vs-beat-sync/) - [Many surfaces. One projector picture.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/one-projector-many-visuals/) - [The preview is not the finished film.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/preview-vs-rendered-video/) [Journal](https://phasevoid.com/journal/) · [Operational guides](https://phasevoid.com/guides/) ## Continue your reading path ### Prepare a recoverable show Understand captured acts, keep the settings and original media, then rehearse the complete setup and its recovery. 1. [A cue recalls a picture. Plan the music separately.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/vj-cues-vs-playlists/). Know what an act recalls and what stays with Sound. 2. [Save the settings. Keep the original media.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/save-vj-show-local-media/) — this article. Keep a portable settings copy and the original media. 3. [Rehearse the recovery as well as the drop.](https://phasevoid.com/journal/live-visual-show-rehearsal/). Rehearse input, cues, output and the recovery move. Review Show sequence, prepare the actual composition and rehearse it with the intended sound and output. Keep settings JSON and required originals; use the media-recovery task when reopening. [Working guide](https://phasevoid.com/guides/live-visuals/#sequence) · [Studio workspace](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?help=show-sequence) · [This reading path](https://phasevoid.com/journal/#prepare-show)