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Profiles
Profiles let you switch the desktop rack between complete working layouts. A profile records which modules are present, how the rack is arranged, and how each analyzer is configured.
Use separate profiles for jobs such as mixing, streaming, mastering checks, vertical overlays, or a minimal always-on-top meter.
A Prism desktop profile saves:
- module visibility and order;
- relative docked widths;
- all module-specific settings, including Waterfall and host-timeline preferences;
- the Linked Analysis preference;
- Spectrum reference curves, their track name, trim, and comparison view;
- which modules are detached into separate windows.
Prism also keeps local metadata for the main and detached window positions and sizes. This local geometry is associated with the profile but is deliberately omitted from exported .prsm files, preventing another computer's monitor coordinates from placing imported windows off-screen.
The following are application or machine choices rather than shareable profile content:
- active audio source, its device or Bridge identifier, and per-source channel routing;
- input trim, rolling-capture duration, and WAV export format;
- theme selection;
- render frame target;
- Solid, Blurred, or Clear window background;
- Windows screen-space reservation and the dock's local monitor, edge, and size;
- close-to-tray, login, and tray behavior;
- Now Playing provider credentials and priority.
This separation lets you change analyzer layouts without unexpectedly changing capture hardware, credentials, or operating-system behavior.
Select the active profile from the profile control in Prism's toolbar or from the tray menu. Prism restores that profile's rack, analyzer settings, and detached modules.
Edits produce an unsaved-change dot next to the active profile. If a profile transition would discard edits, Prism asks you to choose:
- Save — update the active profile, then continue;
- Discard — switch without saving the edits;
- Cancel — remain on the current edited layout.
This protection also applies to other profile operations that would replace the working layout.
Open the profile menu and use:
- Save as New Profile to copy the current working rack into a new named profile;
- Save to "profile name" to update the active profile;
- Rename "profile name"... to rename the active user profile;
- Delete "profile name" to remove the active user profile.
The built-in Default profile cannot be renamed or deleted. Use Save as New Profile when you want a permanent variation of it.
Profile dialogs follow the current theme. In a name prompt, the text field is focused and selected so you can type a replacement immediately. A blank name cannot be submitted. Press Enter to accept the prompt or Escape to cancel; use Tab to focus a specific button in a confirmation before activating it. Longer dialog text can scroll while the action buttons remain available.
Deleting a user profile removes its managed .prsm file and local window metadata after a This cannot be undone confirmation. If it was active, the current rack remains on-screen as a working setup with no active profile; save it as a new profile before loading something else if you still need it. Themes, captured WAV files, and audio-device preferences are not deleted.
Prism profile files use the .prsm extension. Choose Import .prsm... from the profile menu and select a file. Prism validates it, adds a managed copy to the profiles folder, and makes it active. If the imported file's internal profile ID matches an existing profile, Prism updates that managed profile rather than creating a duplicate, so keep a backup before reimporting a modified copy.
To find files for backup or sharing, choose Show Profiles Folder. The default folder is:
Documents/Prism Profiles
An exported/current .prsm file contains the shareable layout and scope configuration, including detached state, but not machine-specific coordinates or secrets.
Current Prism profiles use format version 7. Supported older formats remain importable: older profiles without Linked Analysis start with it Off, and Waterfall is kept hidden when it was absent from the saved layout. A newer profile may not open in an older Prism release. If an invalid or unsupported file cannot be imported, keep the original file and try opening it with the Prism release that created it before recreating or exporting the layout.
A saved Spectrum reference includes analyzed curves rather than the original audio. The comparison can be recalled without that file, but the profile cannot play or reconstruct the recording. Inspect its track name before sharing a profile if filenames are sensitive.
When switching profiles, Prism may open, close, resize, or redock modules to match the chosen layout. Each profile retains its own local bounds where the operating system allows it.
On native Wayland, applications cannot reliably request exact screen coordinates. Prism therefore restores the detached state but lets the compositor place the windows.
The Terminal UI has its own terminal-oriented layouts and settings under a tui-profiles data area. Desktop .prsm profiles do not load into the TUI, and TUI profiles do not control desktop windows.
See Terminal UI for its profile and command-line controls.
Back up Documents/Prism Profiles if your layouts are important. A profile can contain reference curves and a track name, but does not contain playable reference audio, rolling-capture WAV files, provider tokens, or themes; back those up separately as needed.