ARIA & AI setup

Free on your PC. Smarter with your key.

Most of ARIA runs on your own computer, with no account and no internet. Your own OpenAI key unlocks her brain. Here's exactly where the line is, what it costs, and how the five-minute setup goes.

Where the line is

What's free, and what the key adds.

ARIA reads every command on your own PC first. About 9 in 10 of her command phrasings are handled right there, instantly and for free. Only what needs real thinking goes to OpenAI, on your own key.

No key needed

Out of the box

  • The whole studio: recording, editing, mixing and export, every panel and every built-in effect.
  • Typed commands: about 9 in 10 of ARIA's command phrasings, across 100 kinds of action.
  • Spoken commands in English: say "hey" and a known command, like hey, mute channel three or hey, let's jam.
  • FAST JAM, UNMIX, harmony voices, the tuner and GHOST, all processed on your PC.
  • Everyday editing and mixing by command: levels, pans, mute and solo, built-in effects, clip gain, quantize, markers, save, export and templates.
  • The cost meter: how much did you cost me today? is answered on your PC, for free. Watch
With your OpenAI key

ARIA's brain

  • The automatic mix and the static mix: mix it, and her judgement on the result, like the vocal is a bit low.
  • Answers to any question about recording, sound and the software, like how do I record?, with exact steps from the manual.
  • Diagnosing problems: the silence and latency doctors and the pre-flight sound check. Watch
  • A plan for a goal, like make the vocal sit in the mix.
  • Your own words, in your own language: spoken questions and free wording, beyond the known English commands.
  • Answers read aloud, in ARIA's voice.

Works offline, too

Pull the network cable and Session Bud keeps recording, editing and mixing, and ARIA keeps taking the everyday commands, typed or spoken in English: hey, mute channel three, hey, loop bar four to ten, hey, open the tuner, and the session chores too: hey, save, hey, new session, hey, open the session demo, hey, go to the hub, hey, close the chat, hey, cinema, hey, import midi. The short, fixed commands you say a hundred times a day never cost a cent; the key is spent only on the moments that need real thinking.

What it costs

Cents, not a subscription.

Session Bud is a one-time purchase. The key is billed by OpenAI to your own account, only for what you use, with no markup from us.

What talking to ARIA actually costs

turn the lead vocal downa fraction of a cent
how do I record?, answered out loud~1¢
make me a mix, the whole thinga few dozen cents

You never have to guess, either. Ask "how much did you cost me today?" and ARIA answers from an exact, to-the-token meter on your own machine, for free. Watch

OpenAI's pay-as-you-go rates for the efficient models ARIA uses, billed by OpenAI to your own account. No subscription, no markup, and we never see your key. Load $5 of credit and it will carry you for weeks. Rates as of August 2026; OpenAI sets and may change its own prices.

Setup, about 5 minutes

Connecting ARIA to your key.

Every purchase comes with an installation guide that walks through each click with screenshots. In short:

  1. Sign in at platform.openai.com. An existing ChatGPT account works too.
  2. Create an API key and copy it. OpenAI shows it only once; if you miss it, just make a new one.
  3. Load credit. The $5 minimum is enough to start. Leave auto-reload off, so you're never charged without your say-so.
  4. Paste it into Session Bud. Open Settings › ARIA in the menu bar, paste the key and press Save & Test. Session Bud stores it in Windows Credential Manager, never in a file, and tells you straight away whether it works.

"Connected ✓" means ARIA is ready, with no restart; the same screen removes the key whenever you want. Before you buy, check one thing: the OpenAI API isn't available in every country, so make sure it works in yours.

Straight answers

About ARIA and the key.

Do I need an OpenAI account?

Not to use Session Bud: the studio and ARIA's everyday commands work without one. For her brain, yes: the automatic mix and the static mix, diagnosing problems, answers to questions, and free wording in your own language run on your own OpenAI API key.

It's pay-as-you-go, billed by OpenAI directly, and the numbers are small: a voice command costs a fraction of a cent, a spoken answer about a cent, a complete automatic mix a few dozen cents. A $5 top-up carries most people for weeks.

What does ARIA send to OpenAI?

Only what the command reader on your PC couldn't handle, and only when you have a key: the message you typed, a short clip of a spoken command when the offline recognizer wasn't sure, and the session facts ARIA needs to act, like channel names, levels and the playhead position.

Your audio tracks and project files are never uploaded. See the privacy policy.

Can I talk to ARIA in my language?

With your key, yes. Speak naturally and ARIA answers in clear English. All technical terms stay in English, so instructions always match what's on screen.

Without a key, she takes typed commands and the known spoken commands in English.

How do I keep track of what I'm spending?

Ask ARIA "how much did you cost me today?". She answers from an exact, to-the-token meter on your own machine, and the question itself costs nothing. You can also ask about the month. Watch

What if OpenAI changes or restricts its service?

The studio keeps working: it runs entirely on your machine. ARIA's brain runs on OpenAI's API with your own key, so if OpenAI ever changed or restricted access, those features would be affected. Her everyday commands, typed and spoken in English, run on your PC and would carry on.

Ready when you are

Get Session Bud.

$79 once at the founder price (the first 500 licences, then $129), with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Or start with the free 14-day trial: everything open, no card.

Try it free for 14 days See the price, $79

Free from the Microsoft Store · Windows 10/11 64-bit