Presets
Plugins you build with SynthEdit include a built-in preset browser. Presets are stored as ordinary files on disk in the standard operating-system locations, which means they can be shared between the VST3 and Audio Unit versions of your plugin, and — for most DAWs — discovered by the host as well.
Most DAWs already provide comprehensive preset management of their own, so the plugin’s built-in browser is purely optional. If your DAW’s preset system does what you need, using its browser gives the most seamless integration — the plugin’s own browser is there for preset management that travels with the plugin from one host to another.
This page explains exactly where presets live, how the browser finds them on macOS and Windows, and the limits of preset syncing with your DAW.
Where presets are stored
Section titled “Where presets are stored”The browser looks in two places: a per-user folder (presets you save) and an all-users / shared folder (presets installed for everyone on the machine, e.g. by an installer). Both use the Vendor and Plugin names from your exported plugin.
The VST3 and Audio Unit versions use the same location, so a preset saved by one is seen by the other.
| Scope | Folder |
|---|---|
| Per-user | ~/Library/Audio/Presets/<Vendor>/<Plugin>/ |
| All users (shared) | /Library/Audio/Presets/<Vendor>/<Plugin>/ |
Windows
Section titled “Windows”Audio Unit is a macOS-only format, so on Windows this applies to the VST3 plugin.
| Scope | Folder |
|---|---|
| Per-user | Documents\VST3 Presets\<Vendor>\<Plugin>\ |
| All users (shared) | C:\Users\Public\Documents\VST3 Presets\<Vendor>\<Plugin>\ |
These are the standard preset locations defined by the VST3 and Audio Unit specifications, so other plugins and hosts use them too.
What the browser scans
Section titled “What the browser scans”When the plugin builds its preset list, it:
- Scans both folders — the per-user folder and the all-users shared folder.
- Searches sub-folders — folders inside those locations are scanned recursively. Use them as categories to organize large preset libraries (see Organizing presets).
- Reads every SynthEdit preset format, regardless of which plugin format is running:
.xmlpreset— SynthEdit’s own portable format (what the Save Preset command writes).vstpreset— the VST3 format.aupreset— the Audio Unit format
- Merges duplicates — the same preset can exist in more than one format or in both folders. The browser collapses these into a single entry so you never see a name twice. When the same preset appears in more than one place, the per-user copy wins over the shared copy, and the plugin’s own native format wins over the others.
Sharing presets between VST3 and Audio Unit
Section titled “Sharing presets between VST3 and Audio Unit”Each version saves presets in its own format — the VST3 plugin writes .vstpreset files, the Audio Unit plugin writes .aupreset files — but both versions can read the other’s format. Combined with the shared folder location, that means presets are shared automatically: a preset you save while using the VST3 plugin in one DAW is read directly by the Audio Unit plugin in another, and vice-versa. No duplicate files are created — the browser simply understands every format.
Factory presets
Section titled “Factory presets”A factory preset bank is the set of presets you ship with your plugin. SynthEdit keeps factory presets in the standard preset folders — the same places the browser scans and the DAW reads — rather than inside the plugin bundle. That way the DAW lists them in its own preset menu just like any other preset.
During development. When you export your plugin (File > Save As VST), SynthEdit writes your project’s presets into your per-user preset folder, so you can audition them in your DAW straight away. It uses the per-user folder because the system folder normally can’t be written without administrator rights.
Shipping to end users. Have your installer copy the preset files into the system (all-users) preset folder, in the format(s) each host reads:
| Platform | Install factory presets to |
|---|---|
| macOS | /Library/Audio/Presets/<Vendor>/<Plugin>/ — both .aupreset (for Logic and other AU hosts) and .vstpreset (for VST3 hosts) |
| Windows | C:\Users\Public\Documents\VST3 Presets\<Vendor>\<Plugin>\ — .vstpreset |
Because the system folder requires administrator rights to change, factory presets installed there are effectively read-only for the user: they can load and audition them, but choosing Save writes a copy into the user’s own per-user folder, leaving the factory bank untouched. Both the plugin’s browser (which scans the system folder) and the DAW’s own preset menu will list them.
Working with your DAW
Section titled “Working with your DAW”Most DAWs have their own preset menu, separate from the plugin’s built-in browser. How well the two stay in sync depends on the DAW:
Saving from the DAW shows up in the plugin browser. The plugin watches its preset folder. When your DAW saves a preset to the standard location above, the plugin notices the new file on disk and adds it to its own browser automatically — no rescan needed.
The plugin browser does not update the DAW’s preset name. If you save, rename, or modify a preset using the plugin’s own browser, the DAW’s separate preset display will not change to match. The two preset systems are independent, and the plugin cannot push a name back into the host’s preset menu. This is a limitation of the plugin formats themselves, not of SynthEdit.
Some DAWs don’t use the standard locations. A few hosts — Ableton Live is the notable example — store presets inside their own library or project instead of the standard OS preset folders. Presets saved that way are invisible to the plugin’s browser, because the browser only scans the standard locations listed above. You can still recall those presets through the DAW’s own menu; they just won’t appear in the plugin’s list.
Ignore Program Change
Section titled “Ignore Program Change”Many of SynthEdit’s controls — sliders, list boxes, text entry, and containers — offer an Ignore Program Change property. When you enable it on a control, that control keeps its current value when the user switches presets, instead of being overwritten by the loaded preset. Use it for settings that should persist across presets: a master output level, global tuning, or a “mix”/“amount” control the performer sets by ear.
This applies only to preset changes made inside the plugin — loading a preset from the browser, or a MIDI Program Change. It deliberately does not apply when the DAW restores the plugin’s state, such as reopening a saved project or stepping through undo/redo. In those cases every control is restored exactly as it was stored, so your sessions reload faithfully and the DAW’s undo/redo behaves as expected.
Organizing presets into categories
Section titled “Organizing presets into categories”Sub-folders inside a preset folder act as categories. For example, a preset saved at:
~/Library/Audio/Presets/Acme/SuperSynth/Bass/Deep House.vstpresetappears under the Bass category in the browser. This is the recommended way to keep a large library tidy — see the related FAQ entry.