Hello,
The preset storage format contains some binary data. Is there any information available on how the preset data is stored in the XML file? Specifically talking about Tim Henson presets.
According to ChatGPT:
The preset storage format you’re referring to seems to be a custom data structure used by Neural DSP’s software to store the configuration settings for a given preset. It is likely a combination of XML-like tags for structured data and binary data for the actual parameter values.
The XML-like tags (
PARAM,id,value) define the structure and parameter names, while the accompanying binary data represents the parameter values, which could be floating-point numbers or other data types that the software converts into the settings you interact with in the user interface.Editing this data directly would require a detailed understanding of the schema used by Neural DSP, including how the binary data is encoded. Without documentation or a schema, making sense of the binary data would be challenging. If you are looking to modify the presets manually, it’s highly recommended to use official tools provided by Neural DSP, if available, or to reach out to their support for guidance.
Furthermore, if you plan to experiment with this data, always ensure that you back up the original preset files to prevent any potential data loss. And, proceed with caution, as manual edits could lead to unexpected results or software errors.
It’s also worth noting that this is not a standard programming language or script. Instead, it’s a format specific to Neural DSP, likely read and written by their proprietary software. Any manipulation of these files would typically be done using a general-purpose programming language that can handle both text and binary data, such as Python or C++. However, such an approach should only be taken by those who have experience with binary data formats and are aware of the risks involved.
Thank you for your reply. I was wondering whether the schema or any information about the format is available, or whether a Neural employee can offer any kind of insight.
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I wonder if any of the mods in the forum can advise on this topic: What would be NDSP’s position on people trying to reverse engineer the preset’s binary format with the help of AI?
There’s a fantastic use case for text-based presets: Positive Grid’s BIAS X has a feature to create presets using AI (e.g., “get me the lead guitar tone of artist X on album Y”)… doing the same thing with NSDP plugin presets (or even QC presets) would be awesome for exploring the vast array of components and sounds available to customers (more so for beginners!).
As it stands currently, we wouldn’t be able to permit threads with those details on this forum but it is an interesting idea.
That’s what I thought. I will say this: I can imagine some integration with AI in the future for both plugins and QC/Nano, to create presets/sounds and maybe more. We’ll see how well/bad this comment ages 
But it would still be nice for NDSP to standardize presets with some sort of text-based structured format (JSON, YAML, …)
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