Rack Preset
a.k.a. a preset / a tone
A rack preset recalls a whole saved Rack: its components, every parameter setting and the toolbar options. This is your complete tone, and it exports as an .ngrr file to share.
Everything you need to export presets from Guitar Rig by Native Instruments. Learn exactly how rack presets, component presets, .ngrr files and the User Content folder work, so you can export your tones, back them up, import them, and get every preset ready to share or sell.
Before you export anything, it helps to know how Guitar Rig organizes your tones. Everything is built around the Rack, and your saved tones become preset files you can share.
A rack preset recalls a whole saved Rack: its components, every parameter setting and the toolbar options. This is your complete tone, and it exports as an .ngrr file to share.
A component preset saves the settings of one component on its own, for example a single amp or a delay. Handy when you want to reuse one block rather than a whole rack.
Guitar Rig presets are .ngrr files, introduced in Guitar Rig 5. Once imported, a preset shows up in the User Presets area of the Browser, where you can tag and search it.
Guitar Rig runs on its own or as an AU, VST or AAX plugin in your DAW, and both share the same presets.
Your saved presets live in Documents then Native Instruments then User Content then Guitar Rig, in Rack Presets.
A preset only works if every component it uses is installed. Missing a component means the preset will not load right.
Exporting presets from Guitar Rig takes just a few things. Get these ready first and the how to below becomes a quick job.
Guitar Rig 7 Pro, or an earlier version like Guitar Rig 6, running standalone or as a plugin in your DAW. The free Guitar Rig Player also reads presets.
A Rack you have built and saved, with all its components, parameters and toolbar options set exactly how you want the tone to sound.
Make sure the amps, cabs and effects your preset uses are installed, so it plays correctly. A preset needs every component it was built with.
A clear folder on your computer to keep your exported .ngrr files, ready to store, move to another machine, or share and sell.
Always get Guitar Rig, updates and components straight from Native Instruments, through Native Access, never a third party mirror. Sign in with your account to activate the software, and back up your Rack Presets folder before a reinstall or a move to a new computer.
Guitar Rig saves your tones as rack presets, which live as .ngrr files in your User Content folder. Save your rack, then grab that file to share. Here is the full process.
Set up your full Rack with its amp, cab and effect components, then save it as a preset. It is stored as an .ngrr rack preset.
Your saved presets live in Documents then Native Instruments then User Content then Guitar Rig, in the Rack Presets folder.
Copy the .ngrr file from the Rack Presets folder into your backup folder. That single file is your exported preset, ready to store, share or sell.
Because a preset needs every component it was built with, note which amps and effects it uses, especially any from paid expansions, so the person loading it can play it correctly.
To share just one block, save a component preset instead, so the receiver can drop that single amp or effect into their own rack.
Bought a preset pack, or restoring a backup? Guitar Rig imports presets straight from the File menu, and one preset at a time. Here is how.
If your download is a zip file, decompress it first. Inside you will find one or more .ngrr rack preset files.
In Guitar Rig, open the Main menu in the Header, go to the File submenu and choose Import.
Navigate to the .ngrr file, select it and click Open. Note that you can import only one preset at a time.
The preset is imported into your Rack Presets folder and appears in the User Presets area of the Browser, where you can tag and load it.
A preset needs its components. To load a Guitar Rig preset, you must have every component it uses installed. If a component is missing, the preset will not work right. When you share or sell a preset, say which version of Guitar Rig and which components or expansions it needs. To move presets up from an older version, use the import option in Preferences under Library.
Guitar Rig keeps all your user presets in one folder, so backing up is simple. Always back up before you reinstall or move to a new computer.
Copy the whole User Content then Guitar Rig then Rack Presets folder to a backup drive. It holds every rack preset you have saved.
Copy individual .ngrr files into a project folder. Perfect for the exact tones you plan to keep, share or sell.
Install Guitar Rig on the new machine, then place your .ngrr files in the Rack Presets folder, or use Import. Your presets appear in the Browser.
The export steps above apply across Guitar Rig, but each version and preset type has its own note. Find yours below.
Save and export rack presets as .ngrr, and pull in older tones with Import Guitar Rig 6 User Presets in Preferences under Library.
User presets sit in User Content then Guitar Rig 6 then Rack Presets. Use File then Import to load presets one at a time.
The version that introduced the .ngrr format. Its user presets live in the Guitar Rig 5 then Sounds folder.
The free effect processor. It reads the same .ngrr presets, though tones using paid components need the full version or that expansion.
The full rack: every component, parameter and toolbar option. This is the preset type most sellers and packs share.
Save the settings of a single component, like one amp or delay, so it can be dropped into any rack on its own.
Guitar Rig as a plugin shares the same preset library as standalone, so a tone you export works in both.
If it is a saved Guitar Rig rack, it is an .ngrr file in your User Content, and the export steps above apply.
A preset only loads if its components are installed. Tell buyers the Guitar Rig version and any expansions, so it plays as you made it.
Rename a preset with the info button in the app, not by renaming the .ngrr in Finder, or the file and preset name will no longer match.
Before a reinstall or a new computer, copy the whole Rack Presets folder so every tone comes back in one step.
After importing, add tags in the Browser. Clear names and tags make your tones easy to find and more useful to share.
Quick answers about Guitar Rig presets, .ngrr files and backups
A rack preset recalls a whole saved Rack: all its components, every parameter and the toolbar options. It is your complete tone, saved as an .ngrr file.
Guitar Rig presets are .ngrr files, a format introduced in Guitar Rig 5. They can be exported and imported to share with other Guitar Rig users.
In Documents then Native Instruments then User Content then Guitar Rig then Rack Presets. On Guitar Rig 5 they are in the Guitar Rig 5 then Sounds folder instead.
Open the Main menu in the Header, choose File then Import, select the .ngrr file and click Open. You can import only one preset at a time, and it appears in User Presets.
A preset needs every component it uses to be installed. If it relies on an amp or effect from an expansion you do not have, that part will not load, so match the preset to your components.
Yes. Guitar Rig standalone and the AU, VST and AAX plugin versions share the same preset library, so a tone you export works in both.
You have exported your Guitar Rig tones. Turn them into income on Tons of Tones, the world's first marketplace built just for guitarists.
