Everything you need to export guitar presets from Logic Pro by Apple. Learn exactly how patches, channel strip settings, the .patch and .cst files and the Audio Music Apps folder work, so you can export your Amp Designer and Pedalboard tones, back them up, import them, and get every preset ready to share or sell.
Before you export anything, it helps to know how Logic Pro organizes your tones. There are three levels of preset, and for guitarists they usually hold your Amp Designer, Pedalboard and EQ chain.
A patch is one complete tone for a track. It saves the whole channel strip: the plugins, their settings, routing and Smart Controls, and it can even include the buses the strip feeds. It saves as a .patch file and lives in the Library.
A channel strip setting saves all the front panel settings of every plugin in one channel strip, so a full Noise Gate, Pedalboard, Amp Designer and EQ chain. It saves as a .cst file and is what most guitar preset packs use.
A plugin setting saves just one plugin, for example your Amp Designer alone. It saves as a .pst file from the plugin preset menu, handy when you want to share one amp rather than a whole chain.
Logic's stock guitar plugins. A guitar preset is usually a channel strip built from these plus a Noise Gate and EQ.
The panel on the left where patches live. You save a patch with the Save button in its lower right corner.
Your user presets live in Music then Audio Music Apps, in folders for Patches, Channel Strip Settings and Plug-In Settings.
Exporting presets from Logic Pro takes just a few things. Get these ready first and the how to below becomes a quick job.
Logic Pro by Apple, installed and up to date. The patch format is part of Logic Pro X and later, while channel strip settings work all the way back.
A track with your guitar chain dialled in: your Noise Gate, Pedalboard, Amp Designer and EQ, saved and sounding exactly how you want it.
Open the Library from the button in the upper left of the control bar. This is where you save patches and browse your settings.
A clear folder to keep your exported .patch and .cst files, ready to store, move to another Mac, or share and sell.
Always get Logic Pro and its updates straight from Apple, through the Mac App Store, never a third party mirror. Your Amp Designer, Pedalboard and all your stock plugins come with it, so shared presets play without any extra downloads.
For guitar tones, the channel strip setting is the reliable choice, since it carries your whole Pedalboard and Amp Designer chain in one .cst file. Here is the full process, plus how to save a patch.
On a track, dial in your full chain, your Noise Gate, Pedalboard, Amp Designer and Channel EQ, until it sounds exactly right.
At the top of the channel strip, in the Mixer or Inspector, click the Setting button to open the channel strip menu.
Pick Save Channel Strip Setting as, name your preset and save. It becomes a .cst file in your Channel Strip Settings folder.
To save the whole channel strip with routing and Smart Controls, open the Library and click Save in its lower right corner. This creates a .patch in your User Patches.
Find the file in Music then Audio Music Apps, in Channel Strip Settings or Patches. That .cst or .patch is your exported preset, ready to store, share or sell.
Bought a preset pack, or restoring a backup? Importing is a matter of dropping the file into the right Audio Music Apps folder, then picking it in Logic.
If your download is a zip file, decompress it first. Inside you will find .cst channel strip settings or .patch files.
In Finder, go to Music then Audio Music Apps. You will see folders for Patches, Channel Strip Settings and Plug-In Settings.
Put a .cst into Channel Strip Settings, in the Track subfolder for a guitar tone, and a .patch into Patches. Keep the subfolders tidy so they are easy to find.
In Logic, open the Setting menu on a channel strip to pick your imported .cst, or open the Library and choose your patch under User Patches. Restart Logic if it does not appear yet.
Match the preset to Logic and its plugins. Logic presets need Logic Pro and the stock plugins the tone uses, so a good guitar preset built only on Amp Designer, Pedalboard and stock EQ will load for anyone. If a preset relies on a third party plugin you do not own, that part will not load. Note too that patches are a Logic Pro X and later feature.
Logic keeps all your user presets in one place, so backing up is simple. Always back up before you reinstall Logic or move to a new Mac.
Copy the whole Music then Audio Music Apps folder to a backup drive. It holds your Patches, Channel Strip Settings and Plug-In Settings in one place.
Save individual tones as .cst or .patch files into a project folder. Perfect for the exact presets you plan to keep, share or sell.
Transfer your files with AirDrop, iCloud Drive, a drive or email, then drop them into Audio Music Apps on the new Mac. Your presets appear in Logic right away.
The save steps above apply across Logic Pro, but each preset type and plugin has its own note. Find what you are saving below.
Saves the full channel strip with routing and Smart Controls. Save it with the Library Save button, and it lands in User Patches.
Saves every plugin in one strip, your whole Pedalboard and Amp chain. The format most guitar preset packs use.
Saves one plugin's front panel settings, like an Amp Designer amp on its own. Saved from the plugin preset pop up menu.
Logic's amp modeler. Save the amp alone as a plugin setting, or as part of a channel strip setting with your pedals and EQ.
Logic's stompbox rig. Save your pedal chain as a plugin setting, or bundle it into a channel strip setting with the amp.
Patches saved in MainStage appear in a MainStage Patches subfolder of User Patches, and load in Logic Pro too.
In Music then Audio Music Apps sit your Patches, Channel Strip Settings and Plug-In Settings folders. This is your export and backup home.
If it is a Logic tone you built from stock plugins, save it as a channel strip setting or patch and the steps above apply.
A .cst carries your whole Noise Gate, Pedalboard, Amp Designer and EQ chain, so it is the cleanest way to share a full guitar tone.
Presets made only from Logic's own plugins load for every Logic user. Avoid third party plugins if you want a preset anyone can play.
Before a reinstall or a new Mac, copy the whole Audio Music Apps folder so every preset comes back in one step.
Good names, and a note of the gain and style, help buyers and the community find your tone and know what it is for.
Quick answers about Logic Pro patches, channel strip settings and backups
A channel strip setting (.cst) saves every plugin in one strip. A patch (.patch) saves the whole channel strip including routing, buses and Smart Controls, and lives in the Library.
Three formats: .pst for a single plugin, .cst for a channel strip, and .patch for a whole track patch. Guitar preset packs usually ship as .cst or .patch files.
Click the Setting button at the top of the channel strip and choose Save Channel Strip Setting as. Then grab the .cst file from Music then Audio Music Apps then Channel Strip Settings.
In your home folder, under Music then Audio Music Apps, in the Patches, Channel Strip Settings and Plug-In Settings folders. Copy that folder to back everything up.
Drop the .cst into Audio Music Apps then Channel Strip Settings then Track, or the .patch into Audio Music Apps then Patches, then pick it from the Setting menu or the Library in Logic.
Not if it is built on Logic's stock plugins like Amp Designer and Pedalboard, which come with Logic Pro. You only need extras if the preset uses a third party plugin.
You have exported your Logic Pro guitar tones. Turn them into income on Tons of Tones, the world's first marketplace built just for guitarists.
