How to Install Serum Presets (Serum 1 & Serum 2): Step-by-Step Guide + Fixes for Missing Presets
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To install Serum presets, unzip the download, open Serum, click the menu and choose the option that shows the presets folder, drop your .fxp files into the User folder, then choose Rescan folders on disk. Your presets appear in the browser under User. Got a .SerumPack file instead? Drag it onto Serum 2, or use Menu > Import Preset Pack.
Checked against Xfer Records’ support and manual pages on 20 September 2026.
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My download has .fxp files
Copy them into Serum’s Presets > User folder and rescan. This works in Serum 1 and Serum 2.
Jump to the stepsMy download is a .SerumPack file
Drag it onto the Serum 2 window, or use Menu > Import Preset Pack. This format only works in Serum 2.
See the .SerumPack stepsI have Serum 2 and old Serum 1 presets
You are in luck. Xfer says Serum 1 presets are fully compatible with Serum 2 and show up in its preset browser automatically.
See the compatibility tableI installed presets but cannot see them
Most of the time you need to rescan, unzip the files, or you copied them into the wrong folder. There are seven quick fixes below.
Fix missing presetsI want a first pack to practice on
Try a Balkan pack: 51 Serum presets with accordion, flutes, kanun and oriental leads for $9.95. Full disclosure: we make it.
See the Balkan Style packHow to install .fxp Serum presets (Serum 1 and Serum 2)
An .fxp file is the classic Serum preset format. The steps are the same in every DAW that can host Serum.
Serum cannot read presets from inside a zip file. Extract the folder first, and keep it somewhere easy to find.
Load Serum on an instrument or MIDI track, the way you normally would.
Click the menu in Serum and choose the option that shows the presets folder. The wording changes a little between Serum 1 and Serum 2, and it opens the exact folder on your computer, so you never have to guess a path.
Open the Presets folder, then User. Drag the whole unzipped pack folder in. Keeping the pack in its own folder keeps your browser tidy.
Back in Serum, click the menu and choose Rescan folders on disk. If you do not see it, close and reopen Serum.
Open the preset browser and look under User. Click a preset and play.
Serum 1 uses the same layout under a folder called Serum Presets. The exact location can differ, so use the menu option in step 3 to open the real one.
Tip: want to hear one preset without installing it? Drag a single .fxp file onto the Serum window and it loads straight away. It will not be saved in your browser until you put it in the User folder.
How to install a .SerumPack file (Serum 2 only)
Serum 2 has a newer format for sharing presets, the .SerumPack. It bundles a whole pack into one file, so there is no folder to hunt for. It only works in Serum 2.
Unzip the download if it came in a zip. Then drag the .SerumPack file onto the Serum 2 window.
In Serum 2, click Menu, choose Import Preset Pack, and pick your .SerumPack file.
Installed packs appear in the preset browser under Packs.
Not sure which one you have? Look at the file extension. If it ends in .fxp, follow the folder steps above. If it ends in .SerumPack, use this section.
Where are Serum presets stored?
Default locations. Trust the in-plugin menu if yours look different.
| Version | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Serum 1 presets | Documents\Xfer\Serum Presets\Presets\User |
~/Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/Serum Presets/Presets/User |
| Serum 2 presets | Documents\Xfer\Serum 2 Presets\Presets\User |
~/Library/Audio/Presets/Xfer Records/Serum 2 Presets/Presets/User |
| Wavetables | Same parent folder, in Tables > User | Same parent folder, in Tables > User |
| Noises | Same parent folder, in Noises > User | Same parent folder, in Noises > User |
The fastest way to check is inside Serum: click the menu and use the option that shows the presets folder. If your files are in a different place, Serum will not see them.
Serum 1 vs Serum 2: which presets work where?
This is the question behind most “why won’t it load” searches.
| Preset type | Works in Serum 1? | Works in Serum 2? |
|---|---|---|
| Serum 1 presets (.fxp) | Yes | Yes, shown in the browser automatically |
| Serum 2 presets | No | Yes |
| .SerumPack files | No | Yes |
Xfer also says you can keep both versions installed. If you move fully to Serum 2, you can move your old presets into the Serum 2 presets folder. Serum 1 wavetables and noise files are included in Serum 2 too.
Serum presets not showing up? 7 quick fixes
Click the menu and choose Rescan folders on disk. If that does not help, close the plugin and load a fresh Serum instance so it reads the folder again.
Presets inside a zip file are invisible to Serum. Extract them, then copy.
Open the folder from Serum’s own menu and compare. A common mix-up is putting files in Documents when OneDrive keeps your real Documents folder somewhere else.
Open the folder you copied. The .fxp files should be inside it, not buried under an extra folder of the same name.
A .SerumPack or a Serum 2 preset will not open in Serum 1. Serum 1 presets are fine in Serum 2.
Some packs include their own wavetables or noise files. Put wavetables in Tables > User and noises in Noises > User, then rescan.
Xfer staff have pointed to antivirus software blocking files from being created in Documents. If your Serum folders look empty, check your security settings.
How to keep your Serum presets organized
Keep every pack in its own folder inside User. You can always see where a sound came from, and removing a pack is one delete.
Folders such as Leads, Flutes and Basses are quicker to browse than a long list of pack names.
When you change a sound and save it, it goes into the User folder too. Give your edits clear names.
Copy it to a drive or cloud folder now and then. It is just files, so a backup takes seconds.
Try it on real Balkan sounds: the Balkan Style Serum Pack
Once you know where presets go, the fastest way to learn is to install a pack and play with it. Balkan and oriental sounds are a good test, because they reward the details Serum is good at: slides, leads that sing, and plucked and reed tones.
Balkan Style – Serum Pack
51 Serum presets built to capture Balkan and oriental instruments, from accordion and flutes to kanun and oriental leads, plus bonus presets. It is a digital download for $9.95 (regularly $29.95).
- ✓51 presets across flutes, leads, plucks, keys and pads.
- ✓Accordion, kanun, tambura and ney sounds in one pack, ready to play.
- ✓Low-risk first pack: $9.95, so you can practice installing and learn from real presets.
5 tips to play Balkan and oriental Serum presets well
Leads and flutes are sung lines. Serum has Mono, Legato and portamento (glide) controls, so a solo line can glide from note to note the way a real player would.
Try the Phrygian dominant scale, also known as Hijaz. It gives you that classic minor-second-then-big-step sound. Our guide to Arabic scales explains it.
Quick grace notes and small trills just before the main note are what make a line sound played rather than programmed.
A range of 2 semitones is a good start for expressive bends. Widen it if you want bigger slides.
Serum can load .tun tuning files (in Serum 1, from the Global tab), which opens the door to quarter tones. Check the Serum 2 manual for its tuning options.
Want quarter tones and glide without any setup? Balkan Plugin, our standalone instrument, has built-in microtuning and a velocity-reactive glide. It runs as a VST, VST3 or AU plugin and does not need Serum.
Serum presets FAQ
Where do I put Serum presets?
Put them in the Presets > User folder inside Serum’s presets folder, then choose Rescan folders on disk. The easiest way to open the right folder is Serum’s menu option that shows the presets folder.
How do I install .SerumPack files?
Drag the file onto the Serum 2 window, or click Menu > Import Preset Pack and choose the file. The .SerumPack format only works in Serum 2.
Do Serum 1 presets work in Serum 2?
Yes. Xfer says Serum 1 presets are fully compatible with Serum 2 and show up in its preset browser automatically. The reverse is not true: Serum 2 presets cannot be loaded in Serum 1.
Why are my Serum presets not showing up?
Usually you need to rescan (Menu > Rescan folders on disk), unzip the files first, or copy them into the right folder. Also check that the pack matches your Serum version.
What is the difference between .fxp and .SerumPack?
An .fxp file is a single classic Serum preset that works in Serum 1 and Serum 2. A .SerumPack is a Serum 2 archive that bundles a whole pack into one file you can import in one step.
Can I use Serum presets in FL Studio, Ableton or Logic?
Yes. Presets are loaded inside Serum, so they work in any DAW that can host the Serum plugin. Install them once and they show up in every DAW.
Do I need Serum to use Serum presets?
Yes. Serum presets are settings for the Serum synth, not audio files you can open in another plugin. If you do not use Serum, Balkan Plugin is a standalone instrument with Balkan and Middle Eastern sounds built in.
Where do wavetables and noise files go?
Wavetables go in the Tables > User folder and noise files in Noises > User, next to the Presets folder. Rescan afterwards.
What is in the Balkan Style Serum Pack?
51 Serum presets: 9 flutes, 16 leads, 7 plucks, 16 keys and 3 pads, including accordion, kanun, tambura and ney sounds, plus bonus presets. It is $9.95 on our store.
Keep reading
Install your first Balkan Serum presets today
Grab 51 Balkan Style presets for Serum, drop them in the User folder, rescan, and start playing accordion, flutes, kanun and oriental leads.
- 51 presets: flutes, leads, plucks, keys and pads
- Digital download, works with Serum
- Ready to explore the full Balkan Plugin later
