What Is an FXB File?
A file with the FXB file extension is an FX Bank file used with VST-compatible (Virtual Studio Technology) software to store effect presets, often called patches. The FXB file contains a bank, or group, of presets that can be loaded into a VST plugin. Single preset files are saved as .FXP (FX Preset) files.
How to Open an FXB File
FXB files are plugin-specific, so one that’s made for one plugin will work in that plugin only, and a different one will open in its own plugin. You should know which plugin the preset is for before deciding how to open it. Steinberg’s Cubase is one program that supports this format. The software isn’t free, but there is a 30-day trial you can download for Windows and Mac. Another program from Steinberg, called HALion, can open FXB files as well. Ableton Live, Cantabile Lite, Mixcraft, IrfanView, and LMMS can open FXB files, too. If your file definitely ends in this file extension, but none of the applications mentioned above will open it, then it’s very likely it’s not an FX Bank file. Try opening it with a free text editor to inspect the header of the file. You may find some useful information about the format there.
How to Convert an FXB File
Most files can be converted to a new format using a free file converter, but FXB files are an exception. We, at least, haven’t found a dedicated converter tool of any kind that supports these files. However, something you can try, which we don’t have much information on, is Wusik VM. It should be able to extract preset files out of an FX Bank file, essentially converting FXB to FXP. You can also use Cubase to convert FXB to the newer VSTPRESET format using the Convert Program List to VST Presets option. The new file will be saved in the program’s VST 3 Preset folder. It’s likely that the other programs listed above also have some way to save the FXB file to a new format, maybe even something different than VSTPRESET. Just open the file in that program and, if it’s supported, choose whatever Export or Save as option that’s hopefully available (usually found in the File menu) to save the file to some other format.
Still Can’t Open It?
The most likely reason for why you can’t open the file at this point, after trying the openers above, is that you don’t really have an FXB file. What’s probably happening is that you’re simply misreading the file extension, mixing it up with one that looks similar. For example, the Autodesk FBX Interchange format uses the FBX extension, which looks an awful lot like FXB, but they actually aren’t related and can’t open with the same programs. If you really have an FBX file, use an Autodesk program. Some other file extensions that are easy to mix up for this one include FXG (Flash XML Graphics or FX Graph), EFX, FDX, XBM, and FOB.
