# Terminology

## Preset Metadata

Preset metadata is all data which describes a preset, but does not contain the preset data itself.

Metadata consists of:

* Author
* Bank
* Comment
* Preset Name
* Types
* Characteristics
* Audio Preview Note

In terms of the NKS format, the plugin is usually not aware of the metadata and is only used for Maschine/Komplete Kontrol to organize presets.

## Preset Parser

A preset parser is a module which knows how to extract preset information for a specific plugin, and converts the presets into a generic format which can then be used to load the data into the plugin, or to generate an NKS file.

{% hint style="info" %}
Example for Thorn by Dmitry Sches

PresetMagician finds a new plugin with the plugin ID `1416122947`. It then asks all Preset Parser modules: "Hey, can someone handle the plugin with the ID `1416122947`?". The Preset Parser `"DmitrySches_Thorn"` would respond with "Yes, I can!". It also knows that the presets are stored under `Documents\Dmitry Sches\Thorn\Plug-In Presets` and which exact format they're in. 

It then converts all presets into a format which is used to send preset data from your DAW to the plugin, which then can be used by PresetMagician to generate NKS files.
{% endhint %}

## Types / Characteristics

A type defines the category of a preset. Each type can have a main type and a sub-type. For example, the main type could be "Bass", and the sub-type could be "Acoustic", resulting in a complete type of "Bass > Acoustic".

A characteristic defines how the preset sounds. Typical characteristics are "Arpeggiated", "Soft", "Hard" etc.

{% hint style="info" %}
Characteristics were called "Mode" in previous versions of PresetMagician, since Native Instruments used the term "Mode" instead of "Characteristic" until early 2019.
{% endhint %}