Extract text from Ableton device groups (ADG)
To convert ADG device groups to another format, you need Ableton Live or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Audio Plugin Preset" file type, you need software like Ableton Live or a similar tool.
A .ADG file is an Ableton Device Group, a proprietary format used by Ableton Live to store user-defined combinations of instruments, MIDI effects, and audio effects. These files are essential for producers who want to save complex signal chains - like a specific synthesizer patch layered with compression and reverb - as a single, recallable preset.
The frustrating part with .ADG files is their proprietary lock-in. You cannot open an .ADG file in other Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro or FL Studio, nor can you play them like standard audio files (MP3 or WAV). They contain instructions for sound generation, not the sound itself. Additionally, because .ADG files often reference external samples stored elsewhere on your hard drive, moving the file to a new computer often results in "Missing Media" errors.
Technically, an .ADG is simply a GZIP compressed XML file. For data recovery or analysis, you can rename the extension from .adg to gz and extract the internal XML structure to view parameter settings in a text editor. However, for practical musical use, the best conversion workflow is to open the file in Ableton Live, freeze the track, and export the audio to WAV or AIFF for high-quality archiving, or MP3 for easy web sharing. Convert.guru can help you identify if a file is a valid GZIP container or a corrupted download.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your ADG file.
Users also converted FST, AGD, WAV, ODG, MID, TXT, ZIP, MP3, JPG, ALS and ALP files.
If you want to convert ADG file to WAV, MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Ableton Live or similar software from the "DAW Device Preset Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to ADG, try Ableton Live or another comparable tool in the "DAW Device Preset Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our ADG converter.