AYS File

What are AYS files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AYS file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your AYS files.

What is an AYS file?

AYS files have multiple uses, and Ay Emul Skin is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Ay Emul Skin

These AYS files contain skins used in AY Emulator, a ZX Spectrum sound chip emulator. ZX Spectrum is a home computer from the 1980s. This emulator can play CDs, MIDI-files, MP3, and MOD music. You can collect many skins for your emulator and even create your own using the skin creation tool.

How to open AYS files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AYS file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AYS file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the app ourselves yet, our users have suggested a single AYS opener which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 22, 2026

All known file formats using extension .AYS

While Ay Emul Skin is a popular type of AYS-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .AYS file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

CS-80V Preset

CS-80V Preset files store collections of sound settings for the CS-80V virtual synthesizer by Arturia, capturing everything needed to reproduce a patch or a bank of patches. They record all parameter values for the voice engine, effects, controllers, and live-control settings so that sounds created or modified in CS-80V are fully preserved. Users export these preset banks, sub-banks, or individual presets for backup or sharing.

CS-80V itself produces these files when using its Import/Export features in the software (stand-alone or plug-in mode). When exporting, one may choose to save a single preset, a sub-bank (a group of presets within a bank), or an entire bank. When importing, these files appear as new banks of presets inside the program's interface.

These files begin with a distinct header for identification: at offset 0 the ASCII string "CS80..0000BANK" marks a preset bank in this format.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of AYS files. Remember, different programs may use AYS files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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