Quick Actions
Quick Actions is a floating command palette you can summon from anywhere on your computer — even while you’re inside your DAW. Press a single keyboard shortcut and a compact window appears, letting you instantly search your sample library, jump into a conversation with the AI Assistant, or run a Prompt Search without having to change and manage windows.
Opening Quick Actions
Press Ctrl/Command+Shift+Space (the default shortcut) at any time, even when Sample Vault is not the active window. The palette appears centered on your screen, always on top of other windows.
To close it, press Escape or click anywhere outside the palette.
You can change the shortcut to anything that fits your workflow. Go to
Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts and set a custom Quick Actions shortcut.
Searching for Samples
Typing in the palette immediately searches your local sample library and shows live results. The first result plays automatically so you can audition sounds without clicking anything.
Sample Result Controls
Each result in the Samples section shows a compact player with:
- Play/pause button — toggle playback for that specific sample
- Copy button — copy the file to your clipboard, ready to paste into your DAW
- Filename — with key, BPM, and loop/one-shot badges on the right
- Drag handle — drag a sample directly into your DAW timeline; the palette hides itself automatically when a drag begins
- Playback progress bar — a subtle background fill that tracks playback position
Navigating Results
| Action | Effect |
|---|
| ↑ / ↓ arrow keys | Move between results; the highlighted sample plays automatically |
| Enter | Copy the selected sample to clipboard |
| Ctrl+Enter | Shuffle — jumps to a random result and plays it |
| Escape | Clear the search text (press again to close the palette) |
| Mouse hover | Switch back to pointer navigation |
Filter Syntax
The search bar understands a set of special tokens that let you apply precise filters while typing. Recognised tokens are highlighted with color-coded badges inside the input field.
Tempo
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
#120 | Match samples at exactly 120 BPM |
bpm:120 | Same as #120 |
#90-140 | Match samples between 90 and 140 BPM |
Key and Scale
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
@C | Match samples in the key of C (any scale) |
@Cmaj or @Cma | Match samples in C Major |
@F#min or @F#mi | Match samples in F# Minor |
key:C | Same as @C |
C major | Bare key+scale words also work |
C#min | Shorthand scale words (maj, min) work too |
Sample Type
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
!loop or type:loop or !l | Only show loops |
!oneshot or type:oneshot or !o | Only show one-shots |
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
%bass | Filter by the “bass” tag |
%dark | Filter by the “dark” tag |
tag:bass | Same as %bass |
%bass %dark
Genres
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
$hiphop | Filter by the “hiphop” genre |
$synthwave | Filter by the “synthwave” genre |
genre:hiphop | Same as $hiphop |
Combining Filters
All token types can be combined freely with each other and with plain text search. Tokens are extracted from your input before the remaining text is used as a keyword search.
#120-130 @C !loop %dark $techno punchy kick
Actions
Below the sample results you’ll always see an Actions section. Actions let you route your current input to other features in Sample Vault.
Ask Assistant
Appears when you have typed something
Opens a new AI Assistant conversation with your current input pre-filled as the first message. Use this when you want to have a full conversation — for example, asking for creative suggestions, requesting samples with a detailed description, or getting music theory advice.
Example: Type suggest chord progressions for a dark trap beat and select Ask Assistant to jump straight into the chat.
Prompt Search
Appears when you have typed something
Runs an AI-powered semantic search with your input as the query and navigates to the Prompt Search page with results already loaded. Use this when you know what kind of sound you want and just need the best matches fast.
Example: Type warm analog bass funky and select Prompt Search to get semantically ranked results.
Open in Sample Browser
Always visible
Opens the Sample Browser with any filter tokens you typed already applied as filter parameters. The plain text portion becomes the keyword search. Use this to switch from Quick Actions into the full browsing experience without losing your filters.
Example: Type #128 @A !loop $house and select Open in Sample Browser to see all matching samples in the browser with those filters active.
Audio Controls
At the bottom of the palette, a slim status bar shows the same audio controls available in the main app:
- Ableton Link — shows connected peers and lets you start/stop Link sync (desktop only)
- Transpose — toggle key transpose and adjust semitone offset
- BPM Sync — toggle tempo locking and edit the target BPM
These controls persist across palette sessions, so your BPM and transpose settings are always accessible.
Configuring the Shortcut
Open Settings
In the main app, navigate to Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts
Click the Quick Actions field
Click inside the Quick Actions shortcut input to focus it
Press your keys
Hold the modifier keys (Ctrl, Shift, Alt, etc.) and press your desired key.
The combination is captured and saved automatically.
If the shortcut does not respond, check that no other application has claimed
the same key combination. Use at least two modifier keys (e.g. Ctrl+Shift+…)
to reduce the chance of conflicts.
Tips
Audition samples without clicking. Arrow-key through results to play them
one after another — ideal for quickly finding the right kick or snare without
lifting your hands from the keyboard.
Drag straight into your DAW. Grab the drag handle on the left of any
sample result and drop it directly onto a track. The palette closes itself as
soon as the drag starts so it doesn’t block your DAW.
Combine filters and natural language. Tokens like #120 @C !loop narrow
the sample pool while any remaining text does a keyword search within those
results. You get the precision of filters with the flexibility of text search
at the same time.
Ctrl+Enter to shuffle. When you want inspiration rather than a specific
sound, press Ctrl+Enter to jump to a random result and play it immediately.
