Overview
The search overlay is a slim, always-on-top bar you can summon over any window — your DAW included. Find a sample, refine it, and drag it straight into your session without leaving what you’re doing. Even when the main Sample Vault window is out of the way, recall stays one keystroke away.
When it appears
By default the overlay surfaces whenever Sample Vault isn’t the window you’re working in, and steps aside when you bring the app back to the front — so it’s there while you’re in your DAW and gone when you’re not. You can set it to stay on all the time, or turn it off entirely, and toggle it for the current session from the system tray. Choose the behavior in Settings; the exact path and options live in the settings reference.
Summon it with the search overlay shortcut from anywhere, even when Sample Vault isn’t focused. Escape steps back a level and then dismisses it. The shortcut is listed under Keyboard Shortcuts.
Finding a sample
Type and the overlay searches your library as you go, matching both by name and by how samples sound. Results audition automatically so you can step through them with the arrow keys — even while you keep typing — and drag the one you want directly onto a DAW track. It reads the same search tokens as the browser (#120 @Cmin !loop); see Search Syntax for the full grammar. Narrow further with the same filters and saved presets as the library.
Going deeper
When an instant match isn’t enough, send your query as a deep search: describe a sound in your own words or ask about your library, keep refining in a short back-and-forth, and the picks land in the results below without opening the full app. Deep search and the assistant need a plan that includes them — see Plans & Usage. Instant search and grabbing audio into Tape work even when you’re signed out.
Tape and sync within reach
Grab the last few seconds of system audio into Tape without opening its window, so a sound you just heard is ready to drop into your session. The overlay also carries the same tempo and key sync — including Ableton Link — as the main app, so your BPM lock and transpose stay consistent everywhere you work.
Recall the main window
When you want the full browsing experience, one action brings the main Sample Vault window back to the front — handy for moving from a quick grab into deeper library work.
Audition without lifting your hands. Arrow-key through results to play them
one after another, then drag the keeper straight onto a track — ideal for
finding the right kick or riser mid-session without switching windows.
