> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.samplevault.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Library

> Browse, play, and organize samples from your personal library

## Overview

The Library is your main workspace for discovering and organizing the samples in your personal collection.

## Layout

The Library has two main regions:

* **Toolbar** with the [search bar](/core-features/search-syntax) (your master control for every filter), a sidebar toggle, favorites toggle, and presets
* **Filter sidebar** — a collapsible panel with two tabs: **Filters** (tag/genre/creator pickers, BPM range, key & scale, sort) and **Sound Profile** (sonic characteristic sliders)

Collapsing the sidebar gives the results full width while keeping the search bar always accessible.

Several related systems drive what you see in the results:

* **[Deep Search](/core-features/search-modes)** — type a name or describe the sound; matches blend automatically, with an AI pass on demand
* **[Search Syntax](/core-features/search-syntax)** — token grammar the search bar understands
* **[Filters](/core-features/filters)** — the search bar (master control), the sidebar pickers, and saved presets
* **[Sound Profile](/core-features/sound-profile)** — the Sound Profile tab, for sonic characteristics

## Views

The results aren't limited to a list. A view switcher lets each Library panel show its samples as a:

* **List** — the default ranked rows, with full details and inline playback
* **[Map](/core-features/library-map)** — a field where samples that sound alike sit close together
* **[Circle of Fifths](/core-features/library-circle)** — every sample placed by musical key
* **[Scatter Plot](/core-features/library-scatter)** — samples plotted on two sound characteristics you choose

Every view honours the same search and filters, and each panel remembers its own view — so you can keep one panel on the list and another on the Map.

## Collections

Collections let you group samples together for easy access — by project, mood, style, or anything you choose. They live in the **Collections** combobox inside the Filters tab of the filter panel.

### Creating Collections

* Open the Collections combobox and pick **Create collection** to start a new one
* Right-click any sample and choose **Add to collection** to drop it into an existing collection
* Select a collection from the combobox to filter results to only its samples

### Managing Collections

* Rename a collection at any time — the samples inside it are unaffected
* Delete a collection when you no longer need it; the samples stay in your library and are simply no longer grouped under it
* Select several samples at once to add them all to a collection, or remove them from one they all belong to, in a single action

### Live Collections (Premium)

Describe the collection you want and Sample Vault builds it from your library, then keeps it current on its own. A live collection is organised into labelled groups — different facets of what you asked for — and each group fills automatically as matching samples arrive, with no manual upkeep.

* Browse a live collection group by group, and open any group on its own to see everything it matches
* Adjust a live collection by describing the change in plain language, rather than editing it by hand
* Live collections update themselves and stay read-only; manual collections remain yours to curate by hand
* Sample Vault also builds a starter set of live collections from your library on its own — informed by your producer profile and any standing instructions you've set — so there's something to browse before you describe your own

Available on paid plans.

## Playback

### Player Controls

* **Play/Pause**: Click the play button or press `2`
* **Previous / Next**: Navigate through samples in the same folder using `1` / `3`
* **Waveform**: Click anywhere on the waveform to seek to that position

### Tempo & Key Lock

* **Tempo Lock**: Time-stretches samples to a global BPM
* **Key Lock**: Transposes samples to a target key
* **Ableton Link**: Syncs with your DAW's transport

See [Link, Tempo and Key Lock](/core-features/link-tempo-key) for details.

<Note>
  Cloud samples download on first play and are then cached locally for instant playback. Local samples on your disk play immediately.
</Note>

### File Integration

* **Drag and Drop**: Drag samples directly into your DAW
* **Copy to Clipboard**: One-click copy for pasting into audio software
* **Show in Finder/Explorer**: Open the sample's folder on disk

## Working with Samples

### Sample Details

Each sample row shows:

* Sample name and folder path
* BPM, key, and duration (when available)
* Favorite button
* Reveal in [File Browser](/core-features/file-browser) button

### Right-Click Menu

Right-click any sample for quick actions:

* Add to Collection
* **Key** / **Scale** / **Type** — pick a new value from a submenu; applied instantly
* **Tempo** — pick from your library's most common tempos or type a custom BPM
* **Creator** / **Sample pack** — search your existing values or type a new one to add it
* **Category** — reassign the sample to any category in the full tree
* **Tags** / **Genres** — toggle chips to add or remove; changes save as you click
* **Copy timestretched** — copy the sample with the current time-stretch applied (visible when tempo lock is active)
* **Copy pitched** — copy the sample with key transposition applied (visible when key lock is active)
* **Copy timestretched & pitched** — copy with both effects baked in (visible when both are active)

## Multi-select & batch actions

The same shortcuts work in every list of samples — the Library, [Deep Search](/core-features/search-modes) results, [File Browser](/core-features/file-browser), [Similar Samples](/core-features/similar-samples), and sample chips in the [AI Assistant](/core-features/ai-assistant) chat.

| Shortcut           | Action                               |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| `Cmd/Ctrl + click` | Toggle a sample in the selection     |
| `Shift + click`    | Range-select between two samples     |
| `Cmd/Ctrl + A`     | Select every sample currently loaded |

The Library pages results in batches — scroll to load more and press `Cmd/Ctrl + A` again to extend the selection. In the chat, `Shift + click` ranges within a single message, and with nothing focused `Cmd/Ctrl + A` falls through to text selection as you'd expect.

### The selection bar

Any selection across any panel feeds the same bar at the bottom of the screen. It shows the current count, a **Clear** button, and a **More** menu that mirrors the directory right-click actions: Key, Scale, Tempo, Creator, Sample pack, Type, Category, Tags, Genres, Analyze, Classify, Enrich, Upload, Delete. Drag any selected entry into your DAW, Finder, or Explorer to drop the entire batch.

<Note>
  Cloud-only samples cache in the background when you drag a multi-selection. Drop them again once caching finishes to include them in the dropped batch.
</Note>

## File Browser

To navigate your directory tree, add new sample directories, and control upload and analysis settings, see the [File Browser](/core-features/file-browser).

## Keyboard Shortcuts

| Key                | Action                         |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------ |
| `1` / `Down Arrow` | Play previous sample in folder |
| `2` / `Spacebar`   | Play / pause                   |
| `3` / `Up Arrow`   | Play next sample in folder     |
| `Cmd/Ctrl + click` | Toggle sample selection        |
| `Shift + click`    | Range-select samples           |
| `Cmd/Ctrl + A`     | Select all loaded samples      |