Skip to main content

​
Adding & Managing Samples

​
Why Add Sample Directories

Sample Directories is where you tell Sample Vault where your audio files live on your computer. This is the foundation of everything else in the app - without adding your sample directories, the AI assistant won’t know about your samples and you won’t be able to browse or search them. Instead of manually importing files one by one (which would take forever with thousands of samples), Sample Vault automatically scans entire folders and processes everything it finds. This means you can point it to your main sample library folder, and it will handle all the subfolders and files automatically.
Sample Vault never deletes or moves your original files. They stay exactly where they are on your computer.

​
The Processing Pipeline

When you add sample directories to Sample Vault, the app processes your samples in two stages, followed by automatic enrichment:
  1. Scanning & Analysis → 2. Indexing → 3. Enrichment
On paid plans, database data syncs to the cloud automatically in the background at every stage — no action required. File uploads to cloud storage are a separate process that can be triggered manually or enabled per directory.

​
Stage 1: Scanning & Analysis (Local)

Runs entirely on your machine — no internet required, no credits consumed.
  • Recursively scans the folders you add, detecting supported formats (WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, etc.)
  • Samples appear in the Sample Browser immediately after scanning
  • Extracts audio features locally:
    • Tempo (BPM) and musical key/scale
    • Sound characteristics — tonality, percussiveness, brightness, attack, stereo width, and more (see Sound Profile)
    • Audio fingerprints for similarity search
    • Filename/metadata parsing for extra context
  • Runs in the background so you can continue using the app

​
Stage 2: Indexing (AI)

AI scans your directories and generates labels. Costs 20 credits per indexed folder.
  • Detects genres, moods, instruments, creators, and sample packs
  • Generates intelligent tags from audio content and folder structure
  • Builds semantic indexes for Prompt Search
  • Right-click any directory in the File Browser and select Index Directory to start
The previous per-sample AI cost has been removed entirely. Indexing is now charged per folder, making it significantly cheaper for large libraries.

​
Stage 3: Enrichment (Automatic)

After indexing, enrichment automatically matches AI-generated labels to individual samples — no additional cost.
  • Assigns genres, tags, creators, and sample pack labels to individual samples
  • Can be triggered manually via right-click → Enrich Samples in the File Browser
  • Manage which labels are allowed in Settings > Processing > Enrichment Labels
See Sample Enrichment for full details.

​
Adding Your First Directory

You can add a directory from multiple places:
  • File Browser: Click the ”+” button in the sidebar to add a directory directly from the file browser
  • Settings: Go to Settings → Sample Directories and click “Add Sample Directory”
1

Select Folder

Select the folder containing your samples (this can be your main sample library folder)
2

Configure Options

Choose processing options for the directory:
  • Analysis speed: Choose how much CPU and RAM to use — Battery, Balanced, Fast, or Max. The dialog shows the estimated resource cost for each level
  • Per-folder upload and indexing: The dialog shows a tree of the folders being added with checkboxes for cloud upload (☁) and AI indexing (✨) on each one. Toggle them individually and watch the running totals — directory count, file sizes, and credit estimates update as you go so you can see exactly what the scan will cost before committing
3

Start Browsing

Your samples appear immediately in the Sample Browser once scanning completes. Processing continues in the background.

​
Understanding Processing Status

Each directory shows colored badges indicating where your files are in the processing pipeline:
StatusDescription
TotalAll audio files found in the directory
AnalyzingFiles being processed for audio features
IndexingDirectory queued for or undergoing AI indexing
CompletedFiles fully processed and available everywhere in the app
FailedFiles that had errors (you can retry these)

​
When Do Samples Appear?

  • Sample Browser: Immediately after scanning. Samples load from your local disk — no upload or indexing required.
  • Sound Profile & Similar Samples: After analysis completes (Stage 1). All sound characteristics and audio fingerprints are available.
  • AI Assistant: Available immediately after scanning with basic context. Capabilities improve after indexing and enrichment.
  • Prompt & Instant search: Available to all users in the Sample Browser. Prompt mode uses AI-expanded search after indexing; Instant mode uses a local model and works offline.

​
Managing Directories

  • View Details: Click on any directory to see detailed processing information and a list of all files
  • Rescan Directory: Use this when you’ve added new samples to an existing folder
  • Retry Failed Files: If some files failed processing, you can retry them individually or all at once
  • Delete Directory: Removes the directory from Sample Vault but doesn’t delete your actual files

​
Best Practices

Name your directories clearly: The AI assistant can see directory names, so “Trap Samples 2024” is better than “New Folder (3)”
  • Use nested folders: You can add just your main samples folder - Sample Vault will process all subfolders
  • Don’t worry about file organization: The AI will understand your samples regardless of how they’re organized
  • Add highest-priority folders first so you can start working sooner
  • Use meaningful folder and file names (e.g., kick_130bpm_Cm.wav) to improve early filtering before AI tags are ready
  • Let large libraries process overnight: You can keep browsing and playing samples while analysis runs in the background

​
Troubleshooting

​
Why are my samples taking so long to process?

Processing time depends on several factors:
  • File size and number: Larger collections take longer
  • Audio analysis: Each file needs tempo detection, key analysis, and audio fingerprinting
  • Analysis speed: The default Balanced preset leaves headroom for your DAW. Bump it up in Settings > Processing (or in the System Status panel while analysis is running) to finish faster
  • AI indexing queue: Indexing depends on cloud AI availability
Large libraries (10,000+ samples) can take several hours to fully analyze. The good news is you can browse and play samples immediately after scanning — analysis and indexing continue in the background.
The Analysis Speed slider in Settings > Processing scales CPU and RAM usage together across four presets — Battery, Balanced, Fast, Max — so you can match it to whatever else you’re doing on the machine.

​
Some of my files show as ‘Failed’ - what happened?

Common causes:
  • Corrupted audio files: The file may be damaged
  • Unsupported format: While Sample Vault supports most formats, some obscure codecs aren’t supported
  • Very short files: Files under 1 second may fail processing
Right-click the failed sample or directory and use the “Analyze sample” option to retry analysis.

​
My samples aren’t showing up in search results

Check that:
  • The directory processing shows “Completed” status
  • You’re searching in the right location (Sample Browser vs AI Assistant)
  • Your search terms match your sample content
  • AI Sample Suggestions is enabled in preferences if you want AI-powered results