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 runs a 4-stage processing pipeline that turns raw audio files into intelligent, searchable assets:- Directory Scanning → 2. Audio Feature Extraction → 3. Cloud Upload → 4. AI Analysis
Stage 1: Directory Scanning
- Recursively scans the folders you add
- Detects supported formats (WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, etc.)
- Builds a local inventory; your originals are never moved or deleted
- Samples appear in the Sample Browser immediately after this stage — no upload required
- Runs in the background so you can continue using the app
Stage 2: Audio Feature Extraction (Local)
Extracts musical and sonic characteristics:- Tempo (BPM) and, when possible, musical key/scale
- Transients and dynamics (attack, sustain, decay), energy level
- Spectral/timbral traits (bright/dark, warm/gritty, presence of low/high bands)
- Audio fingerprints used for similarity search
- Filename/metadata parsing for extra context
Stage 3: Cloud Upload and Backup
- Uploads samples to secure cloud storage for cross-device access and backup
- Enables AI services and semantic search
- Transfer is encrypted in transit and at rest; you retain ownership
- Progress indicators show uploading/failed counts; failed files can be retried
Upload alone does not enable Prompt Search. Samples must complete AI Analysis
(Stage 4) before they are available in Prompt Search.
Stage 4: AI Analysis and Indexing
- Detects genres, moods, instruments, and production styles
- Generates intelligent tags from audio content
- Builds semantic indexes for fast Prompt Search
- Enables similarity (“find more like this”) and natural‑language access
After AI analysis completes, samples are available to Prompt Search and the AI
Assistant with full semantic understanding and ranking.
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”
Select Folder
Select the folder containing your samples (this can be your main sample
library folder)
Configure Options
Two toggles appear when adding a directory:
- Auto Upload: Automatically upload samples to the cloud for backup and cross-device access
- Auto Analyze: Automatically run AI analysis to enable Prompt Search and smart tagging
Understanding Processing Status
Each directory shows colored badges indicating where your files are in the processing pipeline:| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Total | All audio files found in the directory |
| Uploading | Files being processed and uploaded to cloud storage |
| AI Analysis | Files in cloud waiting for AI processing |
| Completed | Files fully processed and available everywhere in the app |
| Failed | Files that had errors (you can retry these) |
When Do Samples Appear?
- Sample Browser: Right after Stage 1 (directory scanning). Samples load immediately from your local disk — no upload required.
- AI Assistant: Available immediately after scanning with basic context (filename, folder structure, audio features). Capabilities are limited until AI Analysis completes.
- Prompt Search: After Stage 4 (AI analysis). Upload alone is not enough — Prompt Search requires the semantic index built during AI analysis.
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
Credit Reserve (Advanced)
You can prevent background processing from consuming all remaining credits using Credit Reserve in Settings → Billing & Usage.- Set a reserve threshold (minimum remaining credits)
- Background processing pauses before dropping below the threshold
- Ensures you always have credits left for interactive tasks (chat, prompt search)
- Processing automatically resumes on the next daily credit reset or when you raise the threshold
Best Practices
- 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 already uploaded files
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
- Cloud upload speed: Your internet connection affects upload time
- AI queue: Popular times may have longer AI processing queues
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
- Network issues: Upload failures due to connection problems
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