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

# Sampler

> The built-in sampler plays one sample up and down the keys on an instrument track, with a loop, a filter, two envelopes and two LFOs. Load a sample with ⌥S, then click the sample card in the Inspector to edit it.

## Play a sample across the keys

Select an instrument track, press `⌥S` (**Load Sound…**), press `⇥` to the **Samples** scope and pick a sample. It lands in the built-in sampler, and the letter keys play it at their pitches.

## Open the sampler editor

Click the sample card in the Inspector's **Instrument** section, or press `⌥X`. The editor sheet shows the waveform, the sound controls and the curves; **Done** or `Return` closes it.

## Set the root note

Pick the note the sample was recorded at in the **Key** menu. The wand button beside it shows the detected pitch; click it to use that.

## Loop a sustained sound

Switch **Loop** on. Drag the loop flags on the waveform to the part that should repeat, set **Crossfade** for a smooth seam, and pick a **Direction**.

## Shape the sound with the filter and an envelope

Set **Filter** to **Low** and drag **Cutoff**. Then pick **Cutoff** as the target of **Env 1** and drag its **A**, **D**, **S** and **R** handles: each note opens and closes the filter.

## Add movement with an LFO

Pick a target for **LFO 1**, such as **Pitch** for vibrato or **Pan**, and set **Amt**, **Shape** and **Rate**.

## Good to know

* **The settings belong to the sample, not just this track.** The library remembers the sampler setup per sample, root note, loop, filter, envelopes and LFOs, and the next track that loads the same sample starts from it, on your other Macs too.
* **A fresh sampler is a plain gate.** All four curves start with no target, so a note plays at full level while the key is held. Give **Env 1** the **Volume** target for an attack and release.
* **Velocity is 0 % by default**, so every note plays at full level. Raise it to make soft notes quieter; at 100 % the level follows velocity linearly.
* **The sampler starts mono**, last note wins, with **Glide** between notes. Switch on **Poly** for chords, up to 16 voices.
* **Other ways in:** drop an audio file on the empty instrument slot, drop a single-note sample on empty timeline (`⌥` keeps it an audio track), run **Convert to Instrument Track**, or load a sampler [instrument preset](/sounds/instrument-presets.md). Converting tracks: [Convert Tracks](/tracks/convert-tracks.md).

> **Details**
>
> * **The Instrument section shows the sample card** with **Key** and **Poly** rows when expanded. Drop an audio file on the card to swap the sample and keep the settings. Right-click it for **Edit Sampler…**, **Change Instrument or Sample…** and **Reveal in Finder**.
> * **The track icon in the track list opens the editor too**; click it again to close it.
> * **The root note is detected at the play start**, from the audio's pitch and the file name or key label. Moving the play-start marker detects it again, until you pick a key by hand.
> * **The waveform carries the markers.** Drag the play-start marker to skip into the sample, `⌥`-click it to reset it. Drag the loop flags, `⌥`-click to set them back to automatic. `⌥`-drag on the waveform zooms (down) and pans (sideways).
> * **Loop off plays the sample once**, to its end or until the key is released. Loop on finds loop points itself, with an equal-power crossfade; **Crossfade** does nothing under **Alternate**.
> * **Glide Mode** decides when notes glide. **Legato** glides only between overlapping notes in mono; **Retrig** also restarts the sample on each overlapping note; **Always** glides every note from the last pitch, in Poly too; **Tape** winds every note up from a standstill, like a tape machine starting, with Glide as the wind-up time. Leaving Legato with Glide at 0 sets a short glide. In Poly with Legato, Glide is greyed out.
> * **Each curve box picks one target**: **Volume**, **Cutoff**, **Pitch** or **Pan**, or **None**. Once it has one, its tab takes the target's name. Envelopes have a **Retrigger on legato** toggle.
> * **Amt is how far a curve moves its target.** Full scale is the whole 20 Hz–20 kHz range for Cutoff, 24 semitones for Pitch, hard left to right for Pan. Envelopes go from −100 % to 100 % (Volume 0–100 %), LFOs from 0 to 100 %. A new target starts at Cutoff 20 %, Pitch 25 %, Volume 100 %, Pan 50 %.
> * **The LFO Shape morphs** from triangle through sine to square, and **Sym** moves the peak. A synced LFO (**Rate** from 2 Bars to 1/16) runs with the bar; **Free** sets a **Cycle** in ms and restarts with each note.
> * **Every control has a palette command**, in the Sounds & Effects group: **Sampler: Poly / Mono**, **Set Sampler Glide Mode**, **Set Sampler Glide Time**, **Set Sampler Gain**, **Set Sampler Velocity Sensitivity**, **Set Sampler Root Note**, **Set Sampler Loop Mode**, **Set Sampler Loop Direction**, **Set Sampler Loop Crossfade**, **Set Sampler Filter**, **Set Sampler Filter Cutoff**, **Set Sampler Filter Resonance** and **Set Sampler Curve Target**. They act on the sampler open in the editor, otherwise on the selected sampler track.

> **Settings**
>
> | Control | Range | Default |
> | - | - | - |
> | Key | C-1 to C7 | Detected, else **C3** |
> | Poly | On (16 voices) / Off (mono) | **Off** (default) |
> | Glide Mode | Legato / Retrig / Always / Tape | **Legato** (default) |
> | Glide | 0–2 s | **0** (default) |
> | Gain | −24 to +24 dB | **0 dB** (default) |
> | Velocity | 0–100 % | **0 %** (default) |
> | Loop | Off / On | **Off** (default) |
> | Direction | Forward / Reverse / Alternate | **Forward** (default) |
> | Crossfade | 0–500 ms | **50 ms** (default) |
> | Filter | Off / Low / High | **Off** (default) |
> | Cutoff | 20 Hz–20 kHz | **20 kHz** (default) |
> | Resonance | Q 0.5–10 | **0.707** (default) |

> **Curves**
>
> | Curve | Controls | Defaults |
> | - | - | - |
> | Env 1, Env 2 | **Amt**, **A**, **D**, **S**, **R** (A, D, R 0–10 s; S 0–100 %) | No target; A 0, D 5 s, S 100 %, R 0 |
> | LFO 1, LFO 2 | **Amt**, **Shape**, **Sym** (−100 to +100 %), **Rate** (2 Bars to 1/16) or **Cycle** (1–10000 ms, **Free**) | No target; Sine, Sym 0, Rate 1/4 (Free: 500 ms) |


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