/ 09 — FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers on scope, pricing, and how the AI actually works.
Does Sample Vault generate sounds using AI?
No. It doesn't generate audio, and it doesn't train models on your samples. Its job is to make the library you already own searchable.
Does Sample Vault work offline?
Browsing, playback, key and tempo detection, filtering — all of it works offline. The AI runs in the cloud, so those features need a connection. An initial sign-in is required.
Can I use Sample Vault in a browser?
Yes, on Home Studio and Professional Suite. Sign in at samplevault.ai and click Open app — the same library, search, Sound Profile, and assistant run against your cloud library. Library scanning, local analysis, and Ableton Link still need the desktop app. Demo Room and Lifetime are desktop-only.
Why is there a subscription?
Deep Tagging and cloud sync cost real money to run. The paid plan pays for them and for ongoing development. That's the whole reason — there's no upsell, no dark pattern, no free-tier downgrade trick.
What happens to my samples if I downgrade?
Your files never move — they stay on your disk on every plan. So do the tags. Every label Deep Tagging produces — genre, mood, instrument, creator, pack — is written into your local library alongside the key, tempo, and character analysis, and it stays there after you downgrade or cancel. Deep-tag a folder while subscribed, drop back to Demo Room, and the results are still yours and still searchable. The only thing tied to a subscription is cloud sync: samples you explicitly backed up are held for 30 days past your storage limit before removal. Nothing on your disk is touched.
What if I only want to organise my library, not subscribe long-term?
That's a fair way to use it. Subscribe for as long as it takes to organise your library — a month, a few months, whatever the size of your collection needs — run Deep Tagging across your folders, then cancel. The labels live in your local library and stay after the subscription ends, so you keep browsing and filtering everything you deep-tagged on the free Demo Room plan. You only lose the ability to deep-tag new folders and to sync to the cloud.
Does the assistant give production advice?
Not yet. The assistant can find samples and organise your library, but it isn't a production coach. Trust your ears. We'll widen its scope as the models and our evaluations justify it — not before.
How does it understand the contents of a sample?
Each file is analysed locally for key, tempo, brightness, stereo width, and 40+ other characteristics. Deep Tagging adds genre, mood, instrument, creator, and pack labels on top. Deep Search runs against that combined fingerprint, which is why "dark minor pad with reverb" ranks correctly instead of matching a filename.
Couldn't find the answer to your question? Check our documentation or ask the Sample Vault AI Assistant.