Sampledex · Windows Build 65
Drag a loop directly above the arrangement, trim clips from their edges and use familiar keyboard commands. The searchable shortcut reference keeps those commands easy to find on a laptop screen.
Drag a loop, then adjust it
Drag the lower loop band above the tracks to create a highlighted repeating section. Drag its edges to resize, its middle to move, or Shift-drag to replace the range. Hold Alt to bypass snap. Double-click the band or press L with timeline focus to toggle Loop. Ctrl+L loops selected clips. Right-click for Clear custom loop and other loop commands. Clicking the upper section strip or bar ruler still seeks.
The loop band stays in view while tracks scroll. Escape cancels a drag; changing zoom, scroll position, layout or project discards unfinished coordinates. A completed range edit is one Undo step. Boundaries save with the project, and reopening starts with Loop off. The main Loop button also controls recording passes.
For precise positions, use Ctrl+Shift+L with timeline focus or Transport → Edit loop range.... Enter start/end as bar.beat.tick. The end is exclusive: 1.1.0 to 5.1.0 repeats four bars in 4/4. Cancel leaves the range unchanged; changes to the project prevent an outdated dialog from applying its range.
Reach editing commands quickly
Select and Move expose MIDI/audio clip-edge handles. Drag edges to trim and bodies to move or Ctrl-copy; audio extension stays within its source. With timeline focus, Home / End seek, + / - zoom, Ctrl+0 fits the song and F2 renames the track.
Find shortcuts in one place
F1 or Help → Keyboard shortcuts opens a searchable reference with scrolling for small screens. Ctrl+I imports audio/MIDI, Ctrl+E exports the song, Ctrl+Shift+E exports stems and Ctrl+, opens Audio / MIDI settings. Text fields, dialogs, plug-in editors and the performance keyboard retain their input; Steps and Piano keep their own navigation.
Read built-in controls and drive the limiter
Built-in plug-in editors group related controls and show values, units and a numeric dynamics gain-reduction readout. In Sampledex Limiter, Add input gain inserts a visible Limiter input gain effect directly before the limiter, using one of eight insert slots. Its linked Input gain knob adds 0 to +24 dB. The stage uses the existing stock compressor at 1:1 / 100% Mix, preserving playback and saving in older Mac and Windows apps without a new limiter state format.
Limiter presets and A/B leave this separate gain unchanged. Bypassing, removing or reordering the companion changes the signal path; its linked knob is available only when that valid stage remains directly before its own limiter. Third-party VST3 editors retain their own designs.
Compatibility and release checks
Loop boundaries use the existing format-13 fields. No project-schema or Recording State version changes are introduced. Transfer the complete .sdxp package and keep a backup before using older apps. The manual Windows workflow gates the customer download on compilation, regression tests, package verification and installer checks. Consult its completed reports before distributing the package.
Included from Build 64
Build 64 adds take lanes in the arrangement, direct take preview and phrase selection, and clearer compact editor controls. Original recordings remain tied to their recorded tracks. The musical project remains format 13.
See and hear takes on their original tracks
Click Expand takes (+) in a track header. Live MIDI notes and audio previews appear beneath the recording destinations. Select a retained lane and click Audition; Stop Preview or Escape restores the prior playhead and song loop without adding an Undo edit. Use Take applies the whole pass. Drag a range, then click Use Phrase for a smaller choice. Exact… opens the detailed phrase and crossfade editor.
Keep alternatives after editing
Ordinary note, clip and comp edits retain original passes. Available recordings from the older detached representation can be restored to the take editor when their original destination tracks still exist. Reordering tracks or selecting another instrument cannot redirect those takes. Applying a take or comp keeps original media and pairs the song and take state in one Undo edit. If an original track was deleted, restore that track before reusing its takes.
Use one Loop control for recording
The main transport Loop button determines whether Record captures repeated passes. Recording Setup shows that state and the resolved loop range, maximum passes and punch settings. Recording groups identify their destinations and new captures include date/time labels. Limits remain 1–256 passes and a two-hour capture duration.
Find sounds and edit comfortably on one screen
Browser search covers the listed folder, project patterns or factory sounds, with full filenames, extensions, clear-search recovery and native favorite state. Accented filenames match equivalent Unicode spellings. Pattern labels show linked uses. Mixer controls show complete plug-in names, direct instrument/insert bypass, empty-insert guidance, Master insert counts and Sends state. The Audio inspector shows source names, channel counts and sample rates while preserving unfinished typed values during resize. Piano note rows and selection details remain readable in compact views; Automation controls have clearer accessible names.
Additional safeguards
Stop Preview no longer restarts an audition through a button-state change. Closing its editor cancels pending preview. Stale or cancelled take work cannot replace newer music. Opening another project clears old expanded take rows before native scrolling or selection can address them. MIDI take selection also focuses the applied pattern. Escape from a selected lane cancels pending apply or preview work. Clicking between grid lines still selects the whole take. Changing horizontal zoom cancels an unfinished drag or selected phrase, restores Use Take, and asks you to select the phrase again; it cannot silently change the range for a later apply. Eligible older groups return only within the available group capacity; excess originals remain retained for recovery.
Projects, installation and verification
Continue transferring complete .sdxp packages, including media and optional RecordingState. Genuine format 13, supported older Windows input and the existing supplemental-state safeguards remain unchanged. Older apps may omit newer take metadata on Save As; missing plug-ins require a compatible installation or an audio bounce. Keep an untouched backup.
The download includes an unsigned installer and a portable ZIP. Read Start here first before setup; Windows may offer More info → Run anyway for a trusted download. Existing school/work security policies still apply.
Local synthetic interface, recording, engine, persistence and preserved-codec checks passed. The manual Windows workflow compiles and tests the Windows app, validates the complete download, and checks installation, upgrade and uninstall before publishing its artifact. Local checks are not a substitute for that native Windows verification; consult the completed workflow before distribution. Physical audio/MIDI hardware, monitoring latency, reconnects, long sessions, Narrator and exchange through both installed apps remain target-computer checks.
Included from Build 63
Build 63 completes the recording-arm control corrections from the Mac Build 62 comparison. The musical project remains format 13, with portable media and the existing optional recording state.
See which tracks are armed throughout recording
Armed R buttons in both the timeline and Mixer keep their highlight when recording temporarily disables arm changes, in Dark and Light themes. Mixer strips previously lost this highlight while the track remained armed.
Read and activate arm controls through accessibility tools
Timeline and Mixer arm buttons now expose their checked state. Accessibility actions use the same guarded track action as a click; disabled or rejected actions cannot leave a misleading indicator. Actual screen-reader interaction should still be checked on your Windows computer.
Included from Build 62
Interrupted recordings retain the completed count-in marker so a started take reaches recovery. Take Lanes & Comp keeps unfinished typed text, rejects stale changes, and restores retained groups after closing and reopening during cancellation. Sampler fields retain unfinished text until Reload. Steps rejects old menu actions after its visible range changes. The retained-history warning correctly requires a successful Save followed by close and reopen.
Included from Build 61
Producer-test corrections cover MIDI capture timing after device restart, recording recovery and monitoring, fresh versus edited comp drafts, project Undo after import, shared-output factory previews and revealing the correct sampler destination. These fixes remain in Build 64.
Included from Build 60
Build 60 adds per-track recording, input monitoring, retained loop takes, comp editing and punch recording. The audible project remains format 13. Read the recording tutorial before your first take.
Record armed MIDI and audio tracks together
Track headers and Mixer strips provide R (Arm) and a Monitor/Input menu. Choose MIDI devices and incoming channels, or physical mono/stereo audio channels. Main Record captures all armed destinations with a shared count-in and start/finish timing. Hardware MIDI works while the computer-keyboard window is closed.
Monitor through the mix
Auto, On and Off control software input monitoring. Audio travels through the track’s effects and routing while the original input is recorded dry. Monitor Off still permits armed capture. Windows input uses WASAPI shared mode and one interface per live session; ASIO input is not included. Available channels depend on the interface’s Windows driver.
Keep passes and build a comp
Turn on the main Loop button for repeated recording. Transport → Recording Setup sets a maximum of 1–256 passes within a two-hour capture limit. Take Lanes & Comp lets you select passes or exact phrases, choose explicit silence and set audio crossfades. Apply comp preserves originals and creates one paired Undo edit. Cancellation or a stale draft cannot replace newer accepted music.
Punch a replacement phrase
Set punch-in and exclusive punch-out using bar.beat.tick fields, the timeline selection or the loop. A punch must stay within the arrangement and, for loop takes, inside its loop. Supported surrounding notes, audio and expression remain intact. Unsafe controller/sustain or crossing-fade boundaries produce an explanation with retained sources for recovery.
Save the song and editable takes together
Save, Save As, Open, autosave and Undo/Redo pair the audible song with its take choices. A complete .sdxp contains optional RecordingState with original takes and comp data. Keep the whole package when sharing. Older apps can play the format-13 arrangement, subject to available plug-ins, but cannot edit unsupported take lanes; their edits or Save As can detach or omit the companion. Stale state never overrides newer music. Keep an untouched original package.
Recover a take that could not be placed
Wait for capture to finish, then use Transport → Save retained recording recovery if prompted. The app reports the recovery location. Retained originals and cancelled/failed candidates are protected from automatic history cleanup and can consume disk space; review them before removing files.
Verification and remaining checks
Local synthetic recording/interface, engine, persistence and preserved-codec/frozen-fixture compatibility checks passed. Actual Windows input devices, monitoring latency, unplug/reconnect, long recordings and exchange through the current Windows and Mac apps still require testing. Consult the manual GitHub run for native build, test and installer results.
Included from Build 59
Build 59 fixes the garbled Steps heading, corrects shared drum-track labels and resolves two Steps editing issues. Projects continue to use format 13 for exchange with the existing Mac Build 51 and Windows Build 54 readers.
Readable headings and controls
The separator between Steps and the project name now displays correctly. The same text-decoding fix covers the application title, MIDI status, recording-input choices, fade controls and export-format labels.
Accurate drum-track labels
Separated Kick, Snare and Closed Hat tracks now display their shared kit's instrument or sampler name in the timeline and Mixer. MIDI tracks without an assigned instrument have a MIDI label, and a missing shared kit is identified explicitly. Clicking a shared drum part's sound button in Mixer opens its shared instrument or the correct sampler pad. An audio track's source button opens the Audio editor.
Finish velocity-lane edits cleanly
Releasing or cancelling a Steps velocity-lane edit clears its unfinished-edit state. A completed gesture no longer leaves Duplicate Track disabled. Velocity edits retain their single Undo step.
Safe controls on audio tracks
Rename Row is available only for an unlocked MIDI track. Selecting an audio track while Steps is open no longer exposes an invalid row-rename action.
Included from Build 58
Build 58 completes the Build 57 interface and audio update, including quick MP3 delivery, track duplication, clearer editing controls and a refreshed workspace. Projects continue to use format 13 for exchange with the existing Mac Build 51 and Windows Build 54 readers.
Export MP3 mixes, stems and pattern loops
File → Export supports stereo MP3 at 320, 256, 192 or 128 kbps and 44.1 or 48 kHz. Quick MP3 presets open the delivery settings at 320 kbps for Song mix, All-track stems, Selected-track stems or Active pattern loop. Choose tracks in the source checklist for separate files or one combined mix. Pattern loops use the full source pattern and start with no effect tail. MP3 is lossy; keep your project or a WAV master for further editing. Bounce into the project continues to retain float WAV.
Duplicate a complete track
Right-click a track header and choose Duplicate Track, or focus its header and press Ctrl+D. The copy appears below the source with independent patterns and plug-in instances. Clips, sampler settings, mixer controls, sends and automation are copied together in one Undo step. Locked or frozen tracks, separated shared kits, incoming sidechains and timing groups spanning tracks require the preparation explained by the command. Ctrl+D in Piano or timeline clips continues to duplicate notes or clips.
Use the timeline tools and precise fades
With the timeline or a track header focused, use 1–0 to select Select, Move, Trim, Fade, Scissors / Split, Erase, Slip, Gain, Loop / Repeat and Stretch. P toggles pattern painting; A shows or hides automation. The Fades dialog includes independent Remove and 5 ms de-click buttons, duration presets, curve explanations and separate Whole clip / Fade in / Fade out previews. Mixed fields are retained until edited, and Apply is one Undo step.
Shape notes in Piano
Snap to Scale and Random Velocity remain visible in compact windows. Snap to Scale changes only selected unlocked pitches; Random Velocity varies selected unlocked notes by 0–32 velocity units, with Apply and Cancel. Wider velocity handles make same-onset chord notes easier to choose. A click alone leaves their strength unchanged.
Read the workspace more easily
Dark, Light, Follow System and Increase Contrast use clearer text, focus and panel boundaries. The transport has a dedicated readout and six position displays. Small-window Piano layouts reserve room for notes and full action labels. Saved project headings follow the filename while retaining the musical title inside the project. New Trap starters expose Kick, Snare and Closed Hat lanes through one shared kit.
Audition an instrument from its own editor
An open external instrument editor can sound its own keyboard while Sampledex is stopped. The sound follows the track’s inserts, fader, pan, routing and mute/solo controls. Closing the editor allows a bounded release tail. Tests use a purpose-built VST3 fixture; individual vendor instruments still need checking on your system.
Included from Build 56
MIDI setup, beat editing, sound browsing and sample-import improvements remain available.
Connect your MIDI keyboard
The Live keyboard window now includes an input selector, Refresh MIDI, connection status and incoming-note feedback. Sampledex remembers your choice, including Computer keyboard only. On first use, a single recognizable musical input can be selected automatically. For a Launchkey, use its musical MIDI port; the separate DAW or MIDIIN2 port is normally for control-surface functions. You can play the selected instrument while transport is stopped.
Edit notes and clips more quickly
Ctrl+Z handles Windows key events correctly. Use Ctrl+B or Ctrl+D, or the visible Duplicate buttons, to copy selected notes or clips after their end. Hold Ctrl before dragging to copy notes with Select or Draw, or clips with Select or Move. With Piano focused, Up/Down moves notes by one semitone and Shift+Up/Down moves them by one octave.
Duplicating notes extends an ordinary pattern when needed, together with a complete selected clip. Trimmed clips keep their windows. Patterns used by looping clips require an explicit length change to avoid moving later repetitions. Undo restores an automatic extension and its notes together.
Audition and manage sounds directly
Click or drag the side piano keys to hear the selected instrument without adding notes or pressing Play. Right-click a track name or empty track-list area for add/import actions and Delete selected track and its clips. Ctrl+Z restores a deleted track. Deleting the last selected track keeps MIDI monitoring connected to the surviving selection.
Browse factory sounds through the song output
Factory previews share the song’s playback output and have a separate preview level. Preparing preview identifies a waiting request. Stop cancels it or ends the playing preview; another choice replaces a waiting request. Hiding the browser or changing the project stops preview. Right-click a factory sound to preview it, load it, add a new instrument track or change its favorite status.
Import drum samples at their recorded pitch
A new drum sample plays at its recorded speed on the selected pad, with Tune set to zero. Replacing a pad preserves the other pads and its mixing/routing settings. Choose Keep root / tune when you want to retain the previous tuning. Existing melodic samplers keep their keyboard mapping. Replacing an entire synth drum kit explains which other pitches would become silent before you confirm.
See the source filename
The Sound editor shows a selectable, copyable sample filename. New imports retain the extension, and melodic track/mixer labels expose the source name. An original extension that was never stored in an older project cannot be recovered automatically.
Included from Build 55
Save and retain your latest settings
Save now detects an external edit arriving just after the project was written. Use Save As when a conflict is reported to preserve both versions. If a plug-in cannot capture its current settings, saving stops and keeps those settings available for retry instead of saving an older preset.
Recover after a plug-in latency change
Playback updates its timing compensation automatically after a supported plug-in latency change. A brief mute lets the new delay buffers fill. Choose the plug-in preset before recording: a change during a take stops recording, retains the captured MIDI prefix or complete audio file, and explains how to recover it. Failed MIDI placement can be retried or saved as a separate recovery project.
Keep sample memory bounded
Samples held by playback and Undo history now share the same 128 MiB resident sample budget. Repeated use of an identical sample window shares its memory. If the budget is full, Sampledex reports the problem and keeps your existing work. Use smaller samples, close unused players, or save and reopen to release Undo history.
Export note
Choose a fixed-latency preset before export. A plug-in that changes latency while an export is running causes an explicit error so a misaligned file is not reported as successful.
Included from Build 54
Share with your existing Mac app
Windows now writes format 13. Open a Windows Build 53 format-14 project in Windows Build 54 and use Save As to make a compatible copy. Keep a backup, then transfer the complete .sdxp folder/package in a ZIP. Third-party plug-ins still need compatible installations; bounce Mac-only Audio Units to audio for Windows.
See more of your pattern
Steps now shows 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 bars together, with a four-bar default. View zoom leaves the music unchanged. Bar/beat headings, the playhead, row editing and velocity follow the visible range. Use Length to extend the source pattern.
Editing safeguards
Keyboard entry follows the active bar. Bar copy and clear follow the selected hit. A time-signature change inside a bar keeps neighboring hits separate. Muted Windows rows transfer as zero-chance notes because Mac Build 51 does not have the newer row mute/solo controls. Use the note Chance control on Mac, or right-click a hit in Windows Steps and choose Hit chance → 100%, to re-enable a silent hit. See the user guide for round-trip editing details.