FrozenPlain Floe is a new open-source, free multi-layer sampler for macOS and Windows (CLAP, VST3, AU) with advanced shaping tools.
With samplers, you can turn samples into chromatically playable instruments. Depending on the feature set, you can create powerful instruments with them. If you want even more complex sounds, you can switch to a multi-sampler that can load multiple layers of samples.
Kontakt 8, HALion, Falcon, to name a few software samplers. If these are too pricey for you, there is now a free multi-sampler alternative from FrozenPlain called Floe, and it’s open-source.
FrozenPlain Floe Sampler
Floe offers three independent sample layers, making it a multi-layer instrument. It allows you to blend instruments across different libraries. Floe Sampler is created by developer and sound designer FrozenPlain. Moreover, it’s the successor of its Mirage sampler.
Here’s a little downer: The sampler cannot import classic WAV files at this time but only works with a custom open file format. It consists of a folder of audio files and a file in the Lua programming language called floe.lua.
Easy loading of samples isn’t currently possible. The decision to keep closer could be because FrozenPlain has been using the engine for its commercial libraries for some time. But I hope the developer improves this in the future.
However, you can download some libraries from the developer’s website for free to explore the engine.
Once loaded, the engine provides various parameters to adjust each layer independently. Each layer has control over the playback engine (forward, reverse, or two loop modes), various filters, two EQs, multimode LFO, and you can adjust the play settings.
Indeed, there are also two interesting loop modes: standard wrap-around looping and ping-pong looping. In standard mode, the sound will return to the start of the loop when it reaches the end.
In ping-pong mode, the sound alternates playing forward and backward through the loop. A crossfade can be applied to smooth the boundary, even in ping-pong mode.
Process your sounds further with a rack of 10 built-in effects. Floe has a selection of 10 effect algorithms that can be applied to the mix of the three layers. It includes a reverb, delay, convolution reverb, chorus, distortion, and more.
First Impression
Offering a multi-sampler as open source and free download is very welcome. At first glance, it may seem a bit more potent in terms of features, but the foundation is already in place. What needs to be improved is the process of loading custom samples.
Unfortunately, the feature is currently very cryptic and very tied to the developer’s commercial libraries. I hope this will be improved.
Floe is available now as a free download and will be free forever. The code is open-source. It runs as a VST3, AU, and CLAP plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows. There are various libraries ready for download.
More information here: FrozenPlain
I was interested until I reached the “little downer” section of the article. That is a pretty big showstopper. I’m not sure the delineation is the same around the world, but I’ve always thought a “sampler” is able to record and play sounds, vs. a “sample player” whose purpose is limited to playing back sounds. This app appears to only be a sample player.
sampler plugin is the usual definition of such a software. In the plugin world, recording in the plugin is less a thing as you record in your DAW and drag the stuff in the plugin. In hardware, it’s more sampler in your definition because you sample right in the hardware.
As far as I understand, to play any custom sound with Floe we are required to create an external file (script) first. Right? If so, it is only a ROMpler, not a sampler.
If we call this a sampler, then we should call so also ReFX Nexus and similar plugins.
A rompler is a instrument that has fixed samples that can be exchanged. Here, you can’t change samples but with a more complicated detour. A sampler plugin allows you to load your own samples.
Nexus pre-Version 5 was a rompler because you couldn’t import your own samples. You were limited to the sounds they offer in the factory library or via their commercial libraries. Now with version 5, you can load your own sounds which adds sampler capabilities.
It’s not a sampler. Stop gaslighting people.
So Ken I have mission for you. Please change the entire plugin business so that every plugin developer describes them as Sample player and no longer as sampler ;). Until then it remains a sampler plugin!
It is possible to add custom samples to Roland JV-880 (which is certainly a ROMpler, not a sampler) – ever heard of Sector101 SR-JV Romulator? Still, this does not make the JV-880 a sampler.
A sampler is a device which can directly aquire a sound recording (via analog or digital inputs, or even dragging and dropping a file in a computer).
20 years ago or so I was making my own SampleTank 2 libraries from my own custom samples. So you would call SampleTank 2 a sampler? Hm… the rest of the world called it a ROMpler.
the “sampler” terminology in hardware and software is different. It’s discussed in many forums and groups. In software, products like Kontakt are described as sampler or why Decent Sampler that can sample in real-time is called Decent Sampler 😉
I wouldnt describe the file format as being tied to their commercial libraries, at least not in the sense that this makes things somehow more ‘closed’. And documentation is available for how to do this. It is certainly true that this wont be trivial easy stuff for people who are unused to having to do scripting to build their own libraries, but it is pretty similar to what people already have to do with the other free (but not open source) option – Decent Sampler. Unlike Decent Sampler, it looks like you cannot script your own custom GUIs or utilise things like MPE in Floe yet, but those things are on their roadmap.