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Perform Page

Floe's window with the PERFORM page tab highlighted

The Perform page is a good place to start when you're getting to know a sample library and its presets. It shows the artwork in full, and gathers the controls you'll reach for most often into one uncluttered panel.

Most of the controls here also appear elsewhere in the interface. They're the same controls, so a change on one page shows up on the other.

When you're ready to go deeper, everything else can be found on the Layers and Effects pages.

Floe's Perform page and top panel with their controls numbered
  1. Preset box — in the top panel. Click it to open the preset browser.
  2. Preset — the name of the current preset's sample library, with the preset's name beneath it. The arrows either side, and , step to the previous or next preset, just like the arrows in the top panel.
  3. Folder — the folder the preset lives in, which usually tells you what kind of sound it is.
  4. Macros — four knobs set up to shape this particular sound.
  5. Layers — the Instrument on each of the three layers, with its mute, solo and volume controls.
  6. Random variation — click the strip for a fresh take on the preset.
  7. Compare — switch between the preset as it was loaded and your changes.
  8. Description — more about the preset, from its author or written automatically by Floe.
  9. Hide panel — hides the panel so you can see the artwork in full. The arrow only appears when you hover just above the panel.
  10. Keyboard — lights up with the notes you play, and you can click it to play notes too. See Keyboard.

Choosing presets​

The arrows (2) are the quickest way to audition presets: play a few notes, click an arrow, and play again. To look through them by folder or tag, click the preset name in the top panel (1) to open the preset browser. See Loading Presets for more ways to find presets.

Once you change anything, the preset's name is marked (modified).

Macros​

Use the macros (4) to shape the preset to your liking. Each one is tuned to move one or more settings in a musical way, and the knob's name hints at what it does. A greyed-out macro isn't used by the preset. By default, your mod wheel is linked to the first macro, so you can shape the sound as you play. See also Macros and MIDI.

Layers​

Each preset is built from up to three layers (5). Not every preset uses all three. For each active layer you'll see:

  • Instrument — the name of the layer's Instrument, with the folder it comes from in italics. Click it to open the Instrument browser and choose a different one.
  • Waveform — a picture of the Instrument's sound.
  • Mute and Solo — M silences the layer, and S lets you hear it on its own. Try each layer in turn to hear what it adds to the whole.
  • Volume — the slider sets the layer's level, with its level meter alongside.

For everything else a layer can do, switch to the Layers page.

Random variation​

Click anywhere on the Random Variation strip (6) for a fresh take on the preset. Where you click sets how far it strays. Towards the left gives gentle, related tweaks; towards the right gets wilder, with Instruments swapped, layers added and effects changed. Hover over the strip to see how big a change you'll get. The button at its left edge rolls another variation at the same amount as last time.

Every variation starts from the preset as you loaded it, so you can keep clicking without drifting ever further away. Undo in the top panel steps back through them. When you find one you like, save it as a preset to keep it. See Randomisation.

Compare​

Once you've changed something, the Original/Modified switch (7) lets you flick between the preset as it was last loaded or saved and your changed version. It's an easy way to check that your changes really are an improvement. If you edit anything while you're listening to the original, that edit replaces your modified version, but you can always get it back with Undo.

Description​

The description tells you about the preset, such as any unusual tuning or tips for playing it. The top panel shows its opening, usually a summary of the sound, and the rest continues here (8).

If the whole description fits in the top panel, Floe fills this space with a generated summary of the preset instead.

Seeing the artwork in full​

Hover just above the panel, in the middle, and a small arrow appears (9). Click it to hide the panel and see the artwork uncovered. Click the arrow again to bring the panel back.