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Floe is a free sample library platform that puts sound transformation at your fingertips. Floe enables composers, producers, and musicians to effortlessly find, perform, and reshape Floe-format sample-based instruments beyond their natural boundaries.

Key Information

Platform: Audio plugin (CLAP, VST3, AU) for Windows, macOS, and Linux
License: Free and open-source (GPL-3)
First Alpha: October 2024
Version 1.0 Release: August 20, 2025
Based on: FrozenPlain's Mirage platform (launched 2019)

About Floe

Floe is a platform for sample-based virtual instruments, typically described as a ROMpler or sample-based synthesiser. Every library shares the same consistent interface for sound-shaping parameters, allowing users to transform sampled instruments beyond their realism using established synthesis techniques. It focuses on ease of use and performance, designed to offer a curated experience for making music rather than overwhelming users with complexity.

It offers simple, intuitive controls for browsing presets, layering sounds and tweaking parameters such as envelopes, filters, looping controls, LFOs, and a whole rack of effects.

Floe is an engine—empty without sample libraries to load into it. A growing ecosystem of free and commercial Floe-format sample libraries is available, with more being developed. It currently does not support SFZ or other formats, but this work is being investigated.

Completely free and open-source with no restrictions and available on all major desktop platforms including Linux, Floe serves as a unified platform where diverse sample libraries work seamlessly together, with sound transformation capabilities that bridge traditional sampling and synthesis.

Primarily for composers, producers and musicians, Floe also offers tools for developers to create their own Floe-format libraries for distribution. It provides an entirely programming-based workflow for creating sample libraries using Lua scripting, enabling developer-friendly, AI-assisted workflows and complex automation that experienced developers can leverage.

Floe Interface

Creator

Floe is created by Sam Windell, who also runs FrozenPlain, a sample library company. Sam is passionate about software development, sound design, and creating ethical, user-respecting tools. Released as free and open-source software and built with direct feedback from professional composers working in film and television, Floe embodies a commitment to performance, simplicity, and usability.

Floe and FrozenPlain

Both created by the same person, Floe is a free, open-source platform available to anyone, whilst FrozenPlain is a commercial sample library company that creates premium content for the platform. The projects share history in that Floe is based on FrozenPlain's now-discontinued Mirage engine. Additionally, Floe's direction is primarily influenced by FrozenPlain's needs.