Falcon — Interface

General Conventions

Throughout Falcon, some common conventions are used for adjusting and interacting with controls. Shortcuts are written Mac first: Cmd/Ctrl means Command on Mac and Control on Windows, and Alt/Option means Alt on Windows and Option on Mac.

Action	Result
Hover	Shows a short description of the control in the status bar.
Click and drag	Adjusts the value. Hold Cmd/Ctrl for finer adjustment. You can also hover and use the mouse wheel or the trackpad’s scroll gesture.
Double-click	Enters a numeric value. Press Return or click outside the field to confirm, Escape to cancel.
Right-click (Control-click on Mac)	Opens the control’s contextual menu, if it has one — for example, to assign modulation.
Alt/Option-click	Returns the control to its default value.
Arrow keys	Change the selected item in most lists, menus and file browsers. In trees — the Tree view, the sidebar browsers — Left collapses the selected item and Right expands it.

Numeric entry — Typing a value after a double-click

The toolbar is displayed at the top of the window and is always visible in Main, Mixer, and Performance views. Most controls in the toolbar apply globally to the entire Falcon instance.

The Main Menu opens from the menu icon at the left of the toolbar (1). Point at a command to see what it does.

Multi Load Multi

Opens the File Browser to load a multi. A multi holds the state of the entire Falcon instance — all parts, programs, effects, and master settings.

Multi Recent Multis

Lists up to ten recently loaded multis for quick access.

Multi Save Multi ⌘M

Saves over the current multi.

Multi Save Multi as... ⇧⌘M

Creates a new file for the current multi.

Multi Save Multi And Samples as...

Saves the multi file under a new name, and all samples into a subfolder with the multi name.

Multi Save as default Multi

Saves the current multi as the default multi, which is loaded whenever the Falcon plug-in or standalone application is first launched — a way to start every session with your own set of sounds, effects, and event processors.

Multi Clear Multi

Clears the multi: empties all parts.

Program New Program

Creates a new, empty program.

Program Load Program

Opens the Library Browser, whose FILES tab is the File Browser. A program holds everything within it, including all of its layers and keygroups — but no part settings such as part gain, pan, or part effects; those are saved with a multi.

Program Recent Programs

Lists up to ten recently loaded programs for quick access.

Program Program Templates

Loads a program template — the factory templates, plus your own saved with Save Program as template. The same templates are offered on the Startup Screen.

Program Save Program ⌘S

Saves the program file only.

Program Save Program And Samples

Saves the program file and all sample files.

Program Save Program as... ⇧⌘S

Saves the program file only, under a new name.

Program Save Program And Samples as...

Saves the program file under a new name, and all of the program’s samples into a subfolder with the program name.

Program Save Program Samples

Saves all samples only; does not save the program file.

Program Save Program as template

Saves the program of the selected part into your User Templates folder. It then appears under Program Templates and on the Startup Screen.

Undo / Redo / History Undo ⌘Z

Reverts the last action. Also available from the toolbar (2).

Undo / Redo / History Redo ⇧⌘Z

Re-applies the last undone action.

Undo / Redo / History History...

Opens the History panel, from which you can step back to any previous state.

Snapshot Load UI Snapshot...

Recalls UI settings saved to a file: the state of the left and center panes.

Snapshot Save UI Snapshot...

Stores the UI settings of the left and center panes to a file.

Snapshots are independent of the eight Workspaces in the status bar, which manage the same panes.

Snapshot Recent UI Snapshots

Recalls a recently stored snapshot.

Preferences Preferences ⌘,

Opens the Preferences: general settings, streaming, OSC, and Soundware.

See Preferences.

Preferences Show Startup Screen

Shows the Startup Screen again, with the program templates and recent programs.

See Installation › Startup Screen.

Window Size Small size

Sets the Falcon window to its small size.

The window can also be resized by click-dragging its lower-right corner.

Window Size Big size

Sets the Falcon window to its big size.

The window can also be resized by click-dragging its lower-right corner.

Window Size Fit screen size

Enlarges the Falcon window to fit the screen.

The window can also be resized by click-dragging its lower-right corner.

Keyboard shortcuts apply to the standalone application. On Windows, use Ctrl for ⌘, and Ctrl+P for Preferences.

Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the window and provides quick, at-a-glance information.

Main

The Main view is the primary view for creating and editing parts in Falcon, and the instruments and samples that those parts contain.

Parts

The Parts List, in the left sidebar, lists every part of the multi and selects the one displayed and edited in the center pane. Part settings are independent of the program loaded in the part, and are saved with the multi — or with your host session when Falcon is used as a plug-in.

Additional controls on the part row, for loops and for the part color:

Drag the right edge of the Parts List to widen it; the controls rearrange so that more parts fit at once.

Parts List, widened — A widened Parts List

Tree

The Tree shows one part as a hierarchy of nodes, following Structure: from its program down to each keygroup and oscillator. Its two sections, INSTRUMENT (the nodes) and INSPECTOR (the details of the selected node), are collapsed or expanded with the arrow left of their name; drag the Inspector’s top edge to change its height.

The node selected in the Tree also drives the other views — the Edit tab, the Effects tab and so on — which makes it the quickest way around the layers, keygroups, effects and modulation assignments of a large program. Double-click a node to jump to its main editor: an effect opens in the Effects tab, a modulation source in the Mods tab.

For a node’s options, select it and press the menu icon in the upper left, or right-click the node.

Tree node menu — A node’s menu: add modules, layers, keygroups or oscillators, or remove the node

The Inspector lists the selected node’s properties. Double-click a value to type a new one, or drag it up or down. Most properties also appear in other views, such as the Edit tab or the Mixer, but some “under-the-hood” properties are shown only here.

List

The List gives a detailed rundown of one part and its program, in four sections that follow the same hierarchy: Part, Program, Layer(s) and Keygroup(s). Drag its right edge to widen it; each section collapses or expands with the arrow left of its name.

Layers and Keygroups

The Layers section lists every layer of the program, and the Keygroups section every keygroup of the selected layers. What you select here is what the Edit tab shows, which makes it easy to work on one layer or a few keygroups of a large program.

Press a name to select it; hold Cmd/Ctrl to select several. Press the empty space below the last row to deselect all — with nothing selected, the Edit tab shows a composite, and edits apply to every layer or keygroup.
Right-click a column header to choose which settings are shown as columns, and drag a header left or right to reorder the columns. In the Keygroups section, press a column name to sort by it, and press again to reverse the order; drag a column’s right edge to widen it.
The Layer menu edits layer rules and cuts, copies, pastes and duplicates layers; the Keygroup menu cuts, copies, pastes and duplicates keygroups. See Adding, Moving and Deleting Keygroups.
The Add and Remove buttons add a layer or keygroup, or remove the selected ones.

The Program section’s menu manages the program file. Point at a command to see what it does.

Program New Program

Replaces the program with a new, empty one.

Program Load Program

Opens the Library Browser to load a program into the part. Everything shown in the program’s Info and Edit tabs is saved with the program.

Program Reload Program

Reloads the last saved version of the program, discarding any unsaved changes.

Saving Save Program ⌘S

Saves the program file only.

Saving Save Program And Samples

Saves the program file and all of its sample files.

Saving Save Program as... ⇧⌘S

Saves the program file only, under a new name.

Saving Save Program And Samples as...

Saves the program file under a new name, and all of its samples into a subfolder named after the program.

Saving Save Program Samples

Saves the samples only, not the program file.

Saving Save Program as template

Saves the program into your User Templates folder; it is then offered under Program Templates in the Main Menu and on the Startup Screen.

Protection Protect Program

Sets a password on the program — useful for complex, scripted programs whose structure must stay as it is. A protected program only shows its Info tab, macros and script interface included. The Edit tab reads Program not editable, and the Effects, Events and Mods tabs cannot open anything inside the program. In the Tree the program no longer expands, so its layers, effects, event processors and modulation sources are hidden, and adding modules or layers to it is disabled. The List hides the Layers and Keygroups sections and keeps only the program’s name, memory and polyphony. Modulation assignments inside the program cannot be edited.

This menu keeps Save Program and Save Program as..., which save the program still protected; the commands that save samples or a template are removed. Protection only locks these editing views: macros, scripts and host automation still change the program’s settings. An empty password leaves the program unprotected.

Once the program is protected, the command reads Unprotect Program, and asks for the password before the program can be edited again.

Saving the program never saves the part’s own settings, such as part gain, pan or part effects; those are saved with the multi.

Info

The Info tab is the “front panel” of the selected program: its macros, its description and images, and a playable keyboard.

At the bottom of the Info tab, the keyboard plays the program when clicked. The program’s key range is highlighted and the keys outside it are darkened; keys used by keyswitch layer rules are shown in blue. A Script Processor can also set its own key colors.

Info tab with a script interface — A program whose script defines its own interface on the Info tab

Edit

The Edit tab is organized into stacked sections — Program, Layer, Keygroup, Oscillator, Mapping Editor and Modulation Editor — that can be individually shown, hidden, collapsed, or expanded. The first four form the program hierarchy: a program contains layers, a layer contains keygroups, and a keygroup contains oscillators. See Structure for details.

Program

The Program Editor configures program-wide playback parameters.

Layer

The Layer Editor configures playback behavior for the selected layer(s).

The curve displays incoming velocities on the X axis, and triggered velocities on Y. Drag the curve up or down to shape it, or double-click and enter a value:

Values between -1 and 0 cover the range between the Hard and Normal presets.
Values between 0 and +1 cover the range between the Normal and Soft presets.
Values above +1, up to 127, set a constant velocity; exactly +1 is the Soft preset.

Keygroup

The Keygroup Editor configures triggering behavior for the selected keygroup(s).

Oscillator

A keygroup contains one or more oscillators. The Oscillator Editor sets the playback and pitch parameters common to all oscillator types.

Oscillators are chosen from a single panel that drops from whichever control opened it. Press the + button on the oscillator bar to add one, or press and hold — or right-click — an oscillator slot to replace what is already in it. The same panel opens from the Tree view, by right-clicking a keygroup and choosing Add Oscillator….

The panel lists every oscillator in columns under its category heading, SAMPLING and SYNTHESIS, each entry an icon and a name. The oscillator the slot already holds is highlighted. A card along the bottom describes whichever entry the pointer is on — its icon, its name, its category and a one-line description — and falls back to the current oscillator when the pointer leaves the list.

Sample Editor

For sample-based oscillator types, the Sample Editor displays a waveform editor and additional controls specific to audio files and loops. (For synthesis oscillators, see Oscillators.).

Editing

To edit the sample, click and drag to select a time range, then right-click for the editing commands: CUT, COPY, PASTE, UNDO, REDO, SELECT ALL, DESELECT ALL, CROP, DELETE, NORMALIZE, SILENCE, REVERSE, FADE IN, FADE OUT, PLAY SELECTION, SNAP SELECTION TO NEAREST ZERO-CROSSING, SET START MARKER USING CURRENT POSITION and SET END MARKER USING CURRENT POSITION. The same menu also holds a Zoom submenu and REVEAL IN FINDER (Mac) / REVEAL IN EXPLORER (Windows).

CHANGE PLAYING DIRECTION TO REVERSE plays the sample backwards; CHANGE PLAYING DIRECTION TO FORWARD restores it. SET AS ONE SHOT plays the entire sample on every trigger, whatever the keygroup’s amplitude envelope — a natural fit for drums and percussion; DISABLE ONE SHOT returns to standard playback.

To apply one of Falcon’s effects to the sample permanently, select some audio, choose APPLY FX, choose the effect, set its parameters and press OK. The effect is rendered into the sample, not applied in real time. Save the sample to keep the result, or choose Undo to discard it.

When several keygroups are selected, a Batch menu appears, which applies an action — normalizing, applying an effect — to every selected keygroup at once.

Looping

To add a loop, select part of the sample, choose CREATE LOOP and pick a loop type:

FORWARD: the looped section plays forward; when playback reaches the loop end, it resumes from the loop start.
ALTERNATE: the looped section plays alternately forward (loop start → loop end) and in reverse (loop end → loop start).

Saving Samples

On sampling oscillators, the module’s Preset File menu (see Module Preset Menu) adds commands for the sample itself:

SAVE SAMPLE: saves the sample file in place.
SAVE SAMPLE AS…: saves the sample to a new file.
SAVE SAMPLE WITH PLAYBACK OPTIONS: saves the sample file in place, and writes the sample and loop start/end markers into it.
SAVE SAMPLE AS WITH PLAYBACK OPTIONS…: saves the sample to a new file, with the sample and loop start/end markers written into it.

To reveal the sample file on disk, right-click the sample and choose REVEAL IN FINDER (Mac) / REVEAL IN EXPLORER (Windows).

Mapping

The Mapping Editor displays the arrangement of the program’s layers and keygroups. A program can contain anything from a single keygroup in a single layer covering the entire key and velocity range, to many layers each holding dozens of keygroups assigned to very small ranges.

Pressing a key on the piano keyboard triggers the note, and plays any keygroup assigned to that key. The vertical position sets the velocity: press closer to the bottom of the key for higher velocities, closer to the top for lower ones.

To adjust a keygroup’s key or velocity range, select it, then click and drag any of its edges. Hold Cmd/Ctrl before you start dragging to fade the range instead; a dashed line inside the keygroup marks where the fade begins.

Mapping Editor — navigation toggles and sample import

Adding, Moving and Deleting Keygroups

The Mapping Editor’s menu holds all of its edit commands. To open it, right-click anywhere in the mapping area, or press the menu button towards the left end of the Mapping Editor toolbar. Point at a command to see what it does.

Undo / Redo Undo ⌘Z

Reverts the last edit. The menu names it, for example Undo: Load Program.

Undo / Redo Redo ⇧⌘Z

Re-applies the last undone edit.

Edit Duplicate Selected Keygroup ⇧⌘D

Duplicates the selected keygroups.

Edit Cut Selected Keygroup ⌘X

Removes the selected keygroups and places them on the clipboard.

Edit Copy Selected Keygroup ⌘C

Copies the selected keygroups to the clipboard.

Edit Paste Keygroup ⌘V

Pastes the keygroups on the clipboard.

Edit Apply Keygroup Template ⌘T

Copies the settings of one keygroup onto others: copy a keygroup, select the keygroups to update, then choose this command. The same keygroup settings — envelopes and other modulation sources — are replicated without changing the oscillator type.

Edit Delete Selected Keygroup ⌫

Deletes the selected keygroups.

Edit Paste Keygroup to

Pastes the copied keygroups into a specific layer: one of the program’s layers, or a New Layer.

Edit Move Keygroup to

Moves the selected keygroups to a specific layer: one of the program’s layers, or a New Layer.

Selection Select All ⌘A

Selects every keygroup in the Mapping Editor.

Selection Deselect All ⌘D

Clears the selection.

Selection Invert Selection ⇧⌘I

Selects the keygroups that are not selected, and deselects those that are.

Templates Save Keygroup Template

Saves the selected keygroup in its entirety — oscillators, effects and modulators — as a user template. It is then offered under Create Keygroup.

See Keygroup Templates below.

Create Create Keygroup

Creates a new keygroup in the current layer, from Sample Template (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N), Synth Template (Cmd/Ctrl+N), or one of your templates under User Template.

Create Create Keygroup in New Layer

Creates a new keygroup in a new layer, from Sample Template, Synth Template, or one of your templates under User Template.

Ranges Extend Left ⌘←

Extends the keygroup’s key range to the left until it meets another keygroup’s boundary, or reaches the lowest key.

Ranges Extend Right ⌘→

Extends the keygroup’s key range to the right until it meets another keygroup’s boundary, or reaches the highest key.

Ranges Extend Top ⌘↑

Extends the keygroup’s velocity range upward until it meets another keygroup’s boundary, or reaches the maximum velocity.

Ranges Extend Bottom ⌘↓

Extends the keygroup’s velocity range downward until it meets another keygroup’s boundary, or reaches the minimum velocity.

Ranges Center Root Note

Sets the root note of each selected keygroup’s oscillators to the middle of its key range.

Ranges Auto Fade overlapped keygroups

Leaves overlapping ranges as they are, and applies key or velocity fades across the overlap.

Ranges Auto Extend Key Ranges ⌥⌘←

Like the Extend commands, but in both directions at once: left and right.

Ranges Auto Extend Velocity Ranges ⌥⌘↑

Like the Extend commands, but in both directions at once: top and bottom.

Ranges Auto Reduce Key Ranges

Reduces each keygroup to its root key only.

Ranges Resolve Overlapping Key Range ⇧⌘←

Adjusts the key ranges of overlapping keygroups so they no longer overlap.

Ranges Resolve Overlapping Velocity Range ⇧⌘↑

Adjusts the velocity ranges of overlapping keygroups so they no longer overlap.

Display order Move Keygroup To Front ⌘F

Displays the keygroup on top of the others, without changing its fades or ranges.

Display order Move Keygroup To Back ⌘B

Displays the keygroup behind the others, without changing its fades or ranges.

Layer Rules Edit Layer Rules ⌘E

Opens the Layer Rules Editor, which dynamically changes how the program’s layers are triggered.

See Layer Rules below.

Samples Set Keygroup name as sample name

Names each selected keygroup after its sample — for keygroups with sampling oscillators, a more meaningful name than the default.

Samples Find missing samples

Checks for missing samples and lists any missing files in an error window. From there, you can ignore them, or open the file browser to locate them.

Samples Select missing samples

Selects every keygroup containing an oscillator whose sample is missing.

Shortcuts are shown for macOS; on Windows, use Ctrl for ⌘ and Alt for ⌥, and Redo is Ctrl+Y. With more than one keygroup selected, the commands read in the plural (Cut Selected Keygroups, Move Keygroups to…); Paste follows the number of keygroups on the clipboard.

Keygroup Templates

A keygroup template is a snapshot of a keygroup in its entirety, including all of its oscillators, effects and modulators — a starting point for new patches, or a shortcut when building complex parts.

To create one, select the keygroup in the Mapping Editor and choose Save Keygroup Template from the Mapping Editor’s menu. Name the template and click Save. To overwrite an existing template, save it again under the same name.

Save Keygroup Template dialog — Naming a new keygroup template

The new template is offered in the Create Keygroup and Create Keygroup in New Layer submenus, and can be added to any program from there.

A template always holds exactly one keygroup: several keygroups cannot be saved into one template, nor saved as templates in one operation.
If Save Keygroup Template is grayed out, select the keygroup in the Tree instead.
To rename, organize or share your templates, open the folder where they are saved: ~/Documents/UVI/Falcon/User Presets/Keygroups.

Layer Rules

Layer Rules dynamically change which of a program’s layers a note triggers — to switch between legato and staccato articulations, for example, or to cycle through several variations of the same note for a more realistic performance.

To open the Layer Rules Editor, choose Edit Layer Rules (Cmd/Ctrl+E) from the Mapping Editor’s menu. The rules are listed on the left, and the program’s layers under Targets on the right.

Layer Rules Editor with a Key Switch rule

Click No rule, right-click to add a new rule and choose Add root rule.
Right-click the root rule and choose Add sub-rule, once for each layer or group of layers the rule chooses between.
Choose the root rule’s type (see below), such as Key Switch. The type menu is available once the rule has sub-rules.
Select each sub-rule, set the condition that triggers it, and choose its layers under Targets.

For example, a Key Switch rule with two sub-rules, the first set to C0 and the second to D0, plays the first sub-rule’s layers after C0 is pressed and the second’s after D0.

Sub-rules can have sub-rules of their own, which branch the triggering logic further. To remove a rule, right-click it and choose Delete rule.

Rule type	Each sub-rule is triggered by
Key Switch	A key switch note. Learn sets it from the next note you play.
MIDI CC	A range of values of the controller chosen for the root rule.
Pitch Bend	A range of pitch bend values.
Speed	A range of time since the previous note-on, in hundredths of a second (0–100, so up to 1 s; longer gaps count as 100).
Note Duration	A range of note durations.
Cycle	Its turn: the sub-rules play one after the other (round robin).
Random	Chance: one sub-rule is picked at random for each note.
Random Cycle	Chance, without repeats: every sub-rule plays once, in random order, before any plays again.
Legato	A legato level: the interval, in semitones, from the held note to the new one. Level 0 plays notes that are not played legato.

Effects

The Effects tab displays every audio effects path, from the effects on the master output down to those on a single keygroup. Within one node, effects process from top to bottom. Between levels, audio flows up, from the keygroup to the master. See Structure. For each effect, see Effects.

Add an effect with the + button in the upper right, or by dragging it from the FX tab of the right sidebar.
Reorder effects by pressing and holding an effect’s header and dragging it to a new position.
Replace an effect by clicking its name and choosing another from the menu.
Enable or disable an effect with the POWER button left of its name, and delete it with the X button at the far right.
The Modulation and Keyboard sections can be shown or hidden with the buttons in the top right.

Aux FX

There are two aux effects sections, each with at least four independent aux buses:

Master aux FX, fed by sends on each part of the multi; saved with the multi.
Program aux FX, fed by sends on each layer and keygroup of the program; saved with the program.

To view and add aux effects, choose the aux bus from the navigation menu of the Program or Master node. The master aux FX and their sends also appear in the Mixer.

To add an aux bus, right-click the Program or Master node in the Tree and choose Add Aux. The new bus comes after the existing ones, and each layer and keygroup of the program (each part of the multi, for a master aux) gets a send to it. To remove an aux bus, right-click it in the Tree and choose Remove Node, or select it and press Delete; its sends are removed with it. Each section keeps at least four aux buses, and a send cannot be removed on its own. Aux buses are named by position (Aux 1, Aux 2, …), so removing one renumbers the buses after it. Both edits can be undone. In the List, the Keygroups section has a program aux send column for each program aux bus.

A program saves only the aux buses that hold effects, with their sends; when it is loaded, they return to their positions, and empty buses are added back up to four. A multi saves all of its master aux buses.

Multi FX

A Multi FX preset saves and recalls all the effects of the current node as one group, so a complex chain can be recalled instantly. Multi FX presets are saved and loaded from the Multi FX preset menu, and its POWER button enables or disables all of the node’s effects together. Clear Multi FX in the Multi FX preset menu removes all of the node’s effects.

Events

The Events tab displays every MIDI event processing path, from the master event processors down to those on a single layer. Event processors are not added to keygroups, since they generally address events that span several keygroups. Signal flows from top to bottom. For each event processor, see Event Processors.

Reorder event processors by pressing and holding a header and dragging it to a new position.
Replace an event processor by clicking its name and choosing another from the menu.
Enable or disable an event processor with its POWER button, and delete it with the X button in its toolbar.

Modulation

The Modulation Editor displays modulation assignments and sources, and is the central place for editing modulation generators.

Modulation flows from the top of the hierarchy (Master) down through the Part, Program, Layer and Keygroup levels to the oscillators. A modulation generator created at the Master level can therefore target any parameter of the Falcon instance, while one created at the Keygroup level only reaches parameters within its own keygroup. See Structure.

Understanding Modulation Sources

A modulation source generates a control signal that modifies other controls; on its own, it does not affect Falcon’s output. It only has an effect once it is assigned to a control, and where it sits in Falcon’s hierarchy determines which controls it can be assigned to.

Modulation assignments and sub-modulation

Assigning Modulation, MIDI and Automation

Right-click any parameter to assign it a modulation source, a MIDI controller, a macro or a host automation slot. Point at a command to see what it does.

MIDI Learn window — Only the groups that apply to the parameter are shown, and commands with nothing to remove are grayed out. Inside an Effect Rack, the menu also offers Assign To Effect Rack Macro and Delete Effect Rack Macros assignment.

A few parameters can be automated but not modulated. Right-clicking one of them opens the MIDI/AUTOMATION CONTROL dialog instead, where a MIDI or host automation source can be assigned.

Modulation Mapper Editor

The Modulation Mapper Editor sits between the source and the parameter it modulates, and remaps the control signal to the mapper’s shape.

Modulation Source Editor

The Modulation Source Editor displays the controls of the selected modulation source or sub-source; each source type is described in Modulators. Its toolbar adds a few controls for moving between sources.

Mods

The Mods tab displays every modulation source, from the master modulation sources down to those of a single keygroup. For each modulation source, see Modulators.

Add a modulation source with the + button in the upper right, or by dragging it from the MOD tab of the right sidebar.
Replace a source by clicking its name and choosing another from the menu.
Assign a source by right-clicking a control and choosing it under Add Modulation; existing sources are listed first, and a new one can be created on the spot. See Assigning Modulation, MIDI and Automation.

Mappers

The Mappers tab displays all modulation mappers of the program. How a mapper reshapes a modulation is described under Modulation Mapper Editor.

Which Browser?

Falcon loads programs, multis, samples and presets from several places. This manual calls them:

Name	What it is
Library Browser	The LIBRARY tab of the browser window. Opens with the Browser Toggle in the toolbar, or by double-clicking a program name or an empty part.
File Browser	The FILES tab of the same window: your disks, favorite places and Soundware.
Sidebar browsers	The tabs of the right sidebar: FILES, SEARCH, OSC, FX, MULTIFX, EVENT and MOD. Shift-double-click a program name to show it in the FILES tab. See Sidebar Browsers.
Module preset menu	The preset controls in the upper right of each module. See Module Preset Menu.

Library Browser

The Library Browser searches, previews and loads presets and sounds from your UVI Soundware and Falcon expansions, and from your own files.

To open it, press the Browser Toggle in the toolbar, double-click a program name or an empty part in the Parts List, Mixer or Performance view, or choose Load Program from the Main Menu. The LIBRARY tab searches your Soundware and expansions; FILES switches to the File Browser.

The tags in three tiers — TYPE, TIMBRE and SOUNDWARE — narrow the results; click a tier’s title to expand or collapse it. The INFO panel shows details about the selected result, with the AUTOPREVIEW switch, the preview volume, and AC (auto-close), which closes the browser once a preset is loaded.

The same library search in the SEARCH tab of the right sidebar

File Browser

The File Browser browses, searches, auditions and loads files: programs, loops and samples, and multis when it is opened to load a multi. The FILES tab of the right sidebar works the same way in a single column, for quick drag-and-drop of any file type (see Sidebar FILES Tab).

Browsing Files

The File Browser is the FILES tab of the browser window: open the Library Browser and click FILES. Its sidebar lists DEVICES — every disk and volume, network volumes included — PLACES, your favorite folders, and SOUNDWARE, every mounted Soundware.

Choose a location in the sidebar to display its contents; files and subfolders open in columns to the right. To load the selected program or audio file, double-click it or press OK. You can also drag a file onto a part in the Parts List, or below the last part to load it into a new part. CLOSE or Escape closes the browser without loading; EMPTY unloads the program or sample of the selected part.

AUTO LOAD loads the audio file selected in the browser into the selected part; AUTO PLAY plays it, to audition it without loading.

Right-click a file or folder on disk to REVEAL IN FINDER (Mac) / REVEAL IN EXPLORER (Windows); a file you can write to also offers DELETE FILE.

Search

Instead of navigating to a folder, you can search for files matching your criteria. The locations searched are the folders marked INDEXED in Preferences › Soundware.

Results appear as you type, in four types:

INSTRUMENTS: program files;
LOOPS: looped audio samples;
SOUNDS: non-looped audio samples;
FAVORITES: presets and sounds tagged as favorites.

Highlight SEARCH in the sidebar to see all types at once, or a type’s name to see only that type; you can switch between types after entering a term, and typing more words narrows the results. Besides the name, the results can show the type, tags, fav, folder and volume (the Soundware) columns: right-click a column header to choose the columns shown, and drag a header to reorder them. Press a column name to sort by it, and press again to reverse the order. To clear the results, delete the search term, or close the browser.

Loading a Multi

To load a multi, double-click the multi name in the Parts List, or choose Load Multi from the Main Menu. The File Browser then loads only multis. Loading a multi clears the current one and replaces all of its settings, unless APPEND MULTI is enabled: the loaded multi’s parts are then added to the current multi, leaving its master effects, modulators and so on untouched.

The FILES tab of the right sidebar is one of the sidebar browsers, shown in the Main, Mixer and Performance views; show or hide the sidebar with its toolbar button, and drag its left edge to resize it. It works like the File Browser, in a single column: expand or collapse a folder with the arrow left of its name, or double-click it to go one level down, and double-click .. (Parent Folder) to go back up. The sidebar menu button opens a menu of your Soundware, Places and Devices, and of the path from the current folder up to the top; choose / to return to the top level. In the SOUNDWARE section, click a Soundware’s name to expand or collapse its contents.

For auditioning, AUTO PLAY plays audio files as they are selected, the PLAY / STOP button next to it starts and stops playback manually, and the VOLUME slider sets the playback level. AUTO LOAD loads the selected sample into the selected keygroup — handy to swap the sample of a keygroup whose key and velocity ranges are already mapped.

Sidebar FILES tab — Auditioning from the FILES tab of the right sidebar

Favorites

Presets and sounds can be tagged as favorites, and folders you use often can be added to Places.

Presets and sounds: right-click a file inside a Soundware, in the File Browser or the sidebar FILES tab, or any file in the search results, and choose Add to favorites; a ★ appears next to its name. Remove from favorites removes the tag. Your own presets and sounds are tagged from the search results, so their folder must be indexed (see Preferences › Soundware). To list your favorites, sort the search results by the fav column.
Favorite Places: right-click a folder on disk in the sidebar FILES tab (under Devices or Places) and choose Add to Favorite Places; it then appears under Places in every browser. You can also drag a folder onto the Places section. Remove from Favorite Places removes it.

Favorites in the search results — Favorites, marked with a ★ in the fav column

The sidebar browsers, in the right sidebar, browse and load files and the presets of each module type. Show or hide them with their toolbar button, and drag their left edge to resize them. Each is a tab, from left to right:

FILES — the file system (see Sidebar FILES Tab).
SEARCH — the library search
OSC — oscillators
FX — effects
MULTIFX — multi effects
EVENT — event processors
MOD — modulation sources

Each tab lists the modules of its type and, under each module, its factory and user presets, organized in folders nested as deep as needed.

The OSC and FX tabs draw that list as a tree, with a search field and a row of category buttons above it. Typing narrows the tree to the modules that match, and the match is made against more than the module name: every module carries its own keywords, so searching for “chorus” also reaches Thorus and “granular” reaches Grains. The category buttons filter the tree as well, and more than one can be active at once — Sampling and Synthesis on the Osc tab, and Delay, Reverb, Modulation, Filter, Equalizer, Amp / Stereo, Drive / Distortion, Dynamic, Pitch, Analysis, Effect Rack and Miscellaneous on the FX tab. With exactly one category selected the sub-category level disappears and its modules are listed directly. The FX tab adds a Legacy group at the end, collapsed.

The MOD, MULTIFX and EVENT tabs instead draw their modules as a grid of icon tiles, with a search field, a row of category buttons and, under the grid, a strip naming the module the pointer is on and describing what it does. The tiles can be moved through with the arrow keys, and the preset list sits below the grid, separated by a divider you can drag. On the Event tab the first level is the event processors themselves; choosing Script Processor reveals, under the list, a row of script-category symbols that narrow it, with a legend naming the one the pointer is on, and user scripts are filed under User whatever folder they were saved in.

Which form a tab takes, and how long the browsers remember your filters, is set in Preferences › General.

FX tab of the sidebar browsers — The FX tab

To load a preset, drag it to where it belongs: an oscillator preset onto the Mapping Editor, an effect preset onto a channel strip in the Mixer, a modulation source preset onto any control that can be modulated. A target that can accept the preset highlights as you drag over it.

Every module — oscillator, effect, event processor and modulation source — saves and loads its own presets, so its settings can be reused in other programs. Each ships with factory presets, and you can add your own. The preset controls sit in the module’s upper right:

The PRESET MENU shows the name of the current preset; press it for a menu of the module’s factory and user presets.
The PREVIOUS PRESET and NEXT PRESET buttons step through them.
In the PRESET FILE menu, SAVE PRESET saves a user preset and LOAD PRESET loads one from any location on disk. User presets can be organized into subfolders, as many levels deep as you need. COPY TO CLIPBOARD and PASTE FROM CLIPBOARD transfer the module’s settings, and on sampling oscillators the menu adds the commands described under Saving Samples.

Mixer

The Mixer works like a traditional mixing console, with gain, pan, output assignments, and effects assignment and editing. The top half displays the selected effect; the bottom half, a channel strip for each part, aux and the master.

The part channel strips carry the same settings as the Parts List, laid out as a mixer. Double-click a part’s name to open the Library Browser, or right-click it for Empty Part and Load Program.

Mixer with an effect selected — The selected effect, edited in the top half of the Mixer

Mixer Effects

Add an effect with the + button of any channel strip, or by dragging an effect preset from the FX tab of the right sidebar onto that + button. The new effect is selected and its controls appear in the effect editor above — the same module as in the Effects tab.
Replace an effect by pressing and holding its name and choosing another, or by dragging an effect preset onto it.
Bypass an effect with the button next to its name, by Shift-clicking its name, or with its POWER button in the effect editor.
Remove an effect by pressing and holding its name and choosing Empty, or with its X button in the effect editor.

Auxes

The Mixer also shows the master aux buses, four by default (see Aux FX). Each part’s channel strip has a send to each of them, with an enable/bypass switch on the left and a pre/post-fader switch on the right; sends are post-fader by default. With more than four aux buses, scroll the sends to reach the others. The aux channel strips are like the part strips without the part-specific settings, and always output to the Main Out.

Master

The Master channel strip takes effects like the parts and auxes, and its fader is the Global Volume.

Performance

The Performance view gives a bird’s-eye view of all parts at once: an overview when there are many parts, or quick access to part settings during a live performance.

Preferences

Falcon’s general settings are set in the Preferences window: choose Preferences from the Main Menu. The window has four pages: General, Streaming, OSC and Soundware.

General

Sample drag'n'drop mode

When set to One Shot, every sample dropped into Falcon is imported in one-shot mode. To change one sample’s mode, see Sample Editor.

Warn of unsaved changes

Asks whether to save when you load another preset or quit Falcon.

Part colouring scheme

The color each new part gets: Grey gives all parts the same shade of gray; Chromatic gives each new part a random color.

Use OpenGL renderer

Hands the drawing of the interface to your GPU. On Windows, keep your GPU drivers up to date for best results.

UI scaling

The zoom level of the whole interface, from 75 % to 200 % — useful on HiDPI and 4K displays.

Script UI scaling

The zoom level of the script interfaces on the Info tab only, from 75 % to 200 %.

Always use best interpolation

Forces the best interpolation mode in Sample oscillators when they load.

Switch to Script UI

Shows the Info tab when you load a Soundware with a script interface.

Show Startup Splash

Shows the splash screen when Falcon starts.

Mouse Wheel

When enabled, the mouse wheel changes the knob or slider under the pointer; when disabled, it scrolls the panel underneath.

Templates: reload UI State

Reloads the UI state along with a template.

Browser: tags

Leaves out the tags that none of the current results carries.

Browser: search

Lists everything the active filters allow before you type anything.

Browser: filters memorisation

How long the browsers keep the filters you set: Remember, Forget after 1 hour, Forget after 1 day, Forget after 1 week, Forget on close, or Forget (always).

Browser: modules

Shows the MOD, MULTIFX and EVENT tabs of the sidebar browsers as category grids rather than folder trees.

Oscillator & FX browser

Adds the search field and the category filters to the OSC and FX tabs of the sidebar browsers.

Default VST Audio Config

Only in the VST plug-in: the output channel configuration Falcon starts with. Stereo by default; mono and surround formats are also offered.

Shown with the factory settings. Point at a setting to see what it does.

Streaming

Rather than loading whole samples into memory, Falcon can read (stream) them from disk as they play, which balances the load between your computer’s RAM and its disks: it uses less memory, and lets you play more samples than your RAM could hold. Streaming performance depends directly on the speed of the disk: the faster, the better. The default settings suit most uses. To turn streaming on or off for a program, see Program.

Hard drive type

The speed of the disk your Soundware sits on — Very fast - SSD, Fast - 7200 RPM, Medium - 5400 RPM, or Slow - USB1 / Network.

Cache Size

How much memory Falcon keeps for samples on their way from the disk, from 1 to 256 MB.

Default

Restores the default streaming settings.

Apply

Applies the hard drive type and cache size you chose.

OSC

Open Sound Control (OSC) is a protocol for communication between computers and other audio devices, designed for networked devices. Any app or device that supports OSC can control Falcon remotely. To find a parameter’s OSC path, right-click it and open the OSC submenu (see Assigning Modulation, MIDI and Automation). For general information on OSC, see opensoundcontrol.org.

Open Sound Control Server

Makes Falcon available as an OSC destination on the network.

Desired Name

The name you would like this Falcon instance to have on the network.

Desired UDP Port

The UDP port you would like this Falcon instance to listen on.

ZeroConf Name

Once the server runs, the name actually assigned to this Falcon instance. Read-only.

UDP Port

Once the server runs, the port actually assigned to this Falcon instance. Read-only.

Path rewriting

Rewrites the underscores in incoming OSC addresses as spaces. OSC addresses cannot contain spaces, so this lets a strictly compliant client reach Falcon elements whose names contain spaces (send Part_1 for Part 1).

Soundware

Each search path is a folder that Falcon scans for Soundware, with three toggles of its own.

General Conventions

Toolbar

Main Menu

Status Bar

Main

Parts

Tree

List

Layers and Keygroups

Program Menu

Info

Edit

Program

Layer

Keygroup

Oscillator

Sample Editor

Editing

Looping

Saving Samples

Mapping

Adding, Moving and Deleting Keygroups

Keygroup Templates

Layer Rules

Effects

Aux FX

Multi FX

Events

Modulation

Understanding Modulation Sources

Assigning Modulation, MIDI and Automation

Modulation Mapper Editor

Modulation Source Editor

Mods

Mappers

Which Browser?

Library Browser

File Browser

Browsing Files

Search

Loading a Multi

Sidebar FILES Tab

Favorites

Sidebar Browsers

Module Preset Menu

Mixer

Mixer Effects

Auxes

Master

Performance

Preferences

General

Streaming

OSC

Soundware