UVI
The UVI Soundware Player
uvi-player

A powerful and easy-to-use player for the world of UVI sounds — perform, layer, add effects, arpeggiate, and explore a fully featured modern Library Browser.

uvi-player interface

Introduction

UVI Player is the free player for UVI instruments, as a standalone application or a plug-in in any modern DAW, on macOS and Windows. Loading an instrument brings up its own dedicated interface, ready to be played and explored. Finding the right sound is fast, with a modern browser built around preset tags, text search, favorites, and instant audio previews. Go deeper by layering instruments, adding effects, and setting chords in motion with the built-in arpeggiator.

UVI Player plays UVI Soundware, the UVI-Powered instruments of our partners, and every Falcon Expansion, with its interface, macro controls, and presets exactly as designed. It comes with UVI Starter, 50 hand-crafted presets across a wide range of styles. Download UVI Player through UVI Portal, UVI’s downloader app.

Features

  • Single mode for loading UVI sounds and instruments
  • Plays and tweaks every Falcon Expansion with its own interface and macros
  • Multi mode — unlimited parts with convenient mixing, meters, mute, solo, volume, pan, performance settings (keyswitches, range), and separate outputs
  • Modern integrated browser with tags, audio previews, text search, and favorites
  • UVI Starter soundpack (50 hand-crafted presets)
  • Scalable UI adapts to different monitor sizes
  • Powerful and flexible arpeggiator
  • Comprehensive suite of professional FX — infinitely stackable with editable parameters (delay, reverb, phaser, chorus, EQ, filter, drive, distortion, compressor, and more)
  • Manage instruments and loops in the same interface
  • Real-time time-stretch and slice with beat-syncing
  • Drag & drop MIDI and audio
  • Loads AIFF, WAV, FLAC, MP3, REX, Apple Loops, and more
  • MIDI learn and 128 host automation slots

Audio and MIDI Settings (Standalone Only)

To use UVI Player in standalone mode, select which MIDI inputs and audio outputs it uses. This only needs to be done the first time you launch it, or when your hardware changes (a new audio interface or controller keyboard): the settings are saved and reloaded at the next launch. In plug-in mode, audio outputs and MIDI inputs are set in your DAW, so you can skip this.

  1. Connect your devices — turn on and plug in your audio interface and MIDI controller before launching UVI Player.
  2. Choose File → Audio and MIDI Settings… — the menu bar is at the top of the screen on macOS, and in the UVI Player window on Windows.
  3. Select the audio and MIDI devices on the two pages of the Audio/MIDI Settings window, Device and Routing.

Device

Audio/MIDI Settings, Device page

Select the audio interface from the Output menu (on Windows, choose the Audio device type, such as ASIO, first), activate the output channels you want if the device lists them, then select the Sample rate and Audio buffer size: lower buffer sizes reduce latency, larger ones avoid glitches. Test plays a tone on the outputs.

Under Active MIDI inputs, click the devices or sources to enable for MIDI input; on macOS, Bluetooth MIDI pairs a Bluetooth controller. All MIDI inputs are merged, but channels remain discrete: on each UVI Player part, select Omni to listen to all channels, or a channel from 1 to 16.

Routing

Audio/MIDI Settings, Routing page

UVI Player can address up to 17 stereo outputs: Main Out, and Out 2 to Out 17. Use this page to link UVI Player’s outputs (Plugin Output) with those of your audio interface (Physical Output). It only matters with a multi-output audio device; with a stereo device there is nothing to set.

General Conventions

Throughout UVI Player, some common conventions are used for adjusting and interacting with controls. Alt/Option means Alt on Windows and Option on macOS.

ActionResult
HoverShows a short description of the control in the footer.
Click and dragAdjusts the value. You can also hover and use the mouse wheel.
Double-clickEnters a numeric value.
Right-click (Control-click on macOS)Opens the control’s MIDI/Automation Control dialog. Alt/Option + right-click opens its MIDI Modulation dialog.
Alt/Option-clickReturns the control to its default value.
Arrow keysNavigate the browser.

Keyboard shortcuts:

  • Space — start or stop playback (standalone mode)
  • M — switch between Single and Multi mode (not while a browser is open)
  • Esc — close the browser or the Preferences window

Initial View

This is UVI Player as it opens, in Single mode with no preset loaded. With Open browser on load on (default), the Library Browser opens over this view. The header and the footer stay in place in every view (except in the Frameless display mode); the area between them shows the loaded instrument, the browsers, or the Multi mode pages.

UVI Player — Initial View

The Main Menu opens from the menu icon (≡) next to the UVI Player logo (1). It is the same in Single and Multi mode. Point at a command to see what it does.

Multi Load Multi...

Opens the Multi Browser to load a multi (see Multi Mode).

Multi Save Multi

Saves the current state as a multi.

Multi Save as Default Multi

Saves the current state as the default multi, which every new UVI Player instance starts with.

Multi Clear Multi

Resets UVI Player to an empty multi.

Mode Switch To Multi Mode M

Toggles between the Single and Multi views; the item names the view you are switching to (Switch To Single Mode in Multi mode). Unavailable while a browser is open.

View Show Keyboard

Shows or hides the virtual keyboard.

View Show Browser

Opens or closes the browser to load instruments, presets, or sounds.

Scaling Content Scaling

Scales the instrument (script) interface: 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 175%, or 200%. Same setting as Script UI scaling in Preferences.

Scaling Display Mode

Frameless hides the header and footer (the header reappears when you point at the top edge); Fitted (default) sizes the window to the instrument interface; Large opens it at 1024 × 768 or more.

Startup & Preferences Open browser on load

Opens the browser when the interface opens on an empty part. On by default.

Startup & Preferences Open Preferences...

Opens the Preferences window. See Preferences.

Show Keyboard, Show Browser, and Open browser on load carry a check mark when enabled.

Which Browser?

UVI Player loads presets, sounds, multis, and effects from four browsers. They look alike but are not interchangeable: if a file won’t open from one, close it and open the right one.

NameWhat it is
Library BrowserSearches your UVI Soundware by tags, with audio previews. Single mode only. Opens by double-clicking the preset name, or with Show Browser in the Main Menu. See Library Browser.
Files BrowserYour disks, favorite places, and mounted Soundware, in columns; also loads audio files and loops. In Multi mode, it is the browser a part loads from. See Files Browser.
Multi BrowserLoads multis only. Opens with Load Multi… or by double-clicking the multi name. See Multi Browser.
Effect BrowserAdds or replaces an effect in a chain. Opens with +fx, or by right-clicking an effect name. See Effects.

Library Browser

Type in the Search field to find presets, loops, and samples — matches appear in the results list as you type, and choosing tags narrows them further.

UVI Player — Library Browser

Favorites

Mark presets as favorites to find them quickly. In the Library Browser, click the star next to a preset; in the Files Browser or on the preset name, right-click and choose Add to favorites (or Remove from favorites). To list only your favorites, turn on the ★ filter of the Library Browser.

Files Browser

The Files Browser offers a column-style view of your local filesystem and mounted Soundware. Selecting a folder reveals its contents in the adjacent right-hand column. Open it from the Files tab of the Library Browser; in Multi mode, it opens when you double-click a part name.

UVI Player — Files Browser

Multi Browser

The Multi Browser works like the Files Browser but loads multis only. Open it with Load Multi… in the Main Menu, or double-click the multi name (shown as “Default Multi” initially).

UVI Player — Multi Browser
  • Append Multi — merge a multi into the current one. You may need to adjust the MIDI channels of the appended parts afterwards.
  • Close — close without changes. OK — confirm and close.

Single Mode

Single mode shows one part at a time: the loaded instrument with its own interface, or the loop editor for an audio file. It is the part selected in Multi mode, so switching from Multi to Single mode shows that part. To play several parts at once, switch to Multi Mode.

Instruments

An instrument preset fills the area between the header and the footer with its own interface.

UVI Player — Single Mode: Instruments

Loop / Phrase

Load an audio file (WAV, AIFF, REX, Apple Loops, or a loop from UVI Soundware) from the browser, or drop it onto UVI Player. With Auto Play on in the Files Browser, a sliced loop starts as soon as it loads. Sliced files open in Slice mode and can switch to Stretch or Sample; files without slices cannot use Slice mode.

UVI Player — Single Mode: Loop / Phrase Edit

Multi Mode

Multi mode shows all the parts of the instance in a mixer, with their settings, effects, and arpeggiators; the number of parts is unlimited. Together, the parts and their presets, the mixer, and the effect chains form a multi: save it as a file to recall it in any project (it holds the same state your DAW saves with the plug-in). To load a preset into a part, double-click the part name or choose Show Browser in the Main Menu.

Mixer

The Mixer lists every part with its MIDI channel, level, sends, and tuning.

UVI Player — Multi Mode: Mixer

Settings

The Settings page is where you split and layer parts. Parts on the same MIDI channel play together (Part 1 listens in Omni; each new part gets the next channel, set in the Mixer). Key ranges, velocity ranges, and keyswitches, alone or combined, split the keyboard or switch parts on and off from your controller.

UVI Player — Multi Mode: Settings

Effects

UVI Player gives each part two effect chains — Preset and Part — plus three shared by the whole instance: Aux 1, Aux 2, and Master. Every chain runs its modules in series, top to bottom; for parallel processing, send parts to the Aux buses. UVI Player includes more than 40 effects.

UVI Player — Multi Mode: Effects

Arpeggiator

Each part has its own arpeggiator (Multi mode only), which turns held notes into arpeggios, rhythmic gates, or step patterns. Open it with the part’s A button in the Mixer; click outside the panel to close it. To stop it, use Stop in the transport.

UVI Player — Multi Mode: Arpeggiator

MIDI Learn and Host Automation

Any FX parameter, macro knob, or slider that accepts modulation can be MIDI-learned or host-automated. Assignments are saved with the multi or project. The 128 host automation slots belong to the whole instance, and each one can target a parameter of any part.

Everything is set in the parameter’s MIDI/Automation Control dialog:

MIDI/Automation Control dialog
  • 1
    MIDI CC

    The CC assigned to the parameter.

  • 2
    Clear

    Removes the MIDI assignment and closes the dialog.

  • 3
    Host Automation

    The automation slot (1 to 128) that exposes the parameter to your DAW.

  • 4
    Close

    Closes the dialog.

Learn a MIDI CC:

  1. Right-click the parameter to automate.
  2. Move the physical MIDI controller (knob, fader, button…) to send its control data.
  3. UVI Player assigns the first CC it receives and closes the dialog. To assign a CC by hand, pick it from the dialog’s left-hand menu.

Remove a MIDI assignment: right-click the parameter and press Clear.

Modulate with a CC: Alt/Option + right-click a parameter to open its MIDI Modulation dialog instead of the MIDI/Automation Control dialog: choose a CC and set how far it moves the parameter with the depth slider.

Assign host automation:

  1. Right-click the parameter.
  2. Choose an automation slot from the Host Automation drop-down.

Preferences

Set UVI Player’s global options in the Preferences window: choose Open Preferences… from the Main Menu. It has three pages: General, Streaming, and Soundware.

General

Global Tune

The tuning reference of A, from 392.00 to 493.88 Hz, applied on top of any instrument-specific tuning. Each plug-in instance has its own. Alt/Option-click to reset it.

UI Renderer

Hands the drawing of the interface to your GPU. Leave it off for better compatibility with integrated graphics processors.

UI scaling

The zoom level of the whole interface: 75%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 175%, or 200% — useful on HiDPI and 4K displays.

Script UI scaling

The zoom level of the instrument (script) interfaces only, from 100% to 200%. Same setting as Content Scaling in the Main Menu.

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: soundbanks

Shows each Soundware by its logo rather than its name in the browsers.

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).

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

Streaming

Rather than loading whole samples into memory, UVI Player reads (streams) them from disk as they play: 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, so set its type accurately. The default settings suit most uses. To turn streaming off for a part, see Multi Mode › Settings.

Hard drive type

The speed of the disk your Soundware sits on — Very fast - SSD, Fast - 7200 RPM, Medium - 5400 RPM (default), or Slow - USB1 / Network. If your UFS files are on several disks, match the disk holding the main UFS.

Cache Size

How much memory UVI Player keeps for samples on their way from the disk, from 1 to 256 MB. Default 40 MB. Smaller values load the CPU and disk more; larger ones use more RAM.

Default

Restores and applies the default streaming settings.

Apply

Applies the hard drive type and cache size you chose.

Soundware

Search paths are the folders UVI Player scans for Soundware. You can set several; each has three toggles.

Preferences, Soundware page
  • 1
    Search path

    The folder this row scans.

  • 2
    Change folder

    Click the folder icon to point this search path to another folder.

  • 3
    Indexed

    The folder is included in the Library Browser search. On for a new folder.

  • 4
    Recursive

    The folder is scanned with all its subfolders, not just the folder itself. Meant to be used with automount. This can significantly increase UVI Player’s startup time. Off for a new folder.

  • 5
    Automount

    Every UFS Soundware (UVI Soundware comes as .ufs files) found in the folder is mounted at startup. On for a new folder.

  • 6
    Remove

    Removes the search path from the list. The folder itself is not touched.

  • 7
    Add folder

    Adds a search path: browse for the folder you want UVI Player to scan — a folder, not a UFS file.

Troubleshooting

No Sound

Work from the input to the output:

  • MIDI input — in standalone mode, check that your controller is enabled under Active MIDI inputs (Device). In a DAW, check that the track sends MIDI to UVI Player.
  • MIDI channel — the dot to the left of a part’s MIDI channel lights up when MIDI reaches it. If it stays dark, set the part to Omni or to the channel your controller sends on (Mixer).
  • Part — check that the part is not muted, that another part is not soloed, and that its key range, velocity range, or keyswitch does not exclude the notes you play (Settings).
  • Output — in standalone mode, check the audio device and its Routing; with a part sent to Out 2 to Out 17, check that your DAW or audio device actually receives that output.

Soundware or Presets Are Missing

  • Check that the folder holding your .ufs files is listed in Preferences › Soundware, with automount on, and indexed on for the Library Browser to find its presets.
  • If the Library Browser still misses or shows stale presets, right-click its magnifying glass and choose Reset database to rebuild the index, or Clear non available volumes to drop Soundware that is no longer there.
  • Soundware that is no longer on disk still shows, dimmed, while the eye toggle of the Library Browser is on; Clear non available volumes removes it.

“…isn’t a valid UFS” Error

The Soundware file cannot be read: it may be damaged or incompletely downloaded, or need a more recent UVI Player. Right-click the Soundware in the Files Browser and choose Verify soundbank integrity; if it fails, download the Soundware again through UVI Portal. If the check passes, update UVI Player.

An Instrument Interface Is Framed in Red

The preset’s effects no longer match its interface, usually after effects were replaced or reordered in its Preset chain. Reload the preset. To add effects, use the Part chain (Effects).

Clicks, Dropouts, or High CPU

  • Raise the Audio buffer size (Device) or your DAW’s buffer size.
  • Check the Streaming preferences: set the Hard drive type to match the drive your Soundware is on. If that drive is too slow, turn Streaming off for the part (Settings) to load its samples into RAM.
  • Lower the Polyphony of parts that do not need many voices (Mixer); the footer shows the CPU load and the active voices.

Distortion

Watch the master meter in the header. Lower the part volumes or the master volume, and check that no effect (drive, distortion, or EQ boosts) overloads its chain.

Contacting Support

Before contacting UVI Support, note the UVI Player version (shown in the footer), your operating system and host, the exact error message, and the steps that lead to the problem. Check whether it also happens with UVI Player alone, in standalone mode, and with another preset. This tells you whether the problem lies with one file or setup, or is general.

End User License Agreement and System Requirements