Carvix Manual

What is Carvix?

Carvix is a sample slicer and MIDI sampler for Mac and Windows. Drop in a loop or a one-shot of up to 60 seconds, and Carvix slices it at the transients and maps each slice to its own MIDI note, ascending from C3. Play the slices from your keyboard or sequence them in the piano roll.

Carvix is an instrument: it plays voices from MIDI and ignores the audio on its track. Each note triggers its slice through an ADSR envelope, with up to four voices at once, pitch, granular playback and a choice of play modes. Bit-crush, a tempo-synced Pump, Swing and Mono Lo shape the sound, and Key Detect finds the key of your material.

How does transient slicing work?

A transient is the sharp start of a sound: a drum hit, a pluck, the first consonant of a word. Carvix finds the transients in your sample and cuts it at each one, so every slice starts on a hit. Thresh sets how sensitive the detection is, and Min Len stops it from making slices shorter than you want.

Each slice is mapped to its own MIDI note, rising from C3. Playing a note plays that slice, so a loop becomes a kit you can replay in a new order from your keyboard or the piano roll.

Quick start

Get a result with Carvix in under a minute.

1. Load a loop. Put Carvix on an instrument track and drag an audio file onto the drop zone.
2. Check the slices. Carvix slices at the transients. Adjust Thresh and Min Len if it misses hits or cuts too often, then press Re-Slice.
3. Play the slices. Play notes from C3 upward; each note triggers the next slice. Set Play Mode to One-Shot so each hit plays through.
4. Shape it. Add Swing for groove, Bit-crush for grit, and tweak the envelope (ATK, DEC, SUS, REL).
5. Export. Press Export MIDI to save the mapping as a .mid file, or keep playing the slices live.

The interface

Controls

Top bar

• 1
  Fire Head: click the flame logo to open the About panel: what the plugin is, who made it, its version and the trademark notices. Click anywhere in the panel to close it.
• 2
  Presets: load a preset. Preset and state changes are click-free.
• 3
  RND (Randomize): randomizes the playback settings, for instant ideas.
• 4
  A / B: compare two states instantly.
• 5
  Scatter: shuffles which slice plays on which MIDI note, for happy accidents.

  Tip Scatter shuffles which slice plays on which note, so the same MIDI part plays a new arrangement of the loop. Press it a few times to hear different versions.
• 6
  Copy Seed / Paste Seed: copy the slice positions as a text string you can share, or paste one back in.

  Tip Copy Seed captures the slice positions as text. Keep it in your project notes to get the same cuts back later.
• 7
  Export MIDI: writes the slice mapping out as a .mid file.

Sample

• 8
  Sample display and drop zone: drag an audio file here to load it, up to 60 seconds long. Carvix slices it at the transients. Drag a slice marker to move it by hand: it snaps to a zero crossing for a clean, click-free cut. Right-click slices to put them in a choke group, so triggering one cuts the others, like an open and closed hi-hat.

Slicing

• 9
  Thresh (Threshold): how sensitive the transient detection is: it decides where Carvix slices.
• 10
  Min Len (Min Slice): the shortest slice Carvix will make.

  Tip On busy loops with fast hi-hats, a longer Min Len stops Carvix from cutting every short hit into its own slice. Press Re-Slice and check the slice count.
• 11
  Re-Slice: runs the transient detection again with the current Thresh and Min Len. The readout next to it shows the number of slices.

Envelope

• 12
  ATK (Attack): how fast each note fades in.
• 13
  DEC (Decay): how fast the level falls from the peak to the sustain level.
• 14
  SUS (Sustain): the level a held note stays at.
• 15
  REL (Release): how fast a note fades out after you let go of the key.

Playback

• 17
  Pitch: pitches the playback up or down, with 4-point Hermite interpolation for clean resampling.−24 to +24 semitones
• 18
  VOL (Volume): the output trim.−24 to +6 dB, default 0 dB
• 19
  Swing: pushes the offbeats later, for a looser groove.
• 21
  Fade (Fade Out): a de-click release fade, so notes end without a click.
• 22
  Bit-crush: the first menu under the knobs: reduces the bit depth for lo-fi grit.Off, 16-bit or 12-bit
• 23
  Play Mode: how a slice plays when you trigger it.One-Shot, Gate or Loop

  Tip Try One-Shot for drum hits, and Gate or Loop for longer phrases you want to hold and shape with the envelope.

Pump

• 20
  Pump: sidechain-style ducking synced to your DAW's tempo. The knob sets how deep it ducks.
• 24
  Pump rate: how often the Pump ducks.1/4, 1/2 or 1/1

  Tip At 1/4 the Pump ducks on every beat; 1/2 and 1/1 give a slower, longer pump.

Granular

• 25
  Grain: switches on granular playback, which smears and textures the sample into new sounds.On or off

  Tip Switch on Grain on a vocal or melodic slice to smear it into a texture. Grain Size sets the length of each grain and Grain Overlap how many overlap.
• 26
  Grain Size: the slider next to Grain sets the length of each grain.20 to 200 ms, default 50 ms
• 27
  Grain Overlap: the second slider sets how many grains overlap.1x to 8x, default 4x

Low end

• 28
  Mono Lo: folds the lows below a set frequency to mono, with a Linkwitz-Riley crossover.On or off
• 29
  Mono Lo frequency: the slider next to Mono Lo sets the frequency below which the lows go mono.80 to 300 Hz, default 200 Hz
• 30
  Solo: solos the low band, so you can hear what Mono Lo is folding.On or off

  Tip Press Solo while you set the Mono Lo frequency: you hear only the low band, so you know exactly what goes to mono.

Key

• 31
  Key Detect: when it is ticked, Carvix retunes the slices toward the key in the menu below it.On or off, default off
• 32
  Target Key: the key the slices are retuned toward.C to B, default C
• 33
  Detect Key: analyzes the pitch of each slice, shown per slice on the waveform, and shows the key it finds.

  Tip Press Detect Key before you tick Key Detect. Carvix shows the pitch of each slice and the key it finds, so you can pick a Target Key that fits your track.

Meters and displays

• 8
  Sample display: shows the loaded sample and its slice markers. With no sample loaded, it reads Drop Audio Here.
• 16
  Envelope graph: draws the shape set by ATK, DEC, SUS and REL, and follows the knobs as you turn them.

Key specs*

Type	Instrument: plays from MIDI and ignores the input signal
Sample length	Up to 60 seconds
Mapping	One slice per MIDI note, ascending from C3
Polyphony	4 voices, oldest-note voice stealing
Pitch	−24 to +24 semitones, 4-point Hermite interpolation
Play modes	One-Shot, Gate, Loop
Bit-crush	Off, 16-bit, 12-bit
Pump rates	1/4, 1/2, 1/1, synced to tempo
Mono Lo	Linkwitz-Riley crossover, with a low-band solo
Export	Slice mapping as a .mid file; slice positions as a text string
Recall	Click-free preset and state changes

* Key specs from the plugin page. Some specs may not be listed.

How does the sound flow through Carvix?

A simplified view of the main path.

Carvix is an instrument: it plays from MIDI and ignores the audio on its track. Swing shifts the timing, and Key Detect finds the sample’s key.

What do the ADSR envelope shapes look like?

Carvix draws the live ADSR curve in the display. These four starting points show how Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release combine for common sounds. Each is a starting shape; adjust the four knobs from there.

Four starting shapes

In One-Shot play mode, the note plays through regardless of note-off, so the release only matters if you switch to Gate mode. The live ADSR display in Carvix updates as you move the knobs.

How do I chop a drum loop and play it with Carvix?

1. Load it. Put Carvix on an instrument track and drag a drum loop onto the drop zone.
2. Check the slices. Carvix slices the loop at the transients. If it misses hits or cuts too often, adjust Thresh and Min Len, then press Re-Slice.
3. Fine-tune. Drag any slice marker that is in the wrong place. It snaps to a zero crossing.
4. Play it. Play notes from C3 upward: each note triggers the next slice. Set Play Mode to One-Shot so each hit plays through.
5. Choke the hats. Right-click the open and closed hi-hat slices into a choke group, so one cuts the other.
6. Shape and keep it. Add Swing for groove and Bit-crush for grit, then press Export MIDI to save the mapping as a .mid file.

How do I turn a vocal phrase into an in-key instrument with Carvix?

1. Load the vocal. Put Carvix on an instrument track and drag a vocal phrase onto the drop zone.
2. Slice it. Adjust Thresh and Min Len, then press Re-Slice until each word or syllable has its own slice.
3. Find the key. Press Detect Key. Carvix shows the pitch of each slice and the key it finds.
4. Retune it. Set Target Key to the key of your track and tick Key Detect, so the slices are retuned toward it.
5. Play it. Set Play Mode to Gate and play the slices from C3 upward. Use ATK and REL to smooth the start and end of each note.
6. Add texture. Switch on Grain on held notes for a smeared vocal texture, and set Pitch for a higher or lower voice.

What about Carvix Raw?

Carvix vs. Carvix Raw

A side-by-side look at what each version includes.

Feature	Carvix	Carvix Raw
Presets	✓Included	✗Not included
Randomize	✓Included	✗Not included

Keyboard and mouse shortcuts

These work in every Carvix format (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX, Standalone).

Reset a control to its default	Double-click the knob or slider
Scroll to change a value	Hover over a knob and scroll the mouse wheel
Type an exact value	Click the value below a knob and type a number
Right-click a slice marker	Assign it to a choke group (triggering one cuts the others)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get and install Carvix?

1. Get it. Carvix is a Creative Pass exclusive. The Carvix page explains how to get it.
2. Run the installer. On macOS, double-click the .pkg file and choose AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone. On Windows, run the .exe installer and choose VST3, CLAP or Standalone.
3. Open your DAW. Restart your DAW and rescan plugins if needed, then find Carvix under Remi Blaze in your plugin list.

More about Carvix, including its features and system requirements, is on the Carvix page.

Where are the plugin files?

If you need to find Carvix on disk, for example to troubleshoot or to uninstall it manually, these are the standard locations.

macOS AU	~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
macOS VST3	~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
macOS CLAP	~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/
macOS AAX	/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/
Windows VST3	C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
Windows CLAP	C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\

To uninstall, quit your DAW and delete the Carvix file from the relevant folder. Your DAW will stop listing it on its next rescan.

Need help with Carvix?

If something isn't covered here, or Carvix doesn't behave as described, contact support or email support@remiblaze.com. To get an answer faster, include:

• your operating system and version (for example macOS 15.6 or Windows 11)
• your DAW and its version
• the format you're using (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone)
• the Carvix version, shown in the About panel (click the Fire Head)
• what you did, what you expected, and what happened instead

This manual is for Carvix 1.0.1. Controls and settings can change between versions, so if something here doesn't match what you see, check which version you have: click the Fire Head to open Carvix's About panel. Spotted a mistake or have a question? Let us know.