Splice folder - Overview and common issues

Overview

Your Splice folder is where sounds you download from Splice get downloaded to. It's also where you can save your project files to automatically back up via Splice Studio.

When you download your first sound from Splice, this folder will automatically get created in one of these locations, depending on which OS you're running:

Mac: Macintosh HD/Users/[your username]/Splice

Windows: C:\Documents\Splice

Keep in mind that you're free to move this folder to elsewhere on your computer, or rename it. If you do either of those things, make sure you're setting that new location/folder in the preferences section of the Splice app after making any changes.

The Splice desktop application itself doesn't actually contain any of your files - it accesses them from your Splice folder - so you'll always want to make sure you have the correct folder location set up in the app's preferences.

To jump directly to your Splice folder in Finder/File Explorer, just click the "Go to folder" button in the preferences of the Splice app.

Presets

Certain preset formats downloaded on Splice will save outside of your Splice folder. For more information on downloading and managing your presets, please see this article: Loading synth presets from Splice

Studio

Compatible project files saved in your Splice folder will automatically sync to Splice Studio, our free project backup/collaboration platform. Please see this section of our knowledge base for more information on using Splice Studio.

External Drives

We recommend keeping your Splice folder saved on your local hard drive and not an external. That being said, you can keep your Splice folder on an external, although there are some important factors to be aware of.

If you choose to keep your Splice folder on an external drive, make sure you're always connecting your HD before starting up Splice, and closing Splice before disconnecting the HD. We also recommend not making the Splice app a launch item upon starting up your computer.

This is because if the Splice app ever runs without your external drive connected, the filepath to your Splice folder will get disrupted. You'll then need to re-link the desktop app to your Splice folder on your external again. If you don't, and you start downloading samples without your drive connected, the app will automatically create a new Splice folder (in one of the above default locations).

Errors when changing your Splice folder location

This error message occurs when you try to set a new Splice folder location that's inside of your existing Splice folder. It often happens if you have previously set one of your main computer folders (Documents, User folder, etc) as your Splice folder, or if you have set an entire external drive as your Splice folder.

You can follow these steps to resolve this issue:

Mac

- Go to your current Splice folder using Finder.

- Enable hidden folders in Finder. To do this, hold down CMD+SHIFT+.

- Delete the .splice file in that location, and then you will be able to set a new Splice folder in that location afterwards.

Windows

- Go to your current Splice folder using file explorer

- Enable hidden files and folders on your PC. To do that, select View > Options > Change folder and search options. Then select the View tab and, in Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and OK.

- Delete the .splice file in that location, and then you will be able to set a new Splice folder in that location afterwards.