What it does
Decent Sampler is a free player for sampled instruments in Decent Sampler format, available across desktop platforms and iOS. It suits musicians exploring sampled pianos, strings and other instruments without buying a commercial sampler. Libraries can be free or paid and carry their own licences.
Load a library and play
Install the player, choose a compatible instrument library and load its preset. Play it from your DAW or the standalone app. The controls and artwork depend on the library, so one instrument may expose a simple tone control while another offers a different set of parameters.
- Load instruments supplied as .dspreset and .dslibrary files.
- Open a library from the File menu or drag its supported file onto the player.
- Set a sample-library location and rescan it to organize third-party instruments in the browser.
- Use the standalone version without opening a DAW.
- Create your own instruments using the documented format, samples and custom interface controls.
Developers can define sample groups, mappings and interfaces for their own libraries. The official developer resources cover the format and provide examples for instrument makers.
Compatibility
Desktop versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux. Windows supports VST, VST3, AAX and standalone operation. macOS adds AU and supports Intel and Apple Silicon. Linux builds support x64 and ARM64, with VST, VST3 and standalone versions.
The separate iOS app runs standalone or as an AUv3 instrument. Choose the installer for your operating system and architecture, then check that your music app accepts its plugin format.
Free player, separate libraries
The player is free. Buying a sample library pays for that instrument's content, rather than a paid edition of the player.
Check the required library format and licence before downloading. Decent Samples permits use of its libraries in music and video compositions, but restricts redistribution of the samples themselves. Third-party libraries can have different terms. A free download does not make the underlying samples public domain.
Product view
The hero is editorial artwork using the official logo and interface. This developer-provided screenshot shows the Basic Piano library in an older player interface. Other libraries have their own artwork and controls.
Alternatives to Decent Sampler
These links go to the developers' official sites.
- Kontakt Player is a free player for compatible Kontakt instruments and official third-party libraries. Choose according to the libraries you want to play, rather than expecting Decent Sampler presets to transfer between players.
- sfizz is an alternative for playing SFZ instruments. It offers VST3, AU and LV2 plugins, with a documented text-based format for musicians who want to build or edit their own sample mappings.