How to Download and Use Sample Packs from Pianobook

Updated

Pianobook is a global collective of sound enthusiasts offering free sample packs. You can browse the library, filter by format, download a pack, and load it into the matching sampler—most commonly the free Decent Sampler, or paid samplers like Kontakt, EXS24, Ableton Live, and SFZ. No payment is required to download packs.

What Pianobook offers

Pianobook describes itself as "a global collective of sound enthusiasts," and its homepage tagline is "Every sound tells a story." The library is organised around Sample Packs, with categories visible on the site including Piano, Strings, Guitar, and Synths.

The scale of the collection is shown directly on the homepage:

Metric Count
Free Sample Packs 1,762
Users 605,393
Creators 683
Downloads 4,177,732

Supported formats

Packs are available in several sampler formats. The site's filter list names these:

  • Decent Sampler — a free sampler, so this is the lowest-friction option if you don't already own a paid sampler
  • Kontakt — Native Instruments' sampler (paid software, not included by Pianobook)
  • EXS24 — Logic Pro's sampler format
  • Ableton Live — for Ableton's own instrument devices
  • SFZ — an open sampler format supported by several free and paid players

Check the format before downloading: a Kontakt pack won't load in Decent Sampler, and vice versa.

Step-by-step: finding and downloading a pack

  1. Go to pianobook.co.uk and open the Sample Packs section.
  2. Browse or search. Use the category links (Piano, Strings, Guitar, Synths, All Packs) or the search box.
  3. Filter the results. The filter panel lets you narrow by:
    • Sample Pack Format (Decent Sampler, Kontakt, EXS24, Ableton Live, SFZ)
    • Only show Sample Packs with Reviews
    • Videos
    • Demos
  4. Open a pack page and read its description and any reviews, videos, or demos attached to it.
  5. Download the pack in the format that matches your sampler.
  6. Load it into that sampler as an instrument and play.

Filtering by format first is the quickest way to avoid downloading something your software can't open.

Using a downloaded pack

The exact loading steps depend on your sampler:

  • Decent Sampler: install the free Decent Sampler plugin, then open the pack's .dspreset file inside it.
  • Kontakt: add the instrument in Kontakt and point it at the pack's library or instrument file. Note that some Kontakt libraries require the full version of Kontakt rather than the free Kontakt Player—check the pack page.
  • EXS24 / Ableton Live / SFZ: load the pack's instrument file through the corresponding device or player.

Common sticking points

  • Format mismatch is the most frequent problem. Confirm the pack's format against the sampler you actually own before downloading.
  • Paid sampler requirement. Decent Sampler is free, but Kontakt, EXS24 (Logic Pro), and Ableton Live require their respective host software. Pianobook provides the samples, not the samplers.
  • Filtering too broadly. With over 1,700 packs, filtering by format and checking for demos or reviews saves a lot of time.
  • Expectations of support. These are community-contributed packs from 683 creators, so quality and documentation vary between them—reviews and demos are your best guide.