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Subsample
What it is
Subsample is a standalone sampler that turns live input or recordings into collections of sounds playable from MIDI. It separates sound events, sorts them by sound, and maps them to MIDI notes by acoustic similarity without labels, training data, or manual tagging. In live use, it captures, trims, analyses, and adds distinct events to an instrument library. For long samples, onset detection can identify hits and place them on a beat grid at a target BPM. Sound processing includes filters, dynamics, distortion, radio, vocoder, pitch shifting, time stretching, and quantisation. It accepts WAV, BWF, FLAC, AIFF, OGG, and MP3/MPEG audio, and supports standard and virtual MIDI input, OSC, and MIDI control bindings. Audio support ranges from mono through 7.1, including per-instrument routing and first-order ambisonic capture and playback. Subsample runs on Linux and macOS; on Windows, it runs inside WSL2 and is not tested on native Windows. It has no graphical interface and is configured with YAML files and a MIDI map. The project describes itself as an early release, and those formats can change. It is free under AGPLv3; proprietary or closed-source use requires a commercial licence.
For and against
For
- Maps samples to MIDI notes by acoustic similarity.
- Captures and adds live sound events to an instrument library.
- Supports audio through 7.1 and per-instrument routing.
- Free and open source under AGPLv3.
Against
- Has no graphical interface.
- Windows use requires WSL2 and is not tested natively.
- Configuration and MIDI map formats can change.
- Proprietary or closed-source use requires a commercial licence.
The verdict
Subsample offers detailed sampling, mapping, and audio-routing capabilities, but requires terminal-based configuration. Check the early-release status and AGPLv3 terms, especially for proprietary use.
Who it suits
Subsample may suit musicians or sound designers comfortable configuring a sampler from the terminal. It is relevant to users working with live sampling, MIDI, OSC, or multichannel audio.
Plans and prices
Subsample (AGPLv3)
Open-source sampler; proprietary or closed-source use requires a commercial licence
Read 8 Oct 2026 · subsystem.co
On the record
- Audio formats
- It accepts WAV, BWF, FLAC, AIFF, OGG, and MP3/MPEG audio.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Audio routing
- It supports mono through 7.1 audio and per-instrument output routing.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Automatic mapping
- It matches sounds to MIDI notes by acoustic similarity without labels, training data, or manual tagging.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Automatic matching
- It matches samples by similarity without labels, training data, or manual tagging.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Commercial licensing
- The maker invites contact to discuss a commercial licence for proprietary or closed-source use.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- It is headless, has no graphical interface, and is configured with YAML files and a MIDI map.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- It supports standard and virtual MIDI input, OSC sender and receiver, and MIDI control including Program Change and CC bindings.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Interface
- It has no graphical interface and is configured with YAML files and run from a terminal.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Licence
- Subsample is released under AGPLv3, which requires modified versions run as a network service to make their source available to users.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- License
- Subsample is released under AGPLv3, which requires modified versions used as network services to make source code available to users.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Live sampling
- It captures, trims, analyses, and adds distinct sound events to an instrument library in real time.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Loop tools
- It detects onsets in long samples and can place each hit on a beat grid at a target BPM.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The project was created by Simon Holliday, described on the project page as a senior technologist and junior musician.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Multichannel audio
- It supports mono through 7.1 audio, per-instrument output routing, and first-order ambisonic capture and playback.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Platform support
- It runs on Linux and macOS; on Windows it runs inside WSL2 and is not tested on native Windows.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Subsample cuts separate sounds from live input or recordings, sorts them by sound, and plays them from MIDI.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Release status
- The project describes itself as an early release, and its configuration and MIDI map formats can change between releases.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
- Sound processing
- Its DSP processors include filters, dynamics, distortion, radio, vocoder, pitch shifting, time stretching, and quantisation.subsystem.co · read 8 Oct 2026
