13 Likes
MASSIVE WIN!!! Good job to Christian for getting the ownership to this back!
I was there when he talked about it on Instagram and honestly it makes me happy because now we know Pianobook will be revived afterā¦ months of inactivity (I recently posted a pack on there which was vital presets but they never got added 
)
But yeah massive win to Christian and the team!!!
3 Likes
Brilliant! Canāt bloody wait to see how all this develops and to be part of this broader community.
2 Likes
Wow!! Those are amazing and really exciting news!! Pianobook (aka X-samples? lol) is such an inspiring project, not only as a composer/producer but also as a human being. I really wish the best of the luck for it.
Maybe it is not the best comparison, but I remember thinking months (already years?!?!) ago of PB as the sampling version of a mostly āfreeā Bandcamp vs Spotify or other streaming platforms. I wonder if it could be pushed on a similar direction, with not similar but close strategies: clearly highlight the most valued VSTs alongside the most recent ones, create a clear distinction with an easily accessible āDevelopersā Picksā section, and develop a dedicated page entirely focused on exploring sampling techniques in depth, including recording techniques, processing, coding, organization of the samplesā¦
Then, as Bandcamp does, PB could implement open pricing; on Bandcamp, a minimum of $1 is always indicated. Here, it could be set to $0, but encouraging people to donate to the creator, even after downloading the library. Another more invasive option would be to set a limit on daily downloads in exchange for a symbolic one-time payment or different tiers of small monthly subscriptions.
I hope this community gets bigger and at the same time, the developers of both the platform and the vsts can make some earnings out of it! I feel they all deserve it for their incredible job.
2 Likes
Dear all at The Crow Hill Company,
Seasoned typographer, book designer, and letterpress practitioner here. I have been using PianoBook libraries since they have been around and one thing that has stood out to me ā a few exceptions aside ā is the general lack of GUI design knowledge and skills that is reflected in the libraries offered. It goes without saying, not everyone is a UI/UX designer.
So maybe the new website should include a resource section featuring some basic recommendations on ease of use, choice of typefaces (with legibility in mind), some fundamentals on interface size, colour, contrast, what type of knobs or sliders to use in which context (and where to find them for free), etc.
Keep up the top notch work!
All best,
Steph
2 Likes
This is really good to hear. CH was at pains to describe SFA as having been gracious, but I think that applies all round, and of course that is how it should always be. Congrats to all involved. 
1 Like
This is amazing news! Iāve made loads of daft little tunes for my own amusement over the years using Pianobook samples, itās safe to say Christian and co. and all the amazingly gifted and generous people involved in this endeavour, not least the samplists themselves, have had a big impact on my life, allowing my skint self to make music using a palette of cool sounding instruments I would otherwise have no means of accessing. Itās always blown my mind such a thing even exists never mind is free, and Iāve been worried for a while that it would simply cease to exist at some point due to lack of engagement, so Iām bowled over to hear you plan on breathing life back into this fantastic project! I donāt know if this is a practical suggestion, but it would be nice to be able to contribute something towards the running costs whilst leaving the sample packs free to download, maybe a membership option that offers some perks, like the ability to share music youāve made with Pianobook libraries with the community? Maybe showcase the best tunes in a little roundup once a month on the Youtube channel. Donāt know if thatās a workable/desirable idea.
2 Likes
Really lovely news, and Iām happy to see Pianobook come back to life.
I had a project which was reviewed on Christianās YouTube channel back in the day, which then led me to do two Kontakt libraries for Spitfire and keep making my own instruments.
Also got to meet tons of lovely folks and be a part of the community in my small way. I was already planning on uploading more instruments onto the website very soon, but Iām even more excited about it now!
1 Like
Brilliant news. Canāt wait.
I love the diversiveness of the librarys on Pianobook (X-Samples).
My only gripe is I only use Decent sampler, but I canāt get all the sounds I would like to try, without installing another sampler, which I wonāt because I can not stand Kontakt. I never used any Spitfire Libraries until I saw that you were using your own software on some of the libraries. I know own 3 Spitfire libraries, none of which use Kontakt. (I know you are not associated with Spitfire anymore, but you were when I bought them).
So if someone who knows how, could port the samples so they could be open by any of the samplers associated with Pianobook(X-Samples), that would be a feature I would like to see.
I know that sounds ME, ME, ME, but I would rather use something that works and lets me get on with making music, rather than wasting time trying to remember which sample player has that fantastic Saxophone library!
I would also like to say to everyone who has uploaded a sample library to Pianobook a huge thank you for helping struggling musicians get better sounds than some of the āpaidā libraries out there. Once I have learned how to set up a library, I will be posting too.
Thank you Christian (good to have you back) and a huge thanks to the whole team for making this possible in the first place.