Getting started

Download the app for your platform (or use the classic launchers), then the first-run steps to get the editor talking to your microSAMPLER.

Download the apps

The quickest way in: signed, notarized desktop apps. No Terminal, no password prompts, nothing else to install.

macOS (13 Ventura or newer)

Download for Apple Silicon → Download for Intel →

Open the disk image and drag both apps to the Applications shortcut:

microSAMPLER Editor Librarian is the full editor, as a menu-bar app. On first launch macOS asks you to approve its background service once (System Settings → Login Items). After that the editor is one click away. The service claims the microSAMPLER only while the editor is open, and releases it a few minutes after you close the tab, so the device stays available to your DAW the rest of the time.
microSAMPLER Library lets you browse, play and export the samples and patterns in bank backups (including original Korg .msmpl_bank files), no hardware needed.

Linux

Download the Library AppImage →

Make it executable (chmod +x, or "Allow launching" in your file manager) and run it. Also available as a plain tar.gz. For the full editor on Linux, use the classic launcher below.

WINDOWS

No app yet. Use the classic launcher below. It's experimental, and device mode needs a one-time driver swap.

Requirements

Hardware

A Korg microSAMPLER.
A USB cable (USB-B, the standard "printer" type) to connect it to your computer.

microSAMPLER rear panel showing the USB-B port and audio jacks — The microSAMPLER's rear panel. The USB port is what connects to your computer.

Software

Component	Notes
Operating system	Apps: macOS 13+ / Linux x86-64. Classic launchers: macOS (tested), Linux (should work), Windows (untested)
Python 3.8+	Classic launchers only. The apps bundle their own runtime. macOS: via the Xcode Command Line Tools (`xcode-select --install`) or python.org
`pyusb` (BSD) + `libusb` (LGPL)	Bundled with the app, so there's no `pip` or Homebrew step (a system copy is used instead if you have one)
A modern browser	Chrome / Chromium recommended (Web MIDI needs Chrome, Edge or Firefox)

The editor itself needs no installation and no build step. It's plain web files served by a small local helper (the "bridge").

The classic way: ZIP + launchers

Everything also runs from a small ZIP with per-platform launchers, needing only Python 3. This is the way on Windows, and for the full editor on Linux.

Download the latest release →

Unzip it, then open a terminal in the unzipped folder. Prefer git? Clone instead:

git clone https://github.com/benjamindehli/microsampler-editor-librarian.git
cd microsampler-editor-librarian

Launcher: macOS

Nothing to install. pyusb and libusb are bundled. Just use the launcher:

Connect the microSAMPLER to your Mac with the USB cable and power it on.
Open the macOS/ folder and double-click microSAMPLER Editor Librarian.command.
Enter your password when asked. Administrator rights are required to claim the USB connection from macOS.
The editor opens in your browser automatically.

FIRST RUN: "UNIDENTIFIED DEVELOPER"

The launcher is unsigned (it's a free, open-source project), so the first time you open it macOS blocks it with "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer". Approve it once:

Right-click (or Control-click) the launcher → Open, then Open again in the dialog.
On newer macOS, if there's no Open option: double-click it once (it gets blocked), then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, find the message about the blocked launcher, and click Open Anyway.

Comfortable with Terminal? Clear the download quarantine on the whole unzipped folder instead, then double-click as normal. You only need to do this once:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine microsampler-editor-librarian

Launcher: Linux

pyusb and libusb are bundled (x86-64 and ARM64). Just use the launcher:

Connect the microSAMPLER and power it on.
Open the Linux/ folder and double-click microSAMPLER Editor Librarian.sh. Some file managers open .sh files in an editor. Mark it executable / "Allow launching" first, or run ./'Linux/microSAMPLER Editor Librarian.sh' from a terminal.
Enter your password when asked (root is needed to claim the USB device).
The editor opens in your browser automatically.

Launcher: Windows (experimental)

UNTESTED, EXTRA SETUP REQUIRED

Windows hasn't been verified, and libusb can't open the device until its USB driver is switched to WinUSB using Zadig.

Install Python 3 (tick "Add to PATH"). pyusb and a 64-bit libusb DLL are bundled, so there's nothing else to install.
With the microSAMPLER connected, run Zadig and replace its driver with WinUSB (or libusbK).
Open the Windows/ folder and double-click microSAMPLER Editor Librarian.bat.

Any platform: manual & mock

Run the bridge directly, then open http://localhost:8765:

sudo python3 native-tools/bridge.py

WHY SUDO?

The operating system's MIDI driver owns the device's USB interface. The bridge needs elevated rights to take it over while it runs. It hands control back when it exits.

To explore the interface with no device connected, run the bridge in mock mode (no password needed):

python3 native-tools/bridge.py --mock

First run

With the device connected and the bridge running, open the editor in your browser.
Check the CONNECTED light (top-right) is green.
Press RECEIVE (top-right) to read the current bank from the device. Its 36 sample slots and settings appear.
Click any pad to start editing.

microSAMPLER connected to a computer running the editor — The bridge runs locally and the editor talks to the device over USB.

Device setup

Two device settings matter:

One USB owner at a time. The microSAMPLER moves samples and patterns over USB using non-standard transfers, so it can't share the connection with a DAW or other MIDI software. Close those (and Korg's original editor) while the bridge is running.
MIDI CLK = AUTO for pattern playback. The device's sequencer is a clock slave, so the editor streams MIDI clock to drive it. On the device, set GLOBAL → MIDI CLK = AUTO (or EXT MIDI). Otherwise the transport buttons do nothing.

The device GLOBAL page showing MIDI CLK set to AUTO — Set MIDI CLK to AUTO so the sequencer follows the editor's transport.

New to the hardware? The Concepts page explains banks, the two play modes, BPM-sync and the sequencer. Stuck? See Troubleshooting.