Samplab Is Offline: Open Old Projects and Move On

If Samplab stopped working for you today, nothing is wrong with your computer. The service has shut down, and every symptom people are searching for follows from that.

Everything below comes from Samplab's own shutdown notice and FAQ, which we read on 16 September 2026 and again on 19 September, two days after the stated end date, when the notice was still displayed. If you are still deciding which tool replaces it, that is a separate question, answered in our comparison of Samplab alternatives. This page is about the files and habits you have right now.

What you are seeing, and why

The reason given is short: after many years on the product, the team "made the decision to pursue a new opportunity". There is no hint of a buyer or a relaunch in the notice, so do not wait for one.

Can you still open your projects?

Samplab said it "created a new version of Samplab that allows you to continue working with your existing projects". That final build is the only one that will run. Any version older than it stops.

Which leaves three situations.

You installed the final version before the shutdown. You are fine for now. Find the installer you downloaded and copy it somewhere that is not your working drive: an external disk or cloud storage. Samplab's FAQ is explicit that the installers cannot be downloaded once the site is offline, so the copy on your disk may be the last one available to you.

You downloaded the installer but never ran it. Check your Downloads folder before you clear it out. Install it and open one project to confirm it works.

You never updated. Your older build will not start, and Samplab itself no longer hosts the download. If a bandmate or collaborator kept a copy of the final installer, that is the practical route. We cannot tell you whether any store still lists it, because we could not confirm that on a primary source.

Resynthesizer

The rules differ by what you paid for:

• Bought Resynthesizer, or subscribed to Samplab Complete: Samplab offered a "fully offline version" that keeps working after the date.
• Subscribed to Resynthesizer in the past, or only used the trial: you were offered ResynthesizerLegacy. It keeps existing oneshots and projects working, but loads no new audio.
• Older Resynthesizer builds stop entirely, like older Samplab builds.

Get your work out while it still opens

The final version keeps working, but it is now software nobody maintains. If an operating-system update or a new computer stops it running, no fix will come. Treat every project that still opens as something to evacuate, not something to keep editing.

1. Make a list of projects that matter. Open each once. Any that fail now will not open later.
2. Export the notes as MIDI wherever the app lets you. A MIDI file is a plain, open format that every DAW and notation program reads, with no account behind it. Our explainer on what a MIDI file contains covers what survives the export and what does not.
3. Export the audio as well, including any edited or resynthesised versions you care about. MIDI stores notes and timing, not the sound you shaped.
4. Keep the original recordings you dropped into Samplab, next to the exports, under names you will recognise later. They are the one input any other tool can start again from.
5. Back up the lot, installers included, in two places.

Of those, the original audio matters most. A MIDI export freezes whatever Samplab detected at the time, errors included. The source recording lets you run the part through a newer tool later and get a better result.

Refunds: what Samplab promised, and who pays it out

Samplab's FAQ says it cancelled all active subscriptions. If you paid for a yearly subscription that extends beyond 17 September 2026, it says it will refund the remaining balance. The notice mentions no refund for monthly plans.

Refunds go "through our partners Paddle and MuseHub", and Samplab warns "it might take some time". Which partner handles yours depends on where you paid.

Paid through Paddle. Paddle acts as the seller for the software companies it serves, which is why your card statement may say Paddle rather than Samplab. Paddle's help centre sends buyers to its Order Support team on paddle.net, where you can look up the transaction and ask about a refund. Use that if the money has not arrived and you want to check the status.

Paid through MuseHub. MuseHub's general refund page says subscriptions "cannot be refunded" and are simply cancelled at the end of the billing cycle. Samplab's shutdown refund is a separate promise from Samplab, so do not expect the usual self-service button to cover it. MuseHub's route to a person is its Library, then Contact Support, then Request a Refund, and it asks you to allow up to 10 working days once a refund is processed.

Keep the receipt email for your last Samplab payment until the refund lands. It carries the order details either partner will ask for.

Moving the workflow, not just the files

Samplab bundled four tools, listed in its own footer: audio to MIDI, chord detection, stem splitting, and BPM and key detection. No single product replaces all four, and trying to find one is how people end up paying for a large subscription to use a fifth of it. Work out which of the four you actually used every week.

If the answer is getting piano parts out of recordings, the choice comes down to two things:

• What you want at the end. A MIDI clip to drop into a DAW, or a readable score. General audio-to-MIDI converters stop at MIDI; piano transcription tools can give you notation. Our audio-to-MIDI converters compared guide sorts the tools by exactly that.
• How you want to pay. Samplab's closure is a fair reminder that a subscription is access, not ownership. If you convert a piece now and then, it is worth looking at the tools that sell single pieces or a one-time licence; our guide to music transcription without a subscription lists them with their prices.

Whichever tool you pick, insist on exports you keep: MIDI, and MusicXML if you want sheet music. The next service you depend on can close too. Files you exported cannot.

If a piano score is what you were after, you can upload a solo piano recording to Piano to Sheet Music and see the first 30 seconds free. It takes audio only, and it is designed for solo piano, not full mixes.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Samplab not working?

Because the service has closed. Samplab said it would support existing users until 17 September 2026, after which its website goes offline, new audio can no longer be uploaded, and older versions of Samplab and Resynthesizer stop working entirely. It is not an outage on your side, and reinstalling an old version will not bring it back.

Why can't I log in to my Samplab account?

Samplab's FAQ says all accounts will be deleted after 17 September 2026, so a failed login is expected rather than a password problem. Password resets and support requests that depend on the website will not help either, since the site itself is going offline.

Can I still open my old Samplab projects?

Only with the final version Samplab released for the shutdown, which it says lets you continue working with existing projects. Older builds stop working entirely. If you installed that final version before the site went down, keep the installer backed up; Samplab's FAQ says it cannot be downloaded afterwards.

Will I get a refund for my Samplab subscription?

If you paid for a yearly subscription running past 17 September 2026, Samplab says it will refund the remaining balance. It cancelled all active subscriptions and handles refunds through Paddle and MuseHub, warning that the money may take some time to arrive. The notice does not mention refunds for monthly plans.

Does ResynthesizerLegacy still work after the shutdown?

Yes, but with a limit. Samplab says the legacy version lets you keep working with existing projects and oneshots, but it does not allow loading new audio files. Buyers of Resynthesizer and Samplab Complete subscribers were offered a fully offline version instead, which Samplab says keeps working after the date.

What should I use instead of Samplab for piano?

For piano parts, use a transcription tool trained on piano that exports MusicXML as well as MIDI, so you can correct the result in notation software. Our comparison of Samplab alternatives covers the options and their limits, checked on each vendor's own site.

Sources

• Samplab: "Samplab is going offline" notice and FAQ, read 16 and 19 September 2026
• Paddle Help Center: FAQ for Paddle buyers
• Paddle: why has Paddle charged me?
• MuseHub Help Center: getting a refund