Apple acquires audio software startup Samplab

MacRumors reported that Apple acquired Samplab in June.[1] A filing cited by 9to5Mac said an Apple subsidiary would acquire certain Samplab assets and offer employment to some of the startup’s employees, with some to be hired.[2] The filing described Samplab as a developer of audio-editing tools.[2] Samplab is a Swiss startup that launched in Zurich in 2020.[2][3] The available reports do not describe the acquisition price or specify which assets were included.[2]

Samplab focused on plugins for digital audio workstations and also offered a desktop app.[3][1] Its software could convert audio to MIDI, detect and change individual notes within a recorded chord, and edit notes in polyphonic audio without changing the original timbre.[1][3] Samplab described its audio editor as letting creators work with audio files as if they were using MIDI.[2] The company said edited chords stay in key and can be exported as MIDI files.[2]

Logic Pro has offered stem-splitting tools since 2024, and it already includes Stem Splitter and Chord ID.[3][1] MacRumors reported that polyphonic note editing would be new to Logic Pro.[1] Samplab’s tools could potentially be folded into Logic Pro or GarageBand, according to 9to5Mac.[1] That possibility is not confirmation of a product plan: Apple had not commented on the acquisition, according to 9to5Mac.[2] The reports do not establish whether or when Samplab features will appear in Apple’s apps.[1][2]

Samplab posted a notice saying it was closing and refunding current subscribers.[3] After the deal, the company’s website redirected to Apple’s website, while its social accounts and YouTube channel appeared to have been cleared, 9to5Mac reported.[2] For audio-software teams, the acquisition is a reason to track Apple’s updates, not to assume that Samplab’s capabilities are already available in Logic Pro or GarageBand.[1][2]