Apple has bought certain assets of Samplab, a Zurich startup that made AI tools for reworking recorded music, and is taking on some of its staff. The deal surfaced on the European Commission's list of acquisitions that Apple must report as a Digital Markets Act gatekeeper, updated on 19 October.
“edit audio files as if you were working with MIDI”
Samplab's former website, describing its audio editor · 9to5mac.com ↗
Founded in 2020 by Manuel Fritsche and Gian-Marco Hutter, Samplab turned audio into editable notes and chords, split stems and matched samples to a tempo and key. It had ten staff at most, perhaps just the founders now. No price was disclosed.
Illustration Dealroom ran with its Samplab acquisition report
Nilo Velez · Image: Dealroom News
Its website now redirects to apple.com and its social accounts look wiped. The filing puts the deal in June, and the outlets differ on when Samplab shut: 17 September in one report, late June in another.
About Samplab
Samplab's best-known product was a free audio-to-MIDI plugin. As Rekkerd described it in August 2021, it ran in a DAW as a VST3 or AU plugin on Windows and Mac. A producer dropped in a recording, the audio went to Samplab's server, and the individual notes came back as MIDI to play on a virtual instrument or edit.
2020
Founded
Apple has not commented or confirmed a plan. Logic Pro already has Stem Splitter and Chord ID, so editing notes inside polyphonic audio would be the new part. A week earlier the same list showed Apple hiring the team behind Huxe.
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