# Maru Sampler

> Play instruments and drum kits, create your own banks in Studio, and understand the native app and DAW plug-in.

Canonical: https://maruaudio.com/help/maru-sampler
Documentation index: https://maruaudio.com/help/llms.txt

Maru Sampler is Maru's official player for sampled instruments and drum kits. Play a piano from a MIDI keyboard, trigger a kit from pads, or build an instrument from your own recordings. A bank contains the sounds and their playing instructions; Sampler is the instrument that plays it.

## Play in your browser

Start at the [Sampler product page](https://maruaudio.com/products/sampler), browse [instruments](https://maruaudio.com/sounds/instruments) or [drum kits](https://maruaudio.com/sounds/kits), and open a sound to play. Choose a preset and use the on-screen keys or pads. A computer keyboard or MIDI keyboard gives you another way to perform; MIDI input depends on browser support. See [Playback and MIDI](https://maruaudio.com/help/playback-and-midi.md) for setup.

No installation is needed for browser playback. On a bank page, use **Share → Copy URL** to send someone a link to the current sound.

## Native app and DAW plug-in

The native Maru Sampler has two uses: a standalone app plays instruments without a DAW, and a plug-in plays them on an instrument track in your music software. Both are players for banks made in Studio, so creating a new kit does not require building a new plug-in.

Public native downloads are upcoming. Check the [Apps page](https://maruaudio.com/apps#sampler) for release availability, or [contact Maru](https://maruaudio.com/contact) about early access on your computer.

If you already have a native build, use its **Load bank…** control to choose a bank folder, ZIP or `.mas` file. For a folder, keep `bank.json` and all referenced samples together.

## Create an instrument or kit in Studio

Open [Studio](https://maruaudio.com/studio), create a **Sampler bank** project and add recordings in **Sources**. Ask the agent for a musical result, such as a soft keyboard instrument from recorded notes or a kit with closed and open hi-hats. Use **Mapping** to set the notes and playing ranges, and **Preview** to play the result.

Presets offer variations of the same material, such as a tighter kit or a softer piano. Another mapping can reuse those recordings for a different keyboard range or pad layout. Follow [Create a sampler bank](https://maruaudio.com/help/create-a-sampler-bank.md) for the complete first journey.

## Take the bank with you

In Studio, open **Info & export → Export bank**. **Download MAS** creates one `.mas` bank file containing the recordings, mappings, presets and artwork. **Download ZIP** carries the same bank content in an extractable archive. These are content files for Sampler; the native app or plug-in is a separate download.

To edit a downloaded bank, import either file through Studio's **Sources** tab. To share browser playback, publish a saved bank as a public or unlisted instrument page. Review the source recordings' permissions before distributing a bank.

If a bank will not load, check that you are opening a bank rather than the player installer. Keep all samples beside `bank.json` when using a bank folder, and review any import warnings in Studio. [Contact support](https://maruaudio.com/contact#help) with the file type, player version and error if it still fails.

For editor details, file contents and import limitations, see the [sampler bank reference](https://maruaudio.com/docs/sampler-banks.md).