From Samplesonics comes OpenWav Media Browser, a free sample management system for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
I’ve always planned to use sample library organisers or managers more, but despite trying them over the years, I still end up with samples scattered all over my computer.
Popular organising solutions include the ADSR Sample Manager and Waves COSMOS.
COSMOS typically costs $29.99, down from $79 in one of Waves’ seemingly unlimited-time offers. ADSR Sample Manager used to be free, but now costs around $9.99.
If you don’t like the idea of paying for the convenience of organisation, more free options keep popping up all the time.
A couple of months ago, we checked out Unshuffle from Calloga, and now we have OpenWav Media Browser by Samplesonics.
OWMB is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS, Windows, and Linux (also functions as a standalone application).
OWMB does what any good sample manager does: it scans selected folders and makes all sample content available in one place with multi-tag filtering.
For me, the benefit isn’t just the convenience; it’s knowing what samples I have. We typically collect so much sample content over the years that we often sit on amazing material we don’t even realise we have.
So, the biggest benefit, for me, is that everything becomes readily available.
If you find the typical list view a bit daunting, there’s an interactive 3D Sample Cloud Constellation Visualizer (at a glance, it looks similar to the Waves COSMOS view).
In addition to the easy search tools, sample preview, and drag-and-drop into DAW workflow, OWMB has a few more handy features.
You can slice/truncate samples inside OWMB; you can even record samples directly into the app.
One of the most interesting features is the performance page, where you can load samples into a grid, map to keys, and test groups of samples as an ensemble.
I think it made a big difference when sample platforms like LoopCloud expanded the typical preview function into a more musical setup, and I like that OWMB has implemented this performance element.
I’m having an issue downloading the macOS installer right now; the link just isn’t responding for me. But I can see people have been downloading OWMB, so I’ll hopefully be able to grab it shortly.
It also looks like the developer has been ironing out a few bugs since the initial release and working hard to improve the overall experience.
I look forward to trying it and seeing how it stacks up against Unshuffle and other free alternatives.
Download: OpenWav Media Browser (FREE)
More:
- FrozenPlain updates Floe, its FREE sample library player
- Reflector is a FREE open-source sample discovery workstation for macOS
Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
