Sample set producer standards

No, not standards in the sense of quality - standards in the sense of norms.

I've posted this elsewhere:

Congratulations to SP for making the demo free and a complete instrument. It really is the only way to test a sample set properly - and it's no accident that I have now bought several SP sets as a result of that policy. I wish all sample set makers did the same.

and have been reading the thread on the new Romsey release. Would the HW folk consider publishing a set of standards that they ask sample set producers to adhere to in the way they present their sample sets? For me the minimum I would want is:
* Complete specs online in text format, readable on phone as well as PC.
* Clear statement of memory use
* Full set of screen-shots online, including whether they are optimisable for all sizes of monitors and for both portrait and landscape
* Info guide available inside HW which has a bit of history, and any quirks of the instrument
* Playable demo - full or almost full compass please, but limited number of stops and perspectives are fine. It's the opportunity to show off the most interesting aspects of the instrument
* Clarity on the demo which stops are available (e.g. unavailable stops greyed out)

In commercial terms it's a buyer's market out there - sellers, however proud they are of the product (and every sample set I've tried is excellent) need to convince the buyers to spend their money. It's no accident that I've only spent my own money on Sonus Paradisi and Lavender sample sets - because I've been able to try for free before I buy.

[mdyde]

Hello srw647,

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think that's something that we'd want to get into. Sample set producers are independent businesses that have different ways that they like to do things, and users can make their own decisions about what's important to them when deciding whether to buy something.

It's no accident that I've only spent my own money on Sonus Paradisi and Lavender sample sets - because I've been able to try for free before I buy.

OAM has been offering fully playable demo sets (14-day trials) for many years now ...

OAM has been offering fully playable demo sets (14-day trials) for many years now ...

Same is true for pipeloops!

And the same for Forestpipes, except small organs which are not iLok-protected.

Since several of the major sample set producers have commented, I’ve always wanted to know how they decide which organs to sample? And would they consider having someone sponsor an organ that they want very much to be sampled?

In my case often the organists want „their“ organ to be playable at home and until now I always did the sampling at my own costs. But when I know from the beginning the organ is very uninteresting I would also decline.