LinkedMusicians is Growing By Up to 90% Per Week

[peter]

I knew that Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend would give the site a huge spike in traffic. What surprised me is that we’re still seeing that level of traffic continue. It’s made me very glad that I moved the site to a much more powerful server. Clearly, people appreciate what we bring to the table with a non-toxic community for music producers. While our deals forum is a major draw, our free Kontakt sample libraries remain the most popular draw for search and AI visitors. Consequently, over the next month, I’m going to introduce a number of improvements to that page, and in fact, will be splitting it into separate categories by instrument type.

The issue right now is that the page, because I have embedded audio and video, has too large of a file size, so that’s not ideal for visitors and it’s also really slow when I’m working on it. It’s also resulted in my pulling out some of the embedded audio and video files. When I split the page into separate pages by instrument categories, I’m going to add back audio and video demos for the various libraries, as I think that’s really valuable, and time saving for people.

I’d welcome your thoughts. I don’t have much of a budget for this site, so understand that I cannot afford custom development. But if you make a suggestion, I promise to listen to it. Just know that there are many things I would love to do, but do not have the budget to do. So keep the suggestions coming, just know that there is a practical reality with regards to what we can afford to do.

– Peter

LinkedMusicians Founder. Your friend who keeps the beat.

Check out my music. 

2

[jorge]

“Consequently, over the next month, I’m going to introduce a number of improvements to that page, and in fact, will be splitting it into separate categories by instrument type.” => This is a great idea!

“The issue right now is that the page, because I have embedded audio and video, has too large of a file size, so that’s not ideal for visitors and it’s also really slow when I’m working on it.” => The use of images, videos, and audio (media in general), It’s the thief of web pages, as it consumes excessive resources and makes browsing the site a bad experience for the user. Anything that restricts this as much as possible is something worth studying. In one hand, is cool to have it, but in the other is a bad idea. Balance this is the key, but the problem is how to do it avoiding be bored if you don’t use it.

Computer scientist by profession, and musician as a hobby
https://jorgeserranomusic.com/

1

[LinkedMusicians]

@jorge I’m not totally sure I follow. Are you saying that you don’t like seeing video and audio on the page?

There’s nothing on the pages that is there as a “cool to have” feature. It’s a very basic, utilitarian page — like the entire site — that follows a very simple template: the title of a recommended free sample library, a brief description of that library, and, in many cases, an audio demo that allows the user to determine if the library appeals to them or not and a link to the page where users can download the library.

The issue is that the list has grown very large. It has far more than 300 libraries, and at that point, from a user experience standpoint, it is best to break the page down by instrument categories so that each category page has a much smaller page size, which of course, means faster load time. That way it is a better user experience and also search engines and AI rank the  pages more favorably (as usability is, in part, measured by the load time of the web page and other factors that are not optimal with pages as large as the current one). When the list had 100 libraries, the single page format worked well. At more than 300, changes need to be made.

So it’s certainly not about being flashy or trying to catch anyone’s attention. It’s all about basic functionality and a good user experience.

CURATED BEST FREE LISTS: Kontakt Libraries, Sample Libraries, Virtual Synths, Effects
POWERSEARCH TOOLS: Synth Presets, Loops & Sound FX, Gear Reviews 
FREE TOOLS: Mixing Problem Solver, Songwriter's Toolbox, QuickGuides, Scale, Mode & Chord Finder
READING/VIEWING: Best Mags / Podcasts, Audio Production & Songwriter's Dictionaries

[jorge]

Hi @Peter

Yes, I understand your comments, and separate the libraries is a good idea, but what I mentiones is related to user experience and trying to streamline the site (or pages).

I know that it’s difficult to strike a balance between providing useful and comprehensive information, website traffic, and, at the same time, the user experience.

I’m sorry, but I don’t have data to confirm this, but my experience in software architecture has led me to this conclusion.

In general, it’s a good idea to add a lot of information to library pages with links and embedded info, but in my experience, it’s best to avoid embedding too much content that overloads the page and causes excessive resource consumption.

I’m not sure if the following comment is appropriate here, but for example:
In this thread:

The Best Free Kontakt Piano Sample Libraries

In this case you can add the information as shown in this URL, but you could include external links (with videos, sound demos, etc.) instead of embedding the content, since the page will grow in the future, and while it might grow quickly today, it will be slow tomorrow.

On the other hand, you have to scroll down quite a bit to see all the information. Keep in mind that you're trying to break up the content because it has grown and is somewhat bulky.

That's a good point, but I would avoid embedding information on these types of pages. I hope this clarifies my point a bit better (excuse my English). :)

Computer scientist by profession, and musician as a hobby
https://jorgeserranomusic.com/

1

[LinkedMusicians]

@jorge I understand what you’re saying. You would prefer if the thread you’ve posted didn’t have audio demos embedded. While I understand your preference, I consider the audio demos part of the utilitarian essentials of the best lists of sample libraries. Each listing has (1) a title (its name, including the developer’s name), (2) a description of the library along with a short review explaining why it made the list, (3) an audio or video demo of the library so the user can quickly know what it sounds like and if it’s to their liking, and (4) a link to the place where the user can download the sample library. This is a standard for lists of this kind, or really any review. So, I consider everything I’ve just described essential features and not having any of these essentials would result in a poorer user experience.

This is the Best Free Kontakt Libraries page. It is not a forum page. It is linked in the main navigation.

Best Free Kontakt Instruments (2025)

CURATED BEST FREE LISTS: Kontakt Libraries, Sample Libraries, Virtual Synths, Effects
POWERSEARCH TOOLS: Synth Presets, Loops & Sound FX, Gear Reviews 
FREE TOOLS: Mixing Problem Solver, Songwriter's Toolbox, QuickGuides, Scale, Mode & Chord Finder
READING/VIEWING: Best Mags / Podcasts, Audio Production & Songwriter's Dictionaries

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