Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which instrument to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Bloom Ensemble Mallets is Excite Audio's sampled tuned-percussion instrument: piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and bells, with a step sequencer, 250 presets and sample import. $59, intro $39.
Portal is a granular synthesis FX plugin from Output that transforms any audio input into playable, musical granular effects.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Excite Audio Bloom Ensemble Mallets | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59 | $149 |
| Dubspot Score | — | 8.4 |
| Formats | VST, VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone, macOS, Windows | VST, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Developer | Excite Audio | — |
| Type | Sample-based virtual instrument (tuned percussion) | — |
| Sound sources | Piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, bells | — |
| Presets | 250, in seven categories | 250+ presets for instant playability |
| Samples | 112 across 8 banks, 14 per bank over two octaves, synced to host BPM | — |
| Sequencer | Per-track velocity, probability, timing; step rate, sync, swing, steps, latch, retrigger; modulates FX, pitch, volume | — |
| Macros | Age, Lo-Fi, Bounce, Smudge | — |
| Effects | Reverb, Delay, Modulation, Lo-Cut, Hi-Cut, plus three rearrangeable edit-page slots | — |
| Formats | VST, VST3, AU, AAX, standalone | — |
| Systems | macOS 10.15 or higher (Intel or Apple Silicon), Windows 7 or higher, 64-bit | — |
| Price | $59 full, $39 intro until 30 November 2026, $19 Lite | — |
| Control | — | Circular XY control linked to granular parameters |
| Built-in FX | — | 7 built-in FX plus a master compressor and filter |
| Time manipulation | — | Powerful time manipulation engine with tempo-synced grain delay |
| Modulation | — | Scale-based pitch modulation, Time Stretch, Pitch Shift, and Humanize controls |
| Apple Silicon | — | Native Apple Silicon compatibility (M1, M2 and beyond) as of v1.2.0 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.