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Excite Audio Bloom Ensemble Mallets: A Mallet Sequencer
Excite Audio Bloom Ensemble Mallets turns piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and bells into a playable, sequenced instrument with 250 presets.
M
Marcus Feld
November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Excite Audio has released Bloom Ensemble Mallets, a sampled instrument built entirely from tuned percussion: piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and bells. It arrived on 23 October 2026. The instrument sits closer to a small engine than a straight sample library, turning those mallet sounds into loops, textures and sequenced patterns. The aim is melodic movement you can play in seconds, built for ambient, downtempo, electronic and cinematic producers.
At a glance: Bloom Ensemble Mallets is a virtual instrument for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU (macOS), AAX and standalone formats. It ships with 250 presets across seven categories, 112 samples in eight banks, a step sequencer, four sound-shaping macros, and the option to import your own samples. It costs $59, with an introductory $39 price until 30 November 2026, and a Lite edition at $19.
What is Bloom Ensemble Mallets?
Bloom Ensemble Mallets is the newest instrument in Excite Audio's Bloom range, and it narrows the focus to tuned percussion. The sound set draws on five acoustic sources, then layers them into playable ensembles: grand piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and bells. Excite Audio points to artists such as Pantha Du Prince, Four Tet, Bonobo and Floating Points as touchstones, the kind of records where a single mallet figure carries a whole track.
What sets it apart from a traditional sampled library is the engine wrapped around the samples. It runs as its own plugin rather than a Kontakt instrument, so it loads straight into your DAW. Instead of mapping one articulation across the keyboard, it builds short, BPM-synced figures you can trigger, reshape and sequence. You get the warmth of real mallet recordings with the speed of a loop tool.
What Bloom Ensemble Mallets does
A library organized for ideas, not just notes. The 250 presets sit in seven categories: Full Ensembles, Experimental, High Energy, Low Energy, Melodic, Solo and Textures. Solo presets use one voice at a time, so you can drop in a clean marimba or a lone glockenspiel. Full Ensembles stack the sources into richer beds. That spread lets you audition a mood quickly instead of programming one from scratch.
Samples that lock to your tempo. Eight sample banks hold 112 samples in total, with 14 samples per bank mapped across two octaves. Everything syncs to the host BPM, so a phrase you like stays in time when you change the project tempo. Those 14 sample keys give you a playable range without turning the instrument into a full chromatic sampler.
A sequencer that moves more than pitch. The built-in sequencer is the heart of the instrument. It triggers and layers one-shots and loops, with per-track control over velocity, probability and timing, plus step rate, sync, swing, number of steps, latch and beat retrigger. It can also modulate the effects, pitch and volume, so a pattern evolves instead of repeating itself. This is where the Pantha Du Prince reference pays off, since the whole appeal is motion and subtle variation.
Macros for instant character. Four macros (Age, Lo-Fi, Bounce and Smudge) reshape the sound without digging through menus. Age and Lo-Fi push the recordings toward tape and dust, Bounce adds rhythmic life, and Smudge softens the edges into something more ambient. These are broad, musical controls built for fast results.
Effects and modifiers you can rearrange. Five main parameters cover Reverb, Delay, Modulation, Lo-Cut and Hi-Cut. Dig into the edit page and you find three rearrangeable effect slots: a Modulation unit (Chorus, Vibrato or Flanger), a Delay (Stereo or Ping Pong) and a Reverb (Plate, Hall or Spring). Five factory modifiers (Half-Time, Double-Time, Reverse, Octave Down and Octave Up) reshape a sequence in one click, and five custom slots let you save your own.
Deep sample editing and your own sounds. The same page adds choke groups, playback directions (forwards, backwards, pendulum and loop), playback modes, speeds, fine tuning, formant and pitch warp, and start and end markers that snap to the grid or to transients. The bigger draw is sample import. You can load up to 112 of your own samples and swap them at any time by dragging an audio file onto the sample display. That turns Bloom Ensemble Mallets into a sequencer for your own recordings, not just Excite Audio's.
Bloom Ensemble Mallets specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Excite Audio |
| Type | Sample-based virtual instrument (tuned percussion) |
| Sound sources | Piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, bells |
| Presets | 250, in seven categories |
| Samples | 112 samples across 8 banks, 14 per bank over two octaves, synced to host BPM |
| Sequencer | Per-track velocity, probability and timing; step rate, sync, swing, steps, latch, beat retrigger; modulates FX, pitch and volume |
| Macros | Age, Lo-Fi, Bounce, Smudge |
| Effects | Reverb, Delay, Modulation, Lo-Cut, Hi-Cut, plus three rearrangeable edit-page slots |
| Sample import | Up to 112 of your own samples, drag and drop |
| Formats | macOS: VST, VST3, AU, AAX, standalone. Windows: VST, VST3, AAX, standalone |
| System | macOS 10.15 or higher (Intel or Apple Silicon), Windows 7 or higher, 64-bit only |
| Price | $59 full, $39 intro until 30 November 2026, $19 Lite |
Bloom Ensemble Mallets vs Output Arcade
The closest comparison is Output Arcade, the other loop-and-sequence instrument that electronic producers reach for when they want fast, playable ideas. They solve the same problem in opposite ways.
| Bloom Ensemble Mallets | Output Arcade | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59 one-time (intro $39) | From $12.99 per month |
| Ownership | Keep it forever | Access ends when you stop paying |
| Sound focus | Tuned percussion only | Rotating multi-genre loop library |
| Library | 112 samples, 8 banks, 250 presets | Tens of thousands of samples, updated constantly |
| Sequencer | Step sequencer with per-step modulation | Loop playback and keyboard-playable Kits |
| Import your own samples | Yes, up to 112 | No |
| Best for | A focused mallet instrument you own | Endless fresh loops across styles |
Arcade wins on sheer volume and novelty, since the library never stops growing. Bloom Ensemble Mallets answers with focus and ownership: one well-chosen palette of mallet sounds, a one-time price, and the freedom to load your own recordings. If you only need occasional tuned-percussion textures, a free option like Spitfire LABS covers the basics, though without the sequencer or the sample engine.
Who Bloom Ensemble Mallets is for
It fits producers who build around mood and texture: ambient, downtempo, lo-fi, electronica and film scoring. If you often reach for a vibraphone loop or a glockenspiel figure to set a scene, this gives you a deep, playable version of that sound with movement built in. The sample-import feature also makes it useful as a general loop sequencer for sounds you already own.
It is a narrower buy for anyone who needs a fully chromatic, deeply sampled mallet instrument for scoring to picture, where a dedicated orchestral percussion library goes further. Producers who already live inside a subscription loop platform may also find the overlap hard to justify. For a wider look at instruments like this, our guide to the best free VST plugins of 2026 and the full plugin database are good next stops.
How much does Bloom Ensemble Mallets cost?
Bloom Ensemble Mallets is $59 at full price, with an introductory price of $39 that runs until 30 November 2026. A Lite edition is available at $19 for a smaller preset count, and Excite Audio also sells it inside an Orchestral Bundle. The plugin runs in VST, VST3, AU, AAX and standalone formats on macOS and Windows, and a free trial is available.
Check price on Plugin BoutiqueYou can read the full feature list on the official Bloom Ensemble Mallets page or on its Plugin Boutique listing.
FAQ
What is Bloom Ensemble Mallets?
It is a sample-based virtual instrument from Excite Audio built from tuned percussion: piano, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and bells. A built-in sequencer, macros and effects turn those sounds into loops, textures and melodic patterns.
How much does Bloom Ensemble Mallets cost?
The full version is $59, with an introductory price of $39 until 30 November 2026. A Lite edition costs $19, and a free trial is available.
What formats and systems does it support?
It runs as VST, VST3, AU (macOS), AAX and standalone. It needs macOS 10.15 or higher with Intel or Apple Silicon, or Windows 7 or higher, and is 64-bit only.
Can I load my own samples into Bloom Ensemble Mallets?
Yes. You can import up to 112 of your own samples and swap them at any time by dragging an audio file onto the sample display, which makes it a sequencer for your own sounds.
Bloom Ensemble Mallets or Output Arcade?
Choose Bloom Ensemble Mallets for a focused, one-time-purchase mallet instrument you own and can load your own samples into. Choose Output Arcade for a constantly updated, multi-genre loop library you access by subscription.
Verdict
Bloom Ensemble Mallets is a focused instrument that knows exactly what it is for. Rather than chase a complete orchestral palette, it takes five tuned-percussion sources and wraps them in a sequencer, macros and effects that favor motion and mood. The sample-import feature lifts it above a fixed preset library, since you can feed it your own recordings and keep the same workflow. At $39 during the intro, for producers who lean on vibraphone, marimba and glockenspiel textures, it is an easy instrument to recommend. Anyone needing a deeply sampled, fully chromatic mallet library for scoring will still want something larger, but for atmosphere and melodic movement this hits the mark. For more in this space, see our best free VST plugins of 2026.
