Switzerland-based Handcrafted Audio’s latest creation is an interesting hybrid instrument that ‘reworks’ a marimba and vibraphone, combining nearly 30,000 acoustic samples with an array of synthesis tools. Named Handcrafted Mallets, the new arrival has been designed to provide songwriters, composers and producers with a complete cinematic and electronic sound-creation toolkit. 

There are three main instruments included in the new offering: Handcrafted Marimba, Handcrafted Vibraphone and Handcrafted Mallet Synth. Each instrument has been built to respond in the same way a physical instrument would, and the company say the collection offers a “vividness and depth” that’s rarely found in software instruments. 

Rather than using fixed velocity mapping, the velocities of samples in Handcrafted Mallets vary for each pitch, with the velocity range of each sample based on the loudness of the original sampling performance — the company say the method adds a significant amount of additional depth to the instrument. The sound of the instruments can be shaped using two main parameters: Timbre, which allows seamless movement between soft and hard mallets; and Distance, which controls the instruments’ spatial position.

The vibraphone also features a true pedal system that imitates the natural behaviour of the physical instrument, along with an elaborate motor recreation that modulates not only volume, but also pitch, spectral movement and spatial perception. To complete the acoustic palette, the marimba also features a muted patch, and the vibraphone features a muted patch, a bowed patch and a patch performed with sticks.

“We approach instrument design the same way we approach music: as a form of storytelling. Founded in 2020, we built Handcrafted Audio with the aim to create instruments that can inspire us and others to create music, discover new ways of expression and challenge traditional boundaries. Every step of our process, from recording, to mixing, to programming, is highly intentional and aimed towards the highest degree of human expressivity. We do not consider our instruments virtual replicas of physical ones, but instead see them as complete, expressive tools for modern music.” - Handcrafted Audio

At the heart of the library is a synthesiser built entirely from the original mallet recordings. The marimba and vibraphone samples — which had already been passed through a selection of analogue outboard gear — were reprocessed into more abstract sounds and exported into over 200 sound sources. These sound sources are then used in an oscillator-like fashion with further modulations applied inside the Kontakt instrument, yielding over 500 available presets providing a huge collection of pads, leads, plucks, basses and more.

Handcrafted Mallets features a built-in arpeggiator and sequencer that include smart randomisation buttons that allow users to quickly create any sort of arpeggio, velocity, pitch or panning shapes. The company say that while these patterns are generated randomly, they are done so in a “smart and musical manner”, ensuring that each click creates a completely unique yet inspiring sequence. The arpeggiator and sequencer also include a unique flexible tempo feature. When enabled, it can be used to easily perform incredibly complex rhythms and rubato performances that break out from a rigid grid system and add an idiomatic feeling. 

Handcrafted Mallets runs in Native Instruments Kontakt Player (or the full version of Kontakt) versions 7.6.0 or above, which are supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 11 and higher. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with a standalone application.

Handcrafted Mallets is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of $139 until 31 August 2026, when it will increase to its full cost of $199.

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