Shop Pearl EMSC Sound Card for EM PRO
If you’ve ever played electronic mallets live, you already know the stress of the "laptop tether." You’re constantly managing fragile USB cables, dealing with latency, and praying your software doesn't crash mid-set. The Pearl MalletSTATION EM PRO comes out of the box as a great MIDI controller, but getting rid of the computer entirely? That’s where the Pearl Electronic Mallet Sound Card (EMSC) comes in.
The EMSC is a drop-in hardware upgrade that turns the EM PRO into a self-contained synthesizer. It’s exactly what you need if you just want to show up, plug into the PA, and play.
Under the Hood: Real Processing Power
This is not some cheap, generic soundbank. Pearl worked with Muse Kinetics to build a module around a dedicated Quad-Core ARM 64-bit 2.0GHz processor to handle fast, complex playing without any noticeable lag.
The engine itself is bi-timbral, meaning you can run two instruments (or layers) at the exact same time. This opens up native splits and stacks right on the board. You can drop a heavy synth bass on the low end for left-hand comping, or blend a marimba with a subtle acoustic guitar patch.
For players who like to tweak their tone, the EMSC has an onboard DSP reverb with individual sends for each layer, letting you dial in anything from a tight room sound to a massive hall decay. The bar regulation settings are also deep. You get global and individual control over Bar Gain, On-Thresholds, Crosstalk Rejection, and Retrigger Windows (which is absolutely necessary for playing fast buzz rolls without double-triggering). You can even dial in the dynamic response with exponential or S-curve velocity mappings.
24 Gigabytes of Soundiron Samples
Pearl and Muse Kinetics teamed up with Soundiron for the sample library, and they did not skimp on the data. The card holds 24 GB of audio, built from 24,903 individual samples across 126 instruments.
The acoustic flagship sounds are the real draw here:
- Adams Alpha Marimba: 61 bars recorded across 9 velocity layers with two round robins, using soft, medium, hard, and rubber mallets. (1.8 GB and 4,880 audio samples)
- Adams Alpha Series Concert Vibraphone: Tuned to A=442Hz with struck and bowed variations across 8 to 10 velocity layers. (4.6 GB and 2,646 audio samples)
-
Vintage Jazz Vibraphone: A classic 1970s vibe tuned to A=440Hz with up to 11 velocity layers for true vintage authenticity. (4.6 GB and 3,922 audio samples)
One of the standout features for the vibraphone patches is the "Vibraphone Motor." The EM PRO's vertical faders map automatically to a custom LFO that sweeps dynamic EQ bands around the fundamental frequencies of the bars. It genuinely sounds like physical spinning resonators. The left fader handles the intensity, and the right controls the speed.
Connectivity for the Gigging Player
Installing the EMSC replaces the stock side panel on the EM PRO, swapping it out for a much more robust I/O layout:
- Audio Out: Balanced Left and Right Main outputs for the soundboard, plus a dedicated Headphone jack for practice.
- Advanced MIDI Routing: 5-pin DIN MIDI IN/OUT, USB-C for your DAW, and a USB-A "Controller" port. That USB-A port is a massive feature—it lets you plug an external MIDI keyboard or pad straight into the EMSC to trigger the internal sounds alongside your mallet playing.
- Pedal Inputs: Support for three Switch Pedals, Sustain, and Expression.
- Setlist Management: Save up to 10 setlists with 25 entries each. You can map a switch pedal to step through your list during a gig, instantly swapping active instruments, zones, and root notes. It's a lifesaver for pit musicians and front ensembles running complex shows.
The Complete Instrument List
If you want to know exactly what's on the card, here is the full 126-instrument breakdown along with the MIDI Bank (MSB) and Program Change values for external sequencing.
| Category | Instrument Name | Bank MSB | Program Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marimba | Soft | 1 | 1 |
| Marimba | Medium | 1 | 2 |
| Marimba | Hard | 1 | 3 |
| Marimba | Rubber | 1 | 4 |
| Vibe Concert | Soft | 2 | 1 |
| Vibe Concert | Medium | 2 | 2 |
| Vibe Concert | Hard | 2 | 3 |
| Vibe Concert | Bow | 2 | 4 |
| Vibe Jazz | Soft | 3 | 1 |
| Vibe Jazz | Medium | 3 | 2 |
| Vibe Jazz | Hard | 3 | 3 |
| Bells & Chimes | Chimes Trinity | 4 | 1 |
| Bells & Chimes | Chimes Orville | 4 | 2 |
| Bells & Chimes | Chimes Lakeside | 4 | 3 |
| Bells & Chimes | Circle Bells | 4 | 4 |
| Bells & Chimes | Noah Bells | 4 | 5 |
| Bells & Chimes | Galaxy Tones | 4 | 6 |
| Bells & Chimes | Chromabells | 4 | 7 |
| Bells & Chimes | Oxygen Bells | 4 | 8 |
| Bells & Chimes | Spiral Tone | 4 | 9 |
| Bells & Chimes | Buzz Plates | 4 | 10 |
| Bells & Chimes | Zuburban Plates | 4 | 11 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Xylophone Medium | 5 | 1 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Mellow Xylo | 5 | 2 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Garage Xylo | 5 | 3 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | LoFi Xylo | 5 | 4 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Metal Tongue Drum | 5 | 5 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Whale Drum | 5 | 6 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Hand Pan | 5 | 7 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Kalimba | 5 | 8 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Mbira Duo | 5 | 9 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Angklung | 5 | 10 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Music Box | 5 | 11 |
| Wood Metal Plastic | Cylindrum | 5 | 12 |
| Percussion | Drum Kit Jazz | 6 | 1 |
| Percussion | Drum Kit Rock | 6 | 2 |
| Percussion | Drum Kit Metal | 6 | 3 |
| Percussion | Breaker Electro | 6 | 4 |
| Percussion | Antidrum Chaos | 6 | 5 |
| Percussion | Antidrum Toys | 6 | 6 |
| Percussion | APE Ensemble | 6 | 7 |
| Percussion | APE Cymbals | 6 | 8 |
| Percussion | APE Toms | 6 | 9 |
| Percussion | APE Snares | 6 | 10 |
| Percussion | Motor Rhythms Metal | 6 | 11 |
| Percussion | Rust Ensemble | 6 | 12 |
| Percussion | Clack Wood | 6 | 13 |
| Percussion | Bhangra Ensemble | 6 | 14 |
| Piano & Keys | Survivor Roads DI | 7 | 1 |
| Piano & Keys | Survivor Roads Mic | 7 | 2 |
| Piano & Keys | Emotional Grand | 7 | 3 |
| Piano & Keys | Player Piano | 7 | 4 |
| Piano & Keys | Struck Grand | 7 | 5 |
| Piano & Keys | Struck Harmonics | 7 | 6 |
| Piano & Keys | Clavi Twin | 7 | 7 |
| Piano & Keys | Harpsichord | 7 | 8 |
| Organs | Church | 8 | 1 |
| Organs | Rock | 8 | 2 |
| Organs | Wah-Wah Key | 8 | 3 |
| Organs | Drawbar | 8 | 4 |
| Organs | Accordion | 8 | 5 |
| Organs | Melodica | 8 | 6 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Flute Ensemble | 9 | 1 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Oboe Ensemble | 9 | 2 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Clarinet Ensemble | 9 | 3 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Bassoon Ensemble | 9 | 4 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Trumpet Solo | 9 | 5 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Trumpet Vibrato | 9 | 6 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | French Horn Solo | 9 | 7 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Trombone Solo | 9 | 8 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Tuba Solo | 9 | 9 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Hyperion Brass | 9 | 10 |
| Brass & Woodwinds | Brass Staccato | 9 | 11 |
| Strings | Violin Solo | 10 | 1 |
| Strings | Violin Attack | 10 | 2 |
| Strings | Cello Solo | 10 | 3 |
| Strings | Twine Bass | 10 | 4 |
| Strings | Hyperion Ensemble | 10 | 5 |
| Strings | Hyperion Staccato | 10 | 6 |
| Strings | Hyperion Pizzicato | 10 | 7 |
| Strings | Hyperion Tremolo | 10 | 8 |
| Strings | Elysium Harp | 10 | 9 |
| Strings | Elysium Harp Xfade | 10 | 10 |
| Strings | Orchestra Hit Major | 10 | 11 |
| Strings | Orchestra Hit Minor | 10 | 12 |
| Vocal | Olympus SATB | 11 | 1 |
| Vocal | SATB Staccato | 11 | 2 |
| Vocal | Olympus Women's | 11 | 3 |
| Vocal | Women's Staccato | 11 | 4 |
| Vocal | Mercury Boys' | 11 | 5 |
| Vocal | Boys' Staccato | 11 | 6 |
| Guitar & Bass | Acoustic Guitar | 12 | 1 |
| Guitar & Bass | Axe Machina | 12 | 2 |
| Guitar & Bass | Sitarion Sitar | 12 | 3 |
| Guitar & Bass | Bassix Plucked | 12 | 4 |
| Guitar & Bass | Voltage Bass | 12 | 5 |
| Synth Keys | Sine | 13 | 1 |
| Synth Keys | Triangle | 13 | 2 |
| Synth Keys | Warm Organ | 13 | 3 |
| Synth Keys | FM Organ | 13 | 4 |
| Synth Keys | FM Piano | 13 | 5 |
| Synth Keys | Thump Grind | 13 | 6 |
| Synth Keys | Flute | 13 | 7 |
| Synth Keys | Wailing | 13 | 8 |
| Synth Keys | Tricap | 13 | 9 |
| Synth Keys | Destroyer | 13 | 10 |
| Synth Pad | Saw | 14 | 1 |
| Synth Pad | Carpenter | 14 | 2 |
| Synth Pad | Syrup | 14 | 3 |
| Synth Pad | Saturn | 14 | 4 |
| Synth Pad | Overtime | 14 | 5 |
| Synth Pad | Unstable Timeline | 14 | 6 |
| Synth Pad | Warm Shiver | 14 | 7 |
| Synth Lead | FM Bells | 15 | 1 |
| Synth Lead | Brass | 15 | 2 |
| Synth Lead | Chiptune | 15 | 3 |
| Synth Lead | Future Shock | 15 | 4 |
| Synth Lead | Pipe Scream | 15 | 5 |
| Synth Lead | Squares | 15 | 6 |
| Synth Lead | Power | 15 | 7 |
| Synth Lead | Replicant | 15 | 8 |
| Synth Bass | Voyage | 16 | 1 |
| Synth Bass | Funkle | 16 | 2 |
| Synth Bass | Pluck Shadow | 16 | 3 |
| Synth Bass | Swank | 16 | 4 |
| Synth Bass | Chameleon | 16 | 5 |
The Bottom Line
Whether you're cramped in a theater pit, leading a front ensemble, or gigging with a jazz combo, the EMSC Sound Card is the upgrade that makes the EM PRO a truly standalone instrument. It completely removes the laptop from the equation, giving you peace of mind to just play.