I've been out of the loop for a while and lately I've been searching for a symphonic orchestra solution on the sister site. Previously I have been using Miroslav Philharmonic but all of the links seem to be outdated and I cannot seem to find any other VSTs or KT libraries with full symphonic orchestra.

Could anyone recommend something specific to look for?

EDIT: MacOS 10.13 (Intel Mac)

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2025 at 10:33 AM

Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra (Sound Module) --> https://vstbuzz.com/freebies/sonatina-symphonic-orchestra

Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra is a free orchestral sample library. While not as advanced or ambitious in scope as commercial offerings, SSO contains all the basic building blocks for creating real virtual orchestrations. It’s primarily aimed at beginners, but also more experienced composers looking for something lightweight and/or portable might find it useful.

Instant Download (654MB) --> Strings, brass, woodwinds, keys, choir & percussion!

 

Spitfire Symphony Orchestra - is about as good as it gets fidelity and realism wise. If you want a less large space Spitfire Studio Strings/Brass/Woodwinds Professional series is excellent. If you're looking for smaller Steinberg Iconica Opus produces great results at a lesser disc cost. Percussion is included with SSO, but I also use CinePerc and Aura Studio percussion which are older libs but great sounding.

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2025 at 9:30 AM

Thanks I will check it out

 

Thanks, looks great, unfortunately not available on the sister site.

 

Iconica Ensembles and Sections and Players (the combined == Opus) for Halion is available on sisite and will more than likely blow away any free library. Also available there is Iconica Sketch - a leaned out version of Opus. I have all of these and they are definitely high quality. The only difference is they are Halion based instead of Kontakt. Opus is for serious composition and dovetails with cubase/nuendo beautifully.

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2025 at 9:45 AM

Jaeger from Audio Imperia: https://www.audioimperia.com/product/jaeger/

I am however a big fan of Symphobia (2): https://projectsam.com/libraries/symphobia-2


Edit: That said, I am much more a fan of individual section solutions and not a "greatest hits package". Strings, brass, woodwind, orchestral percussion etc.

For that, I mostly (obviously) use Cinesamples:
https://cinesamples.com/

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2025 at 11:26 AM

My recommendations (Kontakt only):

- Strezov Sampling AFFLATUS CHAPTER I Strings
Why? Great selection of strings for almost any application. Amazing recordings, great out-of-the-box sound. Tons of tones, combinations and section sizes. Polyphonic legato and divisi!
Cons? Mostly legato/sustain and spiccatos for the more classic types of orchestra.

- Spitfire Audio Chamber Strings
Why? A classic that is still unbeatable in terms of sheer amount of articulations and sound. The only library you need if all you care are chambers strings. Master it, and you have a fully convincing sound that no one will question.
Cons? Takes a ton of work to master, library size is unbearable for most setups where you're not writing mainly orchestral stuff.

- Performance Samples Vista and Pacific
Why? Great company pushing the boundaries of realism. Awesome sound that is very convincing. Pretty much made for nerds.
Cons? Terrible UI and ergonomics. Hard to use.

- Slate and Ash PRIMARIES STRINGS
Why? One of a kind sound, has tons of sounds you can't find anywhere else.
Cons? Not really suited for most music.

- Strezov Sampling String Contours 1 and 2
Why? Incredible sound, easiest out-of-the-box results. Nothing quite like it in the market.
Cons? Not suitable for all types of orchestral arranging. Instead of the library playing your writing, you will need to write for this library instead.

- Fracture Sounds String Formations series
Why? Beautiful textures that add a ton of character to any other library from this list. Great to add depth and romanticism to any arrangement.
Cons? This library is possessed by another composer you can't control, and that can be a problem if you don't want it.

- Spitfire Audio British Drama Toolkit
Why? Still one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever listened. Been out for a number of years and still no one has made anything close to it, not even Spitfire themselves. Velocity controlled! Great for adding depth to other libraries.
Cons? Mostly sustains and some textures (chiffs and the likes).

- Chris Hein Solo Strings
Why? Velocity controlled (default/intended), highly expressive and customizable with lots of articulations. Adds a lot of definition when used on top of sections. Highly playable.
Cons? Sounds just okay, getting pretty old already.

I could keep going, but I think that's more than enough to make any music you could ever wish for.

 

I really like the orchestra complete 4 by sonuscore which is small and efficient (27gb), then to complete these I'm using orchestral essential 1 and 2 from projectsam (18gb) and for the specials sounds, misterious orchestral sounds, Lumina from project sam (40gb)

 

Last edited: Nov 4, 2025 at 11:16 AM