8 Insanely Good Orchestral VSTs (Paid+Free)

• In the market for a new orchestral VST?
• We give you the lowdown on the best ones and what they excel at.
• Free and paid options included.
• Also, check out our post on the best free orchestral VST libraries!

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Not all VSTs are created equal, and orchestral plugins are no exception. They’re also notoriously some of the most laborious plugins to develop (and, as a result, some of the most expensive). For them to sound realistic and faithful to real instruments, they require:

1. A huge amount of resource-heavy sampling/modeling algorithms.
2. An insane amount of time and money put into research and development.
3. Meticulous coding of instrument articulations and expressions

How We Selected The WInners

• Sound quality: We looked for companies that take pride in their number of recorded multi-samples and articulations. Yes, this comes at the expense of a large library file size, but sound quality should always come first.
• Instruments: More doesn’t mean better. Some picks on this list excel at only a handful of instruments, while others are a ‘do it all’ affair. We ensured each pick had (at least) the bare minimum for mimicking a decently sized orchestra.
• UI: Orchestra composition can become incredibly complex, and be loaded with superfluous features that compromise workflow. Each pick in our list passed the criteria of being intuitive and easy to use.
• Control: Great orchestral plugins usually include a high degree of control over an instrument’s respective expressions and articulations, such as legato or staccato, as well as velocity control. While some offer more control than others, we ensured each pick allows you enough control to be customizable.

The Best Orchestral VSTs: Category Winners

With buyer considerations out of the way, let’s check out the list. We deem these 7 orchestral VSTs as the best in the business.

Orchestral VST	Best Suited For
Orchestral Tools Berlin Symphonic Strings	Realistic and expressive string sounds
Versil Studios Chamber Orchestra 2	Those wanting a decent free, all-rounder.
Spitfire Audio Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations	Producers looking for a simple but great-sounding library
Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra	The gold standard in orchestral sampling. Best if you’re not limited by budget.
UVI Orchestral Suite	Wide range of orchestral instruments and articulations, including rare instruments. Great value.
IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2	Large library of high-quality orchestral sounds with an easy-to-use interface
EastWest Symphonic Orchestra	Wide range of orchestral instruments and articulations
Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway	Immaculately recorded grand piano. And it’s free.

1. Orchestral Tools Berlin Symphonic Strings (Most Realistic Strings)
2. Versil Studios Chamber Orchestra 2 (Best Free Orchestral VST)
3. Spitfire Audio Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations (Best For Modern Producers)
4. Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra (Best Overall)
5. UVI Orchestral Suite (Best Value)
6. IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2
7. EastWest Symphonic Orchestra
8. Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway

1. Orchestral Tools Berlin Symphonic Strings (Most Realistic Strings)

Features:

• Price: $549
• Formats: VST, AU 
• Size: 49 GB 
• Sound Library: Strings

Review

One of the most crucial factors that determine the quality of an orchestral plugin is realism. Orchestral Tools have had a reputation for high-quality sampling, which is evident in their Symphonic Strings plugin. 

The key component behind Symphonic Strings’ quality is the recording method for capturing every string sample. All sounds in this plugin were recorded at the famed Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin.

Using a unique round-robin sampling technique, the Orchestral Tools team has created a considerably organic feel to the motion of all string movements. These strings are also recorded from various room points for added spatial control while composing.

The Symphonic Strings plugin comes with a double set of Violin sounds, Violas, Celli, and Basses – all with their signature pack of various articulations, including legatos, staccatos, pizzicatos, etc.

There’s also a useful trill function, achieved by pressing two successive keys down simultaneously. The Symphonic Series pack works exclusively with the latest version of Orchestral Tools free Sine Player, which may dissuade those looking for standalone units. 

2. Versil Studios Chamber Orchestra 2 (Best Free Orchestral VST)

Features:

• Price: Free
• Formats: VST, SFZ
• Size: 3 GB
• Sound Library: Brass, Strings, Woodwind

Review

Versillian generated a reasonable amount of hype with their initial Chamber Orchestra plugin. The second installment of this free orchestral VST features an upgraded GUI that is perfect for beginner producers and composers.

The user interface features simple instrument and articulation selectors, as well as basic envelope, mix, and reverb controls. 

The free version of Chamber Orchestra includes 19 instrument types and nearly 2,000 recorded sounds for users to browse, tweak and compile.

The overall character of these samples has a slightly more world music feel to them, and there are certain instruments you wouldn’t usually find in a standard orchestra, such as a concert harp and upright piano. 

While Chamber Orchestra may not come with the highest quality samples on this list, the plugin is incredibly easy to use and covers the fundamentals in a wonderfully compact design.

This is also a great option for anyone that needs to save precious hard drive space, as the sample library is just 3GB in total size. 

3. Spitfire Audio Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations (Best For Modern Producers)

Features:

• Price: $449
• Type: VST, AU, VST2, VST3, AAX
• Size: 69.6 GB
• Sound Library: Strings, Brass, Percussions, Woodwinds, Drums

Review

Abbey Road Studios is renowned for its incredible portfolio of recorded albums and movie scores alike. Classic movies like Lord Of The Rings, Black Panther, and Star Wars have all had their compositions recorded at Abbey Road.

Spitfire Audio has managed to capture a large amount of this magic and has packed it into their Orchestral Foundations plugin. 

As the name suggests, the Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations plugin aims to provide users with the best fundamental areas of a symphonic orchestra. The plugin comes with various groupings of strings, brass sections, woodwinds, and percussion.

All the sounds have been captured from various recording points in the Abbey Road Studios, and every sound has a triumphant, cinematic feel right out of the box. What this plugin may lack in quantity, it certainly makes up for quality. 

The Orchestral Foundations GUI doesn’t come with many mix or expression controls, and users must rely on the standard quality of the samples for their recordings.

However, each sample does come with different microphone options, including some rare and classic ribbon microphones that seasoned audiophiles should appreciate.

The lack of control does result in a simpler workflow. This makes this plugin a great choice for producers who don’t need all the bells and whistles that say an orchestral arranger would.

4. Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra (Best Overall)

Features:

• Price: Starts at $449 for the ‘core’ version.
• Type: VST, AAX Native, AU, NKS, Standalone
• Size: 55 GB
• Sound Library: Full Orchestra

Review

This one is heralded as the ‘gold standard’ in orchestral sample libraries, and at $1,000 for the full version, you’d hope it would be.

Provided that you can afford the price tag, what you’re getting is a fair deal. All samples used were recorded at the famous Maida Vale Studios in London (The Beatles, Hendrix, David Bowie), recorded using some of the best microphones and equipment to ever exist. And that’s just the back end.

On the front end, you have access to a lovely interface that lets you dynamically change microphone positions and mix levels. Customization is deep, yet the interface is highly intuitive.

5. UVI Orchestral Suite (Best Value)

Features:

• Price: $149
• Type: VST,VST3 AAX, Standalone
• Size: 4.62. GB
• Sound Library: Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Percussions, Choirs, Guitars, Keyboards, Organs

Review

The UVI Orchestral Suite features the widest collection of symphonic orchestra instruments on this list, as well as a few less traditional ones like a nylon string guitar and harpsichord. All-in-all, the Orchestral Suite’s sample library has an impressive 60 instruments.

There isn’t a wide scope of articulations for each sample, but this is still a great option for anyone that wants a healthy list of instrument options without taking up too much hard drive space. 

In addition to the stock samples included in this orchestral suite are five reverb types for users to blend in over their sounds. These included chambers, halls, and cathedrals with basic mix dials for each.

The UVI workstation uses a convolution reverb, which treats the effect as a send effect for maximum mix clarity. 

Each of the UVI orchestra instruments acts as an independent plugin, and you can run multiple instances of each with minimal load on your CPU.

While this may not be the best orchestral VST for top-tier professional quality recordings, the UVI Orchestral Suite makes scoring and composing a simple and seamless process. 

6. IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2

Features:

• Price: $499
• Formats:: Standalone, AAX, VST, AU 
• Size: 58 GB
• Sound Library: Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Choirs, Percussion, Pianos, Others

Review

IK Multimedia may be most well known for their Amplitube plugin, and many would be hard-pressed to overlook their Miroslav Philharmonik VST. The plugin has many traditional and modern symphonic orchestra sounds, including strings, woodwinds, choirs, a vibraphone, and a rich-sounding glockenspiel.

The Miroslav Philharmonik uses a unique control system that allows users to map specific articulations to their keyboard.

This setting can be very useful when trying to compose on the fly, as you can play your melody and chosen articulation at the same time. Users can also draw their articulations manually using the editor on the interface. 

The plugin also features an onboard mixer for volume control between each instrument while arranging. The sample library on the Miroslav Philharmonik is a staggering 58 GB, so be prepared to sacrifice some hard drive space and performance when installing this plugin. 

7. EastWest Symphonic Orchestra

Features:

• Price: $15.99 monthly/ $199 once-off
• Formats: VST, VST3
• Size: 196 GB
• Sound Library: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion 

Review

EastWest is one of the best-kept secrets in the plugin game. Their Symphonic Orchestra should provide most users with all the sounds they need for long-term composing and arranging. 

The sample collection included in this plugin consists of hundreds of instruments in various articulations, and all work through EastWest’s fantastic Play 6 interface. 

The Play 6 interface provides users with various expression, dynamic, and mixing options. Users can create a custom list of articulations from the Symphonic Orchestra library and route specific areas of their orchestra through these channels.

The plugin also features an envelope editor, a three-channel microphone mixer, and basic reverb controls. Play 6 has won numerous awards for its usability and performance, and it’s an incredible composition tool when paired with the Symphonic Orchestra samples.

8. Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway (Free!)

Features:

• Price: FREE
• Formats: VST, AU 
• Size: 8.05GB
• Sound Library: Grand Piano

If you only had to download one free piano VST on this list, let it be this one.

It captures something truly special – a forgotten 1928 Steinway grand piano discovered in the basement of a San Francisco store, preserved with its original strings that have aged like fine wine for nearly a century. Where most sampled pianos focus on technical perfection, this instrument embraces character and soul above all else.

What makes this virtual piano worth adding to your collection is its remarkable expressiveness across the dynamic range. From delicate, silk-like touches to powerful, hammering chords, the 1928 Piano responds with a maturity and richness that’s often missing from more clinically-sampled modern instruments.

The developers auditioned over 400 grand pianos before discovering this dusty brown Steinway that nobody wanted as furniture but musicians will treasure for its sound.

Powered by the free Soundpaint engine with real-time rendering and velocity morphing, this VST delivers nuanced playability that responds beautifully to your performance dynamics.

For zero cost, you’re getting access to a unique piece of piano history with a voice that, as they perfectly describe it, “immediately sweetens the ear and grabs the heart.“

Oh and while you’re at it, go grab some of Soundpaint’s other free libraries too, such as the Pluck & Hammer Grand Piano.

Quick Tips For Using Orchestral VSTs

• Experiment with panning, reverbs, and stereo imaging to help give your orchestral arrangements maximum dynamic. Some orchestral VSTs come with different room emulations, which can change the feel and character of your arrangements. 
• When composing and arranging using orchestral VSTs, try to handle each section of the orchestra in series i.e., strings first, then brass, woodwind, etc. This habit will help prevent any possible compositional clashes in your workflow.  
• Certain orchestral VSTs allow you to save any tweaks you have done to their stock sounds as a preset. Getting into the habit of saving your sounds as presets can seriously speed up productivity, especially when composing for large orchestra arrangements.   
• Finally, don’t be scared to add outside effects and devices to your orchestral compositions to make them sound more interesting, especially if you’re scoring for film or other visual content. Another common production technique is to layer your orchestral samples with foley or another sound to enhance or transform it. 

FAQs

What Is The Most Realistic Orchestra VST?

While there will always be a debate around the most realistic-sounding orchestral VST, our picks have to be the Orchestral Tools Symphonic Strings plugin and the EastWest Symphonic Orchestra. 

What VSTs Do Composers Use?

Many modern producers have enjoyed using the UVI Orchestral Suite for its easy usability and simplicity. However, composers prioritizing sonic quality over usability would probably use something like the Spitfire Audio Orchestral Foundations pack.

Before you Go…

Perfectly emulating the immense character and dynamic that a symphonic orchestra harnesses is a near-impossible task. However, many of the above-listed orchestral VSTs come close to the real thing and will certainly cost you less than hiring a full symphonic orchestra to record. 

Try to prioritize sonic quality over usability when looking around for orchestral plugins. Some of these listed orchestral VSTs may seem complex and intimidating at first sight. However, with some time and practice, you should be able to navigate them smoothly.

Finally, remember to try and push the boundaries of your sound design with these orchestral VSTs by experimenting with different devices, sampling, and effect combinations.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out these free symphonic plugin libraries!