Spitfire Audio’s “BBC Symphony Orchestra” is an orchestral sample library recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the UK. It has three versions: the free Discover, the mid-level Core and the top Professional. In this article we compare the 3 editions on the same criteria as the 5 orchestral sample libraries on this site. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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In short: which one to choose by purpose
- BBC SO Discover (rank C): people who want to try programming an orchestra for free first.
- BBC SO Core (rank B): people who want the sound of a serious orchestra in about 28 GB.
- BBC SO Professional (rank A): people who want to finish music for film and games, crafting even the microphone positions.
The highest score among the 3 editions is BBC SO Professional (rank A, average 4.0). But you do not need to buy a higher edition for features you will not use. Choose the one that fits your purpose.
Main features of BBC Symphony Orchestra
Recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Orchestral sample libraries are software in which you play recorded sounds of orchestral instruments by MIDI to make music. BBC Symphony Orchestra is a series recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, in three editions: Discover, Core and Professional. You can combine instrument sections to build the lineup a piece needs.
Instruments and playing techniques change by edition
The free Discover has 34 instruments and 47 playing techniques and is light at 360 MB. Core has 44 instruments and 344 techniques (28 GB), and Professional has 67 instruments, including solo instruments and groups, with 468 techniques and 45 legatos (632 GB). You can try the free Discover first and then choose a higher edition as needed.
Choosing the microphone positions (Professional)
In Professional you can choose and blend 12 microphone positions and 3 mixes, building the sound from 20 signals in all. You can adjust anything from close, detailed sound to sound with a lot of hall reverberation. Discover and Core use the sound of one mix.
Where it is useful
- Starting to program an orchestra with the free Discover
- Adding strings or brass to a cover or an original song
- Changing the Professional microphone positions to make a film-score-like sound
Differences between editions (comparison table)
| Edition | Rank | Instruments and techniques | Microphones | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC SO Discover | C (2.5) | 34 instruments, 47 techniques | 1 mix | 360 MB |
| BBC SO Core | B (3.2) | 44 instruments, 344 techniques | 1 mix | 28 GB |
| BBC SO Professional | A (4.0) | 67 instruments, 468 techniques | 12 mics + 3 mixes | 632 GB |
Rating of each edition
BBC SO Discover (rank C)
The free version of Spitfire Audio’s orchestral library recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. You can use 34 instruments and 47 playing techniques in a light 360 MB.
Score 2.5 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.3)
- Price
- Free
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/27
- Instruments and techniques
- 34 instruments, 47 techniques
- Microphones
- 1 mix
- Size
- 360 MB
- Price (store, date)
- Not listed
- Range of instruments and techniques: 2 points — It includes 34 instruments and 47 playing techniques, mainly basic techniques for each section.
- Microphone and ambience adjustment: 1 point — You cannot choose the microphone position; it is the sound of one mix.
- Light on storage: 5 points — The free space needed for installation is 360 MB.
BBC SO Core (rank B)
The mid-level version, with 44 instruments and 344 playing techniques of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the sound of one mix. It does not include solo instruments.
Score 3.3 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.3)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/27
- Instruments and techniques
- 44 instruments, 344 techniques
- Microphones
- 1 mix
- Size
- 28 GB
- Price (store, date)
- $449 [Official, checked Oct 26]
- Range of instruments and techniques: 4 points — It includes 44 instruments and 344 playing techniques (including legato for melodic instruments). It does not include solo instruments.
- Microphone and ambience adjustment: 1 point — You cannot choose the microphone position; it is the sound of one mix.
- Light on storage: 4 points — The free space needed for installation is 28 GB.
BBC SO Professional (rank A)
The top version, with 67 instruments (including solo instruments), 468 playing techniques and 12 microphone positions of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Score 4.0 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.3)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/27
- Instruments and techniques
- 67 instruments, 468 techniques
- Microphones
- 12 mics + 3 mixes
- Size
- 632 GB
- Price (store, date)
- $999 [Official, checked Oct 26]
- Range of instruments and techniques: 5 points — It includes 67 instruments, including solo instruments and groups, with 468 playing techniques and 45 legatos.
- Microphone and ambience adjustment: 5 points — You can choose from 12 microphone positions and 3 mixes.
- Light on storage: 1 point — The free space needed for installation is 632 GB.
The chart above shows the scores of BBC SO Professional.
How we score (Orchestral instrument plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range of instruments and techniques | The instruments recorded (including solo instruments) and the richness of playing techniques and legato (as stated officially) | All sections plus solo instruments, with 400 or more techniques or rich legato | All sections, with 300 or more techniques or stated to have rich techniques and legato | All sections, with basic techniques | Only some sections and techniques | — |
| Microphone and ambience adjustment | Number of microphone positions (mixes) you can choose | 10 or more | 5 or more | 3 to 4 | 2 | 1 (cannot choose) |
| Light on storage | Free space needed for installation (the less, the lighter) | 1 GB or less | 50 GB or less | 200 GB or less | 500 GB or less | More than 500 GB |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: making music such as game and video background music, or strings for pop songs, on a computer. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Range of instruments and techniques" counts double. "Light on storage" is a guide to how easy the product is to use for people with little free space on their computer, and it is lower the more is recorded. The basis is official manufacturer information (EastWest does not publish the number of instruments and techniques for its two products, so we judged from the official description). Sound quality has not been compared by ear, so it is not scored. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
BBC Symphony Orchestra system requirements and getting started
| Supported OS | Windows / Mac |
|---|---|
| Other | Installed with the Spitfire Audio app. Size: Discover 360 MB, Core 28 GB, Professional 632 GB |
| Free version | The free BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover is available |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official page on September 27, 2026.
Compared with other orchestral instrument plug-ins
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Instruments and techniques | Microphones | Size | Free | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Discover | C 2.5 | 34 instruments, 47 techniques | 1 mix | 360 MB | Free | Not listed |
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Core | B 3.3 | 44 instruments, 344 techniques | 1 mix | 28 GB | Free version available | $449 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Professional | A 4.0 | 67 instruments, 468 techniques | 12 mics + 3 mixes | 632 GB | Free version available | $999 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| EastWestHollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond | A 3.8 | All sections + solo | 6 mics | 944 GB | — | $209 (sale; regular $399) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| EastWestSymphonic Orchestra Platinum | A 3.5 | All sections + legato | 3 mics | 194 GB | — | $104 (sale; regular $199) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Spitfire AudioSpitfire Symphony Orchestra | A 3.8 | Solo included, 600+ techniques | 4 mics | About 368 GB | — | ≈$667.31 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Spitfire AudioAlbion ONE | B 3.0 | All sections, 63 techniques | 4 mics | 55.7 GB | — | ≈$533.58 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Orchestral ToolsBerlin Free Orchestra | C 2.3 | 33 instruments, 67 techniques | 1 mix | 3 GB | Free | Not listed |
| Orchestral ToolsBerlin Orchestra Full | A 3.8 | Solo included, 800+ techniques | Multiple mics | 404.4 GB | — | ≈$895.61 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Orchestral ToolsBerlin Orchestra Pro | A 3.5 | 141 instruments, 1,200+ techniques | Multiple mics | 538 GB | — | ≈$1,568.16 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 27, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
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