Orchestral Tools’ Berlin Free Orchestra is a free orchestral instrument made up of selections from the company’s flagship “Berlin Series”. It contains 20 solo instruments, 13 ensembles and 67 playing techniques, and it runs in the free SINEplayer. The size after installation is 3 GB.
An orchestral instrument plug-in lets you play the sound of an orchestra, such as strings, winds and percussion, on a computer.
In this article we compare Berlin Free Orchestra with 10 orchestral instrument plug-ins and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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Score 2.3 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.3)
- Price
- Free
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/27
- Instruments and techniques
- 33 instruments, 67 techniques
- Microphones
- 1 mix
- Size
- 3 GB
- Price (store, date)
- Not listed
Summary
Among the 10 orchestral instrument plug-ins, Berlin Free Orchestra is rank C. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and C is the lowest. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 2.3.
Strengths
- Light on storage (4 points): it needs little storage space.
Things to keep in mind
- Range of instruments and techniques (2 points): only some sections and techniques are included.
- Microphone and ambience adjustment (1 points): you can choose few microphone positions.
Who it suits: people who want to try programming an orchestra for free.
Main features of Berlin Free Orchestra
A free instrument chosen from the Berlin Series
Berlin Free Orchestra is a free orchestra that uses sounds selected from the manufacturer’s flagship Berlin Series products. It has strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, and includes both solo instruments for the main melody and ensembles for painting the whole.
20 solo instruments and 13 ensembles
It contains 20 solo instruments and 13 ensembles, 33 instruments in total, and 67 playing techniques. The strings and brass support recordings at different strengths (dynamics) and different performances of the same note (round robin).
One ready-mixed sound
You cannot choose the microphone position; you use one sound mixed by professionals. This means there are no settings to agonize over, and you can try it with a light size (3 GB after installation).
Runs in SINEplayer
It runs in the free player “SINEplayer”, and in a DAW it can be used as a VST, AU or AAX plug-in, or as a standalone app. Because it is the same player as the paid Berlin Series, it is easy to add to later.
Video: “Berlin Free Orchestra: Official Walkthrough” (official Orchestral Tools YouTube channel; narration in English) Watch on YouTube
Where it is useful
- Trying orchestral programming for free
- Making a melody with solo instruments and adding thickness with ensembles
- Getting to know how to use the player before buying the paid Berlin Series
Rating by criterion
Range of instruments and techniques: 2 / 5
We look at the instruments recorded (including solo instruments) and the richness of playing techniques and legato, as stated officially.
It contains 20 solo instruments and 13 ensembles, with 67 playing techniques. The strings and brass have round robin and multiple dynamics.
If “range of instruments and techniques” matters most to you, BBC SO Professional and Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond (5 points) are a better fit.
Microphone and ambience adjustment: 1 / 5
We look at the number of microphone positions (mixes) you can choose.
There is only one professionally mixed microphone sound, and you cannot choose the position.
If “microphone and ambience adjustment” matters most to you, BBC SO Professional (5 points) is a better fit.
Light on storage: 4 / 5
We look at the free space needed for installation (the less, the lighter).
The size after installation is 3 GB (6.4 GB before unpacking).
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.
Berlin Free Orchestra system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows / macOS |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | Via SINEplayer: VST, AU, AAX |
| Standalone | Yes (SINEplayer) |
| Other | 3 GB after installation |
| Trial | Free |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on October 17, 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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