An orchestral instrument is software that plays the sound of an orchestra, such as strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion, on a computer. You use it for game and video background music, and for arranging strings in pop songs. The number of instruments and articulations (ways of bowing and joining notes) included, the choice of microphone positions, and the free space your computer needs differ a lot by product.
This list compares 10 orchestral instrument plug-ins on 3 criteria: range of instruments and techniques, microphone and ambience adjustment, light on storage. Scores are decided by how well each product serves its purpose, using the conditions for each criterion, and the basis is official manufacturer information. Price is not part of the score.
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Picks by purpose
- If you want to start for free: BBC SO Discover (rank C). 34 instruments, free. At 360 MB it is also light, so easy to try on any computer.
- If you want to make serious film-style music: Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond (rank A). It includes solo instruments and lets you choose from six microphone positions. Note that at 944 GB it is large.
- If you want a balance of serious sound and size: BBC SO Core (rank B). 44 instruments and 344 articulations, at 28 GB.
Tier list by rank
Ranks are based on the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not on sound quality. Within a row, products are ordered by score. The basis is explained in How we rate specifications.
Tier table by criterion
Products with the same overall rank can have different strengths. Click a column heading to sort by the rank on that criterion, and use it when you choose by the feature you want.
| Product | Overall | Range of instruments and techniquesThe instruments recorded (including solo instruments) and the richness of playing techniques and legato (as stated officially) | Microphone and ambience adjustmentNumber of microphone positions (mixes) you can choose | Light on storageFree space needed for installation (the less, the lighter) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Professional | A4.0 | S67 instruments, 468 techniques | S12 mics + 3 mixes | C632 GB |
 EastWestHollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond | A3.8 | SAll sections + solo | A6 mics | C944 GB |
 Spitfire AudioSpitfire Symphony Orchestra | A3.8 | SSolo included, 600+ techniques | B4 mics | CAbout 368 GB |
| Orchestral ToolsBerlin Orchestra Full | A3.8 | SSolo included, 800+ techniques | BMultiple mics | C404.4 GB |
 EastWestSymphonic Orchestra Platinum | A3.5 | AAll sections + legato | B3 mics | B194 GB |
| Orchestral ToolsBerlin Orchestra Pro | A3.5 | S141 instruments, 1,200+ techniques | BMultiple mics | C538 GB |
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Core | B3.3 | A44 instruments, 344 techniques | C1 mix | A28 GB |
 Spitfire AudioAlbion ONE | B3.0 | BAll sections, 63 techniques | B4 mics | B55.7 GB |
| Spitfire AudioBBC SO Discover | C2.5 | C34 instruments, 47 techniques | C1 mix | S360 MB |
 Orchestral ToolsBerlin Free Orchestra | C2.3 | C33 instruments, 67 techniques | C1 mix | A3 GB |
Click a column heading to sort by that criterion (click again to reverse). Each cell shows the score (1 to 5) on that criterion as 5 = S, 4 = A, 3 = B, 2 or lower = C. A dash means the criterion is not scored. This is a rating of the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not of sound quality. See How we rate specifications.
Top-scoring products
Up to 9 products in order of score. Images are the manufacturers’ official press images or Plugin Boutique images. The overall order and the basis for each rank are in the tier tables above and on each product’s page.
Free ways to start
If you want to try something without spending money, or are looking for your first one, you can start with a product that is free to use. Check the free scope and conditions on each product’s page.
- BBC SO Professional (rank A, free version available)
- BBC SO Core (rank B, free version available)
- BBC SO Discover (rank C, free)
- Berlin Free Orchestra (rank C, free)
How to choose an orchestral instrument plug-in
Figure: SoundBounty
Free space on your computer
Some serious orchestral instruments need hundreds of GB of free space. First check the free space on your computer and SSD, and if it is not enough, start with a smaller version.
The songs you want to make
For pop strings or background accompaniment, having the basic instruments and articulations is enough. To craft film-like music in detail, a higher edition with solo instruments and many articulations suits you.
Microphone positions
If you can choose the microphone position, you can adjust from a close, distinct sound to a sound with a lot of hall ambience. That makes it easier to blend into a song.
A word on each product
Prices in the headings are regular prices in US dollars shown on Plugin Boutique on October 10, 2026. They are not part of the score.
Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond (rank A, $399)
EastWest’s Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond is the top edition (Diamond) of EastWest’s orchestral library recorded in a Hollywood studio. It includes solo instruments, six microphone positions and Hollywood Orchestrator, which builds the framework of a piece.
Spitfire Symphony Orchestra (rank A)
Spitfire Audio’s Spitfire Symphony Orchestra is the company’s flagship orchestral instrument, recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at AIR Studios. Besides strings, brass, woodwinds, harp, piano and percussion, a 2025 update added solo strings and Motif Brass, and it contains more than 600 playing techniques.
Berlin Orchestra Full (rank A)
Orchestral Tools’ Berlin Orchestra Full is a symphony orchestra instrument made up of six collections, recorded at Teldex Studios in Berlin. It contains large-ensemble strings, solo strings played by the principal players, woodwinds, brass and percussion, with more than 100 instruments and more than 800 playing techniques.
Symphonic Orchestra Platinum (rank A, $199)
EastWest’s Symphonic Orchestra Platinum is an EastWest orchestral library (Platinum) recorded in a concert hall. Every instrument was recorded at three microphone positions, and the natural ambience of the hall is its feature.
Berlin Orchestra Pro (rank A)
Orchestral Tools’ Berlin Orchestra Pro is a symphony orchestra instrument that gathers 10 collections for film, TV and game composers. It contains 141 downloadable instruments and more than 1,200 playing techniques, and the size after installation is 538 GB.
Albion ONE (rank B)
Spitfire Audio’s Albion ONE is an orchestra of 109 players and film-style percussion, recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at AIR Studios. It has 63 playing techniques, four microphone positions, loops and a synth called “eDNA”, and it is made as an entry point to film-music making.
Berlin Free Orchestra (rank C)
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.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is there a free orchestral instrument?
Spitfire Audio’s BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover is free and gives you 34 instruments. Getting used to programming with it first is a good idea.
Q. Do I need Kontakt?
The official pages say Spitfire Audio’s BBC Symphony Orchestra runs in the Spitfire Audio App and EastWest’s Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition runs in a player called OPUS. Before you buy, check on the official page which software the product you want uses.
Q. How much memory do I need?
Per the official requirements, the minimum is 8 GB for Spitfire Audio’s BBC Symphony Orchestra and 16 GB for EastWest’s product. The recommended amounts are 16 GB and 32 GB or more respectively. If you play many instruments at once, use the recommended amount as a guide.
How we score
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.
The thinking behind scores and ranks is summarized in How we rate specifications. We add products in order.