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.
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 Symphonic Orchestra Platinum 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 3.5 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.3)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/27
- Instruments and techniques
- All sections + legato
- Microphones
- 3 mics
- Size
- 194 GB
- Price (store, date)
- $104 (sale; regular $199) [PB, checked Oct 26]
Summary
Among the 10 orchestral instrument plug-ins, Symphonic Orchestra Platinum is rank A. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and A is second from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.5.
Strengths
- Range of instruments and techniques (4 points): there are many instruments and playing techniques, so you can express detail.
Who it suits: people who want a natural orchestra with hall ambience in about 200 GB.
Main features of Symphonic Orchestra Platinum
An orchestra recorded with three microphones
Symphonic Orchestra Platinum is an orchestral library in which every instrument was recorded at three microphone positions: Close, Stage and Surround. The recordings are more than 124 GB. You can mix the microphones to adjust the sense of distance.
Playing features
It has features that make a melody play naturally, such as portamento, repeated notes and legato. It comes with EastWest’s Opus Player, 46 mixer effects and MIDI tools.
Lighter than Hollywood Orchestra
Among the five products we compared, its size is in the middle, far lighter than Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond (944 GB) and BBC SO Professional (632 GB). It is an option for people who want all the sections but have limited storage on their computer.
Where it is useful
- Making an orchestral piece with all the sections at a reasonable size
- Joining the melody of strings naturally with legato
- Mixing the three microphones to make a sense of distance that fits the song
Rating by criterion
Range of instruments and techniques: 4 / 5
We look at the instruments recorded (including solo instruments) and the richness of playing techniques and legato, as stated officially.
It is stated to include all sections, with playing features such as portamento, repeated notes and legato.
Microphone and ambience adjustment: 3 / 5
We look at the number of microphone positions (mixes) you can choose.
Every instrument was recorded at three microphone positions: Close, Stage and Surround.
Light on storage: 3 / 5
We look at the free space needed for installation (the less, the lighter).
The free space needed for installation is 194 GB (the recordings are more than 124 GB).
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.
Symphonic Orchestra Platinum system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows / Mac |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Standalone | Yes (EW Opus) |
| Other | More than 124 GB of recordings |
| Trial | A 14-day free trial of ComposerCloud+ is available |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages 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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