Orchestral Strings for you?
The one request we have heard more and more though was the need for more 808’s and vintage analogue sounding bass instruments, so here at DopeSONIX, we made sure to fill this VST with fat 808’s, heavy Moogy subs, futuristic deep pads and a cool collection of uprights and electric basses just for good measure. The 10 Best Orchestral VST Plugins of 2021 include: Vienna Symphonic Library. UVI IRCAM Solo Instruments. UVI Orchestral Suite. EWQL Hollywood Orchestra. Spitfire Audio Albion Series. Output Analog Brass & Winds. Garritan Personal Orchestra 5.
Do you want a high quality orchestral strings VST library?
Perhaps your first high end string library, or simply a new one to expand your composer toolkit?
In this quick guide I have compiled a list of great string libraries.
Strings VST Libraries – Top List
- Cinematic Studio Strings
- NOVO Modern Strings
- Spitfire Symphonic Strings
- Century Ensemble Strings
- Cinestrings Core
- Berlin Strings
- Soaring Strings
- Symphony Series Strings
- CH Ensemble Strings
- LA Scoring Strings (LASS)
- Afflatus Strings
Hello Composers! =)
My name is Mike, founder of professionalcomposers.com, music composer and sound designer since 1998, old school nerd, and coffee addict. So grab a cup of coffee, and let’s check out some Orchestral String VST Sample Libraries! =)
Recorded in position in Australia’s premiere scoring stage, which gives it a natural, lush cinematic sound.
Made by the same company that made the highly praised “Cinematic Strings 2” which to be honest has been a staple in my own composer toolbox.
All-in-one string library with all the essential articulations, and great playability.
My Favorite Highlights
- Amazing Legato Engine
- Very Simple & Effective GUI
- Classic String Ensemble Sound
- Includes all Fundamental Articulations
- Great Room Sound from the Scoring Stage
Is Cinematic Studio Strings for you?
If you need an all in one string library if you need a classic hollywood style string ensemble, recorded with a fairly dry sound in a scoring stage, with all the essential articulations in one package…well then Cinematic Studio Strings is a great choice.
A strings library with a modern sound, and with the added ability to design and shape the strings to pads, pulses, or anything you desire.
NOVO includes both traditional instrument presets, as well as a sound designer section, as well as a loop designer.
Recorded at the famous Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios.
My Favorite Highlights
- Amazing Sound Shaping Tools
- Very Inspiring and Creative Interface
- The Macro Controls are super powerful
- Rich and powerful string sounds
Is NOVO Modern Strings for you?
If you want strings with a modern and cutting edge sound, and the ability to create hybrid sounds from creative sound design tools…then NOVO might be just the library for you.
Spitfire Audio has made many orchestral libraries, but this has to be one of their top achievements.
Featuring 16 1st Violins, 14 2nd Violins, 12 Violas, 10 Cellos & 8 Basses sampled with over 175 articulations, including 59 shorts, 94 longs, and 5 legato patches. All recorded in the legendary Air Studios in London.
My Favorite Highlights
- The incredible amount of Articulations
- Great Dynamics and Round Robins
- The Creamy Flautando and Super Sul Tasto
- The Ostinatum Engine
Is Spitfire Symphonic Strings for you?
If you need a massive string library with lots of articulation, great expressive control, and don’t mind high use of disc space and RAM…then this library might become a fundamental tool in your composer arsenal.
8dio gives you lots of articulations, and lots of control over shaping the sound and expression.
Century Ensemble Strings is a big “all-in-one” string library for anything between lush chords to sharp ostinato patterns.
Lots of user control over things like dynamics, expression, speed, release tails, vibrato and even legato volume.
And also great control over the microphone mix, with both main microphones and spot microphones.
My Favorite Highlights
- Great Microphone Mix Controls
- The Speed Control Feature
- Lots of Short Articulation Options
- The Arcs sound Amazing
Is Century Ensemble Strings for you?
If you like lots of user control in shaping the sound, room and expression, and you are a sucker for great short string articulations and control for ostinatos etc…then this library will be a good choice for you.
Cinesamples have a reputation of making instruments that are instantly playable, with a great sound out of the box. And Cinestrings Core will give you just that…and more.
I especially like their mapping page where you can customize how the instrument responds to your performances.
They also have a great microphone mixer page, where you can customize the overall sound.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Amazing Playability
- The Microphone Mix Control (including the mixer presets)
- The Mapping Page to Create your own Performance Control
- Very nice for lush legato lines and melodies
Is Cinestrings Core for you?
If you want instant playability with a lush lyrical sound, plus the ability to map the performance controls to respond to the way you record and perform your string parts…then Cinestrings Core will not let you down.
This is a mountain of a string ensemble library, not only in size, but also in the amount of details, dynamics, round robins etc. For example, spiccatos have up to 24x round robins!
Their legatos are amazing, including 4 different legatos in their adaptive legato engine, and 3 different vibrato types.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Adaptive True Legato Engine (slurred, agile, fast and portamento)
- Bow Stroke Control (soft, immediate, accented)
- Up to 3 different vibrato expressions
- The Dynamics and amount of Round Robins
Is Berlin Strings for you?
If you are looking for ultimate control over the details in your performance, an amazing legato engine, a smaller string section sound, and you have the computer resources to run this massive library…then Berlin Strings is a wonderful choice.
This library excels in melodic, lyrical and of course “soaring string lines”. Great legato and vibrato was their intention when creating this library.
It was recorded with medium sized ensembles on a scoring stage, in traditional seating arrangement.
My Favorite Highlights
- Four dynamics of legato (p < fff), including true FFF sampling
- True Bow-Change Repetition sampling
- Molto expressivo vibrato across the upper dynamic range
Is Soaring Strings for you?
If you want a string library that focuses on lyrical legato, expressive vibrato and a very soaring sound that is playable out of the box…then Soaring Strings might be what you are looking for.
Based on a bigger sized string section (30 violins, 12 violas, 10 cellos and 8 basses) this library can create that powerful, rich and big sound.
Recorded in Budapest in a large orchestral studio with high ceilings and a big beautiful room sound.
Lots of articulations to choose from and map in the articulations setup page, as well as nice features like auto divisi and polyphonic legato.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Articulation Setup Page (lots to choose from)
- Microphone Mixer with all the independent controls
- Auto Divisi
- Polyphonic Legato
Is Symphony Series Strings for you?
If you want that big and lush sound for your orchestral strings, and appreciate auto divisi and polyphonic legato…Symphony Series Strings may be a perfect choice for you.
This library has a very a different approach than most other developers. It was not recorded in section, but rather perfectly tuned individual instrument recordings.
Then the vast sample pool of 120.000 samples was carefully detuned, time shifted and positioned in the stereo field to make up all the sections and articulation controls.
This approach makes for a final result that is way more customizable than ordinary string ensemble libraries.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Clean Overall Sound due to the specific production method
- The Tight vs Loose control on many articulations
- The choice between Full or Small ensemble size
Is CH Ensemble Strings for you?
If you are looking for a string library without the occasional performance errors on some notes and dynamics, and superior control over aspects like loose vs tight etc…then this will be a great choice for you.
This library seem to be either love or hate. Simply because it is very dry, and not instantly playable.
Instead their focus have always been on extreme control over details and realism.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Dry Recordings (if you prefer adding reverb yourself)
- The Stage & Color controls
- Micro Tuning and real-time performance of tuning
- ARC (Audiobro Remote Control) for controlling all sections from a single window
Is LA Scoring Strings for you?
This is a library for composers that like realism, lots of detailed control over the sound, and are not afraid to dive in and adjust settings, automate etc. It takes more effort, but the end results is amazingly realistic, and the amount of sound shaping and user control is superb. Perhaps that composer is you?
Afflatus strings has a very original approach, in that it focuses on themes and moods in every aspect of the library, instead of the classic instrument sections, articulations etc.
This approach has made this library have a very diverse range of tone, mood, character, playing style and overall sound. You can switch from romantic to aggressive to battle sound in your strings…super quick and easy.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Focus on Mood and Sound Character
- Polyphonic True Legato on some Presets
- Switchable Divisi on some Presets
Is Afflatus Strings for you?
If you want a string library that truly inspires you, much more than simple preset names like “staccato 8 violins” can do, and if you love instant playable strings in a huge range of tone, style and mood…then Afflatus Strings is perfect for you.
- VSL Strings
Huge range of strings libraries, with superb user control. If you are used to Kontakt libraries, VSL will have a bit of a learning curve, but the amount of detail in their product range is amazing. - EastWest Hollywood Strings
Available in their “Composer Cloud”, and if you don’t mind their Play Engine, you can get a huge variation in articulations, tone and control.
I decided to only include 1 orchestral string library per developer in this comparison. But you should definitely go ahead and check out their other string libraries in their respective product range.
Here are some of the top developers that have more Orchestral Strings product to choose from:
- Spitfire Audio
- Orchestral Tools
- Cinesamples
- 8dio
- Musical Sampling
PS. Free Downloads for You
How’s it going, everyone?
It’s been almost three years since we published this article detailing our favorite violin plugins back in 2015. Well, it’s 2018, and it is time to improve this article with our updated recommendations.
VIrtual instruments have advanced dramatically over the years. People used to laugh at the idea of a computer producing sound the resembled that of a real instrument. Now, there are plugins that will blow you away with how realistic they sound.
For that reason, having an arsenal of VST plugins is very powerful for the electronic musician.
Plus, it’s like having an entire orchestra with you all the time! Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Today I am going to focus on the best virtual violin plugins.
We’ll cover both paid and free options and there will even be a bonus section at the end of this article!
Let’s begin, shall we?
For Most People: Orchestral Companion – Strings
Here’s why we recommend this plugin: It only costs $60 and it sounds great! You don’t have to give up a months rent to pay for this plugin and it gives you a lot of configuration with its stringed instruments.
Many of us like that rich strings sound – Soft and gentle, and in the next moment hard and brutal.
Of course, we all have different tastes, but, whatever you like, I can assure you that Orchestral Companion Strings can satisfy your taste.
The SONiVOX design team made over 90 outstanding string programs, which can give you best and the most accurate experience as possible.
Orchestral Companion Strings is compatible for Windows and Mac. You can download either a 32-bit or 64-bit version of it. It takes around 15GB of hard drive space.
If you have all of that or more this plugin will run very smoothly!
For the Professional: NOVO Modern Strings by Heavyocity
The kind of sound you can get out of NOVO Modern Strings is insane! The violin samples used to create this plugin were meticulously recorded at Warner Brothers Studios.
This plugin has a very justifiable price tag ($550) based on the quality of it and the amount of work they put into it. In total, this plugin is 40GB. That’s larger than most big-budget PC games!
What really seals the deal with the plugin is the immense control you have over your sound. For example, there is this one section of the plugin called CYCLE. Its interface looks almost like a sequencer and you can very easily tweak it to create rhythmic little pulses and glitch style sounds.
Whether you’re looking for a solo vieolin or a powerful string ensemble for use in an intense movie trailer, NOVO is a wonderful choice.
For Those Who Want an Entire Orchestra: Personal Orchestra 5
This awesome product from Garritan can give you not only a nice sounding violin but also an entire orchestra at your fingertips.
Personal Orchestra costs $150 which is a steal for all of the instruments (Including multiple violin variations) you get.
With so many different stringed instruments, you can be that one-man orchestra, creating a sound nobody can listen to without getting goosebumps!
Personal Orchestra is 64-bit compatible, with not very high system requirements (surprisingly).
It’s pretty easy to use yet very powerful. A new user can get really creative right out of the box.
Some of the included violins are:
- Solo Stradivari Violin
- Solo Gagliano Violin
- Solo Guarneri Violin
And besides violins, there are lots of other instruments such as trumpets, trombones, French horns, keyboards, harps, violas, flutes, and clarinets!
With the current price of Personal Orchestra, it’s worth it alone for the violins. With all the added instruments, you can’t go wrong with this plugin!
And in case you’re worried about buying software that won’t get updated, keep in mind Personal Orchestra has been going since 2010 and are still chugging forward. Personal Orchestra has even been awarded by MusicRadar and MusicTech in 2010.
Other Noteworthy Choices
Orchestral Suite
Next on the list, Orchestral Suite, which with over 60 classical instruments and 15,000 samples in its library, is a pleasure to work with.
With additional instruments like the clarinet, flute, harp, guitar, and even different types of choirs, you can be a music virtuoso with only a small effort.
It features instrument-specific controls, as well as key switching and a pretty easy to use interface.
And it all comes in a small package, 4.6GB of an entire orchestra.
Most importantly, you get plenty of great violins!
It’s always great to have multiple choices. Different types of violins are ideal for different situations and different genres of music.
This high quality and sophisticated plugin is a joy to work with, which is exactly why a lot of today’s top producers use it.
Orchestral Suite is compatible with both Windows and Mac. It will work in every major DAW.
Session Strings by Native Instruments
Sessions Strings is another popular choice among producers. It’s especially a good choice if you are already invested heavily into the Native Instruments ecosystem.
It weighs in at 2.5GB and costs $100. It’s a great plugin, but personally I would go with Personal Orchestra instead (mentioned earlier in this article).
Give it a listen and let your ears be the judge.
Free Violin Plugins
DSK Strings
I am super appreciative of the free instruments DSK Instruments has been able to provide the music production community.
DSK Strings is an awesome little instrument!
Best Violin Vst Plugins
It sounds pretty good for a freebie and will be a newbie producer’s best friend.
Sonatina Violin
Sonatina is a solo-violin that can be a great help to you. It’s a little rough around the edges so might have to help it along with some effect plugin processing.
Bonus: The Non-VST Option
Before we conclude this article, I just wanted to open your mind to one more technique that could help you out with your string productions.
Good ol’ sampling!
Sampling has been shaping music since the 80s. We can use this technique to get realistic sounding violin pieces by…well…using violin samples!
There are many different ways we could go about this. It could be as simple as throwing a sustained violin note into a pitched sampler (Although it wouldn’t sound that realistic). We could even take little licks created by others and implement those.
I should also mention that as a musician who participates in sampling, it’s worth your time to educate yourself on the legal stuff. In our How to Get Permission to Remix Songs article, we talked about fair use and derivative work.
Best Strings Vst Kontakt
Getting royalty-free samples
There are many different places to get royalty-free samples. You could go on Audioblocks and be able to get really high quality samples, but it isn’t cheap – especially if you’re only a hobbyist.
A site I like is freesound.org. As the name suggests, everything they provide is free.
Here are some cool violin samples I found after a bit of searching:
Soundcloud Sampling
Another idea you could try out is to find some violin playing sessions on Soundcloud and use those to sample. Of course, if you decide to publish the work it would be advised to get permission from the original musician.
Best Strings Vst Free
You’ll find a lot of small artists who just love playing the violin and uploading different compositions they make. Its a great opportunity for sampling.
If you enjoyed this article, I’d appreciate it more than ever if you could share it on social media!
In conclusion, each and every one of these plugins has something that makes them a unique and amazing product. They all have their own purposes and different producers can find different ones the most useful.
No matter what plugin you purchase, you can expect to have a great time spending hours enjoying some of the best quality violin sounds that exist.
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