Orchestral String Libraries Compared

Finding that string library that can do everything you want can often feel like a never-ending quest to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

New libraries pop up every month or so, all professing to be the best and urging you to press the ‘buy’ button as soon as they’re released. In truth, I don’t think there is any one perfect library.

Each one has strengths and weaknesses, and frequently, a great deal can be achieved by layering them to create the sound you need.

The appropriate library for you also depends on the type of music you’ll be composing. Some libraries are great for bombastic epic tracks, some for TV and library music, while others are better suited for mocking up traditional orchestral scores.

Some libraries are recorded ‘wet’ – which means they include the sound of the room they were recorded in – and some ‘dry’ with no room ambience whatsoever. Which of these you prefer is down to personal choice, and from my experience, a combination of both is often best.

Berlin Strings

Developer: Orchestral Tools
Software: SINE Player
Room: Teldex Scoring Stage, Berlin
Microphones: Leader, Spot, Tree, A/B and Surround
Size: 229 GB of samples (102 GB SINEarc compressed)
Price: €840 for full library, plus additional taxes
Download: Yes

Berlin Strings, the flagship strings library from German developer Orchestral Tools, has evolved significantly since its initial release in 2013. Originally designed for Native Instruments' Kontakt, this comprehensive sample library has undergone multiple updates over the years. Most recently, Orchestral Tools has ported Berlin Strings to SINE, their proprietary sample player.

SINE Player, despite some initial bumps in the road, is now a stable tool on my system. While some features were initially problematic or later removed, the current version performs admirably.

Orchestral Tools' decision to develop their own player has allowed them to introduce some unique features.

One I use a lot is Mic Merge, which allows you to blend your preferred microphone mixes into a new, single stereo position. This custom mic is saved and then available across all instances of SINE.

This is great for achieving a consistent sound across projects and saving on computer resources. Loading a single mic position instead of four saves a lot of RAM.

Sound

Recorded with a slightly smaller section size than alternative libraries, Berlin Strings aims to capture that large classical—rather than Hollywood—string sound while preserving playability and detail.

Sections consist of 8 x 1st violins, 6 x 2nd violins, 5 x violas, 5 x cellos, 4 x basses, and full ensemble patches. These smaller section sizes mean you can create divisi arrangements without losing definition.

This is a very wet library, with the sound of the Teldex Scoring Stage baked into the samples. Each instrument has been recorded with the players in their traditional seating positions, meaning each section is positioned in the stereo field and balanced out of the box.

The Tree microphones serve as excellent all-purpose options, while the A/B microphones strengthen the overall body of the sound by adding stereo width. The Surround microphones provide a distant, ambient sound.

Although the close microphones retain a subtle hint of room sound, they provide sufficient bite and definition to ensure the instruments cut through a busy mix effectively.

Articulations

A vast number of articulations are included, probably the most of any library I’ve covered here; I can’t imagine there would be much else a composer would need.

Articulations are well laid out and mostly consistent across sections. They are divided into five categories: Longs and Shorts, Ornaments, Dynamics, and Repetitions, which can be tempo-synced.

Legato can be enabled on any of the long articulations, which is useful if you want to begin a string line with an accented attack and then continue playing using legato transitions.

There is an impressive selection of short articulations to choose from, with four variations of spiccato alone.

Articulations can be loaded individually or as part of larger keyswitch patches, which can be controlled using a MIDI keyboard.

Pros

The string sound is exceptionally realistic and detailed. The Teldex Scoring Stage provides a natural room ambience, and there are an impressive number of articulations.

Cons

A higher learning curve than other libraries. The price of the full library may be too high for some (although an ‘à la carte’ option is available). Requires the SINE player.

Where to buy

You can purchase Berlin Strings directly from the Orchestral Tools store in the SINE player.

Most instruments are also available ‘à la carte,’ meaning you don’t have to buy a full library; you can just buy a single section instead. This is great if you’re working on a project that needs a specific sound but don’t want to have to buy the full sample library to get it. I’ve often bought single instruments to test out a library before buying the whole thing. If you decide to buy the entire package later, any purchases you make will be deducted from the cost.

Orchestral Tools also offers four expansion packs and Berlin Con Sordino strings to complement the main library. Additionally, Berlin Symphonic Strings features larger section sizes but fewer articulations than the core Berlin Strings library.

Cinematic Strings 2

Developer: Cinematic Studio Series
Software: Kontakt
Room: Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium
Microphones: Close, Stage, Room, Mixed
Size: 38 GB
Price: $299.00 excluding tax
Download: Yes

Cinematic Strings 2 is arguably the best string library I’ve used for fast, ‘quick and dirty’ music production. I typically use the ensemble patch as a sketch pad to lay down ideas quickly to be fine-tuned later.

It’s a great workhorse library that doesn’t tax the CPU, and its RAM footprint is relatively light, making it a credible option for installing on a laptop.

I’ve found it layers exceptionally well with LA Scoring Strings, which adds definition, especially on the short notes.

Sound

The sound is warm and lush, with a convincing vibrato that adds realism to performances. Expression is controlled using the MOD wheel.

The legato patches sound fantastic, and their transitions are smooth, automatically adjusting to the speed at which you play.

The built-in reverb can easily be turned off if you prefer a dryer sound or want to use an alternative.

Articulations

Cinematic Strings 2 ships with just seven patches: violins 1, violins 2, violas, celli, and bass, plus lite and full ensembles.

Each patch contains the same articulations and has an identical layout. A great deal of thought has gone into making sure the library is as easy to use as possible.

Articulations are triggered using keyswitches, and unused articulations can be switched off, saving in RAM in Kontakt.

A staccato overlay is enabled by default, which adds a subtle attack to long articulations; this can also be turned off.

The individual staccato and staccatissimo patches are tightly edited, with no timing issues and have the power necessary to knock out those fast, dramatic action cues.

Pros

Easy to use. Great sound out of the box. Good workhorse library.

Cons

Limited articulations compared to other libraries. No longer in active development.

Where to buy

Cinematic Strings 2 is now considered a legacy product by its developers, but it can still be purchased from the Cinematic Studio Series website.

Hollywood Strings

Developer: East West
Software: Opus
Room: East West Studios
Microphones: Close, Mid, Main, Surround and Divisi
Size: 380 GB
Price: $499.00 as part of the Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition (although it’s frequently on sale). Also available for $14.99 per month with Composer Cloud
Download: Yes

East West Hollywood Strings was created by Hollywood music producers Doug Rogers, Nick Phoenix, Thomas Bergersen and sound engineer Shawn Murphy, and it certainly lives up to its name with an instantly recognisable ‘Hollywood’ sound.

While it used to be sold separately, Hollywood Strings is now only available as part of the much larger Hollywood Orchestra package.

It was first released in 2010, which means I often read concerns that the sound might be outdated. However, I feel the quality of the recordings means the library can still hold its own against newer releases from other developers.

Strings are strings, and if the standard of the samples is good enough, it shouldn’t matter whether a library was released ten years or ten days ago.

Hollywood Strings uses the East West Opus player, the solid successor to its much-maligned predecessor, Play. Early versions of Play could be a pain to work with, especially on Mac systems, and often required a networked computer running Vienna Ensemble Pro to offload some processing power.

Thankfully, Opus appears to have consigned these issues to history, and I haven’t experienced any problems; in fact, it’s probably one of the most stable sample players I use.

However, it’s important to take the recommended computer specs on their website seriously, particularly if you intend to use multiple microphone positions simultaneously.

Opus also introduced the ability to create your own keyswitches, a feature many users were clamouring for.

Sound

Each section is symphonic sized and consists of 16 x 1st violins, 14 x 2nd violins, 10 x violas, 10 x cellos, and 7 x basses. There are also full strings and divisi patches.

Hollywood Strings has a bright, lush, present sound, which means it can cut through complex mixes very well. For that reason, I often layer it with other, wetter libraries.

Despite being recorded with the sound of the room baked in, I find it relatively dry, with only a subtle room ambience noticeable when using the main microphones. You can adjust mic positions to taste and use the excellent built-in reverb to add further space to your mix.

It’s a library that can sound big, without sounding ‘mushy’ when a lot is going on in a mix.

Articulations

A sizeable number of articulations are provided. Each section has several legato options, a wide selection of longs and shorts, tremolos, trills, playable and pre-recorded runs, plus a folder of keyswitch patches.

I find getting good legato lines out of this library relatively easy, particularly from the first violins and cellos.

I have more difficulty with the shorts. There are a few timing issues, especially when using the staccato and staccatissimo articulations, with some round-robin samples having looser attack times than others. This means that faster ostinato passages can end up sounding a bit messy.

How patches respond to MIDI controllers can be inconsistent. While one might respond to CC1 to modulate overall volume, another might need CC11. The Opus UI includes an information panel that does a good job of explaining how each articulation works, though, so it doesn’t cause too much confusion.

Pros

Payable, instant ‘Hollywood’ sound right out of the box. Sits well in a mix.

Cons

It can be resource-intensive. Some inconsistency in articulations and CC control.

Where to buy

Hollywood Orchestra can be purchased outright or through Composer Cloud, a monthly subscription service that allows access to all East West libraries.

While subscription models aren’t for everyone, this is an affordable option, especially for those starting out and with limited funds. Keep in mind that if you don’t continue to subscribe, your libraries will stop working.

East West is one of those companies that seems to constantly run sales, and Hollywood Orchestra is often up for grabs for as little as $299.00.

Spitfire Chamber Strings Professional

Developer: Spitfire Audio
Software: Kontakt Player 5.6.8 or higher
Room: Air Lyndhurst Studios, London
Microphones: Close, Tree, Ambient, Outriggers and Stereo Mixes
Size: 80.9 GB
Price: £649 plus additional taxes
Download: Yes

Over the last decade, Spitfire Audio has taken the orchestral sampling world by storm. They take a particular approach to creating their libraries, focusing on using the best players, the best hall, and the best equipment to achieve a truly stunning sound.

The hall – Air Lyndhurst Studios in London – is the star of the show. Used by many world-renowned composers to record Hollywood soundtracks, the natural ambience it lends to the orchestra is both warm and detailed at the same time. The guys at Spitfire haven’t skimped on anything; their website describes their recording approach:

Recorded at 96k through vintage valve and ribbon mics to tape through Neve preamps and Prism convertors, and presented at 48k, 24bit in Kontakt format

The results speak for themselves. Loading any patch and playing a few notes demonstrates an incredibly rich sound. The shorts alone are worth the entry fee.

Spitfire Chamber Strings is available in three flavours: Essentials, Core, and Professional packages, which contain the full range of articulations and mic positions.

Sound

Spitfire Chamber Strings is recorded using a smaller number of players than the other libraries here, so it lends itself to a more intimate ‘TV’ sound rather than a bombastic Hollywood production. That said, it offers exquisite detail, so it can be layered with other libraries to add presence.

The sections consist of 4 x 1st violins, 3 x 2nd violins, 3 x violas, 3 x cellos, and 3 x basses. There are also full ensemble patches, ideal for sketching out ideas.

Using the various mic positions and blending them can give you the sound you need quickly. The outriggers, in particular, have a sense of space, separation, and width. I often start with them and then mix in other mics to taste.

Spitfire has created a relatively simple Kontakt UI. Switching articulations, changing mic positions, and adjusting the tightness of the samples is straightforward.

Articulations

The library contains all the articulations you’ll probably ever need, including a large selection of legatos, longs, and shorts.

The Performance Legato patches are a favourite of mine. They allow you to play in musical phrases without needing to switch articulations. Performance Legato patches automatically adapt to your playing speed and velocity, switching between different articulations and legato techniques in response.

‍Another little gem is the Ostinatum tool, essentially a mini step sequencer that allows you to trigger intricate patterns by merely playing a note or a chord. I’ll admit I didn’t use this much at first but have since found it a great tool to play around with different rhythms and use as a ‘bed’ for compositions.

Keyswitches are very easy to set up, and they’ve also created the ‘UACC’ (Universal Articulation Controller Channel) standard, which uses Midi CC messages instead of note events to change articulations.

Pros

Sounds great out of the box. Massive selection of articulations. Versatile and very useable.

Cons

The number of articulations may be overkill for some.

Where to buy

Spitfire Chamber Strings can be purchased from the Spitfire Audio shop.

Spitfire Symphonic Strings

Developer: Spitfire Audio
Software: Kontakt Player 7.5.2 or higher
Room: Air Lyndhurst Studios, London
Microphones: Close, Tree, Ambient and Outriggers
Size: 345 GB (for the complete Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra)
Price: £499 plus additional taxes (as part of Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra)
Download: Yes

Spitfire Symphonic Strings has undergone several reinventions in its history. It began life as part of the British Modular Library (BML) series, which was then repackaged and renamed Mural, which was then subsequently rebranded as Spitfire Symphonic Strings.

In 2024, Spitfire Audio discontinued the standalone version completely, instead offering it as part of the Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra, a new library combining their existing woodwinds, brass, and percussion libraries recorded at Air Lyndhurst Studios.

I was one of those people who bought the library in its early days when it was significantly pricier for the strings alone, so I believe getting all four libraries for its asking price is superb value for money.

Sound

Much of what I have said about Spitfire Chamber Strings also applies to Spitfire Symphonic Strings.

The recording process is the same; the hall is the same; the only difference is the size of the string sections, which means this library is more suitable if you’re going for a larger symphonic sound.

Spitfire Symphonic Strings sections consist of 16 x 1st violins, 12 x 2nd violins, 10 x violas, 10 x cellos, and 3 x basses. There are also full ensemble patches.

Spitfire Symphonic Strings is big, open, smooth, and lush. Due to the large section sizes and amount of natural room baked into the samples, it can lose a little definition in a busy mix. So it might not be the library of choice for those of you who need an ‘in your face’ sound for hybrid orchestral tracks or trailer music (although with judicious processing, it’s certainly possible).

However, if ‘real’ is what you require, this could be just the thing.

When used in conjunction with other libraries from the Spitfire range, the benefits of recording the entire orchestra in the same space and using the correct seating positions are notable. Minimal mixing is required. In fact, it’s possible to produce entirely convincing music without any additional reverb or processing.

I personally love using the outrigger mics. They really add width and a sense of separation between try string sections.

Articulations

The core library covers just about any articulation you would use in daily composing work, plus many that you wouldn’t, but they still provide an excellent source of inspiration.

Each section has a minimum of four patches: all techniques, core techniques, decorative techniques, and performance patches. Some sections also include Sul G or Sul C articulations.

There are many textural patches, such as Flautando, Harmonics, and Super Sul Tasto, that can go a long way to getting an unusual sound with little effort. Simply playing a chord is often all it takes to get the creative juices flowing.

As with Spitfire Chamber Strings, the Performance Legato patches are a favourite of mine and get a lot of use.

The Ostinatum tool also appears here and works as it does in the Chamber Strings library.

Pros

Features the beautiful room of Air Lyndhurst Studios. Wide choice of articulations.

Cons

The amount of room in the samples might be too much for some.

Where to buy

Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra can be purchased from the Spitfire Audio shop.

String libraries – other contenders

There are several other popular string libraries available on the market, such as the Spitfire Appassionata Strings, Cinematic Studio Strings, VSL Elite Strings, and Spitfire Abbey Road Orchestra Symphonic Strings.

I will add them to this list should I use them in the future. All pricing is correct at the time of publication.