Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra (SSO) is a free library of sampled orchestral instruments. The original version wascreated by Mattias Westlund in 2011, and quickly earned a following for its excellent quality and wide selection ofinstruments. This repository hosts the ongoing development of the library. Mattias is no longer directly involved(although he has given his permission for continuing to develop it) and has not personally reviewed all of the changes.In other words, don't email him with questions about it!
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra SF2.zip. Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra SF2.zip. It's been almost eight years since the release of Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra. These days there are much better options out there, such as: - Virtual Playing Orchestra, created by Paul Battersby - VSCO2. The Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Module contains the full SSO by Mattias Westlund, in one simple VST plugin (32 & 64bit) The SSO samples are stereo, 16 bit, 44kHz. While it’s not the most professional Orchestral Sample Plugin out there, it will certainly provide the building blocks for creating some astounding virtual orchestra.
The instruments are packaged in SFZ format. They can be used with any compatible player, such asLinux Sampler, Sforzando, andARIA Player.
Instruments
SSO includes the following instruments and articulations:
Strings
| Instrument | Articulations |
|---|---|
| 1st Violins | Sustain, Marcato, Staccato, Pizzicato, Tremolo |
| 2nd Violins | Sustain, Marcato, Staccato, Pizzicato, Tremolo |
| Violas | Sustain, Marcato, Staccato, Pizzicato |
| Cellos | Sustain, Marcato, Staccato, Pizzicato |
| Basses | Sustain, Marcato, Staccato, Pizzicato |
| Solo Violin | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Violin 2 | Sustain, Sustain non-vibrato, Marcato, Marcato non-vibrato, Spiccato, Pizzicato, Tremolo |
| Solo Cello | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
Brass
| Instrument | Articulations |
|---|---|
| Trumpets | Sustain (looped, non-looped), Marcato (looped, non-looped), Staccato |
| French Horns | Sustain (looped, non-looped), Marcato (looped, non-looped), Staccato |
| Trombones | Sustain (looped, non-looped), Marcato (looped, non-looped), Staccato |
| Tuba | Sustain (looped, non-looped), Marcato (looped, non-looped), Staccato |
| Solo Trumpet | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo French Horn | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Tenor Trombone | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Bass Trombone | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
Woodwinds
| Instrument | Articulations |
|---|---|
| Flutes | Sustain (looped, non-looped), Marcato (looped, non-looped), Staccato |
| Oboes | Sustain (looped, non-looped) |
| Clarinets | Sustain (looped, non-looped) |
| Bassoons | Sustain (looped, non-looped) |
| Solo Piccolo | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Flute | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Alto Flute | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Cor Anglais | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Oboe | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Clarinet | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Bass Clarinet | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Bassoon | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
| Solo Contrabassoon | Sustain (non-looped, looped, decay) |
Pitched Percussion
| Instrument | Variations |
|---|---|
| Timpani | Right hand hits, Left hand hits, Rolls |
| Glockenspiel | - |
| Xylophone | - |
| Chimes | - |
Percussion
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Vst Free
| Instrument | Variations |
|---|---|
| Bass Drum | Soft hit, Hard hit |
| Snare Drum | Left hand hit, Right hand hit, Roll |
| Cymbals | Hit, 4 Rolls |
| Conga | Muffled, Open, Slap |
| Bar Chimes | 3 Variations |
| Tamtam | 3 Variations |
| Triangle | Mute, Half-open, Open, Roll |
| Tambourine | Soft hit, Hard hit, Shake, Roll |
| Wood Blocks | High, Low |
| Cabasa | 2 Variations |
| Shaker | 3 Variations |
| Sleigh Bells | Soft hit, Hard hit |
| Castanets | 2 Variations |
| Ratchet | - |
| Vibraslap | - |
| Bell Tree | - |
Miscellaneous
| Instrument | Articulations |
|---|---|
| Grand Piano | - |
| Concert Harp | - |
| Chorus | Male (looped, non-looped), Female (looped, non-looped) |
Instruments with multiple articulations are packaged in two ways. Use whichever one is more convenient for yourworkflow.
- As a separate SFZ instrument for each articulation.
- As a keyswitched instrument with all articulations in a single file. You can switch between articulations by pressingkeys outside the range of the instrument.
Most solo instruments have three versions:
- A non-looped version that simply plays each sample once. This gives the most natural sound, but sets a strict limiton how long any note can be held.
- A looped version that can be held indefinitely, but sounds less natural than the non-looped version.
- A looped version that adds a gradual decay and gentle modulation. This tries to give a more natural sound than thesimple looped version, but still not place a strict limit on how long notes can be held.
There are two different solo violin instruments. One has the standard three versions listed above. The other has manymore articulations, but does not offer a looped version. The sustained notes are held long enough that the lack oflooping is usually not a problem.
Marcato articulations use the mod wheel (MIDI control channel 1) to adjust the strength of the initial attack. Thislets you smoothly blend between a gentle sustain and a strong marcato.
Technical Details
All samples are stereo, 16 bit, 44 kHz. Most instruments are sampled in minor 3rds. Staccato and pizzicatoarticulations use 2x round robin.
Most samples have only a small amount of reverb baked into them, so adding a realistic reverb is important for producinga good overall sound. Given that the samples came from a variety of different sources, this is also important formaking them sound like a unified orchestra.
License
SSO may be used and distributed under the terms of theCreative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license.
Mattias Westlund included the following statement with SSO 1.0 regarding the sources and licensing of the samples:
SSO was created from the following free/CC-licensed/public domain instrument samples:The University of Iowa MIS,MSLP,Philharmonia samples,OLPC project,The Complete K2000,ldk1609 violin,stamperadam Kelon Xylophone,Corsica_S Cello Pizzicato,davidjwoll cymbal rolls,Satoration Castanets,Thores Triangle, Mystified timpani, Eddie's English Horn and a variety of classic soundfonts by Campbell Barton,Nando Florestan, andEthan Winer.
In the case of a few very old soundfonts I have no idea who the original authors were or what licensing might apply.But as these files have been modified by different people and included in countless GM banks and other soundfontcompilations over the last decade, I'm assuming that they are to be considered public domain or at least free to usefor sampling projects.
I have done my very best to avoid samples of questionable legality, but as it is impossible for me to know the exactorigin of everything (i.e. I have no way of knowing if a soundfont labeled as 'public domain' isn't actually sampledfrom a proprietary source), I would appreciate if you let me know if you find anything fishy.
Related Projects
SSO was the first high quality, free orchestral library. More recently, a few others have become available. Each onehas its own sound, so try them all out.
These are the best free realistic instrument plugins for Windows and Mac!
So, if you're looking for free virtual instruments that can be used for composing orchestral or realistic music, these 5 plugins will help you do just that.
And all but one will work on both Windows and Mac, but I do mention an alternative for the one that doesn't plus a bonus free sound library at the end.
Chart of the best free realistic instrument plugins
This table includes all of the free realistic instrument VST plugins that are mentioned in the article below.
| Plugin Name | Available Plugin Formats | Supported OS |
|---|---|---|
| LABS | 64 & 32-bit VST, AAX, and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Cloudrum | 64 & 32-bit VST, AAX (Mac only), and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Sonatina Orchestra | 64 & 32-bit VST | Windows |
| SSD5 Free | 64-bit VST, AAX, and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Virtual Playing Orchestra | WAVE & SFZ | Windows & Mac |
| (Bonus) Taiko Drum Samples | WAVE & SFZ | Windows & Mac |
1. Spitfire LABS
The first one I want to mention is Spitfire LABS, a great resource to get free orchestral instruments and they add a new one every month, at least that's what they say.
So hey, save the article and check back in a couple of months, they might have a new one available.
From this, you can use an array of different instruments like strings, guitar, piano, and choir that all sound great.
Each instrument allows you to control expression, dynamics, and reverb. Some even come with more control.
2. Ample Sound Cloudrum
The next instrument I'd like to highlight is Cloudrum by Ample Sound.
This one sounds pretty cool and is quite different from their regular approach to making plugins as they almost entirely stick to stringed instruments.
With this one being the only exception. Even though it's slightly out of their expertise, this one really hit the mark.
3. Sonatina Orchestra
Now if you're looking for a robust library of orchestral instruments including percussion, strings, and brass, you might really like Sonatina Orchestra.
Unfortunately, this is the one that doesn't work for Mac. But, is very similar to one that does, called VSCO2.
These two plugins seem to have a lot of the same instrument samples and you can find the free download link for VSCO2 in this article.
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Vst Plugin
Check it out, I also demo how it sounds in a video available on the article.
4. SSD5 FREE
If you're looking for a fully functional deluxe drum kit, SSD5 FREE has many different drums for you to use.
With this plugin, you get more control compared to just using samples such as mixing directly in the plugin.
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Vst
5. Virtual Playing Orchestra
The last one is a bit of a process to get set up but it does sound good and I suggest that you at least listen to the demo I made before you decide not to give it a go.
Virtual Playing Orchestra does require you to download the wave files, sfz scripts and a separate sfz player such as sforzando made by Plogue.
And there are other orchestral libraries that have sfz format so it won’t be a waste of your time.
6. (Bonus): Taiko Drum Samples
Finally, the bonus sound library. If you're looking for some free Taiko drum samples, you can get them from this pay-what-you-want resource.
If you feel that it's worth some money, the option is there for you but you can get them for free.
In this library, you'll find some nice drum one-shots to use in your music or even sound effects.
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Vst Free Download
I hope these free plugins will help you make better orchestral music or just music in general.
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Vst Download Free
Share it with someone so they don't miss out on these sweet freebies. As always, thanks for reading.