1. DSK Overture

DSK Overture is a pure piano VST with 635+ sounds available. It also features your basic task management, note monitoring, preset management, tempo matching, plus lots of percussion sounds. 

This instrument works great for synthesizing piano solos. If you are not a piano player, then don’t bother using this one. However, if you are looking to sound more like an actual pianist then give it a try!

DSK Overture is free and there are no strings or samples included in the instrument. It is all you need to hear. 

There are also a number of customizations available. But the key idea with the DSK Overture is to give you the basics of a piano. If you are looking for samples or strings, you are not getting that from the DSK Overture.

If you are looking for a VST that has just about every parameter possible, then you can’t go wrong with Chamber Orchestra 2. This amazing instrument comes with an abundance of great features, including:

• Wider range of sound models: 
• 18 different sound models are supported, allowing for a wider variety of strings, brass and percussion sounds to be explored.

Improved touch and drag interactions: Users can now easily alter and view the state of all parameters using the mouse or their finger, making it far easier for them to get the settings they want without much hassle.

Advanced parameters support: Thanks to this release’s new DSP engine, each parameter has been updated to support a variety of automation features.

DSK is a wonderful multi-part, melodic synth that is packed full of orchestral goodness. It is produced by Marius Simionescu, who is known for his dark orchestral work. In this software, you will find such orchestral instruments as strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. You will also find a chording pad, a low-end bass drum, a pitch bend, and a delay.

What is cool about DSK is that it comes with four modules, each of which is dedicated to a different type of sound. For example, there is a chord pad, a pitch bend, a delay, and a parameterizer. One neat thing about this synth is that you can use it to create your own sounds, just as if you were to use a multi-effects plug-in!

Overall, DSK is a very powerful and versatile synth. It is a great addition to any VST collection.

Sonatina is a free Symphony Orchestra based VST designed for musicians, sound designers, and audio engineers. The VST is a complex implementation of the Classical Orchestral, written in A3 at tempo 140bpm. It contains a variety of microblocks, each of which contains different sections from the symphony.

Sonatina features over 40 different orchestral microblocks for you to use in your compositions. You can also use different parameters such as dynamics, modulation, and many other different characteristics. MIDI only commands can also be used to control the instrument’s parameters.

One Track Orchestra is perhaps the most well-known orchestral VST. Originally created by Steve Roach, a guitarist and drummer from Chicago, it is probably best described as an online experience that combines live performances and custom percussion instruments. 

It is free and has been used in many live shows and film soundtracks.

One Track Orchestra actually requires a subscription, but there is a trial version available that is completely free. You can download the trial version from here and have a listen to the free version in the player below.

Layers by Orchestral Tools is a complete suite of 9 atmospheric VST instruments. The VST instrument has 7 tones (like piano) and a delay effect. 

The sounds are nice and tight, while still being warm and full. The delay is great and can be further manipulated to create your own effects.

We really like the fact that this plugin is compatible with both the newest versions of Windows and Mac computer operating systems, save for Apple Silicon, which should be supported soon.

Total Composure Orchestra is one of the best free orchestral VSTs you can get at the moment. It comes packed with lots of features that you will not find in any other plugin.

This free orchestral VST is easy to use and is great for beginners. It supports an array of instruments, including trumpets, trombones, trumpets and other types of horns. Each instrument comes with great sounds that sound great.

The developer has also added some unique sound textures to make this free orchestral VST stand out from the crowd. These sound textures include lush guitar and synth parts and great acoustic instruments. You can further fine tune your sound with all sorts of DSP including multi-popery and 8-pole oscillation.

Spitfire LABS have what they call an “infinite series of free software instruments”. They can certainly back up that claim. Now we are talking about high quality samples, not something dragged up from the oldest libraries of the internet. 

These samples are spot on, clear and most of all stable. We like that it’s compatible with any DAW.  The company claims that you will need a copy of their Spitfire Audio App, but for what you get, it’s well worth it. 

Project Sam is a superb free orchestral VST that contains over 1,600 pre-recorded orchestral samples in multiple categories, all of which are dedicated specifically to orchestras. A range of beautiful instrument skins are available to customize your sessions, including drums, guitars, brass, strings, percussion and vocals.

This free orchestral VST is very simple to use. Just play a MIDI note, a sample, or trigger on your track, and this virtual orchestra will play along. It has a range of presets which you can tweak to fit your mood and style. All you have to do is give it a few seconds and you’ll have some real sounding orchestra to play with.

In this section of our review, we will discuss the Spitfire Symphony Orchestra library. You may know this as one of the best free orchestral VSTs for Mac. This is a semi-modular free library of approximately 80 instruments. These instruments range from the simplest electronic pad to the most complex. You will find everything from sound effects to numerous instruments.

The tools available for each instrument range from pitch-bends and filters to oscillators and a few common effects.

Though it’s a relatively small range, the library is amazingly large. From it, you will find dozens of different pad instrument sounds, electronic pads, strings, brass, percussion, stringed instruments, strings, and even several other instruments like brass and woodwinds.