Best Free Orchestral Sample Libraries For Kontakt Player In 2024

The world of free orchestral sample libraries has evolved significantly over the past decade, with developers now offering high-quality instruments that were previously only available in premium paid versions. For composers, producers, and music enthusiasts seeking professional orchestral sounds without financial investment, numerous options exist that work with the free Kontakt Player. This article explores the most valuable free orchestral libraries available in 2024, highlighting their features, compatibility, and unique attributes.

Comprehensive Orchestral Libraries

Several developers offer complete orchestral libraries that provide a wide range of instruments for various musical applications. These comprehensive collections are particularly valuable for composers needing multiple orchestral sections.

Sonuscore Orchestra Elements

Sonuscore's Orchestra Elements stands out as one of the most complete free orchestral libraries available. The library includes 25 strings, nine brass instruments, and twelve wind articulations, along with playable percussion and a choir preset. This extensive collection provides a whole symphony orchestra experience within a free package.

The library features an innovative Ensemble Engine designed specifically for beginners, which simplifies the process of creating dynamic orchestral scores through multiple arpeggiators and velocity envelopes. For more advanced users, a Mixer page allows for adjusting individual instruments, including panning, EQ, compression, and reverb settings.

Orchestra Elements is compatible with the free Kontakt Player 6.7.1 and above, making it accessible to users without a full Kontakt license. The interface includes 30 presets featuring common groups of instruments, which serves as an educational tool for understanding the relationships between specific instruments and orchestra sections.

Vienna Free Orchestra

The Vienna Free Orchestra offers another completely free orchestral library that runs in the Synchron Player. This collection includes 28 virtual orchestral instruments spanning various sections: Strings, Choir, Harp, Piano, Percussion, and Flute. As a comprehensive orchestral package, it provides composers with essential instruments for orchestral composition.

The library operates through Vienna's dedicated Synchron Player, which is openly available for download from the developer's website. This compatibility ensures that users can access the library without additional investment in sampler software.

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Another comprehensive option is the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a completely free orchestral library that runs in the Spitfire Audio Player. The collection includes 33 orchestral instruments across strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. The BBC's involvement lends credibility to the quality of the samples, making this library particularly valuable for composers seeking authentic orchestral sounds.

Berlin Free Orchestra

The Berlin Free Orchestra provides a free, basic version of a sampled symphony orchestra, featuring 34 instruments across strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion sections. This library distinguishes itself by offering both ensemble patches for broad orchestral textures and 20 solo instruments for melodic lines. Some solo instruments include legato articulations, adding expressiveness to performances.

The Free Orchestra 1 and 2

ProjectSAM's Free Orchestra series represents another valuable collection of cinematic orchestral instruments. Free Orchestra 2 builds upon the first with new additions including sul tasto strings, legato brass, tutti crescendos, and orchestral percussion. All sounds are sourced from ProjectSAM's professional libraries, ensuring high quality despite the free price point.

The library is particularly film-oriented in nature, with sounds described as "production ready" compared to more raw alternatives. This makes it suitable for composers needing immediately usable orchestral textures for media projects.

Individual Instrument Libraries

Beyond comprehensive orchestral collections, numerous developers offer free individual orchestral instruments that allow composers to build their collections progressively.

Heavyocity Foundations

Heavyocity's free instruments, collectively known as "Foundations," represent a collection of professional, cinematic-style VSTs compatible with the free Kontakt Player. The collection includes several individual instruments such as Synth Bass, Nylon Guitar, Staccato Strings, Piano, and others. Each instrument features sound design layers and built-in effects, enhancing their versatility in production settings.

Arturia Augmented Strings Intro

The Arturia Augmented Strings Intro serves as a free teaser version of the full Augmented Strings product. It includes a selection of immersive orchestral and cinematic string sounds, along with the ability to layer and combine sampled strings with up to four different types of synthesis: virtual analog, wavetable, harmonic, and granular. This hybrid approach offers unique sonic possibilities beyond traditional sampled strings.

Norrland Solo Trumpet

Norrland Samples' "Solo Trumpet" provides a free, high-quality virtual trumpet instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt. The library includes over 5,700 samples and performance-focused features such as true legato and multiple articulations including sustain, staccato, and marcato. This level of detail makes it suitable for both solo melodic passages and orchestral trumpet sections.

Performance Samples Freebies

Performance Samples offers several Kontakt-based freebies, including a solo violin patch, a solo cello patch, and full-ensemble spiccatos. However, it's important to note that these particular instruments only work with the full version of Kontakt, not the free Kontakt Player, limiting their accessibility to users without the full software.

Specialized Orchestral Collections

In addition to comprehensive libraries and individual instruments, several specialized collections focus on specific orchestral textures or techniques.

Blueprint Series by Fracture Sounds

The Blueprint lineup by Fracture Sounds represents an ongoing series of free Kontakt Player instruments that has supplied quality orchestral resources since late 2023. All libraries in this series are compatible with the free Native Instruments player.

Recommended orchestral Blueprint patches include: - Greenhead Chimes (tubular bells) - Gentle Winds collection - Percussion soundset - Solo texture violin - Gentle Strings (longs) - Short Strings (staccato articulated)

ROOTS Series by Westwood Instruments

Similar to Blueprint, the ROOTS series represents another lineup of free Kontakt Player libraries. While the specific orchestral offerings from this series aren't detailed in the source material, its inclusion suggests additional resources for composers seeking specialized orchestral sounds.

Vienna Symphonic Library Free Instruments

The Vienna Symphonic Library offers several free instruments that work in their dedicated Synchron Player sampler. These include: - A dynamic, sustain-based instrument providing mellow ensemble strings - Violin Runs library offering harmonic-mode-based orchestral runs in various modes (Major, Minor, Phrygian, Dorian, Locrian, etc.) - Harp Glissandos release

All these instruments demonstrate the Vienna Symphonic Library's commitment to providing quality orchestral sounds free of charge.

Tutti Free

Sonokinetic's Tutti Free presents an atonal orchestral instrument for the free Kontakt Player. While it focuses exclusively on aleatoric (random) orchestral effects rather than traditional pitched instruments, it offers unique sound design possibilities. The library was recorded at the Cinematic Concert Hall in Zlin, Czech Republic, and features various mic positions to capture a wide range of sounds.

Although Tutti Free is a free offering, it includes a selection of phrases from the original Tutti library and requires setup through a free Sonokinetic account. The library comes in 44.1kHz—24bit NCW format, with 216 samples totaling 445 MB.

Educational Value for Beginners

Several of these free libraries serve not just as sound sources but as educational tools for those new to orchestral composition.

Sonuscore's Educational Approach

Sonuscore's Orchestra Elements includes features specifically designed to help beginners understand orchestral scoring. The Ensemble Engine simplifies the creation of dynamic orchestral scores, while the 30 presets featuring common groups of instruments help users understand the relationships between different sections of the orchestra.

The Mixer page allows for adjusting individual instruments, providing insight into orchestration techniques and balance. This educational approach makes the library particularly valuable for composition students and those beginning their orchestral journey.

ProjectSAM's Film-Oriented Approach

ProjectSAM's Free Orchestra series, while comprehensive, takes a film-oriented approach to orchestral sounds. The "production ready" nature of the sounds, while potentially less suitable for those seeking raw, unprocessed samples, provides an excellent learning resource for composers working in media production. The library's focus on cinematic applications helps users understand how orchestral sounds function in practical production contexts.

Compatibility and Technical Considerations

Understanding compatibility requirements is essential when selecting free orchestral libraries.

Kontakt Player Compatibility

Many of the libraries discussed are compatible with the free Kontakt Player 6.7.1 and above, including: - Sonuscore Orchestra Elements - Heavyocity Foundations - Various Blueprint Series instruments - ROOTS Series instruments - Tutti Free

This compatibility allows users to access high-quality orchestral sounds without purchasing the full Kontakt sampler software.

Player-Specific Libraries

Some libraries require specific players beyond the Kontakt Player: - Vienna Free Orchestra requires the Synchron Player - BBC Symphony Orchestra requires the Spitfire Audio Player - Vienna Symphonic Library instruments also use the Synchron Player

These players are typically available as free downloads from their respective developers, though they represent additional software installations beyond Kontakt Player.

Full Kontakt Requirement

Some libraries, such as certain Performance Samples instruments, require the full version of Kontakt rather than the free Kontakt Player. This limitation should be considered when planning which libraries to incorporate into a setup.

Conclusion

The landscape of free orchestral sample libraries has evolved dramatically, with developers now offering professional-quality instruments and collections that were previously only available in premium paid versions. From comprehensive orchestral libraries like Sonuscore's Orchestra Elements and the Vienna Free Orchestra to specialized instruments like Norrland's Solo Trumpet, composers have access to an unprecedented range of orchestral sounds without financial investment.

These libraries serve not only as sound sources but as educational tools, particularly for beginners. Features like Sonuscore's Ensemble Engine and the 30 instrument group presets help users understand orchestral relationships and techniques. Similarly, ProjectSAM's film-oriented approach in The Free Orchestra provides practical insights into orchestral scoring for media production.

Compatibility considerations are important when selecting libraries, with many working with the free Kontakt Player while others require specific players or the full Kontakt software. Understanding these requirements ensures a smooth integration into existing workflows.

The availability of these high-quality free libraries reflects a shift in the music software industry, with developers using free offerings to showcase their work and build relationships with potential customers. This approach benefits composers and producers by providing access to professional tools that might otherwise be financially out of reach.

Sources

1. Cakewalk Forum Discussion
2. Orchestral Freebies Collection
3. Best Free Orchestral VST Plugins
4. Bedroom Producers Blog - Orchestral VST Plugins
5. Bedroom Producers Blog - Sonuscore Orchestra Elements