Spitfire Audio’s BBC popular Symphony Orchestra Discover sound library is now completely FREE to download; no questionnaire, no waiting.
BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover has always been available for free, at least as long as I can remember. The deal was you could get it for free if you filled in a questionnaire, and I think you’d get the plugin a week or two later; alternatively, you could download it instantly for £49.
I don’t recall the questionnaire being overly intrusive or time-consuming, but it was a relatively long time ago, and I know it’s enough to put some people off immediately.
The news that Spitfire Audio has decided to make it a free instant download is terrific, and I highly recommend you get it now if you haven’t already.
BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover features 33 instruments and 47 performance techniques, and as always, with Spitfire Audio, it all starts with world-class musicians and equipment.
The GUI shows Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion sections laid out as they would be on stage. Besides being easy to use, I love the GUI because it’s a great first step towards understanding orchestration. Most users I’ve spoken to say that the plugin encouraged them to explore the basics of arranging and how to allocate parts between first/second violins, violas, cellos, etc.
I think BBC Symphony Orchestra is one of the best freebies around; it certainly has been for me. The sound quality is incredible for such a small package (200MB).
I’d be happy to use BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover on just about anything, from Pop tracks to cinematic scores; you can get a very authentic sound with some work. I say with some work because while it sounds incredible, it offers far fewer articulations than Spitfire Audio’s flagship collections, and articulation is key.
If you had to create a score for a film/game on a very tight budget, you could get it done convincingly with this freebie.
The other thing I love is that I can make mock-ups of parts I’m writing for real strings and get close enough to know if I’m on the right track.
While in the orchestral mood, check out anything and everything from Spitfire Audio’s free LABS series and Heavyocity’s Staccato Strings for Kontakt Player. And since you’re already downloading freebies, check out our list of free Kontakt libraries.
BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover is available in AU, VST, and AAX formats for macOS (10.13 – 12) and Windows (7, 8, 10, 11).
Download: Symphony Orchestra Discover (download for FREE)
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Last Updated on July 22, 2022 by Tomislav Zlatic.
