Virtual Playing Orchestra

Virtual Playing Orchestra is an SFZ-based free orchestral library maintained by Paul Battersby. It’s a curated compilation of samples from Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra, VSCO 2 Community Edition, and the University of Iowa’s public-domain recordings, processed and optimized by Battersby for cohesive playback. You get section and solo instruments for woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), brass (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba), strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), and percussion (timpani, snare, bass drum, and more).

Two SFZ script sets are included: a Standard Orchestra with straightforward mapping, and a Performance Orchestra that uses mod wheel and velocity to switch articulations on the fly. Install size is around 618 MB, which is remarkably light for a full orchestral library. Battersby recommends running it in Plogue Sforzando (free), though it’ll also work in sfizz, ARIA Player, or any SFZ-compatible host. The downside is that the underlying samples come from multiple sessions recorded in different rooms, so you’ll want to sit everything into a single hall reverb to unify the sound.

Cohesion isn’t as clean as a single-session library. For MuseScore users, Reaper users, Linux composers, and anyone who wants a no-Kontakt, no-account, no-email option, Virtual Playing Orchestra is the best SFZ orchestra in town.