Best Free Realistic Instrument VST Plugins

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.

Download Spitfire LABS for free

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.

Download Ample Sound Cloudrum for free

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.

Check it out, I also demo how it sounds in a video available on the article.

Download Sonatina Orchestra for free

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.

Download SSD5 for free

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.

Download Virtual Playing Orchestra for free

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.

Download Taiko Drum one-shot samples for free

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I hope these free plugins will help you make better orchestral music or just music in general.

Share it with someone so they don't miss out on these sweet freebies. As always, thanks for reading.