Right now there are many orchestral libraries on the market. Professionals who use libraries for a living know that it takes more than one library to do the job. That’s because no single library has all the articulations needed and each library has its own sound. Most of the time, you blend libraries to create your sound. Other times, you may choose to use a specific library for a specific project. But overall, you’ll mix libraries. Here are libraries that I use and some of which are offered at the TrueSpec Systems web site. I’ve noted where academic pricing is available.

I’ve either beta tested or co-produced several of these libraries.

E-MU Modern Symphonic Orchestra - Alexander Publishing is the first textbook publisher to have produced an orchestral library. Available through E-MU Systems (a division of Creative Labs), MSO is designed to run on smaller 1GB of RAM systems, yet still has a great sound. Strings, woodwinds and brass are the strengths of this library. This product is PC only.

EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra - I recommend either the Gold or Platinum versions. A major advantage of this library is that the instruments are pre-panned and you don’t need to EQ. As such, your focus is on writing and setting volume levels. An iLok key is required for copy protection. Academic pricing available.

Jonathan Loving QLSO/Sibelius Soundsets - If you prefer to do your scoring in Sibelius, you can take advantage of the soundsets created by Jonathan Loving for the Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra. These soundsets enable you to produce your music within Sibelius without having to learn sequencing.

String Essentials 2 - This is a library that’s been overshadowed by the price reductions of other companies. The string sound is rich and warm, slightly on the dark side. Blends extremely well with other libraries. Read my review.

Symphobia - This is not a standard orchestral sample library. While it can be used that way, the strength of Symphobia is the orchestral effects set not available from other libraries. Read my review.

Miroslav Philharmonik - The Miroslav Philharmonik is the first orchestral library ever created by an educator, Miroslav Vitous, who at one time headed the jazz department at the New England Conservatory. The best parts of this library are the strings, woodwinds and French horns. Academic pricing available. Read my review.

Vienna Symphonic Library - VSL is a strong corporate supporter of our Professional Orchestration™ Series through their provision of 13 audio and MIDI files for each solo orchestral instrument, available at no additional charge, to teach you MIDI editing (mock-up) skills. For background, I coordinated the Los Angeles beta team for the earlier editions of this library (First and Pro Editions in GigaStudio format) along with sponsoring the world premiere of the Pro Edition in Los Angeles through TrueSpec Systems. For people getting started, the new Vienna Special Edition is a great way to jump in, and it can be ordered direct from Vienna as a digital download. a Synchrosoft USB is required for all libraries. Read my review. One of the most satisfying string sounds I’ve ever heard are the Appassionata Strings. Read my review. What I like about Vienna, aside from the gorgeous sound and the Vienna Instruments player, is that it’s recorded in a studio. This enables you to coordinate lots of different libraries with it, most of which have also been recorded in a studio. Setting up and mixing is now much easier with their Vienna Ensemble 3 Virtual Mixing Board, also available as a digital download. Also check out MIR (multiple impulse responses) and watch the videos. Their Instruments-Online is an excellent reference section.

Los Angeles Scoring Strings - LA Scoring Strings is a new soon-to-be released library that empowers the composer to do real divisi writing. Only one demo has been posted. Friends of mine who also beta tested the earlier Vienna Libraries assure me this is the string library to have. I’ve not reviewed this library nor have I heard beyond the one demo posted. But my friends are composers of good report and if they say it’s good, I’ll budget for it, which I am.