Here are the best free string VST plugins online that can be used with FL Studio, Reason, Ableton Live, and other VST-supported software.
In this collection of free string plugins, I’ve included details of the plugin’s features, images, and videos for a closer look.
I’ve downloaded and tested hundreds of free VST plugins, and here are some of the top free string VST plugins out there.
Best String VST Plugins
- DSK Overture
- Orchestral Strings One
- Labs Strings
- The Total Composure Orchestra
- DSK World StringZ
- Spitfire Audio Labs Strings 2
- DSK Strings
- Section Strings
- Matnitron String VST
- LABS Frozen Strings
- Sample Science French Violin
- The Free Orchestra
- Serpo
- Labs Amplified Cello Quartet
- Orchestral Tools Layers
- VSCO 2 Free String VST
- Spitfire Audio Symphony
- One Track Orchestra
- Vienna Symphonic Library
- Cellofan
Tutorial: How to Install VST Plugins
Instructions: Click the links below to visit each string VST plugin. Look around each website for the download link or button. Do not install any suspicious software.
DSK Overture
DSK Overture is a great-sounding, full-featured string VST plugin that lets you play four different instruments simultaneously.
With its 40 instruments, 1 drum kit, and 10 internal combos, it’s perfect for creating rich, detailed music.
The plugin also includes an amp envelope, MIDI channel selector, panorama control, level, gain, and mute controls, an advanced multimode filter, a filter amp envelope, and FX (reverb, delay, and chorus) controls.
Features
- 40 Instruments
- 1 Drum Kit
- 10 Internal Combos
- Amp Envelope
- MIDI Channel Selector
- Panorama Control
- Level, Gain & Mute Control
- Advanced Multimode Filter
- Filter Amp Envelope
Plugin | PC
Orchestral Strings One
This string VST is a unique and innovative virtual string instrument that contains 14 violins, 10 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 double basses.
The makers used an advanced Neo Hybrid Modeling Engine to create such a large and realistic-sounding instrument. This engine makes the full strings section while only taking up 200MB of space.
Features
- 14 violins, 10 violas, 8 cellos, 6 double basses
- Uses Neo Hybrid Modeling Engine
- Full string section in 200MB
- Innovative Key Switch system
- 64-Steps Sequencer for composing
- Built-in high-quality Reverb
Pros
- Realistic orchestral strings sound
- Light on CPU and small RAM usage
- Full control over legato system
- High-quality built-in Reverb
- Flexible for composing with Sequencer
Cons
- Requires understanding of Key Switches
- Limited to string sounds only
- Might have a learning curve
Plugin | PC & Mac
Labs Strings
The Labs String VST plugin allows you to playback string instruments recorded in a recording studio and played by fourteen string players.
Several microphones were used to record this ensemble, including a vintage BBC AXB1.
It is a great free alternative to the Spitfire chamber strings and Spitfire symphonic strings. This string VST plugin is a favorite on the list, thanks to its clean interface and professional sound.
Labs | PC & Mac
The Total Composure Orchestra
The Total Composure orchestra is an entire strings library created using only samples in the public domain.
Total Composure is the first to offer such a symphonic library exclusively for the Kontakt format, using Kontakt’s scripting capabilities to greatly enhance the playability, realism, and functionality of these public domain samples.
- Symphonic Strings
- String Library
Plugin | PC
Total Composure Orchestra Demo
- Unlimited Beats & Pages
- Sell Digital & Physical Products
- Full WordPress Music Website
- 90 Free Graphics - Get $15 Off
DSK World StringZ
The DSK World StringZ plugin offers eight world-string instruments, including a Celtic harp, Cumbus, Dobro, Kanun, Koto, Dulcimer, Tar, and Turkish oud.
DSK World | PC
Spitfire Audio Labs Strings 2
Labs Strings 2 offers new string sounds such as Pizzicato, Swells Ensembles, and Bartok Pizz, performed by London’s best string players.
These high-quality strings will add texture and vibrancy to your music projects. A great alternative to Spitfire Symphonic Strings.
Labs | PC & Mac
DSK Strings
DSK Strings is a powerful and versatile string VST plugin that provides you with all the tools to create realistic string sounds. It features two layers and 22 waveforms.
You can use the octave select and micro-detuner to create a wide range of sounds and effects (delay, flanger) to add even more depth and realism.
The included instruments (cello, contrabass, viola, violin) sound great, and the MIDI automation makes it easy to create complex and realistic string parts.
Features
- Two layers
- 22 waveforms each
- Octave select and micro-detuner
- Effects (delay, flanger)
- Included instruments: cello, contrabass, viola, violin
- MIDI automation
DSK Plugin | PC
Section Strings
The Section Strings plugin includes 5 octaves of cello and viola samples recorded across 61 keys. It also includes controls for gain, panning, ADSR, and a built-in reverb effect.
Plugin | PC
Matnitron String VST
Matnitron is a one-preset strings module with an amplitude envelope generator.
Matnitron is available as a string instrument plugin for Windows, and it is free.
Matnitron | PC
- Unlimited Beats & Pages
- Sell Digital & Physical Products
- Full WordPress Music Website
- 90 Free Graphics - Get $15 Off
LABS Frozen Strings
The library was recorded with six-string players in a completely dry setting. The result is a sound of stark beauty, which fits perfectly against low, grey skies.
The uncluttered interface and easy-to-use controls make it a great choice for those looking to add a touch of beauty to their music.
- Six-string players
- Easy-to-use controls
- Uncluttered interface
LABS Plugin | PC & Mac
Sample Science French Violin
With this free French Violin plugin by Sample Science, you get a multi-sampled violin with a lot of character. This instrument sounds very warm and natural when played as an authentic French violin.
It is the perfect violin plugin for adding strings to music projects without taking up a lot of space on your computer.
There are six articulations in the French Violin plugin, including arco vibrato, pizzicato vibrato, pizzicato non-vibrato, arco non-vibrato, tremolo, and spiccato.
Sample Science | Mac / PC
The Free Orchestra
The Free Orchestra is a plugin that is designed to simulate an orchestra. It has a variety of string instruments, and it can be used for anything from classical compositions to pop music.
Great free alternative to the EastWest Hollywood Strings, Orchestral Tools Berlin Symphonic Strings, and Audiobro LA Scoring Strings.
- 12 Free Virtual Instruments
- 1 GB Library Size String Library
- Works with Free Kontakt Player
The Free Orchestra | PC & Mac
Serpo
The Serpo plugin offers various virtual instruments such as Violin, Bass, Drums, Piano, guitar, and more. It includes samples recorded by musicians around the world.
Serpo | PC / Mac / AU
Labs Amplified Cello Quartet
The Amplified Cello Quartet plugin is one of the best Cello plugins available. Christian Henson and Harry Wilson recorded the cellos and amps in separate rooms.
Amplified Quartet | PC & Mac
Orchestral Tools Layers
The Layers plugin is a free orchestral plugin with various string instruments to use with your music compositions.
- 17GB of Samples
- Includes Strings, Brass, & Woodwinds
Layers | PC & Mac
VSCO 2 Free String VST
The VSCO 2 plugin offers a variety of virtual string instruments such as Harps, Violins, Violas, Contrabass, Cellos, and more.
It also includes woodwinds, brass instruments, percussions, and other popular orchestra instruments.
VSCO 2 | PC & Mac / Soundfonts
Spitfire Audio Symphony Orchestra Discover
The Symphony Orchestra Discover plugin includes 33 instruments, such as strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussions, and is compatible with most music programs.
This plugin is an excellent free alternative to the Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings, EastWest Hollywood Strings, Audiobro LA Scoring Strings, Output Analog Strings, and Cinematic Session Strings.
Spitfire Audio | PC & Mac
One Track Orchestra
There are a variety of orchestra sounds included in One Track Orchestra VST plugins. These include strings, violins, brass, percussion, cellos, pizzicato, and flutes.
One Track | PC
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra
With the Big Bang Orchestra plugin, you will get 1.4 GB of free symphonic sounds, including virtual string instruments.
Big Bang | PC & Mac
Cellofan
Cellofan is a unique string VST plugin that emulates the sound of a classical cello. It features an easy-to-use interface and a wide range of options, perfect for beginners and professionals.
With its attack and release controls, you can create realistic cello sounds that will add a new dimension to your music.
- Emulates the sound of a classical cello
- Easy-to-use interface
- Attack and release controls
Cellofan | PC
Etherealwinds Harp
Etherealwinds Harp is a sampled diatonic folk harp that was recorded by the musician Etherealwinds on Newgrounds.
- Diatonically sampled, 2x RR, three velocity layers.
- Celtic Lever/Folk Harp with a delicate, warm tone.
- Full Decays Sampled.
- Samples are mono (Kontakt version includes faux stereo width option).
- NKI version included.
Etherealwinds | PC & Mac
Edirol Orchestral
Edirol orchestral is an orchestra plugin that houses an array of realistic acoustic sounds, such as strings, woodwinds, brass instruments, percussion, and keyboards.
The plugin can produce up to 16-part and 128-voice polyphony, which makes it ideal for creating complex and realistic arrangements. With Edirol orchestral, you can add realistic articulations to your sounds, such as vibrato, tremolo, pizzicato and spiccato.
This plugin also comes with fully assignable MIDI control. This means that you can customize your workflows to suit your specific needs.
Edirol Orchestral will become one of your go-to plugins for creating realistic and beautiful-sounding arrangements.
- 16-part, 128-voice polyphony
- Realistic articulations such as vibrato, tremolo, pizzicato and spiccato
- Fully assignable MIDI control
- String Articulations
Plugin | PC
Virtual Playing Orchestra
There are a variety of solo strings and section instruments for woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion in the Virtual Playing Orchestra.
With this library, you can choose from various articulations on most instruments for an authentic sound—a great free alternative to the Hein Solo Strings plugin.
Plugin | PC & Mac
Sonatina Cello
Sonatina Cello is a sampled cello with an incredibly realistic sound. The four groups of samples (solo strings, celli sustain, celli staccato, celli pizzicato) have been edited from the Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra sample library, and they sound fantastic.
Sonatina | PC & Mac
VSCO2 Violin
The VSCO2 Violin is a standalone violin instrument modeled after the sound of a real acoustic violin.
It features a range of articulations, including pizzicato, tremolo, spiccato and sul ponticello. It is an excellent choice if you want to add some violin parts to your song.
VSCO2 | PC & Mac
Sound Magic Strings One
String One is an amazing software that provides solo strings and string ensembles. Powered by the latest Neo Orchestra Engine, it gives you an incredible experience with string instruments.
With its easy-to-use interface, you can create beautiful music with ease.
- Neo Orchestra Engine
- String Ensemble
- Solo Strings
- Simple interface
Sound Magic | PC & Mac
Sonatina Violin
Sonatina Violin is a free, sampled violin that can be played with MIDI.
Edited from the Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra sample library, this virtual instrument is a great free alternative to the Chris Hein Solo Violin plugin.
- Solo Violin
- Violins Sustains
- Violins Tremolos
- Violins Staccatos
- Violins Pizzicatos
Sonatina | PC & Mac
Sonatina Harp
Sonatina Harp is a sampled classical harp. With its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use controls, Sonatina Harp is suitable for beginners and professionals looking to add a touch of elegance to their music.
It features a great selection of samples edited from the Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra sample library. It is perfect for adding a touch of class to your music.
- User-friendly interface
- A wide selection of samples
- Simple-to-use controls
Sonatina | PC & Mac
VSCO2 Harp
If you’re looking to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your music, look no further than VSCO2 Harp. This sampled harp is simple to use. A clear and concise interface makes it a breeze to add beautiful harp sounds to your tracks.
Versilian Studios recorded its samples, and they captured the true essence of this glorious instrument. So check out VSCO2 Harp if you’re looking for a top-quality harp VST.
VSCO2 | PC & Mac
Crystal Harp
Crystal Harp is perfect for any musician who wants a beautiful, pure sound. The slow decay of the tone gives it a very calming effect, making it perfect for use in meditation or relaxation.
The low CPU usage means that it won’t tax your computer’s resources, and the amplitude range controls let you adjust the volume to suit your needs.
It also has three different voice modes: polyphonic, monophonic, and legato.
- Low CPU usage
- Adjustable amplitude range
- Three different voice modes
Crystal | PC & Mac
Violins
This plugin gives you the power to control 13 different types of violins, each with its own distinct character.
You can adjust the sound of each violin using the instrument interface and manage the voices with the voice management interface.
The filter section interface allows you to control the X-Y pad. You can adjust the amp, filter, pitch, and user envelopes with the envelope interface.
You can also use the modulation matrix interface to control the sound.
At the same time, the step modulator interface allows you to record your performance.
The arpeggiator-recorder interface gives you the ability to play back your recordings. It is, without any doubt, a powerful tool for all your violin needs.
- 13 types of violins
- Instrument interface
- Voice management interface
- Filter section interface
- Envelope interface
- Modulation matrix interface
- Step modulator interface
- Arpeggiator-recorder interface
Plugin | PC & Mac
Layers
Layers contains an entire orchestra plus individual string, woodwind, and brass sections.
The simple one-touch access to major, minor, and suspended chords with multiple inversions makes it easy to create beautiful-sounding music.
The unique layering capability allows you to create rich, full-sounding tracks.
- One-touch access to major, minor, and suspended chords
- Unique layering capability
- It contains an entire orchestra
- Individual string, woodwind, and brass sections
Layers | PC & Mac
LDK1609 Violin
This is an excellent sampled violin with a user-friendly interface and amazing sound.
You can switch between 6 groups: Arco no vibrato, Arco vibrato, Pizzicato no vibrato, Pizziccato vibrato, Spiccato, and Tremolo.
- Excellent sound quality
- User-friendly interface
- 6 different groups to choose from
- Realistic sound
LDK1609 | PC & AU
Box Harp ( Kontakt )
Box Harp has a warm, distinctive sound that is perfect for adding an organic feel to your tracks. The finger-plucked layer has four round robins with two velocity layers.
In contrast, the picked layer has four round robins with one velocity layer and a velocity-based low-pass filter.
The FX layer features the finger-plucked layer with chorus and reverb added. It gives you even more sound-sculpting possibilities.
Box Harp is a great choice for beginners and experts alike with its straightforward interface.
- 4 round robins
- 2 velocity layers
- 1 FX layer
- Chorus and reverb effects
- Simple to use
Plugin | PC & Mac
Free Piano 2
This is a unique hybrid piano/string instrument with over 600 samples. It features 3 velocity layers and 4 Round robins, making it an extremely versatile and realistic instrument.
The velocity-sensitive nature of the instrument allows for a wide range of expressions.
- 3 velocity layers
- 4 round-robin
- Velocity-sensitive
- 600 samples
Free Piano 2 | PC & Mac
LABS Mandolin
The LABS Mandolin is the perfect way to add classic mandolin sounds to your tracks.
The audio was captured at Spitfire HQ, this plugin provides a range of options, from picked and fingered tones, to tremolo and ensemble effects. Whether mocking up guitar lines or enhancing orchestral elements, the Mandolin will give your music that extra touch of authenticity.
Labs | PC & Mac
Labs Scary Strings
Labs Scary Strings is a hauntingly beautiful collection of string sounds played by a small ensemble of highly skilled musicians.
These eerie, yet gorgeous string evolutions are perfect for creating shifting textures and ambiances in your music.
With three distinctive presets – Cool, Sustain, and Stretched – you can easily create the perfect atmosphere for your next track.
Labs | PC & Mac
Free String Samples
- Cyborgs – Comes with 224 WAV files and 43 presets in a 60 Mb download file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A String VST Plugin?
A string VST plugin is a software plugin that musicians can use to simulate the sound of a string instrument. A string instrument can be a violin, cello, harp, or synthesized string instrument.
There are many different types of string VST plugins, but they all have one thing in common: they produce the sound of a string instrument. String VST instruments are popular in classical music, film scores, and many music genres.
What Is the Best VST for Strings?
Some of the best VSTs for strings include EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, Native Instruments Kontakt Sampler, and Spitfire Audio’s Sable Strings. These are all great options if you’re looking for high-quality, realistic-sounding string instruments.
Why Should I Use String VSTs?
There are a few reasons why you might want to use Strings VSTs in your music. First, strings add a level of sophistication and richness to your music that can’t be duplicated with other instruments.
Second, strings can create a wide variety of textures and sounds, making them perfect for adding depth and nuance to your tracks. Finally, strings are often used to convey emotion and sentimentality, which can add an extra layer of feeling to your music.
What Are the Best String Libraries?
The best string libraries for music production vary depending on your needs and budget. The Vienna Symphonic Library and the EastWest Hollywood Strings are both excellent choices for orchestral productions. If you’re looking for something more specialized, the Cinesamples Tina Guo Acoustic Cello Legato is an excellent choice for solo cello recordings, and the Spitfire Audio LLorph Kontakt Instrument is perfect for creating lush, cinematic soundscapes.
How Do You Use String Plugins?
String plugins can be used in various ways to enhance your music production.
They can be used to create realistic string sounds for orchestral arrangements, add depth and texture to your tracks, or convey emotion and sentimentality. They can also be used to create synthetic string sounds, which can be helpful for experimental music or sound design.
To use a string plugin, simply load it into your DAW and route it to an available MIDI track. Then, use your MIDI controller to play the strings. You can also use a MIDI keyboard or sequencer to create more complex string arrangements.
What are the best free orchestral strings VST plugins?
Some of the best free orchestral strings VST plugins are Novo Modern Strings, Zilhouette Strings, Strings Pro, and Session Strings. These free string plugins offer high-quality ensemble and solo string sounds for various music genres.
Are there any free string VSTs that feature different mic positions?
Yes, some free string VSTs offer different mic positions to allow for a tailored sound. Novo Modern Strings and Zilhouette Strings are two such VST plugins that provide this feature.
In conclusion, string VST plugins offer advanced users and sound designers great tools to create classical music and cinematic music with added realism.
With access to multiple articulations, string sections, and instrument groups, users can accurately simulate the sound of real orchestral libraries and solo instruments, including vintage strings.
Free libraries of strings also provide a cost-effective option for musicians.
Including different articulations and playing styles, such as short articulation and solo bass, ensures that users can create a sound completely authentic to their needs.
I hope you enjoy these free string VST plugins. These VST plugins provide a range of options for creating dynamic and impressive soundscapes.
These plugins are great free alternatives to paid plugins like Output Analog Strings, Spitfire Symphonic Strings, Symphonic Elements Striiiings, Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings, and Spitfire Symphonic Strings.
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