BBC Symphony Orchestra Core

In partnership with BBC Studios and the world-famous BBC Symphony Orchestra, Spitfire Audio has captured what no other sample library has before: the musical synergy of a family of astoundingly accomplished players with a 90-year heritage of performances and recordings, expertly recorded at London’s famous Maida Vale Studios — home of the BBCSO, and host to The Beatles, Hendrix and Bowie. Our most expansive and ambitious project to date, this landmark library is the stuff of composing dreams: strings, brass, woodwind and percussion, presented in our award-winning dedicated plugin.

A truly cohesive sound

For the first time, we have captured a full orchestra: outstanding players who have developed a precise musical affinity, rehearsing and performing some of the most challenging orchestral works together, week in, week out, to create a truly cohesive sound.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the musical beating heart of the BBC itself – the oldest entertainment organisation in the world, trusted and respected globally. With a performance heritage nearly a century old, it boasts Sir Adrian Boult, Arturo Toscanini and Sir Colin Davis among its historical conductors, championing new classical music and composers at the BBC Proms and beyond, and selling out concert halls the world over. Every note has been expertly sampled at Maida Vale Studios, a world-class recording space with a rich musical history. Built in 1909, it was one of the BBC's earliest premises — the centre of the BBC News operation during World War II, and the home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 1934.

The new standard in orchestra sampling

Orchestral samples have become an essential component of modern scoring, and the range of libraries available is vast. But what if a single product could become the universal starting point for a generation of composers? We’ve taken over a decade of sampling experience to give you this comprehensive orchestral library of epic proportions — comprising over 200 hours of recordings, sounding exactly as they would if you had the orchestra in the room. Core features 44 different instrument presets captured on world-class Millennia preamps, and 344 techniques including legatos for each melodic instrument.

With a beautiful, modern design by ustwo (Monument Valley, DICE), BBC Symphony Orchestra is housed in our award-winning standalone plugin (VST2, VST3, AU, AAX & NKS ready) developed primarily for composers, by composers — easy to use, intuitive and inspiring.

The Core edition

Created as a universal starting point for composers and music creators of every level, BBC Symphony Orchestra now comes in three editions: Discover, Core and Professional. Core features the same outstanding recording quality as Professional in a more streamlined, affordable package. Offering a large range of instruments performing all articulations, with one mix signal, Core has been designed for composers wanting to create instantly professional sounding orchestral music, without taking up too much hard drive space. For more control, detail and versatility, as well as soloists, see the Professional edition. Discover is free for owners of BBC Symphony Orchestra Core — see our Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.

What's new

In the latest update to BBC Symphony Orchestra Core we have added an extra set of stunning performances from the brilliant brass section, as well as updating a selection of legatos with abilities including fast runs and shorts:

• ~1.8GB of new content
• New Muted Brass techniques
• Extended Legato Update
• Various bug fixes

Mode Switching

It’s now easier than ever to share and collaborate with fellow composers, collaborators and directors — whatever edition of BBCSO you own. Our groundbreaking mode switching technology makes each edition of BBC Symphony Orchestra interchangeable, so you can mock up your scores quickly and with ease.

For example, start writing a piece of music using Discover, and finish it in the Core or Professional edition, with a fuller range of instruments, capabilities and versatility. It also works the other way around: write a piece in the Professional edition and a collaborator can open it in Discover, play what you’ve written (with the sounds intelligently substituted), and add to it. When you reopen their edited version, you will hear their additions alongside your original composition – with your full selection of instruments, articulations and signals.

This is just the beginning

The founding values of the BBC – to inform, educate and entertain – could not resonate more richly with Spitfire, making this partnership a truly exciting and defining moment. Beyond a new standard for orchestral sample libraries lies an ongoing collaboration with the BBC, providing resources – online and live – for a community of musicians ready to define the future of orchestral music and blockbuster scores.

FAQs

How does your dedicated plugin work?

Our dedicated plugin libraries open directly in your DAW, meaning that no serial number is provided and the authorisation process happens during your download. We provide an AU, VST2, VST3 and an AAX, so as long as your chosen DAW supports one of those plugin formats, you’re good to go.

If I own Core, will I receive Discover for free?

Yes, it will automatically appear in your Spitfire App.

Tech specs

Mac system requirements

Mac OS X 10.15 to OS 13

Minimum: 2.8GHz i5 minimum (quad-core), 8GB RAM

Recommended: 2.8GHz I7 (six-core), 16GB RAM

Both Intel and Apple Silicon/ARM are supported

32-bit systems are not supported.

PC system requirements

Windows 10 or Windows 11 - (Latest Service Pack, 64-bit)

Minimum: Intel 2.8 GHz i5 (quad-core) or AMD Ryzen 5, 8GB RAM

Recommended: Intel Core i7 6th gen and later or AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM

32-bit systems are not supported.

File size

28.2 GB download size

28.00 GB disk space required during install

Too large to download? Choose hard drive delivery at checkout