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MOTU Symphonic Instrument

Orchestral Sample Plug-in for VST, DXi, RTAS, MAS, and AU - Mac/PC Standalone, RTAS, VST, AU
8 Write review Item ID: SymphInst
$279.00

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MOTU Symphonic Instrument
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A Whole Symphony in a Plug-in!

NOTE: This product requires an iLok (not included) for authorization. Please call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer if you have questions.

Related Videos: Symphonic Instrument

With MOTU's Symphonic Instrument software instrument, you'll have quick and easy access to a wide-ranging 8GB library of orchestral sounds. Whether you're composing a realistic orchestral performance or adding these powerful sounds to your pop, rock, or electronic productions, Symphonic Instrument's 64-part multitimbral design lets you create incredibly deep and layered music. The straightforward interface makes it simple to add sounds and tweak parameters. One of the longest-selling orchestral software instruments at Sweetwater, you'll have a wide range of sounds with MOTU's Symphonic Instrument.

MOTU Symphonic Instrument at a Glance:
  • The plug-in
  • The sounds
  • The acoustic spaces
  • MachFive Compatibility
The plug-in

With 64-part multitimbral operation, MOTU's Symphonic Instrument is your one-stop shop for orchestral sounds. If your DAW supports multi-channel software instruments, you'll be able to use up to 64 sounds in one instance of Symphonic Instrument.

The sounds

With an 8GB sound library of unprocessed sounds, Symphonic Instrument serves up a wide range of strings, brass, woodwinds, orchestral percussion, male and female choirs, pipe organs, period instruments and pianos. There are presets for both solo instruments and ensembles, making it easy to create full arrangements.

The acoustic spaces

The built-in convolution reverb in Symphonic Instrument lets you place your instruments in real acoustic spaces. Some of the included acoustic spaces are ensemble chambers, concert halls and epic cathedrals, allowing you to set the appropriate ambiance for your music.

Instrument highlights include:
  • Strings - Violin Section, Viola Section, Cello Section, Bass Section, Solo Violin, Solo Viola, Solo Cello, Solo Bass, Harp
  • Brass - Trumpet solo, Trumpet ensemble, Piccolo Trumpet, Flugel Horn, French Horn solo, French Horn ensemble, Trombone solo, Trombone ensemble, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Contrabass Tuba
  • Woodwinds - Flute solo, Flute ensemble, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet solo, Clarinet ensemble, Bass Clarinet solo & ensemble, Oboe solo, Oboe ensemble, Oboe D'Amore, Bass Oboe, English Horn, Bassoon solo & ensemble, Contra Bassoon
  • Orchestral Percussion - Timpani, Orchestral Cymbals, Orchestral Snare & Bass Drum, Gong, Tubular Bells, Mallets, Celesta, Glockenspiel Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone
  • Tutti - Complete Orchestra, String Orchestra, Brass Orchestra
  • Choirs - Women's Choir, Men's Choir, Children's Choir, Solo Soprano, Solo Tenor
  • Pipe Organ - Baroque Organ, Romantic (cathedral) Organ
  • Piano - Steinway D, Yamaha C7
  • Historical Instruments - Harpsichords, Piano Forte, Viole
MOTU Symphonic Instrument Features:
  • 8GB library
  • Plug-in or standalone
  • 16-part multitimbral operation
  • Wide variety of instruments
  • Compatible with MachFive
  • Convolution reverb enhances feel and realism of tracks
Add authentic symphony sounds to your songs with MOTU's Symphonic Instrument!

What Does "Special Order" Mean?

A special-order product is one that we don't normally keep in stock. We order it from the manufacturer as soon as you order from us. We have great relationships with all the manufacturers we carry, so we can get your special order to you as fast as or faster than anyone else. Remember that special orders are non-returnable and non-cancelable, so make sure the item is right for you. A Sweetwater Sales Engineer can help you decide — call (800) 222-4700 for assistance!

Additional Media

Virtual Instrument Buying Guide
MOTU Symphonic Instrument Update
A Symphony In Your Computer
MOTU Symphonic Library Locations
MachFive Revved Up
Vista-compatible MOTU
Ethno Arrives (Along With a Symphonic Instrument Update)
MOTU Goes Universal
Updates and Upgrades
Updates and Upgrades
On The Way
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Tech Specs

  • Software Type: Symphonic Sample Player
  • Platform: Mac, PC
  • Upgrade/Full: Full
  • Download/Boxed: Boxed
  • Format: RTAS, VST, AU, MAS
  • Authorization Type: iLok Required
  • Hardware Requirements - Mac: Intel Core 2 Duo or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended
  • Hardware Requirements - PC: Multi-core 1.83GHz Processor or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended
  • OS Requirements - Mac: OS X 10.8.5 or later
  • OS Requirements - PC: Windows 7 SP1 or later
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 6000

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5

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The best

Just Try it' you will not believe how awesome the sound are....
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Worshiper

WOW -A Pleasant Surprise

For this price I have to admit that I was expecting a few cheesy keyboard samples but it sounds like a symphony is in my control room. This plug in is a must have and it runs flawlessly with protools as a RTAS plug in controlled by the M-Audio Axiom49. It is too easy(am I dreaming)
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Recording Engineer, Producer, HIP HOP Beatsmith

Great value, but some glitches.

This is a wonderful tool given it's price. The samples were recorded well, there is a good variety, and for light use it augments the composer/project studio setup very nicely. It is very CPU efficient, and running dozens of instances on my MacBook Pro goes without a hitch.

However, for serious usage, there are some kinks that still need to be worked out. Absence of legato articulations is the biggest one, which matters more on strings than anything, and is what is responsible for it sounding "synthesized" in delicate string parts. That's somewhat acceptable given the price and the overhead that legato inherently costs on the CPU.

What I do think is unacceptable was the sloppiness that some "lesser-used" instruments like bass clarinet, Contra Bassoon, and others (which typically are small in RAM and disk overhead), were put together - poorly. For example, I was just trying to play a pianissimo descending line on the bass clarinet sustained patch, only to have a note jump out at me at full, blaring velocity. In other words, someone forgot to include the softer samples for those notes in the programming. Other times a sour note will come out in a contrabassoon patch. It's little things like that that appear out of nowhere that can ruin a demo without some tedious work on your part.

All this has still been left unfixed as of the most current version (1.1.3). I'm going to complain to MOTU to fix these problems - until an update comes out, just be on your guard.

So, in summation: it is a great tool to supplement most pop recordings. No problems there. But if you are doing a full symphonic score and are serious about a quality demo, you may as well look to higher-end tools like the Vienna Symphonic Library or the East-West Platinum Orchestral collection. But if MOTU fixes the small glitches mentioned, it will be a great STARTER tool for those wanting to get into scoring their orchestral compositions using their DAW. It's low CPU/Disk overhead makes it a viable alternative for those on laptops or less powerful machines.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Hammond Organist, Recording Engineer - Rock House Recording

TOOK A LOT OF WORK

LIKE WHAT IT IS CAPABLE OF TOO MUCH INSANITY TO GET STARTED//// GOOD SAMPLES BUT ALOT OF WORK OUT THE BOX TOO MANY STEPS I PURCHASED BECAUSE I THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD MATCH/ WITH DP8/9 i really love MOTU . too much frustration eventually will get used to it....i really like omnisphere and how easy to use in my composing but the sounds in it are good/ a lot of work to make it happen O PS MATT IS A GREAT EMPLOYEE OF THE SWEETWATER TEAM HE IS GREAT AS I AM SURE ALL ARE.....GIVE THEM A RAISE.......THANK YOU SWEETWATER O
by BEAR from LA/SAN JOSE/DULUTH MN/ FAR REACHS OF ALL THAT IS BEAUTIFUL IN MUSIC....BEAUTIFUL on
Music background: rock/clasical/ music for the ethers and love...composing

Junk

Ok, so it's not entirely junk. It's just not as great as everyone is talking about. This is coming from someone who has spent days on end with it. The only real good sounds are the viola forte, it does decent contra bass 5ths....(actually, come to speak of it, some of the lower notes of the contra have a weird "pumping" sound in them...like someone bumped their bow mid recording), some of the percussion is good, and the pianissimo horns are decent...but that's it. The pianos are crap...they have NO playability to them. It's either really soft or really loud.

In a nutshell, it's a good starter program for someone who needs something. But honestly, for a little bit more you can get a LOT more.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Composer for film

Hear from a Sales Engineer

What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Dennis Konicki

Between the great sounds, fantastic interface, and full control, MOTU has another winner with Symphonic Instrument! This became a regularly used part of my studio almost instantly!

Kenny Bergle

Finally! A virtual synth for the orchestra! And the whole orchestra too, not just solo instruments. The really cool thing I've discovered about Symphonic Instruments is that the whole plug-in is engineered to sound like a complete orchestra . The EQ , mix, and timbre of the plug-in all meshes completely and sounds as if they (the orchestral players) have been rehearsing your piece for some time! In other symphonic plug-ins, I have to EQ and compress and mix to make it sound that way. In Symphonic Instruments, it sounds like a coherent orchestra from the get-go! Finally!
See also: orchestra plugins, MOTU, MOTU Virtual Orchestra Software
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