Hello,

I am a classical musician / classical music composer, but also a game developer.

I can write movie soundtrack music and trailer music, so I want to make a soundtrack for my game.

The problem is that I could write a score, but I have no orchestra which would play it.

My question is simple:

What is the best free music software with the most realistic sound (for example, that woodwinds don't sound like bad tuned TV...)?

Thanks, imilanspinka

You'll need a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), the best free one is probably Audacity.
Next you'll need a VST plugin with a full orchestra. There's not a lot for free in this area but you can try Sonatina. However if you're expecting this to sound realistic you're not going to be happy. Both DAWs and virtual instruments take a ton of work to develop a realistic sound and are priced accordingly. A good sounding woodwinds section like the Vienna library costs around $1,200, the full orchestra is close to $8,000. You can get a good sounding full orchestra for around $1,000 from EastWest. You can get a, kind of ok orchestra from something like SampleTank for maybe $300. When you get down to free, you're no longer dealing with quality virtual instruments. So if you're looking for realistic sounding instruments and good composing software that you don't have to pay for, that doesn't really exist.

Maybe check out Miroslav Philharmonik from IK. It's around $100 and sounds passable, it also has a stand-alone option so you won't need anything else.

The best free DAW at the moment is LMMS, you can check it here: (https://lmms.io/)

It's similar to FL Studio, with dozens of free sound library. Like the others DAW, you also can use plugins like VST (so many free vsts you can find out there), soundfonts, etc...

You can also try MuseSore if you like to write score in traditional style. (https://musescore.org/)

I've been using both of them, and so far it's very good considering they are free. Just try them.

What is the best free music software with the most realistic sound (for example, that woodwinds don't sound like bad tuned TV...)?

These two things don't usually (if ever) go together. If you want quality, you're gonna have to pay for it.

No guarantees on sound quality.

It seems there's a company called DSK that has free versions of its entire lineup:

http://www.dskmusic.com/category/vsti-all/

Good luck.

The best free DAW at the moment is LMMS, you can check it here: (https://lmms.io/)

It's similar to FL Studio, with dozens of free sound library. Like the others DAW, you also can use plugins like VST (so many free vsts you can find out there), soundfonts, etc...

You can also try MuseSore if you like to write score in traditional style. (https://musescore.org/)

I've been using both of them, and so far it's very good considering they are free. Just try them.

I have been using MuseScore, which is good for writing the score, but the sound is awful :/

As said before, free and Realistic hardly go together.

One thing that might interest you is the new Composer Cloud by EastWest. It works as a subscription payment model: you pay $29,90/month and get access to lots of instruments by EastWest, and they do create some good stuff!

I never used it myself as I'm not too fond of paying monthly for something I'll use for years, decades, but it could be useful for you as a starting point. They have a 1-month free trial that allows you to use 4 instruments. Maybe you could start with this one and see how it works for you!

You can also pay attention to sites like VSTBuzz that shows off some instruments on discount.

It will be really hard to have a realistic sound without paying for it, so I'd recommend you do a very deep research and look for some options you can afford.

One thing to note (and first of all, I think it's awesome that you're a game developer writing their own score!)..

Even with a "great" library, it takes practice to make the music sound real. The best libraries have various control parameters, alternative articulations, that all need to be programmed (or better, performed) in, and practicing with your virtual orchestra makes a big difference in the final sound.

In fact, I've heard some great "virtual orchestrators" make really convincing music even with so-so libraries, and I've heard less practiced composers make music that sounded virtual even with the most expensive libraries.

I've been looking into East West for some mid-range sample libraries - I've heard good things for the price!

I've been looking into East West for some mid-range sample libraries - I've heard good things for the price!

I've got EastWest and I'm pretty happy with it overall. Make sure to get the platinum version otherwise you only have access to audience or stage mics. Those sound great but there's a ton of natural reverb on them so it's difficult to match if you're using any instruments from a different library. The Platinum version has close individual instrument mics which is a lot more flexible.