99Sounds vs Orchestral Tools
99Sounds
99sounds.org
Orchestral Tools
orchestraltools.comSide by side
| Figure | 99Sounds | Orchestral Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 9 |
| Spec score · Music Sample Libraries | 8.3 (#8) | 8.7 (#2) |
| Audience | The maker describes its collections as tools for music and video production, game development, and other creative projects. | Its products are used by professional composers, producers, performers, and sound designers around the world. |
| Founded | 2014 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Belgrade, Serbia | March, Germany |
| Plugin formats | The maker lists VST, VST3, and AU formats across its free instrument plugins. | SINE is available as a standalone application and in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats. |
| Support | The site invites product questions and collaboration inquiries through its contact form. | Orchestral Tools provides a Helpdesk with FAQ, update, billing, SINE collection, Kontakt collection, and product guide categories. |
Plans
Orchestral Tools
- Berlin Free OrchestraFree
- SINEplayerFree
- Splinter intro offer€199, paid once
- Inspire Bundle€209, paid once
- Habitat€229, paid once
- Berlin Orchestra Created with Berklee€299, paid once
- Berlin Orchestra Full€799, paid once
- Berlin Orchestra Pro€1,399, paid once
- Berlin Orchestra Max€2,499, paid once
In their own words
99Sounds
99Sounds is an independent sound design label and free sound effects repository launched in 2014 by Tomislav Zlatić. Its collections include cinematic effects, drum samples, field recordings, rain sounds, loops, and other categories. Audio files and plugins are royalty-free for personal and commercial projects, including music, video, game development, podcasts, and sound design, and attribution is not required. The license does not permit selling or redistributing downloaded audio, either separately or as an attachment to work. It also bars use of the sounds in noise, white-noise, sleep-sound, or similar apps. Free instrument plugins are listed in VST, VST3, and AU formats. The maker says its instruments work with VST and AU hosts on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and macOS, but not macOS Catalina. Drumplayer includes twelve kits, eight slots, stereo and multiple mono outputs, channel volume and pan, and pitch-modulation LFO. Upright Piano includes four sampled notes per octave, six dynamic layers per note, and adjustable envelope, tremolo, filter, and reverb. Sound and plugin downloads cost nothing.
Orchestral Tools
Orchestral Tools makes virtual instruments from acoustic sources that it conceptualizes, records, and produces. Its free SINE player runs on macOS and Windows, either as a standalone application or in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats. The included SINEfactory library has instruments such as piano, strings, and percussion. The free SINEplayer plan lists one orchestral collection, 46 instruments, 242 articulations, 43 total legatos, full dynamic layers, limited round robins, and one microphone position. Users can choose individual instruments and microphone positions rather than download a full collection. SINE offers customizable articulation lists, dynamics and round-robin controls, multiple legato options, and mixing that can combine microphone positions into a single channel. The minimum listed memory is 8 GB RAM, with 16 GB or more recommended on both Mac and Windows. The company was founded in 2005 and describes itself as an independent German company with offices in Berlin and Freiburg. Pricing is freemium: the plan is free, with paid options from €299.