BBC Symphony Orchestra vs Surge XT

BBC Symphony Orchestra is a virtual orchestral sample library for music creators, with strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion recorded at Maida Vale Studios. It runs in Spitfire Audio’s dedicated plugin, which supports VST3, AU, and AAX formats. The Discover edition is described as compatible with major music creation software, including GarageBand and Pro Tools. Discover contains 34 instruments and 47 techniques in a 240MB package, with one mix signal. Core provides 44 instruments, 344 techniques, and one mix signal; Professional has 67 instruments, 468 techniques, 45 legatos, and 20 signals. Owners can switch between Discover, Core, and Professional modes, which Spitfire says supports sharing and collaboration across editions. The Spitfire Audio app is required to download the library, with installers for macOS and Windows. Spitfire recommends installation on an external drive, though another location can be chosen. Discover is free; Core is £399, paid once and Professional is £899, paid once.

Surge XT is a free, open-source virtual instrument plugin and hybrid synthesizer for making music. Each patch has two scenes that can be layered or split, and each scene has three oscillators with 12 algorithms, including wavetable, FM, string, and audio input. Its listed library includes over 2,800 patches and over 700 wavetables. Other features include 12 LFO units, flexible modulation routing, and 16 effect units with 27 algorithms. Performance support includes MPE, Scala and MTS-ESP microtuning, and Open Sound Control. Surge XT runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with plugin formats varying by platform: CLAP and VST3 on Windows; AU, CLAP, and VST3 on macOS; and CLAP, LV2, and VST3 on Linux. It primarily needs a DAW or another compatible host, though a standalone executable is available. Version 1.3.4 is identified as the stable release for normal production use. The software is licensed under GPL3.