Best Computer for Orchestral Composing

So what’s the best computer for orchestral composing?

The short answer is that it is one which has at least 3GHz+ of base speed on the CPU, at least 64GB of RAM that talks to the motherboard via DDR5, has multiple M.2/NVMe SSD connections on the motherboard, has at least 2TB of space on one SSD drive for modern orchestral libraries, has a separate SSD for your DAW/MIDI sequencer, has multiple USB A 3.0+ connections, has a fast Ethernet port for connecting to server computers with even more orchestral libraries (as needed to expand your rig down the road), has fast WiFi (because downloading modern libraries off the internet is a huge task), and one in which you can upgrade the RAM to 128GB, and the CPU to the latest and greatest thing, as needed. Oh, and is affordable!

The very best computer for film music production with orchestral samples

Am I actually describing the very best computer you can get for orchestral composing, with dozens of orchestral and choir libraries, using hundreds of tracks, dozens of professional mixing and mastering plug-ins, and maybe even throwing in a full length movie in your DAW to score? No. For that you’ll need an even faster (latest Intel i9), higher RAM (256GB) computer with additional hardware on the motherboard that takes the burden off the CPU regarding plug-in processing, and likely an additional multi-TB SSD hard drive to store all your files. Not as affordable, unless your business is generating a significant 6 figure revenue per year.

Intended use of the computer I’m describing in this article

But instead, I’m describing a computer that can handle a high quality, full symphonic library, that is complimented by a handful of other libraries needed to pull off a professional sounding classical symphonic product for streaming services, YouTube, music production libraries, etc.

I’m a classical music composer with several symphonies and orchestral works, that are in serious need of updating, regarding mock-ups. This is step one of my journey in re-recording my music to make it sound hyper-realistic with a virtual orchestra.

Best orchestral sample libraries for classical music

In a previous article, How to Make an Orchestral Sample Library Sound Real, I identified the libraries which had enough classical nuances (articulations, performance options, and symphonic mic placements), such that they had best chance of making classical music sound as real as possible. I’ll list them below with their PC spec requirements:

Orchestral sample library	Recommended PC requirements
Spitfire Audio Symphony Complete (Symphonic Strings, Symphonic Woodwinds, Symphonic Brass, Harp & Percussion)	4TB External SSD Drive** 128GB of RAM** 16 Core Processor** 300GB file size; 600GB needed for install
Spitfire Audio Chamber Strings	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
Orchestral Tools Berlin Symphonic Strings	Windows 10 on PC quad core CPU (Intel i5 or higher) 32-64GB RAM (depending on how many mics you’re using in the mix)
Acoustic Samples V Winds	Windows 10 to Windows 11 (64-bit) 8GB RAM CPU not specified

See the link to the article above on why I didn’t include Cinematic Studio Strings, or Pacific Ensemble Strings.

But it’s these four libraries that I’ll be acquiring over the next year or so, with the Spitfire Symphony Complete, as my initial purchase, to re-render my orchestral tunes.

The computer I’m building

I ruled out buying a pre-made computer, as for the specs I need, it would still be a bit pricey. So the computer I’m building, that I think is the best for my orchestral composing needs, is the following.

I will use this computer to specifically use the Spitfire Audio Symphony Complete package at first, as stated above.

With this set up, I can always upgrade to an Intel i9 processor down the road, and add another 2 x 32GB of RAM for a little less than $200.

Note: After this above screenshot was taken, I was able to find a better deal on a 1-PC activation license for Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64 bit. It can be found at PC World for $64, but that’s a sale price. Also note you can download and install Windows 11 Pro for free, but legally you should buy an activation.

Intel Core i712700K 3.6GHz base 12-core processor

I chose this CPU due to its high base clock speed. Though the 12 cores falls a little short of Spitfire Audio’s 16 core recommendation for professional audio work with multiple large libraries, I won’t be using that many at once on my rig; just a standard symphony orchestra set up; no cinematic frills. Any secondary orchestral libraries will likely be put on a server computer

And it’s really the legato patches that eat up your CPU. So not using double bass legatos and other little tricks makes me think I can get away with just 12 cores.

Intel F designation = no integrated graphics

You can find an Intel i7 12700KF 3.6GHz base 12-core processor for cheaper than the CPU I listed above. But the F designation means there’s no integrated graphics, so you’d need a graphics card, aka a GPU for your computer. So basically the CPU is cheaper, but you have to pay a few extra hundred dollars for a graphics card.

Some general PC rules from Reddit’s Build a PC:

• All Intel CPUs do have integrated graphics unless otherwise specified.
• Intel CPUs that don’t have integrated graphics have an “F” in the name. Examples: 12700F, 11700KF, 10400F, etc.
• All AMD CPUs don’t have integrated graphics unless otherwise specified.
• AMD CPUs that do have integrated graphics have a “G” in their name. Examples: 3400G, 5600G, 2600G, etc.

but do you need a graphics card for music production?

None of my previous music computers have had a dedicated graphics card, and they worked just fine. I mean it can’t be that intense to just have a little line scroll past a piano roll! But if you want a more nuanced answer, see my article, Do You Need a Graphics Card for a Music Production Computer? It will give you the pros and cons and when and when you don’t need a GPU for music production.

The computer I’m currently looking at as a secondary server computer

Going beyond just a single DAW computer with multiple SSD’s, in order to run even more orchestral libraries than previously mentioned, I’d probably look into getting a secondary server computer, hooked to my main computer via Ethernet, here in a few years.

Again, to run these newer, more detailed orchestral libraries, and whatever may come out in the future, the computer I need would excel in the following parameters:

• RAM
• CPU
• Disk storage & speed
• Ethernet speed

Below is an affordable solution to add a few extra libraries to my rig:

Intel NUC 9 Business Mini PC Desktop

This Intel NUC 9 also has plenty of USB ports in the back, alongside Thunderbolt and Ethernet ports. That way a variety of audio interfaces and external SSD’s can be plugged into the machine. The audio latency with Thunderbolt is a tiny bit less than than of a USB interface, but the extra cost of a Thunderbolt interface doesn’t make up for that imperceptible reduction in latency.

It’s got enough RAM to handle these dedicated libraries. Heck I could probably have a string library and a choir library happening all at once with 64GB of RAM.

And of course the 2TB solid state drive has plenty of room for these big audio libraries, and room to grow. And you really want the SSD for streaming your samples, if I haven’t previously emphasized that.

Maybe it’s a little slow

The only downside to this computer is that its base speed is 2.6Ghz. I rather that be in the 3GHz+ range. But I can always just buy a better i7 CPU as needed.

However, keep in mind that since I would just be using this as a secondary computer to house an additional string library, and a choir, and that I likely won’t be using more than 32 midi channels on the rig, and probably a lot less simultaneously.

Further, I wouldn’t be running separate reverbs, or any effects, for each track, locally on that computer, like a production studio might do on their main DAW computer, to maximize production quality for professional projects.

And finally, the Intel i7 has the ability to utilize unused cores to push the speed up to 4.5GHz, if not in a state of heavy compute burden. This won’t help the processing of reverbs or the continuous grabbing of samples from the SSD. Anything that requires continuous processing, it won’t help. But it will quicken up how fast a short lived task, like loading up a plug-in, will take.

General Computer Recommendations for Composers

If you’re not into the computers I’m checking out, then here are some general considerations when looking for a computer to house an orchestral library for composing.

RAM

With today’s huge orchestral libraries, and the need to have large amounts of midi voices all going at once for orchestral writing, the more RAM you can get, the better.

I was at a Game Audio Network Guild meeting once, back in the day, at a video game conference in San Jose, CA. And one of the composers there was known for making orchestral tracks sound super realistic. They said one of the secrets was combining multiple string libraries together. Again huge amounts of RAM if you want multiple string libraries going at once.

I would say 32GB of RAM would be your starter rig, but aim for 64GB+, now that the price of such technology continues to fall into the affordability range.

Orchestral Sample Library	RAM requirements
Vienna Synchron Libraries, SYNCHRON-ized Dimension Strings & Brass	16GB minimum (32 recommended)
Vienna Big Bang Orchestra, SYNCHRON-ized, Smart Series	8GB minimum (16 recommended)
Cinematic Studio Strings	16GB minimum
East/West Hollywood Choirs	32GB+

CPU

As stated above, a starter orchestral composing computer tower should have a minimum of 3GHz, and a minimum of 4 to 6 cores.

However, Spitfire Audio has stated that you should be shooting for 16 cores to run the full, professional versions of their symphonic libraries, at the professional media composition level. East/West says go for 8 cores to run their popular Hollywood Choirs. And considering you can get a 12 core processor in the $200+ price range, like the Intel processor I featured earlier in the article, I’d say just go for more!

More cores means more smoothly running plug-in effects; like being able to have different reverb amounts for different instrument groups, or having individual EQ’s and compressors on given instruments. Basically things you need to do to get a professional end product out of your computer.

But also keep in mind, that as of just a couple of years ago (i.e. 2021), one music production computer expert has stated that 4 really fast cores can be better than a higher number of somewhat fast cores. His rational is that the more cores there are, the more heat your CPU would generate, and then subsequently throttle the speed of each core.

This idea perhaps could be a bit dated, as the speed at which technology is now progressing is explosive. But it is something to think about when selecting a CPU cooler: likely an AIO pump/radiator cooler, like the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240, is going to be better than a fan cooler.

Related: Check out my instructions on how to install an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240, based on my experience in doing so, when building my new orchestral composing computer.

CPU requirements on secondary server computers

Though it could be argued that your secondary computers, which are simply streaming your samples, and not dealing with verbs, equalization, and other ‘effects’ on multiple audio channels, the way they would be on your DAW computer, could get away with a lower base GHz, especially if using the Intel chips that have the turbo function and at least 6 cores.

Indeed the most important specs to max out on your secondary computers are RAM and disk speed, via use of a solid state drive. Heck my old Acer computer that runs my Vienna Ensemble woodwinds, brass, solo strings, and Garritan Abby Road piano, doesn’t have anywhere near the speed of the newer i5 or i7 Intel’s and it gets by adequately in big orchestral tutti sections of music.

Orchestral Sample Library	CPU requirements
East/West Hollywood Choirs	Octa-core (eight cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
Vienna Synchron Package	Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon (and M1,M2 for Mac)

Disk storage & speed

So you need a solid state drive for speed these days, with at a few terabytes of space. Just looking at the specs of the latest Vienna Symphonic Library stuff, they explicitly recommend a SSD.

My little Vienna Instruments samples on my spinning hard drive, Acer computer takes a good 5 to 10 minutes to load, when using my full woodwinds and brass setup for orchestra. And those are low intensity, old school tech from 10+ years ago.

As far as space goes, look at the storage space needed for some of these libraries these days:

Sample Library	Gigabytes Space Needed
Vienna Synchron Strings I, Full Library	532 (SSD (M2, SATA 6 or USB3/3.1, UASP Support – HFS+, APFS or NTFS formatted))
Pacific Ensemble Strings	32 (NCW compressed, i.e. optimized for Kontact)
EW Hollywood Choirs	59 on SSD (SATA or PCIe)
Cinematic Studio Strings	48.6 (Mac users need 125GB free for install)

Keep in mind a lot of these need 2x or 3x their final storage space just to install.

My old orchestral composing computer set up

I currently have two secondary computers that house my orchestral sample libraries, but let’s face it, my rig is super old.

My 20 year old HP PC, with its old school spinning drive, has trouble even handling 16 orchestral midi channels, without streaming failures and premature cutoffs. When I wrote my first symphony, I would only be able to hear one or two instrument sections at a time, during the sketching process; and it wasn’t until everything was sketched and orchestrated, that I could record the different sections, combine the recorded stems, and eventually hear what the full orchestra sounded like!

These days, you don’t need all the physical interfaces if you have an Ethernet connection. All you need it one extremely powerful computer that does it all, or two moderately powerful computers that talk to each other with this Ethernet.