I got to wondering about all the orchestras that are out there, so being me i tried to make a little list.
Please tell me all the ones I missed and rip apart my very basic rankings.
 
Free
Sonatina
DSK
Total Composure
Iowa

Intro Older
Kontakt Factory Library
Miroslav 1
Dimension Pro
Complete Orchestral
UVI Orchestral Suite
Halion Symphonic Orchestra

Intro Newer
Garritan Personal Orchestra 5
Garritan Instant Orchestra
Miroslav 2

Advanced
EW Hollywood Gold
EW Symphonic Orchestra
Kirk Hunter

Cinematic
Albion
Symphobia
Sonokinetic
Metropolis Ark
Majestica
Film Score Companion

Pro
VSL
Spitfire BML
Hollywood Diamond
Cinesamples
8Dio
Da Capo
NI Symphony Series
Berlin Series
 
String Sections
LASS
VSL Strings
Hollywood Strings
Berlin Strings
BML Strings
8Dio Strings
Symphony Series - String Ensemble
Mural Symphonic Strings
Cinestrings
Kirk Hunter Strings
London Symphonic Strings
Session Strings (more Pop)
Orchestral Companion Strings
 
Specialty Strings / Orchestras
Morphestra
Most Sonokinetic Orchestral
Cornucopia Strings and Macabre Solo Strings
FURIA Staccato Strings
 
Brass Sections
Hollywood Brass
VSL Brass
Orchestral Brass
BML Brass
Bravura Scoring Brass
Symphony Series - Brass Collection
Cinebrass
Westgate Brass
Strezov Brass
Master Brass
More Pop / Band
Session Horns
Sample Modelling
Chris Hein Horns
Broadway Big Band
Garritan Big Band
 
Woodwinds Sections
BML Woodwinds
VSL Woodwinds
Hollywood Woodwinds
8Dio Woodwinds
Cinewinds
Westgate Winds
Strezov Woodwinds
 
Percussion Sections
VSL Percussion
Spitfire Percussion
Hollywood Orchestral Percussion
Rhapsody: Orchestral Percussion

That's a big undertaking! Good luck.
 
Add the Strezov libraries to your list: Cornucopia Strings and Macabre Solo Strings.

Garritan Instant Orchestra.

Thanks, good suggestions. Any idea which categories they would fit under?

Great list. To me EW Symphonic is not really an intro library. There's a big learning curve. I might tend to put HW Gold in the Pro category too. The main diff between gold and diamond is additional mic positions.

But that's just an opinion. This list could be helpful to someone getting started. Great work

bitflipper
That's a big undertaking! Good luck.
 
Add the Strezov libraries to your list: Cornucopia Strings and Macabre Solo Strings.

Don't forget the Strezov Brass and Woodwinds.
https://www.strezov-sampling.com/products/10/Brass.html
https://www.strezov-sampling.com/products/16/Woodwinds.html
 

There's also the Sonivox stuff: Film Score Companion - http://sonivoxmi.com/products/details/film-score-companion
 
Also, Aria Sounds London Symphonic Strings: http://www.ariasounds.com/kontakt_london_symphonic_strings_sample_library.html
 
 
 

I think you need a new category for specialized single instruments, sections/ensembles or articulations. For example, solo instruments deserve their own category, as do narrow-focus libraries that do one thing, e.g. runs, phrases and effects. 
 
Strezov's Cornucopia is a tutti ensemble. Their Macabre product is solo instruments.
 
And those are just conventional libraries. Where does something like Morphestra fit in?

 As for the free Sonatina Orchestra, I'm amazed by what this guy does with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m2OSNqFhl8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-AsbTCITvw
 
Next you have to ask yourself how many of those you have on the list and are replaced by the latest and greatest when you are doing it for a hobby.  Sometimes I should take inventory of what I have before I have the fantasy of shelling out over $500 for an orchestra.
 
 I am impressed with VSL not so much about their sounds but their software. Plus you can build up you library a la cart.
 
 I think Studio One now has an orchestra bundled in their app.  If you have Live Suite there is an orchestra which I think is produced by the Sonivox people.
 

bigcatt
Thanks, good suggestions. Any idea which categories they would fit under?

As for Garritan Instant Orchestra, I'd go with Intro, but Newer or Older depends on where you draw the date line. It's a 2012 lib AFAIK.