$US 199.00
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials
Professional Orchestral Strings for Composers Who Score Every Day
If you score for a living, you already know what you need from a string library. It has to sound genuinely professional in the mix, cover the range of scenarios you actually run into across your working week, and be a tool that earns a permanent place in your template.
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is built around exactly that brief. A 70-piece symphonic string ensemble, recorded on a large scoring stage, with the full articulation palette professional string writing calls for. The same recording, the same room, and the same cinematic mix that sit behind LUX Orchestral Strings, now available in a focused toolkit for $US 199.00.
- Five string sections: 1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Celli, Basses
- Sustains, legato, shorts, tremolo, trills, and articulation combinations
- 70-piece symphonic ensemble, recorded on a large scoring stage
- Cinematic mix engineered by Peter Fuchs
- Single NKI per section for individual instrument control
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Essential Strings for Composers Who Score
Most composers writing for the screen have similar projects most weeks. A documentary underscore, a trailer build, a combat cue for a game, an episodic TV scene, a sync brief that needs to be delivered fast. The instruments you use have to do their job without drama, the cue has to ship, and then you need to move on to the next project.
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is the library built for that working day. It carries the sound and the playable range of a serious professional string library, with an articulation set you actually reach for in real sessions.
The Instrument For Real Sessions
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is a library designed to sit in your template and be used again and again. Whether it’s documentary scoring, trailer work, episodic TV, game cues, production music briefs and sync placements. Anywhere professional strings are part of the deliverable, Essentials will give you incredible results again and again.
Just load a section, choose an articulation and start playing. LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials responds immediately, your cue starts to take shape, and best of all, the technical layer stays out of the way.
All Five Sections, Individually Controllable
Essentials includes every section of the orchestral string body, with each section delivered as its own NKI for direct control inside Kontakt.
- 1st Violins
- 2nd Violins
- Violas
- Celli
- Basses
That gives you the full string body to write into, with the freedom to voice each line independently, balance the sections to taste, and integrate Essentials into the kind of detailed orchestral template a working composer relies on every day.
The LUX Sound That Top Composers Love
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials draws its sound from the full LUX Orchestral Strings recording. That means a 70-piece symphonic string ensemble, captured on a large scoring stage with 48 microphones in place. The mix you hear was engineered by Peter Fuchs, the same cinematic mix that defines the LUX sound for composers working at the top of the industry.
None of that has been compromised in Essentials. What changes is the scope of the toolset around it, focused on the articulations and sections that come up in everyday scoring work, in short, LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials has you covered.
The Articulations You Reach For Most
The articulation set covers the techniques you’ll use in your everyday writing. Sustains, legato across the complete playable range, shorts, pizzicato, tremolo, trills, and the layered articulation combinations that give string work its depth and expressiveness.
SUSTAINS
- Sustain
- Strong Sustain
- Whisper Sustain
- Marcato
LEGATO
- Full Legato (complete playable range)
- Whisper Legato
- Legato
SHORTS
- Staccato
- Spiccato
- Pizzicato
TREMOLO & TRILLS
- Tremolo
- Sul Ponticello Tremolo
- Trill (b2)
- Trill (2)
- Trills (autoselect between b2 and 2)
Articulation Combinations Built for Scoring
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials includes a set of layered articulation combinations: sustain into tremolo, whisper into sul ponticello, staccato into pizzicato, and more. All playable from a single instrument, no patch stacking required.
Combis
- Staccato + Spiccato
- Staccato + Pizzicato
- Spiccato + Pizzicato
- Sustain + Accented Staccato
- Sustain + Staccato Marcato
- Tremolo + Marcato
- Tremolo + Accented Staccato
- Tremolo + Staccato Marcato
- Sustain + Tremolo
- Sustain + Trills
Morphs
- Staccato – Marcato
- Staccato – Spiccato
- Sustain – Tremolo
- Sustain – Sul Ponticello Tremolo
- Sustain – Trills
- Sustain – Trill (b2)
- Sustain – Trill (2)
- Whisper – Tremolo
- Whisper – Sul Ponticello Tremolo
- Tremolo – Sul Ponticello Tremolo
A Strong Feature Set For The Most Intuitive Workflow
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is built around a simple idea: composition should flow as naturally as performance. Instead of juggling separate tracks and takes for every articulation, you stay in the moment. Shape phrases, shift dynamics, and let ideas breathe. With Seamless Articulation Switching and Morphing Articulations at the core, LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials puts expressive control right under your fingers, so every transition feels less like a technical step and more like a musical one.
Morphing Articulations – Evolving Sounds in Real Time
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials lets you do something sample libraries rarely achieve: shape articulations as if they were alive. Using the mod wheel, you can blend seamlessly between two or more articulations in real time. Sustains can melt into tremolos or sul ponticello textures can swell into shimmering atmospheres with a single movement.
Give your writing a sense of evolution and breath, turning static patches into living performances that respond to your touch.
Audio Demo 1
Sustain to Sul Pont Tremolo
Audio Demo 2
Sustain to Tremolo
S.A.T. – Seamless Articulation Transitioning
In most libraries, articulation changes sound like separate recordings, not a continuous performance. Real musicians play differently – they flow naturally from one technique to another. A sustained note becomes a tremolo simply by increasing bow speed, without any break or restart.
S.A.T. brings that fluid motion to LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials. Move between articulations while holding a note, letting phrases evolve with the natural expressiveness of real performance. A gentle key switch creates a gradual shift, a stronger one a quick change – giving you true instrumental flow at your fingertips.
Notes connect smoothly, allowing you to perform more naturally instead of switching between static samples. It feels musical, not mechanical.
Audio Demo
Key Switch Sets
For Different Musical Contexts
LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials offers different Key Switch sets tailored to specific scoring needs. Whether you are writing an action sequence, a lyrical theme, a soft texture, or a melodic passage, you can choose between three sets that contain articulations for a different context.
CORE ARTICULATIONS
ADVANCED TEXTURES
MORPH TEXTURES
This approach transforms workflows: it keeps you in the flow of composition and ensures the library bends to your needs, not the other way around.
EVERY DETAIL ENGINEERED FOR EXPRESSION
The innovations are what set LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials apart. The full feature set is what makes it complete.
Layer Articulations
Layer Articulations and play them simultaneously.
Live-Recorded Elements
Included are trill figures, measured arpeggios and performance gestures that add realism.
Fluid Staccatos
Recorded in real rhythmic contexts, with an intelligent staccato mode for effortless ostinatos.
Seamless Articulation Transitioning
Use our brand-new S.A.T. technology across every context of LUX.
Polyphonic Aftertouch and +8VA
Use polyphonic aftertouch and the added octave feature throughout the complete instrument.
Traditional Symphonic Seating
Captured in a concert hall for natural orchestral balance.
Dynamics Pushed to 110%
From whispering ppp to roaring fff and beyond.
LUX Orchestral Strings
LUX Orchestral Strings is the library used by some of the most recognised names in film and television scoring, and the recording inside Essentials is the same ensemble, the same scoring stage and the same Peter Fuchs mix that those composers have endorsed.
Pro Stage
Every note was captured on a large concert stage chosen for its natural warmth and scale. The seating was arranged in traditional symphonic layout, with each section positioned exactly as it would be on the scoring stage. This ensures the sound is not just accurate, but cinematic in every sense – wide, immersive, and balanced so it sits perfectly in any cinematic production without the need for additional processing.
Pro Engineers
To record LUX Orchestral Strings, we collaborated with StarRecordings productions and with award-winning score mixer Peter Fuchs, whose work spans over 400 films like Iron Man 3, Now You See Me and games, including Harry Potter, Call Of Duty and more. His meticulous approach allowed even challenging techniques, such as whisper legato, to be captured with remarkable precision, ensuring that LUX Orchestral Strings delivers unmatched clarity and expressiveness for composers.
Pro Gear
For the recording sessions, only the finest professional gear was chosen to capture every nuance of the orchestra. With an arsenal of legendary microphones from DPA, Schoeps, Neumann, Coles, and more, the recordings deliver unmatched clarity, depth, and realism. This world-class setup ensures that every bow stroke, resonance, and subtle detail is preserved, giving composers the most authentic and inspiring virtual string library possible.
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With PayPal, you can split your payment over several months, making it easier to manage your budget.
Availability and terms vary by country, so be sure to explore this option at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials?
All five orchestral string sections (1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Celli, Basses), each delivered as its own NKI for individual control. The articulation set covers sustains, legato across the full playable range, shorts, pizzicato, tremolo, trills and a substantial set of layered articulation combinations. The sound source is the full LUX Orchestral Strings recording: a 70-piece symphonic ensemble, captured on a large scoring stage, with the cinematic mix engineered by Peter Fuchs.
Who is LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials for?
Working composers who score regularly for film, TV, games, trailer music, sync or production music. LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials covers the articulations and sections that come up in real scoring sessions, with the sonic character of a 70-piece symphonic ensemble behind every note.
How much does it cost?
$199.
What articulations are included?
Sustains (Sustain, Strong Sustain, Whisper Sustain, Marcato), legato (Full Legato across the playable range, Whisper Legato and standard Legato), shorts (Staccato, Spiccato, Pizzicato), tremolo (Tremolo, Sul Ponticello Tremolo) and trills (b2 and 2). On top of those, LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials includes a substantial set of layered combinations such as Sustain plus Tremolo, Whisper plus Sul Ponticello Tremolo, and Staccato plus Pizzicato.
What ensemble was recorded?
A 70-piece symphonic string ensemble was recorded on a large scoring stage with 48 microphones in place. The cinematic mix used in LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials was engineered by Peter Fuchs.
Will it work in my DAW?
Yes. LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials runs in Native Instruments Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player, which loads as a plug-in inside any DAW that supports VST3, AU or AAX, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton Live and Reaper. A standalone application is also included.
Does it run on Mac and Windows?
Yes. Apple Silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 13 or higher, and Windows 10 or 11 systems with an Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU.
How does the sound of LUX Orchestral Strings compare with The Orchestra Complete or The Score?
Think toolset, not replacement. The Orchestra Complete gives instant orchestral motion. The Score brings narrative performances and variety across families. LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is dedicated strings with a larger, more cinematic tone and an expressive response that rewards hand-played lines. They work well together in a single template.
I’m not a professional composer – is LUX Orchestral Strings still right for me?
Yes. If you love writing with orchestral colour, LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials is inspiring and approachable, with plenty of depth to grow into.
Is there an upgrade available?
Yes. You can upgrade to LUX Orchestral Strings for $299.
Is an internet connection required?
Only during initial download, installation and product registration through Native Access. After that, LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials runs fully offline.
Is LUX Orchestral Strings only for film scoring?
No. The library was recorded and programmed with film, game, and trailer work in mind, but it also fits classical, pop, ambient, and hybrid projects whenever you want convincing orchestral strings with natural space and presence.
COMPOSE with ESSENTIALS. Take it further when you’re ready.
Whenever you’re ready for the next step, we’re ready too: The Full Version of LUX Orchestral Strings is the most complete professional toolkit: full microphone control, the ensemble instrument, and the full articulation palette for serious scoring work.
Additional Features In The Full Version
Adaptive Legato
Adaptive legato that responds to your playing with natural phrasing.
Legato For All Sections
Adaptive legato that responds to your playing with natural phrasing, available for all string sections.
Complete Set of Core Articulations
Including staccato, spiccato, marcato, tremolo, pizzicato, portamento, con sordino emulation and more.
Extended Techniques
Included are techniques such as whisper sustains, harmonics legato, soft interval trills, pendulum glissandi, slow bends and swarm textures.
Ensemble Instrument
The ensemble instrument features polyphonic legato for sketching instant orchestrations.
Four Mic Positions
Three standard mic positions (Close, Decca, Far) plus the exclusive Bleed option.
Upgrade To LUX Orchestral Strings
The full version of LUX Orchestral Strings gives you everything the professionals are working with.
Upgrade at a reduced price.
$US 299.00Read more
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- Works with the FREE KONTAKT PLAYER
- KONTAKT Version 7.10.9 or higher
- Apple Silicon Macs: macOS 13, 14 or 15 (latest update)
- Intel Macs (i5 or higher): macOS 13, 14 or 15 (latest update)
- Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU
- Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher and Direct 3D 11.1
- 8GB RAM (more recommended)
- At least 9.4 GB of free hard disc space
KEY FEATURES
- 70-Piece Symphonic String Ensemble
Recorded on a Hollywood-scale scoring stage for unmatched depth and realism. - Recorded with 48 Microphones
- Seamless Articulation Transitioning (S.A.T.)
Change articulations mid-note for the most natural performance. - Morphing Articulations
Morph between articulations fluidly for lifelike performance. - Natural String Change Legato
Captures the authentic flow and nuance of real string players. - Comprehensive Articulations & Techniques
From lyrical legato to swarm textures and powerful articulation combinations. - Engineered by Peter Fuchs
Award-winning film mixer using top-tier DPA, Neumann, and Schoeps microphones.
