Sonuscore’s flagship cinematic string library has just been treated to a significant update that greatly expands its capabilities. Available for free to existing users, LUX Orchestral Strings 1.1 adds a vast collection of new recorded material and articulations, and focuses on three important aspects of modern cinematic scoring: rhythmic motion, evolving textures and playable runs.
Created based on feedback from composers who have been using the library in their scoring work, the update addresses the most-requested articulation types as well as tackling common workflow requests. Newly recorded ostinatos, legato runs, portamento transitions and movement articulations are all present, delivering a significant expansion in the library’s musical range. And users will be pleased to hear that this is just the beginning, with Sonuscore stating that plans are already underway for yet more content in future updates.
What’s New?
Version 1.1 of LUX Orchestral Strings introduces a generous amount of new content. Here’s Sonuscore’s breakdown of what’s included in the update:
- New Recorded Ostinatos. The update introduces a set of newly recorded ostinatos covering two distinct musical approaches. Root Note Ostinatos build a rhythmic foundation on a single pitch; Interval Ostinatos create a pendulum-like motion between notes, recorded across a range from a minor second up to a perfect fourth. The result is naturally phrased harmonic motion with real bow movement — the kind of rhythmic bedrock that underlies much of modern action and suspense scoring.
- New Articulations. Across all five string sections, the update adds a large collection of articulations targeting three areas: enabling the performance of fast runs via Runs Legato; expressive Legato/Portamento transitions triggered by velocity; and a new set of Movement articulations that create evolving textures shapeable in real time. Violins 1 and cellos also receive Legato–Portamento specifically, and all sections gain Sul Tasto, Sul Ponticello and Tremolo variants within the movement set.
- Motion Scoring Articulation Sets. A dedicated collection of ready-built articulation sets groups the new ostinatos and movement articulations into context-specific setups. These load directly into the existing keyswitch system, so composers can access motion-based writing styles without building setups from scratch. The Ensemble Instrument receives these sets too, giving full-ensemble writing the same motion capabilities as the individual sections.
- Ensemble Playability Enhancements. The Ensemble Instrument has received a significant refinement in playability, particularly for polyphonic legato performance. All articulations can now be played in an overlapped manner, allowing multiple voices to transition smoothly and independently. The result is a far more fluid and responsive playing experience that brings a new level of expressiveness and control to full ensemble writing.
- Sound Improvements. The underlying sample material has been further de-noised and polished across the library. The character of the recordings is preserved; the noise floor is not.
- Workflow Improvements. Two practical additions make large articulation setups easier to manage. A new option in the Settings Page allows up to 24 articulations to be loaded directly on the Main Page, reducing page navigation during session work. On the Edit Page, articulation ranges can now be defined using velocity rather than the mod wheel, offering an alternative performance approach for composers who prefer to work that way.
Compatibility
LUX Orchestral Strings runs in Native Instruments’ Kontakt or Kontakt Player versions 7.10.9 or higher, which are supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 13 and higher. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with a standalone application.
Pricing & Availability
LUX Orchestral Strings is available now, priced at €499. Existing users can download the latest update for free.
