Sonuscore has released LUX Orchestral Strings Elements, a free orchestral strings instrument for the free Kontakt Player.
The amount of high-quality orchestral content available for free nowadays is something I still find hard to believe.
Even ten years ago, getting your hands on an in-depth orchestral string library without spending serious money was pretty much out of the question.
Nowadays, between something like LUX Orchestral Strings Elements and the already renowned Spitfire Symphony Orchestra Discover, SINE Player from Orchestral Tools, and others (find more in our free orchestral plugins article), you can tackle serious projects without investing in orchestral plugins at all.
LUX Orchestral Strings Elements is the free version of Sonuscore’s flagship LUX Orchestral Strings library, a 70-piece symphonic string ensemble recorded on a grand concert stage. The full library has quickly found its way into the templates of major film and TV composers, including Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Fallout).
The free Elements version uses the same recordings and cinematic mix as the full library. You get all five string sections (1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Celli, and Basses) with four core articulations per section (Sustain, Spiccato, Tremolo, and Sul Ponticello Tremolo).
That covers melodic writing, rhythmic passages, and tension textures, which is a solid starting point for most string writing scenarios. A one-octave legato demo for the 1st Violins is also included, so you can hear the quality of the transitions before deciding whether to upgrade.
Now, this is amazing for free, of course, but the full version of LUX Orchestral Strings ($499) adds quite a bit on top of what Elements offers.
Here’s what’s included in the full version.
You get adaptive legato for all sections, a complete articulation palette (staccato, marcato, pizzicato, portamento, con sordino emulation, and more), extended techniques like whisper sustains, harmonics legato, soft interval trills, pendulum glissandi, slow bends, and swarm textures.
The full version also includes four mic positions (Close, Decca, Far, plus an exclusive Bleed option that mixes in natural spill from other orchestral sections), an ensemble instrument with polyphonic legato for instant orchestrations, and fluid staccatos recorded in real rhythmic contexts.
The idea behind Elements is that you can sketch a complete string cue from scratch and upgrade later if you need more. Anything you learn in Elements carries over to the full version, so nothing goes to waste.
LUX Orchestral Strings Elements requires the free Native Instruments Kontakt Player (version 7.10.9 or higher) and runs on macOS 13, 14, or 15 (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows 10 or 11. You’ll need at least 8 GB of RAM. The Kontakt Player works as a VST, AU, or AAX plugin.
Download: LUX Orchestral Strings Elements (FREE)
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Last Updated on April 10, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
