LUX ORCHESTRAL STRINGS BY SONUSCORE
KK-ACCESS REVIEW
LUX Orchestral Strings from Sonuscore looks set to take their orchestral libraries to new heights with a 70 piece full orchestral string section.
Taking in Basses, Celli, Violas, & Violins 1 & 2, all of which have been carefully recorded on a huge scoring stage, using an arsenal of 48 top notch microphones to capture the sound from the perspective of a traditional symphonic strings seating arrangement.
Add to this the inclusion of 4 microphone positions, various pre defined mix presets, and probably every articulation you are likely to need, and it results in a tempting recipe that should prove appealing to scoring composers across all levels.
TECH SPECS
Lux Strings runs in Kontakt version 7.10.9 or higher, either the full or free Kontakt Player editions.
It is also compatible with all versions of Komplete Kontrol that is hosting the above Kontakt specs.
76GB of disk space is required for installation, and a minimum of 8GB of system RAM, however 32GB is recommended.
There are 132 Kontakt NKI presets, divided across each of the component instruments, and this includes a sub folder with single instrument articulations.
There are also a further 73 Kontakt nKSN snapshots which are derivatives of the master NKI presets.
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
LUX Orchestral Strings is downloaded directly through Native Access after pasting in and authorising your post purchase serial number.
Finally, running Komplete Kontrol will get the library added to your Komplete Kontrol factory database ready for use.
FULL KOMPLETE KONTROL NKS PARAMETERS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THIS REVIEW FOLLOWING THE MEDIA SECTION
ACCESSIBILITY
Sonuscore have overall made a good job of the NKS implementation, with access to the four microphones, the ability to mute or solo each of them, basic 3 band EQ, Compressor, Mix presets, and reverb with a selection of Hall & Room types.
However, In common with many other orchestral libraries, we do not have an accessible means of selecting and changing which of the many available articulations occupy the 8 keyswitch slots, other than those that have already been pre-assigned with any of the given presets.
Sonuscore have created useful keyswitched articulation sets for each instrument catering for specific scoring requirements, which do include appropriate articulations already preloaded.
Along with this there are also single articulation presets covering those most commonly used, which although is not perfect, between these two options seems on the whole to be a workable compromise.
, Regarding that user articulation conundrum, I am not sure how easily this common problem could be accessibly resolved, as the articulations look to be stored in the Kontakt NKA format, but the main issue is whether the GUI browser that hosts them could be made host automatable in order for them to be browsed and set to populate the keyswitch slots directly via the NKS system.
There were a few other desirable features that are part of the GUI settings which are unfortunately out of bounds for blind & visually impaired customers.
In common with many recent orchestral libraries, LUX Strings utilises either a live mode or a look ahead mode. The default is the live mode for most content, while the Legato presets have a delay of -150ms, and the look ahead mode uses a delay of 250ms.
This negative delay value is so that the natural transients of the instruments which were captured in the recording process, can be reintroduced into your own music, by adjusting the track delay time accordingly, which results in the playback remaining in sync, but with those original transients still intact.
Unfortunately we are unable to switch between these two modes, either through a keyswitch or NKS as far as I could discern.
There are also ‘Add Octave’ & ”con sordino’ buttons which do as they describe, but again the button is similarly buried away in the inaccessible GUI, and I am not sure why these could not have at least been given a keyswitch.
LUX – STRINGS SECTION
The 70 piece Czech based string section is made up of the following players:
Violins 1 – 18 players
Violins 2 – 16 players
Violas – 14 players
Celli – 12 players
Basses – 10 players
As stated, Sonuscore employed a whole plethora of high end microphones which were used to capture the rich sound of this library.
Through the NKS controls we are able to access the following:
Close Microphone for the more detailed perspective
Tree microphones from the conductors position
Far microphones for a wider and more ambient stereo image
Bleed microphones which capture the spillage of the strings from the positions of the other orchestral elements to provide a further level of detail.
In most cases the Full mix would be the de facto selection, where combinations of the 4 microphones have been blended to provide users with a quick and ready to go sound.
By turning off the full mix, the other microphones can be made active on an individual basis, allowing you to tailor the sound more closely to your own specific requirements.
MIX PRESETS
Sonuscore have provided a selection of professionally mixed presets designed to cover the most commonly desirable sound configurations.
The default Full mix, as described gives you an ideal starting point, we then have choices for Symphonic, Classic JW, Big Open, Close, Tree, Far, & Wide mixes. Most of these are self evident, however are fully described within the user manual.
As with most multiple microphone libraries, having them all fully engaged and ramped up will load more samples into your ram, and some consideration may also be needed to creating unwanted phasing effects.
Each of the microphones do further include Solo, Mute, Pan, Volume, & Send controls via the NKS template.
LUX STRINGS – KEYSWITCH ARTICULATIONS
One of the truly stand out features of LUX Orchestral Strings for me, is the way that articulation keyswitching has been engineered.
As many will testify,when using keyswitches to change articulations, in most libraries it can often be a somewhat clumsy and frustrating affair.
Trying to pull off convincing articulation changes in real time seldom seems to work, and this is in my opinion for one main reason.
When a real orchestra transitions between playing techniques, it is a perfectly honed human manoeuvre which will have been practised over years to become a flawless constituent of performing a given musical score.
With the average sample library this implementation can be an awkward and mechanically clunky transition, based around a keyswitch midi note which triggers the new articulation via a given velocity value target.
With LUX Strings, Whilst this mechanism remains ostensively the same, some clever scripting from the Sonuscore team means that this transition is a realistic and seamless experience, even when holding down a sustained note.
Just as an example, with LUX Orchestral Strings, you can hold a long sustained chord, then press the appropriate keyswitch, and it will transition into a tremolo if you wish.
You do need to do a little preset homework to find the exact patch that has the articulations you want for your project, but as previously mentioned Sonuscore have created a decent range of presets that feature the typically required articulations for a good variety of scoring tasks.
Action Scoring, Adaptive Trills, Core Articulations, Intimate Scoring, Long Articulations, Morph Textures, Mystic Scoring, Short Articulations, Short Morphs, Soft Morph Textures, Special Textures, Tension Scoring, & Virtuoso Runs are those found in the Violins 1 category, which will also be available for the other instrument sections.
This unique feature should go a long way in helping users to alleviate those time consuming keyswitch midi overdubs, and annoying retakes, and hopefully result in a far more believable outcome.
MORPH ARTICULATIONS
Another intriguing feature is the Morph Articulations, here the articulation transitioning is handled instead by the modulation wheel.
Playing with a starting articulation such as a sustain, slowly moving the modwheel upward will morph it into a tremolo, which is a smooth and natural sounding evolution.
singles presets
The Singles presets do not include any keyswitches as they are intended to be quick solutions where a specific articulation is needed.
Every member of the string section is well represented with typical and also some rarer articulations.
Bartok Pizzicato, Flautando, Legato, Sustain, Marcato, Sforzando,Runs up & Down in Major & Minor, Slow Bends, Trills, Spiccato, Staccato, Tremolo, Portamento.
The above is of course an abbreviated listing of the full content, but provides a broad overview.
LUX Orchestral Strings chooses not to go down the route of including more specialist avant garde offerings or horror String effects per say. However there are a few useful inclusions that most will invariably still greatly appreciate.
The runs presets cover runs up, runs down, runs up & down, and are in both major & minor variants, the run is also tempo synced to your DAW project,and extends for a single octave.
There are also a good supply of Trill presets, half tone Trills and whole tone Trills can be triggered by selecting your two notes in order to engage the Trill effect, and soft interval trills are available up to a perfect fourth.
Slow bends as the name implies allow you to hold a sustained note, where upon release it will bend downwards, useful for those suspenseful thriller moments!
LUX LEGATO
Legato is the one articulation that many will often judge an entire library upon. LUX Orchestral Strings has several variations that should tick most boxes, and the adaptive legato even offers the ability to introduce a staccato when detected.
All feel fine to play, provided you follow the usual Legato playing technique of transitioning between notes.
Sonuscore have quite rightly anticipated many customer concerns for the importance of a good Legato, and to address this they have put together a specific Legato section walkthrough, which I have linked in the media section.
ENSEMBLE PRESETS
The String Ensemble bank category brings all of the string section together into a superb collection of ensemble presets.
Again they are presented in real world composition scenarios, making it easy to choose what you are likely to need for the task at hand.
Ensemble, Action, Basic, Intimate, Longs, Morphs, Mystic 1, Mystic 2, Short Morphs, Shorts, Soft Morphs, Tension, & Trills, will cover a fairly broad spectrum for most compositional requirements.
As LUX Orchestral Strings could for many be a considered purchase, I certainly recommend checking out the various media content from Sonuscore that I have linked below in order to further evaluate your needs, there are also a good number of independent reviews on UTube.
CONCLUSION
LUX Orchestral Strings provides enough flexibility and content to satisfy and meet the demands of composers at all levels.
There are plenty of microphone options, presets and articulations available to enable users to create tailored, rich, lush, and convincing string arrangements for a broad cross section of genres.
For blind & visually impaired users, there are some advanced features which remain frustratingly inaccessible, the interchanging of keyswitches is understandable, however the Look Ahead Mode, Add Octave, & Con Sordino switching could possibly have been addressed.
On a positive note, the seamless keyswitch and articulation morphing deserves particular praise, and sets a precedent for others to follow.
Like any large library there is a small learning curve involved with integrating it into your workflow, but this should be minimal, and certainly worthy of the effort.
LUX Orchestral Strings is available from the Sonuscore website for 499.00 euros
LUX Orchestral Strings Product Page:
LUX Orchestral Strings – Introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k785synn-gU
LUX Orchestral Strings – Walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8tyUHUdlW4
LUX Orchestral Strings – Morphing Articulations:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/98u9TjtHhd4
LUX Orchestral Strings – Legato Showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5dlrM874D4
LUX Orchestral Strings – User Manual:
https://manuals.sonuscore.com/lux-orchestral-strings.html
KOMPLETE KONTROL NKS PARAMETER MAPPINGS
Note these mappings were listed using the Kontrol MK3 keyboard and may vary for other Komplete Kontrol controller models
Page One – Full Mix
Knob 1 – Mix on/Off
Knob 2 – Solo On/Off
Knob 3 – Mute On/Off
Knob 4 – Pan
Knob 5 – Volume
Knob 6 – Send Level
Knob 7 – Unassigned
Knob 8 – Unassigned
Page Two – Close Microphone
as per page 1
Page Three – Tree Microphone
As per page 1
Page Four – Far Microphone
As per page 1
Page Five – Bleed Microphone
As per page 1
Page Six – Mix & Effects
Knob 1 – Mix Preset Selector x 8
Knob 2 – EQ On/Off
Knob 3 – EQ Low
Knob 4 – EQ Mid
Knob 5 – EQ High
Knob 6 – Compressor On/Off
Knob 7 – Compressor Amount
Knob 8 – Compressor Mix
Page Seven – Mix & Effects Page 2
Knob 1 – Reverb On/Off
Knob 2 – Reverb Preset: Concert Hall 3 seconds, Concert Room 1.5 seconds, Small Room 0.8 seconds
Knob 3 – Reverb Return
Knob 4 to 8 – Unassigned
(c) Chris Ankin
KK-Access.com
31ST October 2025
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The author can not accept any responsibility for subsequent purchase decisions made as a result of this review,or Any inaccuracies found therein. All opinions and product functions stated are based solely on information perceived as a blind user whilst using the product and/or gathered from official factual sources such as the developer, web or supplied product manual.
About the Author
Based in Buckinghamshire, England, Chris Ankin has worked as a freelance review writer and contributor with articles published in Sound On Sound, Home & Studio Recording and ST Format Magazines.
He has also successfully worked extensively in and around the music, recording, film Soundtrack scoring, Game & media composition, the creative arts, Charitable trusts,publishing, music streaming and property investments since 1982 whilst continuously and deliberately managing to evade any mainstream recognition under his own name by the use of various pseudonyms.
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