A film composer is a jack of all trades. Emotive melodies, scary soundscapes, tense rhythmic cues: the best composers master them all, so they can write the perfect music to match the action on screen.
It helps to have the right tools for the job. Modern sample libraries, for platforms such as Kontakt, place whole worlds of sound at a composer’s fingertips, from massive orchestras to intimate soloists and abstract sound design. In this article, we’ll run down 15 of the best free Kontakt libraries for scoring. We’ll cover pianos and orchestras, folklore instruments, epic synths, and sound design oddities.
Get the Kontakt Player inside the free Komplete Start bundle today, a pro-grade kit of instruments, sounds, samples, and effects that will help you get started on your scores.
Jump to these sections:
- Are free Kontakt libraries compatible with Kontakt Player?
- What are the best free cinematic Kontakt libraries?
- The best free cinematic sound libraries for Kontakt
Are free Kontakt libraries compatible with Kontakt Player?
All of the free Kontakt libraries mentioned in this list are compatible with the free Kontakt Player, meaning you can download them now and start composing for free. Watch out, though: not all free Kontakt libraries will work with the player.
To understand why this is, it’s important to distinguish between Kontakt and the free Kontakt Player. Kontakt is a powerful paid-for sampler and virtual instrument engine. Its extensive features make it a favorite of professional composers and producers around the world. All free Kontakt libraries (as well as all paid ones, of course) work with Kontakt.
The Kontakt Player is a free version of this software with more limited features. It’s designed to play a selection of specifically-licensed Kontakt instruments, offering you a gateway to high-quality sounds – but with more limited features.
When you download a free Kontakt library, be sure to check its compatibility. But rest assured that all of the instruments in this article work with the free Kontakt Player.
What are the best free cinematic Kontakt libraries?
The best free cinematic Kontakt library for you depends on the project you’re working on. Is it a romantic drama? Try some swooning strings courtesy of Strezov Sampling’s Minimalist Violins. A sci-fi epic? Check out synth-heavy libraries such as Hypha and Ethereal Earth.
Most film composers work across genres, meaning they need to stay versatile. They do this by having a diverse collection of Kontakt libraries for whatever project comes along. The list below – which covers bread-and-butter pianos and orchestras, unusual sound design tools, and expressive soloists – should have you covered.
The best free cinematic sound libraries for Kontakt
Piano
Foundations Piano
Heavyocity designed this gorgeous free piano specifically for cinematic composers, and it’s the perfect tool for creating gentle piano cues and ethereal textures. Focusing on the softer end of a grand piano’s dynamic range, Foundations Piano also features a textural sound design layer that can be manipulated to create dreamy pads and hypnotic arpeggio textures. Start with the ten presets to get a sense of this free cinematic sound library’s impressive range.
Foundations Piano
Native Instruments · 01 Foundations piano
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The 88E
You’ve never heard a piano sound this big. Impact Soundworks created The 88E by tuning every single one of a piano’s 88 keys to “E” – and then playing them all at once. The result is an epic (and unique) sound that’s ideal for horror stabs, subterranean pads, and suspenseful pulses. For an extra massive sound, try stacking three voices together and turning up the detune control.
The 88E
Native Instruments · 02 The 88E
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Percussion
Thunder X3M Taiko Freebie
No dramatic battle scene is complete without the thunderous sound of the taiko drum. This free Kontakt instrument from Strezov Sampling gives you everything you need to start thumping out rhythms. The tonal palette is impressively broad, with twelve distinct percussion zones ensuring that your beats won’t sound repetitive. The impressive engine also features multiple dynamic layers, round robin sample playback, three mic positions, and two custom vintage analog hardware chains – all of which can be seamlessly blended in for thicker and punchier sounds.
Thunder X3M Taiko
Native Instruments · 03 Thunder x3m taiko
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Thunder Drum
This unusual instrument from Soniccouture is perfect for modern scoring: think pulses, impacts, and tense looping rhythms. It captures the sound of a thunder drum, which has a spring attached to the drumskin to create rumbling sounds when shaken. A variety of rumbles, strikes, and special effects have been captured using contact mics for an extensive library of ominous booms, industrial clanks, and brooding textures. Throw in a full complement of sound sculpting features and you can quickly enter strange new dimensions – ideal for sci-fi as well as action and horror scores.
Thunder Drum
Native Instruments · 04 Thunder drum
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Orchestra
The Free Orchestra
Orchestral sounds are the bread and butter of cinematic scoring, and many orchestral VSTs are lavish instruments – with the price tag to match. Don’t worry though: high quality acoustic sounds needn’t be expensive.
The Free Orchestra
Featuring instruments from ProjectSAM’s Symphobia series, The Free Orchestra offers a range of orchestral effects and textures primed for scoring. A simple interface allows you to choose your instrument fast, and you can layer multiple instruments in a patch to build the ensemble of your choice. We particularly like more far-out sounds, including extended woodwind techniques, foreboding drones, and dreamy sordino strings—all featured in the spooky cue below.
When you’re done exploring, check out The Free Orchestra 2 for even more orchestral goodies.
Native Instruments · 05 The Free Orchestra
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Vivace Legacy
Vivace Legacy is a must-have for composers looking for orchestral sounds on a budget. Drawing sounds from Vivace – Sonokinetic’s influential orchestral VST released over a decade ago – this Kontakt instrument focuses on cinematic textures and FX. That means chords, runs, crescendos, stabs, and other ear candy to help embellish a cue or heighten expression. It covers the full orchestra, from brash brass to dreamy strings. And it’s completely free.
Vivace Legacy
Native Instruments · 06 Vivace Legacy
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Minimalist Violins Legato Freebie
Need a little romance and tenderness in your score? Strings are the way to go, and Minimalist Violins gives you a lush ensemble primed for swooning melodies and shimmering chords. This free Kontakt instrument is drawn from Strezov’s Afflatus Strings series, which offers samples inspired by a range of cinematic and classical styles. In this case, that means a chamber string ensemble playing in ethereal flautando – inspired by the delicate sounds of composer Thomas Newmann (think American Beauty).
Minimalist Violins Legato Free
Native Instruments · 07 Minimalist Violins Legato Free
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Choir
Foundations Emotive Choir
When is a choir more than a choir? When it can do hypnotic arps, synth-style pads, and even bass parts. This free instrument from Heavyocity gives you wordless vocal textures with plenty of shaping options, including an arpeggiator, gate, and ADSR envelope. The result is a sound that’s half human, half machine. It’s the perfect choir instrument for epic sci-fi and ethereal underscoring.
Foundations Emotive Choir
Native Instruments · 08 Foundations Emotive Choir
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Tape Choir
Soniccouture’s Tape Choir deploys an old-school recording trick in which multiple voice samples are layered to create an “infinite choir” effect. It’s a choral instrument with tons of emotion and a unique vintage sound. Fans of true-to-life choirs should look elsewhere. But if you want to bolster your score with swelling chords and unearthly melodies, Tape Choir is the ideal sidekick. Feeling adventurous? Check out the impressive (and sometimes whacky) selection of reverbs.
Native Instruments · 09 Tape Choir
Tape Choir
Jacob Collier Audience Choir
Going by the number of singers alone, Jacob Collier Audience Choir might be the biggest choir instrument out there. It features the voices of thousands of Collier’s fans, captured in venues across the world during his Djesse tour. Collier conducted his audiences to create rich harmonies and dramatic effects – and captured the results to be recreated in the comfort of your DAW. The instrument has a strident sound that lends itself to high-emotion scoring. It’s also a great way of learning choral harmony, with smart assistive features including chord generator and Triad Blend.
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Solo instrument
Irish Harp
An effective film score immerses you in a place and time. Sometimes that means using an instrument that triggers the right associations in the viewer. That’s why experienced composers collect a broad library of solo instruments, spanning musical traditions from across the world. Native Instruments has you covered with this meticulously-sampled 34-string Irish harp. The tone is rich and authentic, and the pre-set performance phrases make it quick and easy to bring folkish charm to your cue. It’s free as part of Komplete Start, a bundle which gives you everything you need to start writing cinematic music.
Irish Harp
Native Instruments · 10 Irish Harp
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Xiao Free
The xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute with a very long history and a breathy, haunting sound. This free rendering is taken from Strezov’s JADE Ethnic Orchestra, which features a wealth of Chinese and Mongolian instruments captured in careful detail. It’s a no-frills Kontakt instrument and it sounds great. Use it to add expressive melody, or to give your cue a sense of place.
Jade Ethnic Orchestra Xiao Free
Native Instruments · 11 Jade Ethnic Orchestra Xiao free
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Duduk Free
Another solo instrument from Strezov Sampling, this time capturing the Armenian duduk. You’ll probably recognize the mournful, expressive sound of this double-reeded woodwind instrument: it’s been used in countless scores over the decades. That means it’s a must-have for your composer’s toolkit. Offering sampled phrases that can be played chromatically, this instrument has limited flexibility, but it sounds beautiful.
Balkan Ethnic Orchestra Duduk Free
Native Instruments · 12 Balkan Ethnic Orchestra Duduk free
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Synths
Hypha
Modern scores require cutting-edge sounds. Look no further than Hypha, a synth-style sampled instrument that blends acoustic and electric sounds to create innovative textures. Inspired by nature, Hypha has a lush vibe that’s ideal for giving depth and expression to a soundtrack. Use it for organic underscoring, atmospheric keys, and scene-setting soundscapes. It’s free as part of Komplete Start, along with many other scoring tools from Native Instruments.
Hypha
Native Instruments · 13 Hypha
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Ethereal Earth
Ethereal Earth will be a boon to any composer working in science fiction and other fantastical genres. This Play Series Instrument specializes in meditative synthetic sound. Its deep library of chords, FX, pads, and leads has a soothing feel and a subtle earthy undertow. Use it to soundtrack a serene space sequence, or an android’s mournful monologue.
Ethereal Earth
Native Instruments · 14 Ethereal Earth
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Start using the Kontakt Player to make cinematic sound – for free
In this article, we’ve run down 15 of the best free cinematic sound libraries for Kontakt. From orchestras to folklore instruments, booming drums to epic synths, all of the instruments in this list work with the Kontakt Player inside the free Komplete Start bundle – meaning they’re completely free. So there’s nothing stopping you from using them to make pro-grade film music today.
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