The latest Fracture Sounds Blueprint Textural Viola for the free Kontakt Player brings an ambient twist to solo string sampling, offering four distinctive articulations: Free Trem, a raw tremolo full of motion; Col Legno, a short articulated percussive bow hit with texture; Spikes, short and sharp expressive bursts; and Bends, eerie pitch slides that add cinematic tension. These are designed not for realism, but rather for organic emotion and mood.
Supporting the core layers is a built-in Atmosphere layer, blending the viola’s tone into soft, evolving pads with just one fader. Combined with intuitive controls like dynamics (mod wheel crossfading), scatter (auto pan/stereo randomizer), delay and reverb, the library invites creative experimentation without friction.
You can access additional playback controls via the cog icon on the left side of the interface, including Tightness (a sample offset module for adjusting attack sharpness) and Dynamic Range (which shapes how the instrument responds to velocity). Together, these settings help fine-tune how the instrument reacts to MIDI input messages and your performance dynamics.
Running in the free Kontakt Player 8 (or later) and weighing in at about 300MB, Blueprint Textural Viola is ideal for composers exploring ambient soundscapes, emotional cues and tactile string texture.
Native Instruments Kontakt supports all major plugin formats: VST2, VST3, AU and AAX on 64-bit Windows PC and Mac systems. It also supports NKS, offering enhanced accessibility and hands-on control with Komplete Kontrol hardware. Installation and activation are handled through Native Access, and you can obtain a license for Blueprint Textural Viola by signing up to Fracture Sounds’ mailing list. Once subscribed, you’ll receive a download link and license for free.
Blueprint: Other Textural String Instruments
Textural Viola is not the first or the only texture-themed string instrument in the Blueprint series. Fracture Sounds previously released Textural Violin and Textural Cello, both built around the same ambient design philosophy. Sharing a unified interface and playback concept, the trio forms a cohesive family of expressive string libraries tailored for cinematic layering and atmospheric composition.
More Free Blueprint Strings to Check Out
Beyond the ambient-focused textural releases, the Blueprint series began with the more traditional sounding Blueprint Gentle Strings, followed by Blueprint Short Strings and Blueprint String Trio – each offering a unique approach to chamber string sampling. These libraries complement the texture-focused instruments and share the same Kontakt Player compatibility and streamlined interface, making them versatile additions to any scoring setup.
Free Solo Violas for Kontakt
If you’re looking to expand beyond the Blueprint series, two standout free libraries are well worth exploring. Roots Untold Strings by Westwood Instruments transforms viola recordings into rich, ambient textures using creative sound design modules – ideal for cinematic layering and atmospheric scoring. Also, Simple Legato Viola from Simple Samples Audio offers a deeply expressive solo viola with ultra-smooth legato transitions and organic phrasing, perfect for emotional melodies and intimate arrangements. Both libraries are free – the first is a Kontakt Player VST while the latter is for Kontakt Full.
