Ryan Lott on the living sound of LCO Producer Strings

How do you start a track when you have no ideas? For Ryan Lott of the band Son Lux, the answer was a meta experiment: start with a single software tool and let it lead the way. “I had no ideas,” Lott admits. “All I had was this software cued up and I just started sifting through presets, letting my fingers fall on the keys. Immediately, I was inspired.”

In our latest video, Lott takes us inside his process in Los Angeles, where he used LCO Producer Strings to bridge the gap between digital precision and the organic fingerprint of the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Discover LCO Producer Strings

A collaboration from the first note

Lott describes working with this library as a collaboration that starts long before a single musician enters the room. Because the software is “imbued with so much life,” you aren’t wrestling with tools to find a human feel – it’s already there.

• The emotional vocabulary: Lott knew from his history with the LCO that the “emotional vocabulary of this library was going to be stellar,” ensuring every sound has a clear purpose.
• Finding the gradients: While notation often reduces ideas to what can be communicated quickly, Lott notes that the LCO is “in the business of finding all of those gradients” between articulations.
• Resisting the grid: In a DAW environment that constantly reinforces the grid, Lott looks for tools that push back. “If your starting point is living and breathing performances, then it’s a lot easier to push against that frame,” he explains.

Bridging orchestral and electronic sounds

One of the standout features of LCO Producer Strings is how it puts orchestral fragments and synth patches on an even playing field. To Lott, this isn’t just a design choice; it’s a modern way of thinking about composition.

“This synth patch is an orchestral patch. This orchestral patch is a synth patch,” Lott says. By combining these colors, you can “create a story really quickly,” making it an empowering tool whether you are scoring for picture or producing a track.

A unique orchestra at your fingertips

While there is no substitute for a live orchestra in a room, LCO Producer Strings brings that family effort to your laptop. It combines the work of the coder, the composer, the orchestrator, and the violin enthusiasts into one cohesive palette.

As Lott puts it: “It’s so sweet. I pull up this plugin and I think of my friends… but I hear them, too.” Whether you need to “shock the system” when you’re stuck or you’re looking for a dash of the unexpected, this library brings a high-quality orchestral vibe to your music.

Ready to find your own story in sound?

Explore LCO Producer Strings