Fracture Sounds has launched Trails II, a new sample library developed in collaboration with composer Alexander Parsons. The release continues Parsons’ exploration of metallic resonance, combining acoustic and electronic sources within Fracture Sounds’ Layer Blends and Granular engines.
Trails II is built around the concept of resonance as a transformative tool. The project began during a documentary scoring session, where Parsons experimented with a trumpet resonating against a gong. The resulting sound formed the foundation of the library’s design approach, which centres on placing instruments in front of resonating metal surfaces to shape and colour their tone.
The collection includes brass, woodwinds, analogue synths, and a rare percussion instrument, alongside 19 new Atmosphere Layers. These elements are intended to support both contemporary composition and sound design, with a focus on blending traditional instrumental sources and electronic textures.
All instruments were recorded in a small dry studio in London. The sessions used close microphones, room microphones, and experimental contact microphones attached directly to the resonating surfaces. Curated pedal chains were also incorporated during recording. The contact microphones allow users to isolate and explore the metallic resonance independently from the primary instrument signal.
At the core of the library’s sound are performances shaped by physical interaction with a gong or thundersheet. Brass, woodwind, and synth instruments were positioned in front of these resonators and performed in response to the vibrations produced. This process captures both the direct sound and the evolving metallic resonance generated in real time.
One of the central instruments in Trails II is the Canna Sonora. According to Fracture Sounds, this is the first time the instrument has been sampled. The Canna Sonora consists of metal rods that produce sustained, pure tones. In this library, each rod was recorded with the additional resonance of a thundersheet, captured through multiple microphone positions.
In live performance, the Canna Sonora allows a single player to produce two notes simultaneously. Within the sampled format, this physical limitation is removed, enabling full polyphony and consistent note triggering across the keyboard.
Trails II runs within Fracture Sounds’ interface and includes both the Layer Blends engine and an enhanced Granular engine.
The interface is designed to provide direct access to core controls, including:
- A grid for selecting and combining articulations
- Independent volume control for each microphone signal
- Four creative effects for sound shaping
- Blending controls for Atmosphere Layers
The Atmosphere Layers are developed by Alexander Parsons and the Fracture Sounds team. These layers function as textural pads derived from and inspired by the raw recordings, designed to complement or extend the core instrumental sounds.
The Granular engine allows users to manipulate the source material through time stretching and grain-based processing. A newly introduced Rate control enables grain generation to be synchronised to the host session tempo. This feature can produce rhythmic or pulsating textures aligned with the project’s timing.
Key features of Trails II include:
- Brass, woodwind, analogue synth, and percussion sources shaped through metallic resonance
- Contact microphone recordings of gong and thundersheet resonators
- The sampled debut of the Canna Sonora instrument
- 19 new Atmosphere Layers
- Enhanced Granular engine with tempo-synced Rate control
Trails II is designed for composers and sound designers working across film, television, and other media scoring contexts, particularly those exploring the intersection of acoustic instrumentation and electronic texture.
Trails II is available from Fracture Sounds. Pricing and further details can be found on the developer’s website.
Find out more about Fracture Sounds and set deal alerts.
What do you think?
We’d love to hear your thoughts about this news. Please leave a message in the comments section below.
