Fracture Sounds TRAILS v1.0.1

Enter the world of violinist and composer Alexander Parsons with his collection of evocative soundscapes and string textures. This collection of unique performances also includes an incredibly rare tabletop piano with Faulkner dulcichords and a newly developed detailed synthesis engine.

Fracture Sounds team collaborated with composer Alexander Parsons to develop a set of instruments and sounds that embody his textural approach to composition. As an accomplished violinist with a background in electronic music, this collection of solo strings, synths and unique performances showcases the full range of Alexander’s palette and tastes.

The solo strings in this library focus on long and short textures that can be combined to create tension and movement. Articulations are expanded with a brand new granular engine, creating a huge range of possibilities and blurring the lines between acoustic and electronic performance. Like Zen: Meditations, this library also features layering, but this time the Fracture Sounds team and Alexander Parsons have collected 28 synth sounds that can then be combined in thousands of ways using additional effects.

Trails is designed to maximize sound exploration with minimal effort, so you can focus on writing music with an inspiring set of sounds.

The core of this library are the solo violin and cello textures recorded by Alexander Parsons and his frequent collaborator and friend Joe Zeitlin. Eight of Alexander’s favourite and most frequently used articulations were recorded in the same dry studio space in London that we used for Dan Keane’s Petrichor library.

The dry space allows for more effects to be used within the instrument presets and as part of our all-new detailed engine that transforms sounds into mesmerising textures with limitless possibilities. Returning are our Lo-Fi and Delay effects found in Hemisphere Ambient & Cinematic Guitars, which, when combined with reverb and 16 unique ambience layers, can transform original acoustic recordings into a spectacular bed of undulating textures – what Alexander calls Trails.

Our newly developed Granular engine combines the knowledge and experience of the Fracture Sounds team with Alexander’s methodology for working with granular effects on his modular rig to expand the sonic palette and create truly unique compositions. The engine is a culmination of carefully selected sounds found throughout the library and offers a wealth of control options as well as the easy ability to shuffle all parameters and let the instrument determine the direction of the sound for you.

The original sounds can be swapped, mutated and tweaked using the controls available in the interface, making the original text unrecognizable and creating the level of randomness and inspiration that Alexander craves in his writing tools.

Fracture Sounds team and Alexander Parsons have prepared 57 presets as a starting point for those new to granular synthesis. These presets are also available in a basic form in the Lightweight folder for those who require more CPU power.

• 16 Articulations and String Textures
• 28 Synth Recordings and Performances
• Incredibly Rare Tabletop Piano with Dulcichords
• 57 Detailed Presets
• Articulation Switching and Custom Articulation Settings
• Layering Engine
• Granular Synth Engine

ARTICULATIONS

• Emergence – Long, subtle sustain.
• Flickers – Long sustain with a delicate tremolo texture.
• Divergence – Long sustains that ‘diverge’ from the center note.
• Ricochets – The shortest string articulation – great for fast playing.
• Short Swells – Very short dynamic bursts.
• Stutters – Repeated and random ricochets.
• Reflections – Long, folk-style turns.
• Deviations – Whistling harmonic texture with an emphasis on bow noise.

MIX

Each performance was recorded with multiple close and room microphones and combined into a single mix ready for broadcast. The raw mix could then be combined with three layers of ambience created by the Fracture Sounds team and Alexander Parsons.