TRAILS BY FRACTURE SOUNDS

TRAILS BY FRACTURE SOUNDS

 

KK-ACCESS REVIEW

 

Trails is the first Fracture Sounds release of 2024, and on this occasion sees them collaborate with the UK based TV Documentary & Drama composer Alexander Parsons, who offers up his unique blend of real instruments together with those from the world of synthesis, which yields an emotive and organically rich acoustic union between these two very distinct sound styles.

 

Alexander brings the Violin, Cello, and his rare Dulcichord instrument to meld together a creative fascination with the world of FX & Modular, whilst Fracture Sounds add their excellent bespoke atmospheric layers, and also bring their slick new granular engine along to the party, Trails looks like it could well be a sound design match made in paradise.

 

TECH SPECS

 

Trails runs in Kontakt 6.7 and above, either full or Kontakt player version, and is of course fully compatible with all versions of Komplete Kontrol.

 

The library requires 12GB of disk space for installation, and uses the NCW lossless compression format for the sample pool.

 

Trails employs a combination of both Kontakt NKI preset files, alongside Kontakt NKSN snapshot presets, all of which are ultimately available from within the Komplete Kontrol environment.

 

DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION

 

Download & Installation is made simple by having Native Access handle the entire process.

 

Native Access 2 is essential for the installation of Trails, and with the final cessation of the old legacy version of Native access 1 coming in February 2025, it probably makes sense for users to finally embrace it now and become familiar with it’s more accessible functionality.

 

KOMPLETE KONTROL PLUG-IN EDIT NKS MAPPINGS

 

There are several variations of NKS mapping templates within the Trails library, and these are dependent and thus reflected in the loaded preset type.

 

Each variation has a number of associated pages, so where I would normally list every page, in this instance time and due consideration for my readers attention span prohibits me from the listing of them all.

 

Instead, I will list a typical mapping template, and highlight the more noteworthy additional variations during the course of the review.

 

Solo Violin Textures (also applicable for Solo Cello, & Violin & Cello Combination)

 

Page One – Sound & Volume

 

Knob 1 – Dynamics
Knob 2 – Lo-Fi
Knob 3 – Delay
Knob 4 – Reverb
Knob 5 – Raw Volume
Knob 6 – Atmosphere 1 Volume
Knob 7 – Atmosphere 2 Volume
Knob 8 – Atmosphere 3 Volume

 

Page Two – Atmosphere & Settings

 

Knob 1 – Intensity
Knob 2 – Atmosphere 1 selection
Knob 3 – Atmosphere 2 Selection
Knob 4 – Atmosphere 3 Selection
Knob 5 – Tightness
Knob 6 – Volume Range
Knob 7 – Keyswitch Range
Knob 8 – Unallocated

 

Page Three – Lo-Fi Settings

 

Knob 1 – Saturation
Knob 2 – Age
Knob 3 – Warble
Knob 4 – Hiss
Knob 5 – Mechanical
Knob 6 – Speaker Impulse Response Selector
Knob 7 & 8 – Unallocated

 

Page Four – Delay Settings

 

Knob 1 – Delay Time
Knob 2 – Feedback
Knob 3 – Delay Sync (to DAW tempo) On/Off
Knob 4 – Delay Type: Modern, Tape
Knob 5 – Saturation
Knob 6 – Damping
Knob 7 & 8 – Unallocated

Page Five – Reverb Settings

 

Knob 1 – Reverb Size
Knob 2 – Reverb Type: Room, Hall, Shimmer, Convolution
Knob 3 – Modulation (not applicable to convolution option)
Knob 4 – Damping (not applicable to convolution option)
Knob 5 – Convolution Reverb, Impulse Response Selection (choice of 8)
Knob 6 to 8 – Unallocated

 

Page Six – Emergence & Flickers

 

Knob 1 – Emergence Volume
Knob 2 – Pan
Knob 3 – Attack
Knob 4 – Release
Knob 5 – Flickers Volume
Knob 6 – Pan
Knob 7 – Attack
Knob 8 – Release

 

Page Seven – Diversion & Ricochet

 

Knob 1 – Diversion Volume
Knob 2 – Pan
Knob 3 – Attack
Knob 4 – Release
Knob 5 – Ricochet Volume
Knob 6 – Pan
Knob 7 – Attack
Knob 8 – Release

 

Page Eight – Short, Swell & Stutters

 

Knob 1 – Short Swell Volume
Knob 2 – Pan
Knob 3 – Attack
Knob 4 – Release
Knob 5 – Stutters Volume
Knob 6 – Pan
Knob 7 – Attack
Knob 8 – Release

 

Page Nine – Reflections & Deviations

 

Knob 1 – Reflections Volume
Knob 2 – Pan
Knob 3 Attack
Knob 4 – Release
Knob 5 – Deviations Volume
Knob 6 – Pan
Knob 7 – Attack
Knob 8 – Release

 

 

ACCESSIBILITY

 

I was immediately taken with the obvious level of thought that Fracture Sounds have clearly put into the NKS mapping template for us blind & Visually Impaired users.

 

As an example in the synth based patches, there is a toggle to turn on or off the keyswitch which randomises the 3 available sound layers, which is located at the lowest C position on the keyboard (Komplete Kontrol A-25 or M32 owners will have some octave down button bashing to get to it), but it is nevertheless a welcome feature for some instantaneous inspiration.

 

elsewhere the Keyswitch position control will allow you to move a whole group of 8 pre-assigned articulation keyswitches to a more convenient location on your board, (which in this case is better news for Komplete Kontrol A-25 & M32 users!).

 

The ability to dynamically select, mix & match between the available atmosphere layers was something that Fracture Sounds introduced a couple of releases back, and it truly does open up the sound design potential.

 

In the case of Trails, I think it works particularly well with the overall experimental theme of the library, and really extends the range of what can be achieved with a little tweaking.

 

ACOUSTIC SOUNDS

 

The real world instruments within Trails include Violin, Cello, & a Faulkner Dulcichord, (a small table top Piano), and the bowed strings feature a decent selection of unusual articulations, which can be switched between using the aforementioned keyswitches.

There are also additional textural decorations with options to adjust the volume, pan, attack & release.

 

These acoustic instruments all feature the atmosphere layers of which there are three, alongside the natural Raw sample layer.

 

There are 16 of the atmosphere sounds in total, which have been carefully created using material derived from the original source samples.

 

These can all be selected and blended to suit your own taste, and the modwheel can be utilised to smoothly morph between them, which allows for a quite diverse palette within a single preset.

 

I would still like to perhaps see pan controls included for the atmosphere layers within the NKS mapping, but it’s yet another additional page of course!

 

SYNTHETIC SOUNDS

 

I really enjoyed the Synths master patch and it’s other associated presets.

 

despite a lack of complexity in terms of synth programmability (which is not really the intention here), , it enables users to mix together 546 permutations of the three layers of available synthetic sounds in a similar way to which the atmosphere layers work.

 

There are 28 synth sound sources available for each of these 3 sound layers, and once again these can be morphed between using the modwheel.

 

There are controls for tuning each layer up or down by entire octaves, Attack, Decay, Sustain & Release, global low & high pass filters, Lo-Fi, Delay, Reverb & also the accessibility keyswitch toggle mentioned earlier.

 

GRANULAR

 

Fracture Sounds sonic playground fun continues with the introduction of their new Granular engine, which further expands the diverse sound mangling potential offered by Trails.

 

The Granular master patch invites you to choose any of up to 50 sample sources, and drill down into the microcosmic world of Granular sound creation.

 

On this occasion There is only a single sound layer to work with, presumably because working with Granular synthesis can be taxing on processors, so juggling and tweaking several layers simultaneously could soon find you listening to audio Rice Krispies on your monitors whilst your computer CPU desperately attempts to send you a last ditch red alert message!

 

Put simply, the opportunity for sound exploration is excellent here, with such controls as Intensity, Mutate, Density, Grain Shape, ADSR Envelope, Position, Speed, Spray, Loop, Waveform Source, Reverse, Start & End Points, alongside the perennial Delay & Reverb options all at your fingertips, there is so much to delve into.

 

FAULKNER DULCICHORD

 

This included rare instrument eluded my internet search, the nearest |I could find was the Dulcitone , which sounded the same or if not similar, described as a table top piano.

 

It has a clear and almost Celeste type timbre, and it’s inclusion within the Trails library adds some nice tonal contrast to the other content.

 

Although the real instrument has a limited natural octave range, Fracture Sounds have added an extended range switch which pushes the pitch boundaries both lower and higher than would normally be possible.

 

The atmosphere layers are again a feature of this patch, and I found these in combination with playing in the high registers worked very well.

 

There are controls for Colour, Stereo Width, Timbre Shift, Broken Tuning, Key Noise, Lo-Fi, Delay, Reverb, Velocity, & Sample Start Time.

 

A quick bit of adjustment to the key Noise, Broken Tuning & Atmosphere Layers soon had me conjuring up the perfect creepy music box melody, brimming over with eerie spookiness!

 

TRAILS FX

 

The NKS effects pages within Trails deserve mentioning, as these are a feature in most of the presets, although the light presets only include Delay & Reverb.

 

The Low-Fi page has Saturation, Age, Warble, Hiss, Mechanical, & Speaker Impulse Response selection controls mapped to NKS.

 

The first 5 parameters generally busy themselves with degrading the sound to something resembling that which you might find in an elderly relatives dusty old cassette collection, whilst the final Speaker Impulse Response allows you to dial up various speaker types, 12 Inch, Small, Car Radio, Ambient, Telephone, Boom Box, Cassette, Horn, or None, should cover you for most eventualities.

The Delay section pretty much does what it says on the tin, and does include the all important Sync to DAW tempo, along with every timing you should realistically need including Triplets & Dotted from whole bar delays right up to 64th repeats.

 

The Reverb gives you the option to choose between the more common ambient simulations (including a shimmer), or a nice selection of convolution re verbs, Clean Hall, Concert Hall, Big Old Hall, Warm Stage, Scoring Stage, spring, Small Plate, & Medium Plate.

 

TRAILS PRESETS

 

I have so far concentrated on the master NKI presets for Trails, but there is plenty of factory content from which to either use immediately, or to use as launch pads for your own design explorations.

 

Alongside the 6 core NKI presets, Fracture Sounds have thoughtfully included lightweight versions of the Granular snapshot presets offering 57 more resource friendly versions.

 

There are also 62 NKSN snapshots which provide the full fat sound design editions!

 

As always I would strongly suggest taking a look at the Fracture Sounds media resources linked at the review footer, which will give you a greater understanding of what Trails is sonically capable of, which is honestly quite a lot.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Fracture Sounds have ventured into some new and very exciting territory with their most recent libraries, and with the introduction of the Granular Engine, Trails again pushes the boundaries of what is possible.

 

Once more the accessibility through their NKS mapping has exceeded expectations, and places them way up the list in my book for their understanding and willingness to implement helpful features.

 

Trails will definitely tick all the boxes for media composers, having been created by, and for just such an audience.

 

Trails by Fracture Sounds can be purchased from their website at the Intro Price of $99, £89, €99
RRP: $149, £129, €149 (inc. VAT) Offer Ends 21st March 2024.

 

Signature Bundle Offer (Ends 18th March) includes Trails, Petrichor, and Woodchester Piano: $209, £199, €209 (Save 30%) RRP: $307, £287, €307

Trails Product Page:
https://fracturesounds.com/product/trails/

 

Trails Walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq_kKf-igb4

 

Trails Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtYt0eqchzI&t=5s

 

 

(c) Chris Ankin

 

KK-Access.com

 

22ND February 2024

 

 

 

 

Transparency Statement

 

KK-Access believe in integrity, and through respect for our readers,that our product reviews should strive to be be honest and unbiased, and that any of our opinions should not be influenced by financial reward or other incentives from a plug-in or sample library developer for which a review of their wares may be a subject matter.

 

Therefore, we do not accept,, and will continue to decline any offers of affiliation links, for all products under review for publication on this website.

 

 

Disclaimer

 

The author can not accept any responsibility for subsequent purchase decisions made as a result of this review,or Any inaccuracies found therein. All opinions and product functions stated are based solely on information perceived as a blind user whilst using the product and/or gathered from official factual sources such as the developer, web or supplied product manual.

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Based in Buckinghamshire, England, Chris Ankin has worked as a freelance review writer and contributor with articles published in Sound On Sound, Home & Studio Recording and ST Format Magazines.

 

He has also successfully worked extensively in and around the music, recording, film Soundtrack scoring, Game & media composition, the creative arts, Charitable trusts,publishing, music streaming and property investments since 1982 whilst continuously and deliberately managing to evade any mainstream recognition under his own name by the use of various pseudonyms.

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