Fracture Sounds has announced the release of Trails II, the second library in its collaboration with composer and artist Alexander Parsons, following on from the original Trails.
Trails II brings together solo trumpet, bass clarinet, synths, and percussion, including a rare Canna Sonora tuned percussion instrument, sampled for the first time, all resonating off different metallic surfaces to create otherworldly textures sitting at the intersection of sound design and orchestral music.
Background
The concept for the library grew out of a happy accident during a documentary scoring session, when Parsons recorded a trumpet resonating against a gong and discovered a tone that felt both unfamiliar and strangely recognisable. That discovery became the foundation for Trails II’s approach: using metallic resonance, gongs, thunder sheets, and other surfaces to transform conventional instruments into something new.
The library was recorded in a small, dry studio in London using close, room, and experimental contact microphones, alongside pedal chains curated by Parsons and collaborator Christos for bass clarinet and trumpet respectively. This setup gives users a focused but flexible sound palette, with four microphone mixes available for shaping the tone further.
Trails II also introduces updates to Fracture Sounds’ Layer Blends and Granular engines, including a new Rate control for the Granular engine, plus 19 new Atmosphere Layers created by Parsons and the Fracture Sounds team.
YouTube.com/watch?v=1cUOG17VHj8
Key features
- Trumpet, bass clarinet, saxophone, and synths recorded through resonating metal plates (gong and thunder sheet), with 28 articulations.
- Rare Canna Sonora tuned percussion instrument.
- Percussion patch combining waterphone, thunder sheet, gong, and cymbal resonating off a timpani head.
- 4 microphone mixes, including contact mics on the resonator.
- Layer Blends engine with 19 new Atmosphere Layers.
- Granular engine with new Rate control.
- Sample start control for realistic performance and playback.
- Full NKS support for Komplete Kontrol integration.
- Runs in the free Kontakt Player (v7.6 or later) — no additional sampler software required.
Pricing & Availability
Trails II is available now at an introductory price until July 30th, 2026, via Native Access 2 (Reg. $149, £129, €149).
Alongside the release, Fracture Sounds has launched several bundle offers, also available until July 30th, 2026:
- Trails Bundle (both Trails libraries): 30% off.
- Signature Bundle (all Signature series libraries): 30% off.
- Everything Bundle: 40% off.
Existing customers who own the original Trails or other qualifying libraries can log into their Fracture Sounds account to view personalised discount offers.
Demos
SoundCloud.com/fracture-sounds/sets/trails-ii
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