Let’s face it—there’s no shortage of string libraries out there. But now and then, something hits differently. Trails by Fracture Sounds is one of those very moments.
This one’s for the subtle stuff—the kind of textures that whisper, swell, shiver, and evolve. If your scoring projects lean into emotional nuance, atmosphere, or delicate storytelling, this instrument might just be your new secret weapon.
The Philosophy Behind the Sound
At its core, Trails is about blurring the lines between acoustic performance and electronic ambiance. It’s built around solo violin and cello performances that are anything but traditional.
These aren’t your standard long sustains or short staccatos. Instead, Trails focuses on what could best be described as “textural articulations”—expressive playing techniques that morph and evolve, sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically.
There’s a total of eight articulations per instrument, and they’re more like mini performances than static samples. Names like Flickers, Ricochets, Stutters, and Reflections hint at their character.
Some shimmer with harmonic overtones, others bounce with frenetic energy, and a few feel like they could unravel into vapor at any moment. Each articulation is key-switchable, so you can perform them in real time, or sequence them for evolving soundscapes.
What makes these textures shine is their clarity. Everything was recorded in a dry studio environment using close and room mics that were carefully blended to produce a clean, unprocessed sound. That’s intentional.
Fracture Sounds wanted you to have total control over the space, which makes these textures incredibly adaptable—whether you’re scoring a moody drama, an indie game, or an experimental short film.
Layering the Atmosphere
Now here’s where things get interesting. Trails aren’t just strings. Each of the core instrument patches includes an “Atmosphere” section—essentially a three-layer synth engine tucked right into the interface. You can load up to three different pads or textures and blend them alongside the raw strings, turning your instrument into a hybrid acoustic-synth monster.
Modwheel Morphing
There are 28 ambient recordings and analog synth textures to pick from, and each layer can be mixed, tuned by octave, soloed, or muted.
Better yet, the mod wheel lets you morph between the three layers in real-time. It’s a powerful, intuitive way to perform dynamic timbral shifts without diving into menus or automation lanes. Want to start with a clean string tone and slowly dissolve into a shimmering drone? Just ride the wheel.
It’s hard to overstate how creatively freeing this is. These aren’t slapped-on synths either—they feel like they were born from the same world as the strings, texturally rich and emotionally resonant.
Say Hello to the Granular Dimension
If the Atmosphere layers weren’t enough, Trails comes packed with a custom-built granular engine that deserves a spotlight of its own. This isn’t a tacked-on effect. It’s a fully fleshed-out, waveform-driven playground for sound design.
Sculpting with Grains
Load up one of the 50+ available source sounds (strings, synths, or even the included piano), and suddenly you’re manipulating grains of sound—adjusting position, density, shape, and motion to create something entirely new.
The grain engine includes all the goodies: start and end markers, randomization options, reverse playback, and a suite of effects like delay and reverb. You can stretch, smear, and morph the original material until it becomes an entirely different texture—airy, chaotic, cinematic, or ghostly.
And if tweaking isn’t your thing, there’s a generous set of granular presets to get you started, including lightweight versions for slower machines. The built-in randomizer also makes experimentation easy: one click and you might stumble onto your next big sound.
Meet the Faulkner Dulcichord
One of Trails’ most charming surprises is the inclusion of the Faulkner Dulcichord—a rare tabletop piano that sounds like it belongs in a forgotten attic or an antique shop. It’s delicate, slightly brittle, and loaded with character.
You can keep it pristine or activate the “Broken Tuning” feature to introduce detuning and vintage charm. Other tweaks like stereo width, key noise, and tone color give you full control over its vibe.
Better still, you can layer synth atmospheres under it just like with the string instruments. So yes, your dulcichord melody can trail off into a granular shimmer or get drenched in analog warmth. It’s that kind of instrument.
Sound Design Without the Fuss
What ties everything together is the instrument’s interface. It’s clean, intuitive, and never overwhelms. The main controls—Dynamics, Lo-Fi, Delay, and Reverb—are presented as big, easy-to-grab knobs.
Deeper settings are tucked behind little gear icons, where you’ll find detailed controls for things like delay sync, reverb type (hall, room, shimmer, convolution), and the incredibly versatile lo-fi suite.
That Lo-Fi Magic
Speaking of which, the Lo-Fi effect deserves special mention. It’s a sound designer’s toolbox with parameters for saturation, age, warble, hiss, and mechanical noise. You can even filter the sound through impulse responses of old speakers, radios, or cassette decks to dial in a nostalgic or degraded vibe.
It’s clear Trails was made by people who understand how composers work. The interface invites play without demanding constant tweaking. You can get deep when you want to, but the default presets already sound fantastic out of the box.
Performance-Ready and Accessible
On the technical side, Trails is compatible with the free Kontakt Player and fully NKS-integrated, which means it plays nicely with Komplete Kontrol keyboards and Maschine.
And despite its impressive sound quality (the library clocks in at around 12 GB compressed), there are lightweight presets to keep CPU usage in check. You can purge unused articulations, disable layers, or opt for simpler versions when you need a faster workflow.
So, Who’s It For?
If you’re a trailer composer looking for braaams and aggressive string shorts, keep walking. But if you’re the type who likes to build tension with subtle swells, eerie textures, and evolving pads, Trails is pure gold. It’s ideal for ambient composition, film scoring, game music, or even experimental production where traditional strings feel too “on the nose.”
What makes it special is how effortlessly it bridges acoustic authenticity with synth-based creativity. You can stay grounded in realism or dive headfirst into sound design—and the transition between those worlds feels seamless.
Final Thoughts
Trails is more than just another Kontakt instrument. It’s a mood machine. A creative toolkit. A sonic journal of quiet tension and graceful decay. It gives you expressive solo strings, ambient synth layers, a rare dulcichord, and a surprisingly powerful granular engine—all under one roof, with an interface that doesn’t fight you along the way.
It’s hard not to be inspired when playing with Trails. Even a few minutes of improvisation can yield something unexpected and beautiful. Whether you’re scoring slow-burning drama or designing the sound of a dream, Trails gives you the tools to go deep, stay subtle, and keep exploring.
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