Tracktion Horizen at 2.62. + 6 Expansion Packs

Ok so its been a long time between drinks here at Gearspace, so this might be a long catchup post... there was a major product update(2.6 listed below) and now 6 expansion packs...we apologise for the length of all this...

Tracktion and The SynthFactory released Horizen 2.6 update, in December 2024, a free update to all Horizen 2.x owners.

Horizen 2.6 was a huge update to an already powerful and award nominated virtual instrument, even better it was a free upgrade for all 2.x owners. Here’s a rundown on some (not all) of the enhancements in Horizen 2.6:

Expansions

Horizen can now display, load and play expansions, so now you can enhance and extend the sound sources available to you. You decide which expansions you want to install and use, on launch we will be providing 3 expansion packs for sale: DeepHorizons(ambient and beautiful), Tape-Op(Dusty old vibes) and 84 All Year(the 1980s reimagined). Each expansion comes with a range of between 50 and 150 new sound sources and loops to add into the samplers and loop players, and a set of presets that utilise these sounds. We plan to release a lot more expansions in 2025.

Tag Based Browsing

So the addition of expansions means its likely you will end up with many many hundreds of sounds and presets available to you, so you’ll need a fast and easy way to search and retrieve these, so now Horizen uses a tag-based retrieval engine for sounds, loops and presets. Each of these is already tagged with what we think are appropriate key-words, but you can add and remove tags and favourite any that you like.

Scalable Vector Interface

So we wanted you to be able to set the size of the Horizen UI to anything you wanted, and to have it show up as clean and clear at any sizing. So now it does. We also wanted to avoid a characterless “flat” interface too so we worked hard to retain the visual feedback available in previous versions. Whilst we were here we added a truck load of quality of life enhancements like a skin-able interface, and the ability to name each voice, so no longer just sampler 1, synth 4, loop 2 etc. you decide what each voice will be named. We also added zoomable loops, parametric EQs and LFOs, so now you get up to 4x zoom for finer granular control along with LFO animation so now the LFO output scrolls across the screen so you can see the effect of your LFO changes.

All New FX

We added 6 new FX to the FX section - Soft Clipper, Wavefolder, Compressor 2, Twin Chorus, Spectral Tilt EQ and Transient Shaper, we also moved the note effects (like Glide and Note Harmoniser) to their own Note FX panel, as well as adding an octave folder FX and per voice user-drawn velocity mapping, as well as an improved limiter in the global output.

Tempo-Sync Additions

So everywhere you can use a tempo synced value - thats effects, Arps and LFOs we added 5 more slower tempo settings, so now you can go as slow as 2 bar, 3 bar, 4 bar, 6 bar and 8 bar playback for those really long term effects and transitions.

There are literally dozens of other additions and improvements, including channel aftertouch applied to LFO depth which is our sound designers favourite addition, if you own Horizen 2.x or above then these are all free to you.

Look out for walkthru videos covering the new features coming soon.

Here’s a full(er) list of the additions to Horizen 2.6:Expansion load and play
Tag based Sound Browser
Tag based Presets Browser
Tag based Loop Browser
Vector based interface
User Draggable Plugin UI resizing
Smart Pattern Generators for the Arps.
Velocity based depth for Filter LFOs
Velocity based depth for Filter Envelopes
Loop Display pop-up window
Expandable Loop Display Zoom x2 & x4
Expandable Master EQ Displays x2 & x4
Expandable LFO Shape Mod Displays x2 & x4
Expandable Gate Mod Displays x2 & x4
Loop controls moved to extended display for more clarity
Selectable CC-based Modulators x 2
FM LFO Depth increased x12
LFO Tempo Sync speeds increased (2/1,3/1,4/1,6/1,8/1)
In Send EQs
Voice Selector button moves down to show it is selected
User settable Voice names
Optional LFO Plot displays
Soft Clipper FX
WaveFolder FX
New Compressor FX
Spectral Tilt EQ FX
Transient Manager Send FX
New NOTE FX sub-tab in the centre FX tab
CONTROL elements moved to the NOTE FX sub-tab of the FX tab
Octave Folder FX
User defined and drawn per Voice Velocity Map
Realism and Settings panel rationalised, input panel and output panels added.
Loadable Skins
Skin selection from list - requires plugin restart.
Sample start randomisation and depth for samplers
Synth Dual-Osc Mix modulation
Sample folder relocation option
In plugin update
Voice Keyswitching
Global LFOs - Depth Modulation by named CC - incl 129=Channel Aftertouch.
Loop Player random reverse playback
Removed Old Look Ahead Limiter
Soft Clip and Transient Manager in Master output
New Limiter on the Master output
LFO invert option

Horizen is today updated to V 2.6.2 - with some minor bug fixes.

There are now 6 expansions available for Horizen, you can view them here: https://www.tracktion.com/products/horizen#packs

The latest of these, released today is Tempest Ghost:

Tempest Ghost is a serene and expressive expansion, featuring a vast collection of ethnic-inspired wind instruments with a distinctly atmospheric edge. Each preset offers a rich blend of tonal nuance and ambient depth, delivering extraordinary textures with every keystroke. Harnessing the full power of Horizen's synthesis engine, Tempest Ghost is designed to respond beautifully to aftertouch and mod wheel input, allowing for deeply expressive performances—from whisper-soft articulations to bold, cinematic swells. Whether you're scoring for film, trailers, or games, or crafting ambient, chill, or contemporary compositions, Tempest Ghost provides a versatile palette of organic wind tones and immersive soundscapes that breathe life into any project.

Contains over 53 Presets for Horizen 2.

There is a Tempest Intro Deal

Buy Tempest expansion pack for only $30.

Are you new to Horizen? Grab the intro deal... buy Horizen and get Tempest expansion pack included at no cost!

Intro deal ends Oct​. 2​nd at 11:59​pm PT.