Sessions Press Kit.

Press Release.

April 24 2026, Inverurie, Scotland

Open Planet Software are delighted to announce that their popular plug-in host, Sessions, has been updated to version 8.0.

What is Sessions?

Sessions is a performance-oriented plug-in host that puts all your virtual instruments and effects at your fingertips. With powerful features and a streamlined workflow it gives musicians the freedom to explore, create, play and perform without a DAW.

Refreshingly straightforward, Sessions is designed to keep you ‘in the moment’ however you make music. Thanks to the fluid drag-and-drop interface and innovations like the Always-On Recorder, producers, songwriters and sound designers can quickly experiment with new ideas and jump-start the creative process. 

For live players, Sessions has everything you need for an impromptu jam or a professional stage performance including MIDI layers and splits, flexible audio mixing, seamless sound switching, MIDI control, Ableton Link and so much more.

What’s the headline feature of version 8.0?

Sessions 8.0 introduces Backing Tracks.

Use pre-recorded backing tracks, stems and loops in your live performances. With Backing Tracks you can play an individual audio file or a set of stem files, each with its own volume control. Tracks can be independently set to play once or loop indefinitely and can be routed into the Scene Mixer for further processing.

We’ve also refreshed the Toolbar in Sessions 8.0. The central display now shows the current position in either bars & beats or elapsed time. Toolbar buttons include Play / Stop, Rewind, Metronome Mute / Unmute and a new Panic button that mutes the output and kills any hanging MIDI notes.

I’ve not heard of Sessions, tell me more about it.

Audio Mixer: The Mixer sits at the heart of Sessions and is where the virtual world of plug-ins meet the real world of keyboards, guitars, microphones and MIDI controllers. 

The intuitive, drag-and-drop interface is deceptively simple; under the hood lies an incredibly flexible and powerful live audio mixer that scales from simple plug-in chains to multi-layered keyboard patches all the way to mixing an entire live band complete with pre/post-fader sends, auxiliary channels and multiple outputs.

Plug-in Widgets: Instrument and effect plug-ins are represented in the Mixer by Widgets - beautifully simple mini-panels that contain a plug-in’s most important controls. They’re completely customizable, letting you add knobs, sliders and switches that can be mapped to any parameter. An extensive collection of stunning themes is included, many inspired by the vintage hardware of yesteryear. Your mix will look as good as it sounds. Widgets offer immediate hands-on control of parameters across many plug-ins in a very compact space.

Scenes, Patches and Projects: Sessions contains twelve Scenes that are easily identified by a bold color and a name or icon. Each Scene has its own Mixer so you can build twelve totally independent combinations of instruments and effects.

You can save the content of all twelve Scenes to a Project file that can be recalled time and time again. Projects are ideal for quickly loading sounds during a live set or as templates, pre-loaded with your favorite plug-ins. You can also save single Channel Strips or entire Scenes to the Patch Library making it quick and easy to find and play the sounds you love.

Seamless Sound Transitions: Switching Scenes is instantaneous and seamless, allowing notes to be held and effect tails to decay naturally over time - an essential tool for smooth sound transitions while performing.

The Session Mix grid provides a bird’s eye view of all twelve Scenes with easy-to-see and easy-to-reach buttons. Seamlessly switch, layer and mix all twelve Scenes from this simplified view designed to help you stay focused on your performance, not the technology.

Macro Controls:  At the bottom of a Scene is the Big Knob and sixteen Macro Controls. These can be configured to adjust multiple parameters - all with individual and independent scales and ranges - offering limitless potential for realtime control. Switch Scenes and adjust Macros using MIDI for complete hands-on control without touching your computer.

Backing Tracks: For performers who use backing tracks, Sessions can load and play individual audio files or a set of stem files that can be mixed during playback. Tracks can be independently set to play through once or loop indefinitely. For ultimate flexibility, each track can be played direct to the main output or routed via the Mixer for further processing.

Always-On Recorder: It’s happened to us all - we play something amazing and think "I wish I had recorded that”. Never again! The Always-On Recorder continuously records what you’ve been playing for up to 15 minutes, without filling up your disk. As well as capturing happy accidents, the Always-On Recorder is useful for reviewing progress during practice and gives songwriters and sound designers confidence that a spark of inspiration will never be lost.

Sync and Ableton Link: The Beat Clock keeps your plug-ins in sync. Play in time with other apps and devices using Ableton Link or an external MIDI clock. There’s even a metronome for keeping you on the beat while you practice.

Price and Availability

Sessions is available as a Universal Purchase (containing both apps) on the Mac and iPad App Stores and costs $19.99.

Version 8.0 is a free update for existing users.

A free trial of Sessions available on the Sessions website and via Apple’s TestFlight.

Sessions requires a Mac running macOS 15 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 18 or later.

Links

Sessions

https://www.openplanetsoftware.com/sessions

Videos

https://www.openplanetsoftware.com/sessions/videos.html

Open Planet Software

https://www.openplanetsoftware.com

Press Contact

Gordon Murrison

gordon [at] openplanetsoftware [dot] com

Developer Quote

Gordon Murrison, developer of Sessions said “I love the quality and diversity of sounds I can get from my plug-in collection but there are so many times when I’d rather not have to fire up my DAW to use them - both in the studio and on the stage. DAWs are amazing but the ‘full power and complexity of a studio’ is not always what we need. Sometimes, less is more, so I wanted to create an environment with fewer distractions to help me stay ‘in the moment’.  I’ve been using Sessions every day for piano and guitar practice and it’s become my go-to app when working on new sound design and songwriting ideas - it’s so easy and inspiring to drag-and-drop wild plug-in combinations, and the Always-On Recorder means I never miss a happy accident.