What’s new.

Read about the new features, enhancements and improvements in recent versions of Sessions.

Sessions 3.4

August 22, 2025

Sessions 3.4 includes the following improvements:

• Fixes an issue which could result in the output volume being louder than expected in certain circumstances

Sessions 3.3

August 19, 2025

Sessions 3.3 includes the following improvements:

• Fixes a very rare crash when starting playback in the Always-On Recorder

Sessions 3.2

August 2, 2025

Sessions 3.2 includes the following improvements:

• Sessions for iPad can now run in the background while using other apps. This behaviour can be selected using a new ‘Run in Background’ option in Audio Settings.
• Sessions for iPad will no longer interrupt audio from other apps when it becomes the foreground app.

Sessions 3.1

July 30, 2025

Sessions 3.1 includes the following improvements to Sessions for iPad:

• Support for Bluetooth headphones
• A menu for adding the current Scene to the Patch Library
• Several small changes to help clarify the difference between Projects and Patches
• Fixes a potential issue where the app state was not restored correctly

Sessions 3.0

July 21, 2025

Highlights of the Sessions 3.0 release include:

• Sessions is now available for iPad
• Project files have replaced Performances
• Improvements to Widgets 

Sessions is now available as a universal app for Mac and iPad. Existing Mac customers can download Sessions on their iPad with no additional purchase required.

In previous versions of Sessions read-only snapshots of all 12 Scenes could be saved as Performances. Performances were built-in to and managed by the app. In Sessions 3.0, the entire Performance system has been replaced with a more flexible Project file based workflow. The File menu has familiar New, Open, Open Recent, Save and Save As functions as well as Revert to Saved and Show in Finder options.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT YOUR EXISTING PERFORMANCES: Existing Performances must be migrated to the new Project file format before they can be used.  Sessions 3.0 includes a Performance Migrator in the File > Open Recent menu. When selected, this will show a list of all the Performances that have been saved. Pressing the Migrate button will begin the conversion which should only take a few seconds. On completion, converted Performances can be found in Finder in ~/Music/Sessions/Projects/Migrated Performances.

The Patch Library has also moved to the file system to make it easier to backup and share patches. Patches can be found ~/Music/Sessions/Patches.

Sessions 3.0 includes several improvements to Widgets. Each widget now has a header containing buttons for showing its contextual menu, opening a plug-in’s UI and  bypassing an effect. When an effect is bypassed it is now more clearly indicated. It is now possible to save an empty Widget Layout as the default for a Plug-in.

Sessions 3.0 also includes the following fixes and improvements:

• Bypass is now available for all effect plug-ins
• Fixes a potential performance problem with Sends that do not have a destination set
• Incompatible Plug-ins that support only mono connections will no longer cause Sessions to crash

Sessions 2.3

March 21, 2025

Sessions 2.3 includes the following improvements:

• Adds a greater selection of I/O buffer sizes
• Improves performance when using multiple Scenes
• Improves reliability when using AUv3 instruments and effects
• Fixes an issue that could prevent the Scene configuration popover from appearing

Sessions 2.2

March 12, 2025

Sessions 2.2 adds toggle behaviour for MIDI buttons, switches and pedals.

The behaviour of MIDI controller mappings for Macros can now be selected. Choose Direct for knobs, sliders and expression pedals where the entire MIDI range should map directly to the Macro value (matching the behaviour in previous app versions). Choose Toggle for buttons, switches and pedals that should behave as on / off switches. This will toggle between the Macro’s minimum and maximum values each time a MIDI value of 127 is received.

Sessions 2.1

February 14, 2025

Sessions 2.1 includes the following improvements:

• Improves reliability when using always-visible scroll bars
• Improves UI responsiveness when adjusting Macros
• Improves the dB label popup when adjusting levels
• Fixes a graphical artefact with level controls on macOS Ventura
• The instrument plug-in list in the New Channel view no longer includes hidden plug-ins

Sessions 2.0

February 6, 2025

Highlights of the Sessions 2.0 release include:

• Introduction of a streamlined, single-window plug-in workflow
• Added the Plug-In Manager
• New Widget themes
• Safe Start mode

Version 2.0 introduces a streamlined workflow so you can work with plug-ins in the main window right beside the Mixer - not floating on top of it. Flexible layout options let you set the split between the Mixer and plug-in view, enabling you to see exactly what you want. Of course, the traditional workflow where each plug-in opens in its own floating window is still available.

The Plug-In Manager shows details of all the Audio Units installed on your Mac and lets you decide which ones you want to use in Sessions.

We’ve added three new Widget themes that conjure up memories of old-school video displays from the early days of music technology - green, amber and paper-white screens.

To help troubleshoot problematic plug-ins, Safe Start allows Sessions to defer the loading of plug-ins at startup. Safe Start can be activated by holding the Option key when launching the app. Sessions will also automatically activate Safe Start on the next launch following an improper shutdown of the app.

Sessions 2.0 also includes the following fixes and improvements:

• Improvements to default channel names. The default name for an audio channel is now ‘Input Channel’, rather than ‘Untitled Channel’. For instrument channels, the default name is taken from the instrument plug-in used to create the channel. If the instrument plug-in is replaced and a custom name has not been set, the channel will be renamed to match the new instrument plug-in
• Session files are now called Performances to better reflect their purpose
• The bypassed state of an effect plug-in is now consistent between the Widget and plug-in
• Using a MIDI velocity filter no longer results in stuck notes
• Improves user interface when learning parameter mappings in Widgets and Macros
• Improves background colors in Light Mode
• Improves reliability and thread management throughout the audio engine
• Improves reliability when using Guitar Rig by Native Instruments

Sessions 1.3

December 10, 2024

• Improves beat and sample position reporting to plug-ins such as Cherry Audio’s CR-78
• Fixes an issue where Sessions could stop responding when starting the Beat Clock or Metronome

Sessions 1.2

November 8, 2024

• Fixes an issue where the initial plug-in scan could appear to stall

Sessions 1.1

September 16, 2024

Improves compatibility with macOS Sequoia and resolves the following issues:

• Messages from disabled MIDI inputs could trigger notes after changes to audio hardware settings
• The welcome message could be displayed more often than intended

Sessions 1.0

August 28, 2024

• Initial release