Reference · Key and tempo inside a DAW

Does Session™ Key work with Pro Tools?

Yes. One keystroke sets the session tempo and the Key Signature ruler inside Pro Tools, after a one-time macOS Accessibility grant. Without that grant nothing is set directly, and the fallback is a tempo-map file the engineer imports by hand.

Session™ Key is published by Capiscana, Inc., which operates this site. Pro Tools is a product of Avid Technology, Inc., which has no involvement in this page. Facts about Pro Tools below are dated to the day the source was read.

The short version

What gets set: The session tempo and the Key Signature ruler, both written into the open session and confirmed on screen when the send lands.
What the setup is: Choose Pro Tools as the DAW, grant macOS Accessibility once, then send with a hotkey.
Is there a plugin: No. There is no AAX plugin and no audio routing to configure. It is a menu bar app that reads the Mac's audio output and drives Pro Tools itself.
Where it stops: macOS 14.4 or later on Apple Silicon, and nothing else. Without the Accessibility grant only the tempo-map file is written.

What gets written into the session

Session™ Key reads the key and BPM from whatever is playing through the Mac's audio output and shows both in the menu bar with a confidence mark on every read. When the reading locks, one keystroke sends it: the session tempo and the Key Signature ruler are set in the open Pro Tools session, and the send is confirmed when it lands.

Nothing is inserted on a track. Session™ Key is not an AAX plugin and there is no bus, aux or hardware loop to set up. It listens to the machine and types into Pro Tools the way an engineer would.

Detection runs on the device. No audio is uploaded, recorded or stored off the Mac, which is the difference that matters when the track on the timeline is an unreleased record.

The one-time setup

Choose Pro Tools as the DAWThe companion files for the selected DAW install automatically. There is nothing to download separately.
Grant Accessibility oncemacOS asks a single time. That grant is what allows an outside app to set the tempo and the Key Signature ruler inside Pro Tools and read back the result.
Send with a hotkeyLock a reading, press the send hotkey, watch the confirmation. A tempo-map file is written every time as well, so the manual import route stays available.

Where it stops

Platform. macOS 14.4 or later, Apple Silicon. There is no Windows build and no Intel build.
The grant is not optional. Deny Accessibility and the direct set does not happen. The tempo-map file is still written, so the tempo can be imported, but the Key Signature ruler is not touched.
It reads what is playing. The source is the Mac's audio output, so a file sitting on the timeline unplayed is not analyzed. Something has to be sounding.
No accuracy figure is published for Session™ Key, and none appears on this site. Every read carries a confidence mark instead, and when two tempos are equally defensible at half or double time both are named.

What it costs and what it runs on

Price

$49 once. No subscription.

Licenses

One license covers up to three Macs.

Refund

30-day money-back guarantee.

Requirements

macOS 14.4 or later, Apple Silicon.

Audio handling

Detection runs on the device. Nothing is uploaded, recorded or stored.

Included with

A license comes with the Session Cards™ deck.

Product page

session.am/session-key

Common questions

Does Session™ Key need a Pro Tools plugin?

No. There is no AAX plugin and no routing to configure. Session™ Key is a menu bar app that reads the Mac's audio output and sets the session tempo and the Key Signature ruler in Pro Tools itself, after a one-time Accessibility grant.

What exactly does it set in Pro Tools?

The session tempo and the Key Signature ruler. Both are set directly and confirmed on screen. A tempo-map file is written as well, so the tempo can be imported by hand instead.

Does the audio ever leave the Mac?

No. Key and BPM detection runs entirely on the device, from the Mac's own audio output. Nothing is uploaded, recorded or stored in the cloud.

What happens without the Accessibility grant?

The direct set does not happen. The tempo-map file is still written on every send, so the tempo can be imported into the session manually, but the Key Signature ruler is left alone.

How much does it cost?

$49 once, with no subscription. One license covers up to three Macs and carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. A license is also included with the Session Cards™ deck.

Sources

Session™ Key manual, session.am/manuals/session-key. Read 2026-08-05 for the DAW send behavior, the Accessibility requirement and the confidence marks.
Session™ Key product page, session.am/session-key. Read 2026-08-05 for price, license terms and system requirements.