What is Session™ Key?
Session™ Key is a macOS menu bar app that reads the musical key and the tempo of whatever is playing through the Mac's own audio output, then writes both into the open DAW project with one keystroke. Every reading carries a confidence mark, and detection runs on the device, so nothing is uploaded, recorded or stored. $39 once, up to three Macs, no subscription.
A license is included with every Session Cards™ deck, which is $199 with free worldwide shipping and ships 1 October 2026. A standalone license is $39, bought once, at session.am/session-key.
Session™ Key is published by Capiscana, Inc., which operates this site. The DAWs named below are the products of their own companies, none of which has any involvement in this page. Every fact here is dated to the day the source was read.
The short version
- What it is
- A menu bar app for macOS. Not a plugin, not a web page, not a subscription. It sits at the top of the screen and reads what the Mac is playing.
- What it reads
- The Mac's own audio output. A track on the timeline, a streaming reference, a voice memo, a video in a browser tab: if the machine is playing it, the key and the tempo can be read.
- What it does with the answer
- One keystroke writes the tempo and the key into the open project in Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live and Studio One. FL Studio receives the tempo only.
- What it runs on
- macOS 14.4 or later on Apple Silicon, with one license covering up to three Macs. Anything the machine is sounding can be read, and every read carries a mark for how sure it is.
What it does in a session
The two questions that open a session are the key and the tempo. Detectors that answer them have existed for years, and what they hand back is a number that somebody then types into the project by hand. Session™ Key reads the same two values and closes that second step: when a reading locks, one keystroke sends it into the DAW that is open, and the send is confirmed when it lands.
The source is the Mac's audio output rather than any one application. Nothing is routed, imported, or dragged anywhere. Whatever is audible on the machine is what gets read, which is why a reference playing in a browser tab is treated the same way as a bounce playing on the timeline.
A whole file can be read instead of a live stream. Dropping the finished file on the menu bar icon analyzes the track in one pass rather than following it as it plays.
How sure it says it is
Every reading carries a confidence mark. Green is a lock and the app stops listening by itself so the reading holds. Amber is an unsure reading, and an unsure reading names its contenders instead of picking one and presenting it as settled.
On drums, speech, noise, or anything else without a stable tonal center, a live reading stays amber. Tempo has a second ambiguity of its own: a groove that is equally defensible at half or double time can be flipped between the two, and the flip changes what is displayed and what gets sent, never the detection.
The confidence mark is the thing to judge it on, and it can be checked in a few seconds on music you already know. Play something you can name, and the app either agrees with your ears or tells you it is not sure.
What happens to the audio
Detection runs on the device. Audio is not uploaded, not recorded, and not stored in the cloud. The network is used for licensing and for checking for updates, and for nothing else. That distinction is the one that matters when the thing playing is an unreleased record.
What it writes into each DAW
What it costs and what it runs on
What it needs
- A Mac. macOS 14.4 or later on Apple Silicon, and one license covers up to three of them.
- Something playing. The source is the Mac's own audio output, so anything the machine is sounding can be read. A finished file can be dropped on the menu bar icon and read in one pass instead.
- One setup step, once. Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Studio One need macOS Accessibility granted a single time; Ableton Live and FL Studio need the companion selected a single time inside the program. After that every send is one keystroke.
- Nothing else. No routing, no bus, no plugin on a channel, no account to keep paying for, and no audio leaving the machine.
Common questions
What does Session™ Key actually do?
It reads the musical key and the tempo of whatever is playing through the Mac's audio output, shows both in the menu bar with a confidence mark, and writes both into the open DAW project with one keystroke. Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live and Studio One receive the key and the tempo; FL Studio receives the tempo only.
Is Session™ Key a plugin?
No. It is a menu bar app, not a VST, AU or AAX plugin. Nothing is inserted on a track and there is no bus, aux or hardware loop to configure, because the app reads the machine's audio output rather than a signal inside the session.
Does the audio ever leave the Mac?
No. Key and tempo detection runs entirely on the device, from the Mac's own audio output. Nothing is uploaded, recorded or stored in the cloud, and the network is used only for licensing and update checks.
What does it run on?
macOS 14.4 or later, on Apple Silicon, and one license covers up to three Macs. It is a Mac app, built for the machine most records get made on.
How much does it cost?
$39 once, with no subscription. One license covers up to three Macs. A license is also included with the Session Cards™ deck.
Sources
- Session™ Key manual, session.am/manuals/session-key. Read 5 August 2026 for the DAW send behavior, the confidence marks, the half and double time flip, and the on-device detection claim.
- Session™ Key product page, session.am/session-key. Read 5 August 2026 for price, license terms and system requirements, and re-read 15 August 2026 to confirm them current.