AudioSwift 3 Is Here: Turn Your Mac Trackpad Into a Truly Playable Instrument

Your trackpad was never meant to just point and click.

AudioSwift 3 is officially out — and it transforms your MacBook trackpad and Magic Trackpad into a tactile, expressive MIDI controller you can actually play.

Built for music producers, musicians, and audio engineers, v3 is our biggest update ever: more expressive, more integrated with your DAW, and finally designed to stay out of your way while you work.Whether you're tweaking synth parameters, writing chords that actually move, or riding faders without reaching for a separate controller, it just feels faster.

Watch it in action:

What's New That Actually Matters For Your Workflow

1. Trigger Mode Is Now a Performance Instrument
This is not just pads anymore. We rebuilt Trigger Mode for songwriting and live playing:
  • Play it like an instrument: New Arpeggio, Strum, and Free articulation modes with tilt control, velocity and timing humanization, and push/pull dynamics.
  • Write better chords, faster: Expanded voicings, dedicated bass notes, new Guitar Mode voicing, and genre-based Chord Sets to jump-start ideas.
  • More expressive control: Per-finger CC, Pitch Bend, and Pressure for both Chords and Keys, plus first/last finger priority and slide to adjacent notes/chords.
  • Bigger and smarter: Up to 24 pads per view (80 total), 7 notes at once, undo/redo, color highlights, copy/paste voicings, and full key shortcuts for scales, octaves, and chords.
2. Mix and Sound Design Without Looking Away
  • 16 Sliders in Slider Mode for controlling multiple plugin parameters at once.
  • Real Ableton Live Integration: New dedicated AudioSwift Control Scripts for the Slider Mode (control Devices, Instrument Racks, Effect Racks).
  • New 4-pad XY View and 14-bit high-resolution MIDI for ultra-smooth filter sweeps. Plus temporary axis-lock with CTRL / SHIFT and short-throw sliders for precision.
  • Surround Panning in XY Mode built specifically for Pro Tools and Logic Pro.
3. Touch Is Now Modulation
Your fingers are the modulation source:
  • Touch Control: Send CC or Channel Pressure based on how much finger surface touches the trackpad.
  • Force Touch Dynamics: Press harder to send CC or Pressure, with custom curves, min/max values, and quick-reset gestures.
4. Instant Recall, Right From Your DAW

Save your favorite layouts as Snapshots and recall them with keys 1-0, or trigger them via Program Change from your DAW. Set mode, bank, view, MIDI channel, and velocity in one keystroke.

5. A Mixer That Finally Stays Out of The Way
  • New DAW Support: Full Mixer Mode for Digital Performer, LUNA, and Studio One (now Fender Studio Pro) via FaderPort, plus the new Ableton Live Mixer Script.
  • See what you’re doing: Real-time fader and pan values in the Console and Trackpad windows on supported DAWs.
  • Non-intrusive by design: AudioSwift no longer forces itself to the foreground. Your plugin windows stay open while you tweak — a huge request from Ableton, Cubase, Bitwig, and Studio One users that is now fixed.

Watch: New in AudioSwift Version 3 (3:53 min)

Launch Offer

AudioSwift 3 is ready for macOS 27 Golden Gate and requires macOS 14 Sonoma or higher.
  • Already own AudioSwift? This is a free update. Just download and go.
  • New to AudioSwift? Get it for 30% off — $27.99 instead of $39.99 — until October 31.
 
The download includes a completely rewritten User Guide.
Download AudioSwift 3
View Complete Release Notes for v3
General New Features and Improvements
  • Now AudioSwift doesn’t require to be the foreground app on screen. Plugin windows won’t disappear when AudioSwift is turned on in Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Cubase, Studio One and Digital Performer. Any key shortcut not reserved for AudioSwift will be passed through to the DAW.
  • New option to disable AudioSwift key shortcuts and keep using the DAW shortcuts. Go to Preferences > General or press CTRL + OPT + CMD + D.
  • New option to unlock the cursor from input devices while AudioSwift is on. Using those devices lets you move the cursor without turning AudioSwift off. Go to Preferences > General or press CTRL + OPT + CMD + F.
  • New options to choose which windows will open when AudioSwift is called and change the transparency of the Console and Trackpad windows. Go to Preferences > General.
  • New GUI changes in the Console and Trackpad windows.
  • New Snapshots feature for changing to specific views/banks and Controller Modes, by using key shortcuts 1 to 0, or recalling them with Program Change Messages from the DAW. Snapshots also allows to set the Console to a specific MIDI channels and velocity values. Go to the Main Menu.
  • New MIDI Keys option to use the computer keyboard as a MIDI keyboard. Click the MIDI Keys icon in the Console window or press CMD + K to enable/disable. Press Z and X to change octaves; C and V to change velocities.
  • New key shortcut CMD + H for opening/closing the Console Window. Press CMD + SHIFT + H to make the Console window always on top.
  • New key shortcut CMD + J for opening/closing the Trackpad window. Press CMD + SHIFT + J to make the Trackpad Window always on top.
  • New key shortcut CMD + Comma for opening/closing the Preferences window.
  • New option to load specific settings from a preset file. A list  for the most recent presets loaded are now shown. Go to the Main Menu.
  • New option to turn AudioSwift off using a four or five fingers tap gesture. Go to Preferences > General.
  • The SHIFT key command to turn off AudioSwift is now optional. Go to Preferences > General.
  • New option to set the time AudioSwift is turned off automatically when no fingers are touching the trackpad. Set time from 0.1s to 60s. Go to Preferences > General.
  • Removes key shortcuts Z, X, C and V. They are only available for the MIDI Keys or Surround Controller option when they’re enabled.
  • Removes the arrow keys as key shortcuts for AudioSwift. It now requires to add the modifier CMD + arrow keys to change the MIDI channel and velocity values.
  • Adds link for the AudioSwift Blog in the main menu.
  • Adds warning message when Disable Controllers is clicked in the Main Menu.
  • Adds an informational message when running AudioSwift for the first time in the computer. It allow the user to give accessibility permissions to the app in order to work.
  • Changes the minimum requirement to macOS 10.13 High Sierra.
     
XY & Slider Modes New Features and Improvements
  • Adds 4 more sliders in Slider Mode for a total of 16 sliders.
  • New View 6 option in XY Mode with four independent XY pads.
  • New option for sending Channel Pressure messages in sliders and XY pads. Go to the Console Window and click the controller settings.
  • New Touch Control and Force Touch options for the XY and Slider Modes. Send Control Change or Channel Pressure messages by how much skin touches the trackpad or by pressing the trackpad (Force Touch), with options to set minimum and maximum values. Adds option to set the Touch Control sensitivity. Go to Preferences > XY & Slider.
  • New short throw option for sliders working in Absolute format. Go to Preferences > XY & Slider.
  • New 14-bit MIDI CC option for sliders and XY pads. Go to Preferences > XY & Slider.
  • New key shortcut to constraint temporarily the movements of the X and Y axes in XY pads, by pressing the CMD and SHIFT keys respectively.
  • New AudioSwift Control Script for Ableton Live in Slider Mode. Control Ableton Live’s Devices, Instruments Racks, and Effects Racks from the trackpad. Go to Preferences > XY & Slider.
  • New Surround Controller option in the XY Mode for trackpad and Magic Mouse. It works with Pro Tools and Logic Pro. Go to Preferences > XY & Slider.
 
Trigger & Scale Modes  New Features and Improvements
  • New 24 pads option in Trigger Mode. The number of total pads per Type increases from 60 to 80 pads.
  • New Touch Control and Force Touch options for the Trigger Mode. Send Control Change or Channel Pressure messages by how much skin touches the trackpad or by pressing the trackpad (Force Touch), with options to set minimum and maximum values. Adds option to set the Touch Control sensitivity.
  • New Velocity sensitivity option for Trigger Mode.
  • New option for sending Channel Pressure messages via X or Y axes in Trigger Mode.
  • Now up to seven notes can be played at the same time.
  • New option to change how middle C is displayed.
  • New Custom Scales options.
  • New Chords options for Trigger Mode, with more voicings, bass notes and a new Guitar Mode voicing.
  • New CC, PitchBend and Pressure options for Chords type in Trigger Mode. Choose option between the first finger played or the last finger played. New option to slide the finger to adjacent chords.
  • New articulation modes arpeggios, strumming and free for Chords type in Trigger Mode. Adds options for tilt, velocity variance, timing variance, and push/pull.
  • The Keys type in Trigger Mode can now work in non-MPE mode (Single Channel) and send CC, Pitchbend and Pressure through only one of the fingers. Choose option between the first finger played or the last finger played. New option to slide the finger to adjacent notes.
  • New option to set the pitch bend range for Keys and Chords types in Trigger Mode, with Up Only option.
  • New Chord Sets options for Trigger Mode covering different music genres.
  • New options for changing pads in Trigger Mode: undo/redo, color highlights, switching, insert, reset chords, paste chords type and voicing.
  • New key shortcuts in Trigger Mode for scales, octave, semitones, chords, voicings, bass notes, undo/redo, copy/paste.
  • New option in Trigger Mode to click the bottom right corner of each pad in the Console Window using the cursor, and triggering the MIDI note while AudioSwift is off.
  • New animation in the Console Window for the Trigger Mode when the pad is triggered.
  • New option for saving/loading banks in Trigger Mode.
  • The options in the Trackpad window for showing notes, labels, or both in Trigger Mode are now saved per Type.
  • New option to send automatic off/on sustain messages when a new note or chord is triggered.
  • New key shortcut to constraint the movements of the X and Y axes temporarily in MPE mode for the Trigger Mode, by pressing the CMD and SHIFT keys respectively.
  • New option to send global sustain and aftertouch messages in MPE Mode for the Trigger Mode, to all Member channels.
  • New option to copy the labels from a Drum Rack in Ableton Live to the pad labels in Trigger Mode (it requires the AudioSwift Control Script for Ableton Live).
  • Adds option to set scales in Trigger Mode type Drums.
  • Changes the key shortcut for All Notes Off or CC123 to the “/” key.
 
Mixer Mode New Features and Improvements
  • New Mixer Mode support for Digital Performer and LUNA.
  • New AudioSwift Mixer Script for Ableton Live.
  • New Studio One support using the PreSonus FaderPort (2018) script instead of the MCU (Mackie Control). Now you can select any track in the project and AudioSwift will be focused on that track. To set it up, go to AudioSwift > Preferences > Mixer tab and select Studio One FP as the Primary DAW in port 1. Then add PreSonus – Faderport (2018) in Studio One > Preferences > External Devices, and set AudioSwift 1 port for both input and output. Delete the old Mackie Control device if you previously had one configured for AudioSwift. Limitations:
    • The second fader in View 3 is not supported.
    • Sends, Jog Wheel and Master Fader are not supported.
    • The track names and dB values are not displayed in the Console and Trackpad windows.
  • New option to reset the faders and panning to default in Mixer Mode by using Force Touch. Move a fader or pan while applying pressure to the trackpad and lift the finger quickly. Reseting the pan with Force Touch is not supported in Pro Tools.
  • Now the Console and Trackpad windows display mixing values of faders and panning in realtime (available with certain DAWs).
 
Bug Fixes
  • Fixes issue with grayed drop-down menus.
  • Fixes an issue when sending different CCs in the X and Y axes in MPE mode.
  • Fixes a bug in Pro Tools with the Mixer Mode, when going to the next track in View 3 were causing an infinite loop.
  • Fixes MIDI messages reseting to a value of zero when using Force Touch.
  • Fixes responses of chord pads.
  • Fixes a bug when activating AudioSwift with a hotkey and the trackpad didn’t respond with the first touches.
  • Fixes the response of using the Shift Key to turn off AudioSwift.
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