Short description
TouchMod is a series of Windows VST3® plugins that turns a multitouch screen or iPad into an expressive controller for software instruments and effects. TouchMod IN hosts two VST3 instruments, while TouchMod FX hosts two effects. Each finger controls two assigned parameters through X and Y movement, allowing up to eight parameters to be shaped at once with four fingers. Parameters are addressed directly through VST3, without conventional MIDI CC mapping. TouchMod can be used with a Windows multitouch display or with the free TouchMod Remote app for iPad over a local Wi-Fi network.
Long description
TouchMod is a series of Windows VST3 plugins designed to make software instruments and effects more direct, playable and expressive. Instead of controlling one plugin parameter at a time with a mouse, musicians can use multitouch gestures to shape several parts of a sound together.
TouchMod IN hosts two VST3 instruments within one instance. TouchMod FX hosts two VST3 effects, which can be used in series or in parallel. Parameters from both loaded plugins can be assigned to the same pad, making it possible to control layered instruments or connected effect chains as one performance surface.
The pad is divided into assignable touch sectors. Each finger controls one parameter on the X axis and another on the Y axis, so four fingers can move up to eight parameters simultaneously. A gesture can open a filter while reducing resonance, increase delay feedback while darkening the repeats, or reshape several parameters across two loaded plugins at the same time.
TouchMod works with the parameters that VST3 plugins expose to the host. Parameters can be assigned by moving a control in Learn mode or selected from the full parameter list, including host-accessible parameters that may not be visible on the main plugin interface. Each assignment can have its own minimum and maximum range, and its direction can be reversed.
Loop Learning records touch movements and plays them back as repeating parameter gestures. Their speed and amplitude remain adjustable during playback, and additional movement can be layered in supported sectors. This creates evolving modulation from a performed gesture rather than a fixed, pre-drawn automation curve.
TouchMod can be used with a Windows multitouch display connected directly to the computer. The free TouchMod Remote app provides the same pad on an iPad over the local Wi-Fi network. No internet connection is required during use: the plugins and settings remain on the Windows computer, while the iPad displays and controls the selected TouchMod instance.
Press release
Essession launches TouchMod, bringing expressive multitouch control to VST3 plugins
New Windows plugins let producers shape up to eight instrument or effect parameters at once from an iPad or multitouch display. TouchMod IN and TouchMod FX are free until September 15, 2026, with permanent licences and free updates for users who download them during the launch period.
Essession has released TouchMod IN and TouchMod FX, two Windows VST3 plugins that turn an iPad or Windows touchscreen into a performance surface for software instruments and effects. Instead of adjusting one control at a time, musicians can shape several related parameters together with natural finger movements.
LFOs, step sequences and automation curves are ideal when modulation needs to be exact and repeatable. TouchMod adds a different kind of movement: one that begins with listening and physical response. Timing, emphasis and variation arise during the gesture rather than being completely programmed in advance. The result can still be recorded, repeated and refined, but it starts as a performance.
Each finger controls one assigned parameter on the X axis and another on the Y axis. With up to four fingers, TouchMod can move as many as eight parameters simultaneously. A single gesture might open a filter while reducing resonance, increase delay feedback while darkening the repeats, or reshape several parts of a layered sound at once.
Unlike a conventional touchscreen MIDI controller, TouchMod does not need MIDI CC mappings between its surface and the hosted plugin. It works directly with the writable parameters that the plugin exposes through VST3. Parameters can be assigned by moving a control in Learn mode or selected from the plugin's parameter list. Individual ranges can then be narrowed or reversed so that each movement responds in a musically useful way.
TouchMod IN hosts two VST3 instruments within one instance, allowing parameters from both instruments to share the same pad. TouchMod FX hosts two effects and can route them in series or parallel. This makes it possible to treat layered instruments or connected effect chains as one playable setup rather than a collection of unrelated plugin windows.
Touch gestures can also be captured with Loop Learning and replayed as continuous parameter movement. Speed and amplitude remain adjustable while the loop is running, and a second gesture can be layered to create more complex modulation. Where an LFO repeats a mathematically defined cycle, a TouchMod loop retains the shape and character of a movement originally performed by hand.
TouchMod can be used with a Windows multitouch display, including a separate screen connected directly to the computer. The free TouchMod Remote app brings the same control surface to an iPad over the local Wi-Fi network. The DAW and plugin interfaces remain visible on the main screen, while the iPad becomes a dedicated surface placed close to the musician. No internet connection is required during use.
TouchMod is designed for producers, sound designers and electronic musicians who want plugin parameters to behave less like settings on a screen and more like something they can play.
Availability
TouchMod IN and TouchMod FX are available now as 64-bit VST3 plugins for Windows. Both can be downloaded free until September 15, 2026. Users who download them before that date receive a permanent full licence and free future updates.
About Essession
Essession is an independent software developer creating music production tools that make virtual instruments and effects more direct and expressive to use. Its TouchMod products combine multitouch interaction with direct VST3 parameter control.
Press materials, not for publication
Product descriptions, press information, logos and high-resolution media assets are available in the full English press kit: