The Touche SE relies on software very similar to Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol. It uses an outdated software called "Lie" that you load up as an instrument and then within the Lie software you load up another instrument VST2 sound module. Here Lies (pun intended) the problem. Everyone has moved onto VST3 except for Expressive E. I also wanted the Expressive E Touche SE to work with my Native Instruments Komplete Control Keyboard and my NI library, but because both use plugin "wrapper" software to do the work, they can not work together. It looks like if you have Ableton Suite, some people are making Max for Live patches that will enable the Touch SE to work with other instruments. But if you use another DAW , you are pretty much out of luck. Yes you can use the controller to send standard MIDI CC 16,17,18,19 but these controls snap back to center immediately without the curves and release time settings that are applied in the Lie software, so it is not musical. Maybe the big brother Touche can store these curves and release times in the hardware , but the Touche SE cannot.

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This is a really affordable to way to add multiple layers of expressivity to your synths and VSTs. I have particularly enjoyed it for strings, as this allows you to play strings with a much more "acoustic" expressivity, so they sound like natural strings, and you can easily switch between bowing, plucking, and other expressive techniques (I'm not a strings player so I don't know all the terms) just by using the Touche. No more needing to load a different "sound" as you would with other strings VSTs. The Arche software offered by Expressive E is specifically designed for this, and the Touche is worth it just for this, honestly.

Expressive E offers presets for other VST synths so you can set things up easily. To get it to work with other VSTs (without presets available), it does take a bit of set up, and that part can feel a tad tedious, but it is doable, and once you've got it set up for an instrument, you don't have to do it again.

With non-strings, you also get really cool control over expressive features of other synths. For most synths, it honestly doesn't do too much differently than what you can accomplish with knobs, mod wheels, and pitch wheels, but the Touche is just far easier to control, which allows you to experiment more easily with different sounds. and the percussive uses of Touche are things I don't think you can do easily with other controllers. Once you get used to using it, it's very cool!

This SE version works great for me as I don't need to control hardware synths.

Now, for some of the cons. These are the only reasons I did not assign 5 stars. They are minor issues, but worth noting.
1) The Lie software is a little bit clunky at times. The software acts as a host for your other VSTs, so you load Lie as a plugin, and then load your VSTs within Lie. The intention with this was probably to make it easier to program the controls, but I have found the plugin itself to be best suited for Expressive E products. For your other VSTs, there are work arounds to map the Touche without opening Lie. I use Ableton, and Expressive E do provide a Max 4 Life device (downloadable from the website) that allows easy-enough mapping of the Touche to other VSTs. Lie also can only load VST2 instruments. This can be limiting if you've not downloaded everything in VST2 form. So, you might have to go back and download VST2 software for your instruments if you want to use them inside Lie.
2) The included USB cord could be a little longer to accommodate different studio setups. If you're keys are on your desktop, it works fine, but if you're like me and you keep a full digital piano off the side and use that for your keys, the cord doesn't as easily reach. It will reach for some set ups, but not all. Easy to fix just by buying a longer cord.
3) Set up takes longer than it should. Expressive E has clear instructions on their website, but it was not exactly a "plug and play" device. Took me about 30 minutes to download and set up everything. A fair chunk of that was Lie needing to scan all my VSTs, of which I have a lot, the the software froze a couple times during scanning, which caused me to have to start over. There seem to be some bugs they need to work out in the software, but so far these have been few and some could have just been my computer, as I was downloading other things at the same time, and may have just overloaded some things.

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I have some of the SWAM instruments and was looking for a way to add more expression to those tracks in real-time. I purchased an expression pedal that I found difficult to use. After some additional research, I decided to get the Touche SE. I'm amazed by how much control I now have over the SWAM instruments! I also love how the Touche allows me to easily adjust its level of sensitivity. I'm looking forward to trying it with other VSTs, but the way it enhances the SWAM instruments alone makes it worth the purchase.