Artists, designers, and editors always look for tools that can streamline complex workflows and reduce repetitive strain in the creative process. Traditional keyboard and mouse setups work but they fail to provide the tactile, intuitive control for precise adjustments and quick task execution. TourBox is offering a dedicated hardware solution and the TourBox series has 4 models at this time, with each suitable for different needs and budgets. You can check out some of their differences below. Overall, if you want haptic feedback and iPadOS support, the Elite Plus is the only choice.
| Feature / Model | TourBox Elite Plus | TourBox Elite | TourBox NEO | TourBox Lite |
| Connection | Both Bluetooth & Wired (iPadOS only BT) | Both Bluetooth & Wired | Wired Connection only | Wired Connection only |
| Supported OS | Windows, macOS, iPadOS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Connectable Devices | Dual BT (2 computers OR 1 iPad) | Dual BT (2 computers) | 1 computer | 1 computer |
| Haptic Feedback | Yes (wide-band vibration, adjustable) | Yes (wide-band vibration, adjustable) | No | No |
| Button Types | Knob, Dial, Scroll, Buttons (11+3) | Knob, Dial, Scroll, Buttons (11+3) | Knob, Dial, Scroll, Buttons (11+3) | Knob, Scroll, Buttons (8+2) – No Dial |
| Button Combos | Over 150 | Over 150 | Over 150 | Over 50 |
| Functions per Preset | Over 400 | Over 400 | Over 400 | Over 200 |
| Coating/Touch | No coating, resists fingerprints (Ice Translucent) | Coated/No coating options, resists fingerprints | Skin-friendly material | No coating, resists fingerprints |
| Colors | Ice Translucent | Classic Black, Ivory White, Smoky Translucent | Classic Black | Classic Black |
| Price (USD) | $297 | $239 | $169 | $95 |
Design and Build Quality
The TourBox Elite Plus really feels like a high-end product and deserves a place on my desk. I’m very impressed with its sturdy and premium build quality. It also looks amazing with a matte, translucent plastic shell that allows you to see some components inside. It sits steadily on my desk, thanks to the heavy weight and non-slip rubber feet on the bottom. After installing 2 AA batteries, the product weighs just a bit less than 1 lbs.
The physical layout includes 11 distinct physical buttons and 3 clickable rotary controls (a knob, a dial, and a scroll wheel). They are strategically placed so that we can perform input actions – clicking, scrolling, spinning, twisting, and combining buttons – all by feel. The placement of buttons and knobs, as well as nice separation between them, allow me to locate and operate the controller easily. After a few days, I can instinctively locate and manipulate functions without needing to look down at the device.
Since the Elite Plus is equipped with dual Bluetooth functionality, you can switch between 2 devices seamlessly. I can move from my iPad to Mac quickly without the need of disconnecting and re-pairing devices; All I need to do is press the round button on the bottom of the device. It also supports a wired USB-C connection, offering consistent power and reliability.
Software
To start using the TourBox, you will need to install the TourBox Console app which is available for Windows, Mac, and iPadOS. The app is easy to use and you can customize options like mapping complex keyboard shortcuts, mouse actions, and even application-specific plugins and macros to any of the device’s controls. The app also features a Heads-Up Display (HUD) that visually maps out commands on screen, this is really helpful when you haven’t remembered all the functions of each button/wheel yet. They made the product even easier for first-time users as the app includes pre-loaded presets for most popular tools. Therefore, new users don’t have to start from scratch and manually assign functions for each control. This allows them to quickly integrate the device into their existing workflows.
It is compatible with almost all drawing, image editing, video editing, and audio production apps on Windows and macOS. Moreover, it is now supporting iPadOS apps like Procreate, Lightroom, Capture One, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, or Blender.
User Experience
The Elite Plus is equipped with a wide-band vibration motor to provide 2-level tactile haptic feedback on its knobs and scroll wheel. This physical response offers precise confirmation for every adjustment; This improves the editing experience by making actions intuitive without looking away from the screen. The haptic strength can be adjusted within the app.
I tested the Elite Plus with Procreate app on my iPad and Final Cut Pro on Mac, here is my experience.
Procreate (iPad)
Procreate is a popular digital art app on iPadOS and it really benefits from the TourBox’s ability to assign shortcuts to its buttons and dials. After using the TourBox, I take less actions for on-screen navigation as most can be done with my left hand on the controller. Here are some things you can do with it:
- Canvas Control: I can rotate and zoom the canvas with intuitive twists and scrolls of the dials. This eliminates the need for awkward multi-touch gestures or navigating on-screen menus.
- Brush Adjustments: The device allows for the effortless adjustment of brush size, hardness, opacity, and flow using its knobs and dials. A single knob can be configured to manage all these parameters, enabling precise, eye-free adjustments without interrupting the drawing flow. For example, I can configure the center knob to change the liquify tool size when pressed and turned, and general brush size when simply turned, providing dynamic, context-aware control.
- Tool Switching & Quick Actions: You can switch between essential drawing tools like erasers, selection modes, transform tools, and color pickers with dedicated button presses. The Elite Plus also enables quick access to the QuickShape feature with a single press, therefore, we no longer have to pause our pen on the canvas for a few seconds to create the shape.
- Layer Management: The controller makes managing layers much simpler as you can add, delete, merge layers, and adjust layer opacity.
A key benefit of the Elite Plus is that you can focus on drawing with your pen. Previously, I used my Apple Pencil for everything, from drawing to making every tiny adjustment. That workflow was a mess and I’m very happy that now I can use the Pencil on my right hand for drawing only. The Tourbox handles all other commands and I control it with my left hand. This separation significantly reduces hand fatigue and results in an uninterrupted creative process.
Final Cut Pro (Mac)
For video editors, the Elite Plus integrates seamlessly with Final Cut Pro on Mac to improve efficiency and precision.
- Timeline Navigation & Control: The Elite Plus allows for precise zooming in and out of the timeline, moving the playhead, and scrubbing frame by frame using its dedicated knobs and scroll wheel. A sophisticated “built-in acceleration algorithm” intelligently adjusts movement speed based on the rotation’s velocity. Therefore, we can navigate quickly across large timelines or make fine-tuned, frame-by-frame adjustments.
- Editing Operations: Common editing tasks such as cutting, trimming, ripple deleting, undoing, and redoing can be done with intuitive, one-handed operations. Editors can quickly toggle segment attributes, move footage segments vertically or horizontally, or accelerate smart inserts.
- Tool Switching & Effects Tweaking: You can switch between essential tools (e.g., cut, select, hand, pen, text). The knobs facilitate seamless tweaking of effects controls like Position, Scale, Rotation, Anchor Point, Cropping, and Opacity, so you don’t have to drag mouse constantly.
- Color Grading Precision: A particularly powerful feature is HoverAdjust for color grading in Final Cut Pro. Users can simply hover over a parameter in the color grading panel and twist a knob for seamless, precise adjustments. So you don’t have to click on your mouse multiple times for pinpoint precision. This enhances the accuracy and speed of color correction.
If you use DaVinci Resolve, the TourBox Elite Plus introduces powerful new tools, including HoverAdjust for direct control of color wheels, curves, warpers, and any slider or number box in the Color page. Its new Workspace Recognition automatically switches between seven sub-presets (Media, Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, Deliver). Mouse Drag Simulation enables precise panel control on the Edit page, while Shuttle Playback assigns playback speed and direction (1x–64x) to any dial with customizable speed levels and an on-screen indicator. Finally, Shuttle Browse adds smooth, inertial timeline navigation similar to the search dial on Resolve’s own control panels.
Conclusion
The TourBox Elite Plus significantly enhances efficiency for repetitive and precision-demanding tasks. As each click, mouse drag, or keyboard search, however small, can break focus. So, the TourBox aims to create a fluid workflow and help us stay immersed in the creative task. While you need some time to build muscle memory and customize presets, the gains in productivity and the enhancement of creative flow make the TourBox Elite Plus a worthwhile investment, especially if you work on your iPad. It has the price tag of $297 but it is on sale for just $267 on its official website now.
