Audio Random Access
Extension for audio plug-in interface
title: "Audio Random Access" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2011-software", "music-software-plugin-architectures"] description: "Extension for audio plug-in interface" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Random_Access" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Extension for audio plug-in interface ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Audio Random Access |
| logo | File:ARA_Plug-In_Extension_Logo.png |
| developer | Celemony Software, PreSonus |
| released | |
| genre | Audio Plug-In Interface Extension |
| :: |
| name = Audio Random Access | logo = File:ARA_Plug-In_Extension_Logo.png | developer = Celemony Software, PreSonus | released = | genre = Audio Plug-In Interface Extension
Audio Random Access (commonly abbreviated to ARA) is an extension for audio plug-in interfaces, such as AU, VST and RTAS, allowing them to exchange a greater amount of audio information with digital audio workstation (DAW) software. It was developed in a collaboration between Celemony Software and PreSonus.
Functionality
ARA increases the amount of communication possible between DAW software and a plug-in, allowing them to exchange important information, such as audio data, tempo, pitch, and rhythm, for an entire song, rather than just at the moment of playback.
This increased amount of information exchange, and availability of data from other points in time, removes the need for audio material to be transferred to & from the plug-in, allowing that plug-in to be used as a more closely integrated part of the DAW's overall interface.
History
ARA was developed as a joint effort between Celemony Software and PreSonus, driven by the desire to increase the level of integration between Celemony's Melodyne plug-in and the DAWs using it. It was first published in October 2011 and released as part of PreSonus' Studio One DAW (version 2) and Melodyne (Editor, Assistant and Essential versions 1.3).
Version 2 of ARA was announced during the NAMM Show in January 2018, introducing new features such as the simultaneous editing of multiple tracks, transfer of chord track information, and undo synchronization with the DAW. DAWs which use ARA version 2 are not automatically backwards compatible with plug-ins using version 1. The first DAWs to support ARA version 2 were Logic Pro X (version 10.4, released in January 2018) and Studio One (version 4, released in May 2018).
ARA implementation
To allow software manufacturers to support ARA, a Software Development Kit has been published by Celemony.
Current software products which support ARA include the following.
Digital audio workstations
::data[format=table title=""]
| DAW | Developer | ARA v1 Support | ARA v2 Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACID Pro Next | MAGIX | N/A | Version 1.0.3.32 or later |
| Cakewalk by BandLab | BandLab Technologies | SONAR X3 or later | Version 2019.05 or later |
| Cubase | Steinberg | N/A | Version 10.0.30 or later |
| Digital Performer | MOTU | N/A | Version 11.2 or later |
| Logic Pro X | Apple Inc. | N/A | url=https://producelikeapro.com/blog/logic-10-4-update-the-first-to-utilize-ara-2/ |
| LUNA | Universal Audio | N/A | Version 2.0 or later |
| Nuendo | Steinberg | N/A | url=https://www.kvraudio.com/news/celemony-announces-that-steinberg-cubase-and-nuendo-have-added-ara2-support-45531 |
| Pro Tools | Avid Technology, Inc. | N/A | Version 2022.9 or later |
| REAPER | Cockos | N/A | Version 5.97 or later |
| Samplitude Pro | Magix | Version X3 or later | Version X5 or later |
| Studio Pro | Fender,PreSonus | url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/celemony-explains-ara-new-vst-au-rtas-plug-in-extension-506999 | title=Celemony explains ARA: new VST/AU/RTAS plug-in extension |
| Waveform / Tracktion | Tracktion Software Corporation | Version 5 or later | N/A |
| :: |
Audio editors and plug-ins
::data[format=table title=""]
| Plug-In | Developer | ARA v1 Support | ARA v2 Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melodyne | Celemony Software | Version 1.3 or later | Version 4.2 or later |
| VocAlign | Synchro Arts | Project version 3 / | Project version 3.6.0.5 / |
| RePitch | Synchro Arts | N/A | Version 1 |
| Revoice Pro | Synchro Arts | N/A | Version 4 or later |
| SpectraLayers | Steinberg | N/A | Version 6 or later |
| WaveLab | Steinberg | ||
| Auto-Align Post 2 | Sound Radix | N/A | Version 1 |
| Acoustica | Acon Digital | N/A | Version 7.4 or later |
| ASAP - Spectral Surface | IRCAM | N/A | All versions |
| ASAP - Pitches Brew | IRCAM | N/A | All versions |
| ASAP - Stretch Life | IRCAM | N/A | All versions |
| Vocaloid | Yamaha | N/A | Version 6 or later |
| Synthesizer V Studio | Dreamtonics | N/A | Version 1.11.0 or later |
| VOIS (getVOIS) | VOIS | N/A | Version 1.1.9 or later |
| Sync VX | Waves | N/A | |
| DynAssist | NoiseWorks Audio | N/A | |
| Vovious | Vovious | N/A | |
| :: |
References
References
- (2011-10-27). "Celemony introduces ARA Audio Random Access".
- (2018-02-11). "Celemony Intros ARA 2, Letting Plugins & DAWs Share Information".
- (2018-08-22). "ARA2 Demo Video - We've Got Hold Of A Video Showing The Amazing ARA2 In Action". Production Expert.
- "ARA support in REAPER - Page 14".
- Hughes, Russ. (2018-05-22). "PreSonus Announce Studio One 4 - Chord Track, Pattern Mode, AAF Import And Export, Song Data Import, Impact XT and Sample One XT And More...". Pro Tools Expert.
- "ARA SDK". Celemony.
- "Technologies".
- (2020-09-13). "ACID Pro 10 All New Features".
- (2013-10-04). "SONAR X3 Makes Control of Sound More Fluid with Deep Celemony Integration, More".
- Ong, Daniel. (2019-05-21). "Cakewalk by BandLab adds support for ARA 2 in latest update".
- "Digital Performer {{!}} MOTU.com".
- Libertini, Carlo. (2018-02-04). "Logic 10.4 Update: the first to utilize ARA-2". Produce Like A Pro.
- "What's New in LUNA".
- "Universal Audio's LUNA 2.0 DAW has arrived: Here's everything you need to know".
- "Universal Audio launch LUNA 2.0".
- (2019-06-26). "Celemony announces that Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo have added ARA2 support".
- (2022-09-28). "What's New in Pro Tools 2022.9". Avid Resource Center.
- (2019-02-22). "Streamlined workflow: Melodyne and Reaper now communicate via ARA 2".
- (2016-11-23). "Magix Release Music Maker Premium & Samplitude Pro X3". MusicTech.
- (2020-04-23). "Magix releases Samplitude Pro X5 with ARA2 and MPE support".
- Rogerson, Ben. (2011-10-18). "Celemony explains ARA: new VST/AU/RTAS plug-in extension". MusicRadar.
- (2018-05-18). "Presonus Studio One Lets You Create Without Boundaries".
- (2014-09-16). "Tracktion 5 Software Bundles Melodyne".
- Krantzberg, Eli. (2018-10-02). "Melodyne ARA & Logic Pro X - We've Never Been Able to Edit Audio Like This Before". Production Expert.
- (2016-09-26). "VocALign gets high-speed integration in Studio One".
- Krantzberg, Eli. (2019-06-28). "Synchro Arts Update VocALign with ARA2 Compatibility".
- Arblaster, Simon. (2018-09-19). "Revoice Pro 4 is here and introduces a new vibrato warp function". MusicRadar.
- Ong, Daniel. (2019-07-04). "Steinberg releases SpectraLayers Pro 6, adds ARA 2 support".
- (2022-05-19). "Acoustica 7.4 with New ARA2 Plug-in Released".
- "Yamaha New Comprehensive Vocal Synthesis Software VOCALOID™6".
- "Synthesizer V Studio 1.11.0b1 Update".
- "Studio Quality Timbre Transformation".
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