Audio Random Access


Audio Random Access 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 software. It was developed in a collaboration between Celemony Software and PreSonus.

Functionality

ARA increases the amount of communication possible between digital audio workstation software and a plug-in, allowing them to exchange key 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 and Melodyne.
Version 2 of ARA was announced during NAMM 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 and Studio One.

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

Audio plug-ins