Roland adds AAX support for Pro Tools
Roland announced AAX plugin support for Pro Tools in posts on April 13–14, a change that long‑time Pro Tools users flagged as important for plugin compatibility. (x.com) The social posts by industry accounts noted the news alongside user reactions about longstanding support issues. (x.com)
Roland Cloud now supports the Avid Audio eXtension, or AAX, format in Pro Tools, adding native compatibility for Roland’s virtual instruments. (experience.roland.com) Roland said the change is part of its Roland Cloud 5.5 update and applies to its “entire catalog of virtual instruments.” The company said existing subscribers can get the format by updating through Roland Cloud Manager. (experience.roland.com) AAX is the plug-in format Avid uses for Pro Tools, its live-sound VENUE systems and Media Composer. Avid says developers use the AAX software development kit to build audio effects, processing tools and virtual instruments for those platforms. (developer.avid.com) For Pro Tools users, plug-in format support is the gate that determines whether a software instrument loads inside a session at all. Roland’s update means instruments such as the Jupiter-8, Juno-106, SH-101, TR-808, TR-909 and D-50 can now run in Pro Tools through native AAX versions, according to Roland. (experience.roland.com) Roland framed the move as an answer to a long-running customer request, saying one of the most common questions from its Roland Cloud community was when Pro Tools support would arrive. The company’s announcement said the answer is “now.” (experience.roland.com) The update covers newer Roland Cloud instruments as well as legacy emulations. Roland specifically named the SYSTEM-8, FLAVR series, Tera Guitar and Tera Piano alongside its better-known vintage synth and drum machine recreations. (experience.roland.com) Roland Cloud is Roland’s subscription software service, and its website describes it as a suite of software synthesizers, drum machines and sampled instruments. The company’s current site also shows Roland Cloud Manager as the delivery app for updates and installations. (rolandcloud.com) The practical next step is simple: Pro Tools users who already subscribe to Roland Cloud can update Roland Cloud Manager and check for AAX versions of their instruments. After years of requests, the missing format support is now part of Roland’s official lineup. (experience.roland.com)
