Aura name change to Aruba FAQ

Nektar Aura has been renamed Nektar Aruba as of February 2023. The change is a name change only but does coincide with an update to firmware and Nektarine software, expected to be available on March 1, 2023

For additional information about the name change, please see the FAQ’s below:

Q: What’s the difference between an Aura and Aruba pad controller?

A: The name is the only difference. The hardware has not changed.

Q: Why has Aura been rebranded to Aruba?

A: We learned that another company owns an Aura trademark registration which we of course wish to respect.

Q: Why did you choose the name Aruba?

A: Aura and Aruba use many of the same letters and we wanted a name that didn’t visually or phonetically deviate too much from the original. Aruba was also the original development project name from which Aura evolved so it made sense to bring it back to the roots.

Q: Will existing Aura users be supported going forward?

A: Yes. There is no change for users with an Aura branded unit except that the firmware will now present itself to the OS as Aruba and you may have to select Aruba instead of Aura in Nektarine menus. The hardware remains the same so existing Aura users will continue to be supported with future updates.

Q: Is Nektarine support for Aura going to be updated?

A: Yes. With the name change we release an update to Nektarine which includes new drum synths and library patches. It is important to update firmware, DAW integration and Nektarine to the latest version to ensure the system will work correctly.

Q: Does the new Aruba Step Sequencer Record feature work with Aura units?

A: Yes. The latest firmware download includes the Step Sequencer Record feature. Preliminary information can be found here.

Q: Does the re-branding result in any change to the price of Aruba?

A: No. The price of Aruba is the same as Aura.