DAWproject
An open file format for moving a whole music project between DAWs, including tracks, clips, automation and plugin settings.
Every DAW saves projects in its own format, and switching software has long meant bouncing every track to audio and starting over. AAF handles this for film post-production but knows nothing about MIDI or synths. Bitwig and PreSonus unveiled DAWproject in 2023 under the MIT licence, with support in Bitwig Studio and Studio One. Steinberg added it to Cubase the following year.
The file is a zip archive holding XML that describes tracks, clips, tempo and automation, plus the audio files. Plugin state travels as opaque blobs: fine if the same plugin is installed on the other end, useless otherwise. The two heavyweights, Apple and Ableton, haven't signed up so far.