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LUNA 3.0: the next generation of Universal Audio’s flagship DAW has arrived – here’s everything that’s new
Less than a year after the unveiling of LUNA 2.0, Universal Audio has launched the next sweeping update to its flagship DAW. Meet LUNA 3.0…
Touted as a “landmark update” designed to make recording and music production “more intuitive”, LUNA 3.0 introduces a raft of new creative tools, including a faster and simpler way to record new ideas, stem separation, audio-to-MIDI, Moises-powered chord extraction, and more.
Launched in 2020, LUNA is now in its seventh year, and is continuously expanding to meet the needs of modern producers. Let’s take a closer look at everything that’s new in the 3.0 update.
LUNA 3.0 – what’s new for free users?
Headlining the new features in LUNA 3.0 is LUNA Play, a new way to record musical ideas on the fly. Universal Audio describes it as “like a voice memo app designed just for making music”, with automatic level setting and UAD plugin presets built right in.
LUNA 3.0 also comes with a number of workflow improvements, including the ability to organise your tracks and route audio to folders, an adaptive grid which adapts to zoom level for streamlined editing, Click Track Automation for “complete control over the metronome”, and the ability to record mono audio sources on stereo channels without the need for additional routing.
There’s also the introduction of Chord, Key and Time Signature rulers, giving you a better understanding of the musical structure of your session.
LUNA 3.0 also introduces four-track stem separation, giving producers the ability to separate stereo mixes into four individual stems for editing, remixing and/or creative sampling. Strip Silence is now available, too, offering the ability to remove silent sections of an audio clip – great for tidying up unwanted noise in a track, or for podcast editing, for example.
There’s also now a Piano Roll, offering “full control” over MIDI via new tools and scale-aware editing.
LUNA 3.0 Studio – everything in LUNA Free, but MORE
Priced at a one-time purchase of $199, LUNA Studio is UA’s fully equipped DAW, building upon everything in LUNA Free with extra UAD plugins, LUNA Extensions, and a range of smart tools, including stem separation, lyric transcription, chord extraction and more.
Where the free version of LUNA 3.0 offers four-track stem separation, the paid LUNA Studio ups this to six tracks.
There’s also Audio-to-MIDI, offering the ability to transform audio clips into MIDI to layer virtual instruments and build new parts. In addition, there’s also Lyric Transcription, which automatically transcribes vocals into a time-aligned lyric browser, and Chord Extraction, which detects chords from audio and maps them onto LUNA’s Chord Track.
The third version of LUNA Studio also introduces Celemony Tonalic Elements, Dreamtonics Synthsizer V 2 Core, and Topline Vocal Tune.
UAD Spark Studio – a new way to save while accessing Universal Audio’s entire creative environment
Coinciding with the LUNA 3.0 launch, Universal Audio has introduced UAD Spark Studio, a subscription which includes access to LUNA Studio, as well as a complete native UAD plugin and virtual instrument library. This includes an expanding collection of 70 native UAD plugins, with offerings from Neve, Ampex, Lexicon and more, alongside virtual instruments like Minimoog, PolyMAX and Electra 88.
What is Universal Audio saying about the new LUNA 3.0 update?
“Great songs start with an idea,” says Bill Putnam Jr., CEO of Universal Audio. “And we’ve all been there… when you hear something in your head, hit record, and suddenly the inspiration’s gone or the tech gets in the way. This new era for LUNA makes it easier than ever to capture those ideas and follow them wherever they take you.”
On the new UAD Spark Studio subscription, Putnam Jr. adds: “UAD Spark Studio brings the whole studio together in one place. LUNA, UAD plugins, instruments – it’s all there, so you can spend less time setting things up and more time making music.”
Pricing & availability
A free version of LUNA 3.0 is available, with all of the features mentioned above. The fully equipped LUNA Studio is priced at $199 for a one-time purchase, while a subscription to UAD Spark Studio costs $149 per year upfront, or for $19.99 per month.
Learn more about LUNA 3.0 at Universal Audio.
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