Universal Audio Changing the Game with LUNA?!

Universal Audio just officially enter the world of DAWs... Luna is now untethered. Universal Audio's LUNA just had an update. It's now possible to use the DAW without being connected to Universal audio interfaces. So you can now use LUNA anywhere. That's a big deal in the DAW world now opening LUNA up to potentially a much wider audience. I'm excited to see how other companies like Avid with Pro Tools may respond to something like this. If you are producing music, mixing, or mastering, this seemingly small change does have the potential to shake things up.

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[johnbach]

It'd be nice if Luna could go to windows...

[Miml]

Today is Nov 29, 2023 and I must truly say, you were absolutely correct. UAD is killing it with LUNA being free and the change to Native Plugins. The fact that now a lot of key commands are exactly like Pro Tools and Ableton makes it so easy for new users. Best DAW around.

[mullethillsound]

I was a long time Logic user who’s been using Luna exclusively for almost 2 years. I just felt at home using it in ways I never did before with logic or Cubase. I mix faster and my music sounds and feels better, and I’m doing less processing with plugins overall (the console and tape extensions kill…gain stage hard into them to get into the red on the VUs, and stage down after them before plugin chains…it make a massive difference). Luna can be slow to load and unload sessions, and can be buggy requiring machine restarts, but it’s worth that pain by a mile.

[GideonTheVoice]

Just recently switched from Pro Tools to Luna. Glad I did! I used Pro Tools for about 15yrs. So far, Luna has been a lot less glitchy, and the workflow is a lot better for my needs. Most importantly, I don’t have to pay a premium for bug fixes. Got tired of paying subscription fees for Avid to fix their own glitches. Since a lot of shortcuts are the same with Luna and Pro Tools, the switch has not been painful. And Luna works natively with Apple Silicon! Now I don’t have to pay Avid for a Native Silicon update.

[RPMusicStudios]

I love UAD. I started with the the first Apollo and now use the Apollo 16x with my console. I use the twin with my laptop for creating in different places. Luna is great and the extensions really make the sound come alive. If Luna was Eucon compatible I’d probably work in it full time. I still love pro tools which has been solid for a while now but Luna’s integration with Apollo is really dope. Anyway, Cool vid. I’m glad to see audio companies pushing forward.

[billyhughes]

I'm fully in the UA ecosystem. Have been for a while and have exclusively used LUNA since summer 2020. I really love it as a former Pro Tools user. It's a really good move by UA, even if it's coming a bit late. I personally love the fact that so many recording/music related companies are in mad competition for people's business. It only makes things better for the consumer.

[rome]

They've also been opening up their plugins. They now have native versions of about 20 of their plugins. It seems like they add a new one each month. I have the Spark subscription, and while it's not without its bugs annoyances, it's great to be able to use UAD plugins without UAD hardware.

I would be open to trying Luna, though it may be counterproductive for me given how much time I have invested in Logic. I even have a desk mat with all the Logic shortcuts printed on it. I also have no real issues with Logic. Would be curious to know what the concrete, practical advantages are of Luna.

[chizzulwinduh]

I was just as excited as you a few years ago when UAD released LUNA. The thing is, LUNA is still so very far away with having the functionality of all other DAWs. For example, there is no multi outs for virtual instruments, there are no delay compensated hardware inserts, at all, there is no ARA2 integration, the midi editing is awful. Luna just isn't anywhere near being able to take on other DAWs that have, and have had all the above functionality for years. And what's more, there's no confirmation that any of that stuff will ever be in LUNA, they just won't say!

I tried turning off my Apollo's with the latest version of LUNA and running it under Core Audio. No dice. It doesn't work. LUNA is great for what is is, but it's still only half baked and UAD doesn't move quickly or even give a roadmap or any indication, so you can't plan for the future, you don't really know what you're investing in.

I've just moved to RME interfaces and will sell my Apollo X's, but I bought all the plugins. I can't use the DSP versions in Cubase 12, under silicon because UAD still, after all these many years are not VST 3, which has been the standard for so many years. There is no guarantee that LUNA will be properly Native anytime soon.

The UAD native plugin list is never going to be comprehensive because most of the good stuff is developed by 3rd parties that already sell those plugins, so why would they allow UAD to compete with them on their own stuff?

As I said, a few years ago now, I was excited by LUNA and the potential, but after years of waiting for them to deliver the functionality for LUNA, they just haven't. I wouldn't advise anyone to look at using LUNA until it's at least capable of delivering the stuff we've all come to expect in DAWS, because they aren't cheap and they won't let you know what's in the pipeline, so you can't plan for the future.

[mkx]

Please i need an info ! Is there a midi external controller for luna that can mute on and off the track while playing live ?

[RaulCastro]

Can I use luna with the Octo-DSP active & a different interface other than the Apollo interface ???

[MikeBrayton]

Game changing? I checked out Luna for quite a long time. It's set up with a certain analog kind of workflow, and does feel nice, but it's something that I've already set up as a template within my own DAW that I've been using for 30 years, know like the back of my palm, and works well. And plugins and DAWs do not determine success in the music industry. Content does. Performances do. Game-changing will be when your DAW can do that kind of stuff for you.

[esmoroglu]

Thank you for valuable comments. As a UAD Apollo and LUNA user from the very beginner stage onwards, this change will also enable LUNA to receive so much better feedback from users of all hardware which is fantastic.👏🏻👋🏼

[Intenzity]

Just so people know, LUNA will only launch if you have a UAD interface registered in your account, it is not a general use DAW at all, despite how UAD is trying to imply that it is. It is completely tied their hardware platform or you can never get past the initial launch. It only supports core audio...if you are already a registered user of some UAD hardware product.

[DavidRogersRock]

It seems to me that within a matter of years, UA was able to flip their place in the market for the betterment of their future.

Before, UA plugins could only be used if you had a UA device...then they introduced Spark, letting versions of their plugins run native on any DAW. Huge! Now everyone can have "that UA sound".

Then they released Luna for everyone to use. Granted, it's not a huge deal for those with an already established ecosystem, but for the weekenders or hobbyist, Luna is the best free DAW out there (opinion).

Before, they didn't have an easy "on-ramp" for intro producers or musicians that didn't cost a crap-ton of money...now UA is more accessible.

I'm a big fan.

[philipdjhall]

I downloaded the Luna Beta 1.4 not having a UA Interface; It still requires a registration for you to use. As it stands, it looks like if you own a UA Interface you can freely use the DAW without the need for said interface connected physically to your machine.

Why would anyone else need to answer it? That's how every other DAW works. Literally. Every. Single. One. Including PT Ultimate.

[sickmessiah]

Like me. I mix on my off time during the work week in a semi truck cab on headphones.

[sunnibird]

Luna is free to sell the plugins. As others have mentioned it's not even close to other DAWs in function.

[audidd]

I invested in the UA ecosystem years ago when they released the first Apollo. The Apollos are really rock-solid interfaces, and the UA analog emulation plugs are the best thing to the original when you need that Neve, SSL, or API tone & feel.
Since moving away from Pro Tools, Luna is my go-to. The workflow makes sense, the DAW does what it's supposed to, and I've yet to encounter anything that dead-stops a session.
UA slowly moving to a native setup is going to crush Pro Tools in the long run.
While I'd still like to see them implement some more bells and whistles similar in tune to Ableton Live (cater more to digital and electronic music creation), I'm rather confident that UA and Luna will be considered the next "industry standard" when it comes to studio tracking and mixing.

[Pintosonic]

Well, I think it’s a good thing that Universal Audio is opening up their ecosystem. However even a year after the release of your video, Luna is not fully independent from Universal Audio hardware. Even if it’s true that all Luna extensions are running natively and do not need any UAD-2 hardware connected to run, there are some licensing deals that Universal Audio did not worked out with some of their partners like Neve that prevent them from selling you some Luna extensions if you don’t own UAD-2 hardware. For example, if you don’t have any UAD-2 hardware registered on your UA account, you can install Luna on your system. You will have a 30 day trial period of all Luna extensions and UA native plugins that are included in Luna Pro bundle plus the Neve summing extension. Now if you decide you like it and want to buy the Luna Pro bundle and the Neve summing extension that you’ve been using for 30 days, you will not be able to buy the Neve summing extension unless you have at least one UAD-2 hardware registered to your account even if this extension does runs natively and doesn’t even run on UA hardware. So people have to know that not having UA hardware will limit what is available to you in Luna because of those crappy licensing deals with third party partners.