Say Hello to LUNA 3.0

LUNA 3.0 is here, and it completely redefines what a DAW can do.

This update introduces a new way to start sessions with LUNA Play, a huge new batch of powerful smart tools, and additions to the ARA plug-in lineup that will change the way you create. No matter what version of LUNA you use, there's a lot to dig into. So let's check it out!

A brand new feature in the LUNA DAW, LUNA Play is a fast new way to record. Like a voice memo app designed just for making music, it automatically detects your instrument, sets levels, and suggests great presets with UAD plug-ins. You can isolate tracks and jam along with songs or capture your original ideas.

LUNA Free: All the Features You Need

LUNA Freeis a full-featured DAW for macOS and Windows. Unlike other free DAWs, you get unlimited tracks, smart tools, and a collection of premium UAD plug-ins built into the download with no time limits or watermarks. 

Here are some of the most exciting features in this new version of LUNA:

A Faster Way to Write and Record Songs

For many, the most difficult part of recording is everything that comes before you actually start tracking. Setting up a session can be incredibly tedious and confusing, and getting great sounds on the way in is another battle entirely.LUNA Playis built to fix that.

Think of it like a voice memo app designed specifically for making music. Open LUNA Play, and the DAW automatically detects your instrument, sets your input levels, and loads a curated UAD plug-in chain matched to what you're playing. You go from nothing to tracking in seconds, with a signal chain that already sounds good.

It's not just for capturing quick ideas, either. LUNA Play works with stem separation, so you can drop in any song, isolate the parts you want, and jam along — whether you're practicing a solo, writing a top line over a track you love, or just looking for something to play against. 

For beginners, it removes the technical barriers that make recording feel intimidating. Even for seasoned recording veterans, it's the fastest path from inspiration to a recorded idea. Either way, you're spending less time setting up and more time actually getting your ideas down.

Eight Legendary UAD Plug-Ins

Every LUNA Free download comes with eight UAD plug-ins through UAD Explore FREE. They’re the same compressors, EQs, and processors engineers have trusted on chart-topping records for decades:

• UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection.Vintage tube warmth and tone shaping on every track

• UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor. The iconic fast-attack compressor heard on countless records

• Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor.Smooth, musical leveling with classic optical character

• Vibe Analog Machines Essentials.Analog saturation and harmonic richness

• Pure Plate Reverb. Lush, natural reverb that sits in any mix

• UAD Showtime '64 Tube Amp. Classic tube amp tones for guitar, built into your DAW

• Century Tube Channel Strip. A complete tube signal chain in one plug-in

• PolyMAX Synth.An inspiring synthesizer, ready to produce huge analog-modeled sounds

LUNA Free comes with eight classic UAD plug-ins, from iconic compressors to vintage tube preamps.

Smart Tools That Get Out of Your Way

The technical pieces of a session are often the barrier between you and your next song: organizing tracks, matching tempo, separating elements, tightening your takes. LUNA 3.0's Smart Tools are designed to handle that work automatically.

4-Track Stem Separationis one of the most immediately useful tools in the update. Drop in any song and LUNA splits it into four individual elements: vocals, drums, bass, and everything else. From there, you can mute parts, pull a vocal and study the phrasing, or flip a sample in ways that weren't possible before.

Instrument Detectionwatches your session as it builds and automatically identifies what's on each track. It color-codes by instrument type, adds the right icon, and sets the ideal warp mode for editing. 

Voice Controllets you start and stop recording from anywhere in the room. For solo artists especially, this changes how it feels to run a session — no more running across the room to your drum kit every take.

Smart Tempo Toolsround out the new additions to LUNA Free. Play without a click and LUNA sets the metronome to match your performance, or import a recording with a breathing tempo and LUNA generates a full map that follows your feel rather than forcing it onto a rigid grid.

Additional Features You've Been Asking For

LUNA 3.0 also delivers highly requested workflow improvements:

• Improved MIDI Editing.Explore new tools, scale-aware editing, and an adaptive grid for faster programming

• Folder Tracks. Group and collapse sections of a session to keep complex arrangements manageable

• Strip Silence. Cut out empty passages quickly and precisely

• Click Track Automation.Get dynamic control over your tempo and click, built for live-feel recordings and arrangements that change over time

LUNA Studio: The World’s Smartest, Best-Sounding DAW

LUNA Studiogives you everything in LUNA Free plus 30 UAD plug-ins and instruments, LUNA Extensions with built-in tape and console emulations, advanced Smart Tools, and six ARA plug-ins that work directly inside the timeline.

Go Further with Smart Tools

LUNA Studio expands your toolkit with more features exclusive to the paid tier:

• 6-Track Stem Separation. More stems means more control. Isolate individual elements, add plug-ins to specific stems, or convert them straight to MIDI.

• Audio-to-MIDI. Convert any performance or sample into editable MIDI. Replace sounds, layer instruments, or completely reimagine a part.

• Chord Extraction, powered by Moises. Automatically detect chords from any polyphonic audio and map them to the chord track, so ARA plug-ins like Celemony Tonalic can follow along.

• Lyric Transcription, powered by Moises. Transcribe vocal performances into a time-aligned lyric browser. Navigate by words instead of waveforms.

Cutting-edge tools like stem separation and lyric transcription let you create music in entirely new ways.

Mix with Plug-Ins Used on Countless Records

Other DAWs ship with stock tools. LUNA Studio ships with the same tools engineers actually reach for. The included UAD collection covers every stage of the mix:

• Compressors & Limiters.Teletronix LA-2A, 1176 FET, Fairchild Limiter Collection, API 2500 Bus Compressor

• Channel Strips & EQs. API Vision Channel Strip Collection, Century Tube Channel Strip, Pultec Passive EQ Collection

• Tape & Saturation.Studer A800, Ampex ATR-102, Oxide Tape Recorder, Vibe Analog Machines

• Reverbs, Delays & Modulation.Pure Plate Reverb, Galaxy Tape Echo, Brigade Chorus, Studio D Chorus, Waterfall Rotary Speaker

• Guitar Amplifiers. Showtime '64, Ruby '63 Top Boost, Woodrow '55

On top of the included plug-ins are LUNA Extensions. API Vision Console, Studer A800, Ampex ATR-102, and API summing all allow you to tap into the sound and feel of a full analog studio right inside your DAW.

LUNA Studio includes 30+ of the same plug-ins used by chart-topping artists for decades.

Six ARA Plug-Ins Built into the Timeline

LUNA Studio includes six ARA plug-ins that let you edit directly in the timeline without bouncing:

• Celemony Melodyne Essential. Tune pitch and timing directly in the timeline with the industry-standard tool used on hit records across every genre

• Celemony Tonalic Essential.Get access to real acoustic and electric guitar performances, recorded and made for professional productions, played to your song.

• Dreamtonics Synthesizer V Studio 2 Core. Enter notes and lyrics, choose a voice, and get lifelike vocal toplines and harmonies without a vocalist in the room

• Noiseworks VoiceAssist Basic.Balance dynamics to keep vocals sitting in the mix without tedious manual automation

• Steinberg WaveLab Go. Master full tracks or albums with streamlined editing, loudness normalization, and dedicated metering tools

• Steinberg SpectraLayers Go. Remove clicks, pops, low-end rumble, and unwanted noise with advanced spectral editing