robussc wrote: ↑19 Mar 2025
I'm in a Discord group comprised of producers with all kinds of DAWs and at least two Ableton users have communicated their lack of confidence working on mixes with lots of tracks in Ableton. LUNA is the only (free) DAW that I could think of that offered anything like the Reason SSL mixer (because mixing big projects is almost a pleasure in Reason - assuming you have a decent template set up of course).
So I booted up my copy of LUNA and I thought it had a default set of dynamics and EQ, but it seems I remembered incorrectly?
You have to buy a channel strip from UAD to get some basic functionality like that? If yes, what's the lowest price for entry to a decent system? (And is it still Mac only?)
These questions are basically for Selig (whom I know now only mixes in LUNA
).
Great timing, I’m currently writing a review of LUNA. Your best bet if you want a good starter package is the Pro Bundle, which can be found on sale fairly often, sometimes for almost 75% off (more often for 50% off the $400 price tag).
Even at full price it’s a good deal compared to purchasing the plugins separately.
LUNA is free, but the “good stuff” that makes it so cool IMO is not. But I didn’t get into LUNA first, I got Apollo hardware first, which came with some plugins. Shortly after, I decided to check out LUNA, so I was already “invested” in the system.
Like Reason, LUNA is a “system” or “environment”, not closed but relying on additional content to reach it’s full potential IMO. But you should be able to tell from the free version if it clicks for you or not.
The three areas that make LUNA most unique are the three where your only options come from UAD. This is because they are unique formats that VSTs don’t support. These are the multi-track tape plugins (currently Oxide and Studer), the console plugin (currently only API, but others should come soon), and the summing plugins (currently API and Neve).
These are attractive to me because I have so much experience with the originals, so it may not appeal to everyone. There is also the price - while the DAW is free, these plugins are not (but several come with the Pro Bundle).
Also, since LUNA is regularly updated, you have to keep checking for new features. Recent additions have included Windows support, and the latest update added support for custom key commands and includes sets from other popular DAWs (to make moving back and forth a little easier). LUNA also was originally tied to Apollo hardware, but now can run without it. Lots has changed if you’ve not checked it out in the past year or so!
Happy to answer any more specific questions you may have.
https://www.uaudio.com/luna.html#luna1
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