Luna is now available - click here for the new discussion thread.

Universal Audio Announces All-New
LUNA Recording System

— Apollo-powered recording system features Accelerated Realtime Monitoring, built-in Neve Summing, Multitrack Tape Emulation, and new LUNA Instruments from Universal Audio, Moog Music, Spitfire Audio, and more —

SCOTTS VALLEY, CA • January 16th, 2020 — Universal Audio (UA), a leading manufacturer of professional audio recording hardware and software, is proud to introduce LUNA Recording System, a full-featured music creation, recording, and analog-style production system shaped by over 60 years of analog audio exploration.

LUNA transforms UA's industry-standard Apollo interfaces into the most inspiring and fully integrated recording systems available. The LUNA Recording System consists of a UA Thunderbolt-equipped audio interface, the LUNA Application, LUNA Extensions, and LUNA Instruments.

LUNA will be available as a free download for Apollo and Arrow Thunderbolt audio interface owners (Mac only) in Spring 2020.

Key LUNA Recording System features include its deep Apollo interface integration, built-in Neve® Summing, Multitrack Tape Emulation, and all-new LUNA Instruments — UA's long-awaited foray into software-based instruments.

Deep Apollo Integration — Fast, Natural Workflow
Unlike traditional DAW software, LUNA Recording System's tight hardware-software integration allows quickly routing and recording audio through DSP-powered UAD plug-ins with no discernable latency via the new Accelerated Realtime Monitoring feature. Accelerated Realtime Monitoring is poised to be a major revelation for those unaccustomed to working on a $10k+ DSP-assisted recording system; music production will instantly seem more robust, dependable, and intuitive, without latency or monitoring hassles.

Built-In Neve® Summing — Instant Classic Console Sound
LUNA Recording System offers precisely emulated audio summing circuitry from the Neve 80-Series audio mixing consoles designed by Neve Electronics in the 1960s and early 1970s, featuring the harmonically rich sound of the Neve 1272 summing amplifier. Far beyond a “summing plug-in," Neve Summing is a LUNA Extension built-in to the fabric of LUNA's mixer —
and can instantly transform a clean technical mix into a classic-sounding recording filled with energy and life.

Integrated Multitrack Tape — Warmth and Punch on Demand
LUNA's audio transport features integrated Multitrack Tape emulation via the included "Oxide" LUNA Extension — providing sonic qualities commonly described by audio engineers as "warmth" and "cohesion" on every desired audio or instrument track. LUNA Recording System users may choose to further explore various magnetic tape sounds with the optional Studer®
A800 Tape Recorder Extension (sold separately).

All-New LUNA Instruments — Incredible Realism to Fuel Inspiration
LUNA is further distinguished by all-new software-based LUNA Instruments — bringing Universal Audio's expertise in electrical and acoustic modeling, sampling, synthesis, and signal processing to virtual instruments for the first time ever. The resulting software instruments are ultra-realistic, responsive, and “alive” with inspiration.

At launch, available LUNA Instruments will include:

● Moog® Minimoog — developed in partnership with Moog Music, the Moog Minimoog is an incredibly accurate and inspiring emulation of the archetypal 1971 Moog synthesizer
● Ravel™ grand piano — a breathtaking model of a Steinway Model B grand piano based on UA's proprietary sampling, physical modeling, and new Ultra-Resonance technology — providing all the sonic nuance of this studio classic
● Shape™ — a complete creative toolkit with vintage keys, drums/percussion, guitar/bass, orchestral content, and realtime synthesis, courtesy of Universal Audio, Spitfire Audio, Orange Tree Samples, Loops de la Creme, and more — included free in LUNA

LUNA will be available as a free download for Thunderbolt-equipped Apollo and Arrow audio interface owners for macOS systems and is shipping in Spring 2020. LUNA is not compatible with Apollo FireWire or Apollo Twin USB.

UAD LUNA Recording System product page: https://www.uaudio.com/luna

I guess we all just got an e-mail from UAD about some big announcement at namm. Cant wait to see what it is! (I hope it’s not an upgrade to the Apollo X Line as i just bought one...)

Any predictions or guesses?

Big console Update?
Maby some new hardware?
New plugs?

https://www.uaudio.de/namm?utm_sourc...+Pre-NAMM+%231


It's called LUNA

..its a UAX24 ..24 CHANNEL mixer/DAW control surface ..with ultra penta quad chips ..









what do i get if im right??

and the video shows running tape (nice shot / angle btw). Let the speculations begin

I want to bet on a DAW

https://trademarks.justia.com/886/72/luna-88672099.html
Here’s something vague

A magical half analogue half digital tape machine. Plugs in with Thunderbolt and can be added as a plug-in in your daw/console with no need to ever change the 4inch tape. The Ultimate digital analogue mojo machine???

good work, Dr Watson

If it’s an upgrade to the X units or UAD3, I’ll be ready to leave the UAD platform. I just bought an X unit as well

Maybe it’s their own mic and emulator. That would make sense although they’ve been working with Townsend labs. Still...

what ))? UAD3 is what everyone is shouting for ... for years

Initially I thought UAD3 because of the "big new announcement" thing, but then the Luna thing with the tape makes me think it might just be as simple as a new tape emulation plugin. Maybe with something like Studio One's one plug across multiple busses working as if it's multiple plugins tech.

Not if it requires new hardware

I would love it to be a decent DAW controller, but that tape video doesn't really fit that idea.

Actually, the pastel coloured lines on the promo page look line tracks or lanes on a DAW... maybe they're releasing a DAW or something more mix focused like the Harrison Mixbus?

"Audio production equipment; namely, computer hardware and computer software programs for audio and music production; computer software for digital audio production, processing, and editing; multimedia computer hardware and software for the integration of music, text, audio, graphics, still images and moving pictures and for interconnectivity between personal computers, networked audio hardware, and electronic musical instruments"


lets guess what this means ..

L- linear ?
U-
N-
A- Audio ?

SYNTHS...

I reckon we might get SYNTHS!

I dunno why, i wished for that so hard the other day, like the old pulsar (sharc chips) and TC powercore virus (motorola days).

guaranteed voices per DSP...

PLEASE! and some massive accelerator box option to run them.. maybe new sharcs are out that are more powerful?

16 voices per sharc? I'd be in Heaven.

TAKE MY MONEY.

Suddenly, once again, who cares about native VI's and cpu power if this happens..

Oh, imagine if John Bowen ported his pulsar stuff.... ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh.......

All the Zarg synths on UA.

My guess...N=Network

Live
Universal
Network
Applications

And the box will be an ethernet (or Dante?) connected processor that runs the UAD platform - their console (that may turn into a full mixer) and plug-ins, perhaps even with its own OS, perhaps that a monitor could connect to, that can be accessed by any computer/daw on the same network.

I think the above speculation that LUNA is an acronym is probably on target.

And if so, my bet would be that N and A stand for Networked Audio.

Lanes of
U
Niversal
Audio

If it's a new Apollo like thingy, I'll be pissed as well as I just dropped like six grand updating my Apollo's to the new ones... haha. Hopefully it's something cool that can at least play with them and not replace them.

Apollo XXX

Ding Ding Ding!! I noticed those lines and they don’t look like part of the promo image, they look like GUI elements. I’m wondering if it’s a Nagra sized multitrack tape unit with 8- ??? channels of UA IO that utilises their Unison tech to give you all sorts of tape emulations where they’ve even modelled every individual channel of multitrack machines. The tape reel may be endless. Alongside this they may have software that is DAW’ish without being a DAW. A front end similar to Console. You may be able to physically interact with the tape reels in ways that influence the software. This may integrate with the networked cloud audio theories floating around and UAD plugs.

But, who knows...

Snooping around the website's source code I found the following heading which has been commented out (and thus not showing):

"Born from Universal Audio DNA. Shaped by 60 years of analog exploration."

Which could mean anything I guess, but I'd be surprised if it didn't involve hardware.

Hopefully a move to FPGA technology for DSP.

HW tape emulation

+1

Hmmm, sounding like something they see as a major breakthrough. Who was it that mentioned UA invested heavily in this?

Apollo = Mission to the Moon. Luna = Moon. We have “arrived” I guess.

Though many say they don’t want a DAW, I do wonder if UA’s vision all along has been to create the entire system .

I think hw tape emulation is only half the story.

Yeah the email says "groundbreaking new system, poised to change the music-making universe" which, even accounting for marketing hype, is setting the stage for something big. Using that kind of language without a product to back it up would make for a disappointing launch, whatever it is.

Similar to the email I got from PA before they went subscription lol. I'm more hopeful this time around.