- Enabling ARM
- Using ARM with audio tracks
- Using ARM with instrument tracks
- Using ARM with bus tracks
- LUNA buffers, latency, and delay compensation
- Components affected by ARM (Apollo mode only)
- Available ARM resources
Accelerated Realtime Monitoring™ (ARM) is a deep hardware, DSP, and software integration feature inside LUNA that allows you to achieve the lowest possible latency while recording with UAD plug-ins in real time.
For those familiar with Apollo’s Console software, ARM eliminates the need to use the Console app altogether, while providing all of the same features and benefits such as low latency plug-ins, input routing, cue mixing, and others.
You can turn ARM on or off globally. Use ARM to achieve the lowest possible input monitoring latency when you monitor input signals through LUNA outputs, including monitors, headphones, and cues.
Note: ARM is not supported at 4x sample rates (176.4 kHz, 192 kHz).
For a video overview of ARM, see LUNA Basics: Accelerated Realtime Monitoring (ARM).
Enabling ARM
ARM is enabled system-wide. When you enable ARM, all ARM components are affected, including audio tracks, instrument tracks, and ARM Aux-enabled buses.
To enable ARM:
- Click the Toggle ARM Mode button in the Global settings at the top of the LUNA window, or
- Click the ARM toggle in Mixer view to the left of the track record/input enable controls, or
- Choose Transport > Accelerated Realtime Monitoring from the LUNA menus, or
- Click the ARM button in the Record Workflow (see Using Workflows).
To enable a bus to use an ARM Aux:
- Enable ARM.
- On the Bus track in Mixer view, click the ARM button.
- From the Accelerated Realtime Monitoring drop menu, select an ARM Aux to assign the bus.
- To bypass an ARM Aux for the bus, select None.
Using ARM with audio tracks
When ARM is enabled, record or input-enabled audio tracks are accelerated through Apollo’s DSP, which provides near-zero latency.
Only UAD plug-ins can be monitored on an input or record-enabled audio track when Accelerated Realtime Monitoring is enabled. Audio Unit or VST3 plug-ins can be inserted, but remain disabled until the track is record or input-disabled, or ARM is disabled.
When recording in ARM mode, all Record FX and Unison inserts are active. UAD plug-ins in the first four standard insert slots are enabled when a track is record-enabled or input-enabled. All eight inserts and insert slots are enabled when ARM is disabled or when the track is record-disabled or input-disabled. Any Audio Unit or VST3 plug-ins on these tracks are bypassed.
LUNA and ARM control the muting and unmuting of Apollo input channels used on audio tracks. Apollo input channels that are used on record-enabled or input-enabled tracks are unmuted, and all other Apollo input channels are muted.
Using ARM with instrument tracks
When ARM Is enabled, UAD Instrument, Audio Unit instruments, and VST3 instruments run at a lower buffer setting (on macOS). On Windows, instruments run at the host buffer setting. In both cases, instruments are then automatically routed to the Apollo for low latency plug-in processing and routing.
When you record on an instrument track, you can use ARM Mode to get the fastest response from UAD plug-ins that process audio on the instrument track. When ARM is enabled, you can use Audio Unit or VST3 plug-ins on instrument tracks that are record or input-enabled.
Using ARM with bus tracks
ARM supports two low latency auxiliary (AUX) buses, which are typically used for monitoring time-based effects such as reverb or delay in real time. Any two buses in the LUNA session can be declared as ARM AUXes. The two declared AUXes use Console’s AUX engine. These AUXes should have a UAD plug-in instantiated, and the sends must be correctly routed within the LUNA Mixer.
To set ARM Mode for a bus track, enable ARM, then click the ARM button on the bus track and select either Aux 1 or Aux 2 from its drop menu. When LUNA is in ARM mode, only the two ARM-enabled aux buses receive input from record or input-enabled tracks.
Notes for ARM with bus tracks
-
When LUNA is in ARM mode, tracks that are routed directly to buses while record or input-enabled do not play through the bus. Instead, they play through the Main output.
-
To avoid additional latency, ARM Aux buses are not phase-aligned, and are therefore recommended only for time-based effects such as reverb and delay.
LUNA buffers, latency, and delay compensation
You can set the buffer size for LUNA. Choose a value from 32–2048 samples. Choose the buffer size that allows you the best balance of processing power and speed. For example, when tracking audio without ARM enabled, a smaller buffer will give you the best results. For large mixes with lots of plug-ins, instruments, and Extensions, a larger buffer will allow for more processing.
In ARM mode, when an audio track is record or input-enabled, or audio is routed to an ARM AUX-enabled bus, the buffer for that audio is near zero, so you can use the largest buffers and still have the advantages of very low latency on audio and instrument tracks.
All audio and instrument tracks are automatically delay-compensated on playback to sync tightly with pre-existing material.
Components affected by ARM (Apollo mode only)
The following components are affected when you enable or disable Accelerated Realtime Monitoring.
|
LUNA App Item |
ARM Disabled |
ARM Enabled (and Record/Input Enabled) |
|
Audio tracks with Apollo hardware inputs |
LUNA manages signal flow. |
Audio tracks use Apollo DSP resources to achieve the lowest possible latency to the Apollo Monitor and CUE outputs, up to the supported number of ARM channels. |
|
Instrument tracks |
UAD Instruments, Audio Unit/VST3 instruments, UAD plug-ins, and Audio Unit/VST3 plug-ins are supported. |
UAD Instruments, Audio Unit/VST3 instruments, UAD plug-ins, and Audio Unit/VST3 plug-ins are supported. |
|
ARM Aux 1-2 |
LUNA manages signal flow. |
Aux tracks use Apollo DSP resources to achieve the lowest possible latency to the Apollo Monitor and CUE outputs, up to the supported number of ARM channels. |
|
Cues |
LUNA manages signal flow. |
Cues use Apollo DSP resources to achieve the lowest possible latency to the CUE outputs, up to the supported number of ARM channels. |
|
UAD-2 Plug-Ins |
UAD-2 plug-ins are active and process audio, as long as there are available DSP resources. UAD-2 plug-ins can be active in the Unison insert, up to four RECORD FX inserts, and up to eight standard inserts. UAD-2 plug-ins in the Unison and RECORD FX inserts are always recorded to disk. |
UAD-2 plug-ins are active and process audio, as long as there are available DSP resources. UAD-2 plug-ins can be active in the Unison slot, up to four RECORD FX slots, and up to four standard insert slots. Plug-ins in the Unison slot and RECORD FX slot are recorded to disk. |
|
LUNA Extensions: Tape, Summing |
Extensions are active and process audio, but are not recorded to disk. |
Extensions are deactivated. Extensions resume processing when ARM is disabled. |
|
Audio Unit/VST3 and UADx plug-ins |
Audio Unit/VST3 and UADx plug-ins are active and process audio. Audio Unit and UADx plug-ins can be used in standard inserts only. |
Audio Unit/VST3 and UADx plug-ins (except virtual instruments) are deactivated on Audio and Bus tracks. Audio Unit/VST3 and UADx plug-ins can be instantiated, however they are made inactive and a notification shows. Audio Unit and UADx plug-ins resume processing when ARM is disabled. If a UADx plug-in has an equivalent UAD-2 plug-in, the UAD-2 plug-in is activated in ARM mode. |
|
LUNA Console Emulation |
LUNA Console extensions run natively. |
LUNA Console extensions run on UAD DSP. |
Available ARM resources
The system indicates the number of available ARM monitor channels at all times. This number changes when you enable ARM and you record-enable one or more tracks.
ARM channels use the DSP in your Apollo interface. The number of available ARM channels depends on the physical inputs in your system.
|
UA Interface Model |
Available ARM Channels |
|
Apollo Rack Models (except Silver) |
16 |
|
Apollo Silver |
10 |
|
Apollo x4 |
12 |
|
Apollo Twin |
10 |
|
Arrow |
2 |
How ARM resources are used
- A record or input-enabled audio track requires one mono ARM resource per channel (one for a mono track, two for a stereo track).
- A bus that is fed by a record or input-enabled track, and is assigned to ARM Aux 1 or Aux 2, requires two mono (one stereo) ARM resources.
Example: A stereo audio track that is routed to two ARM-enabled buses requires six mono (three stereo) ARM resources, whereas a mono audio track with no ARM-enabled bus assignments consumes one mono ARM resource.
To view available ARM resources, enable ARM, and toggle the Record workflow on.