With LUNA's Accelerated Realtime Monitoring (ARM), you can easily record and monitor multiple audio and instrument tracks with no discernible latency. On tracks that are record-enabled or input-enabled, you can monitor with UAD plug-ins, and you can monitor two ARM AUX-enabled buses that are in the record path (buses that are receiving audio from a record or input-enabled track). While recording, you can monitor tracks that are not record-enabled or input-enabled with UAD plug-ins, LUNA Tape emulation, and Audio Unit or VST3 plug-ins, and monitor buses with UAD plug-ins and API or Neve Summing. All latencies are automatically delay-compensated by LUNA, and track counts are limited only by the capabilities of your computer.

This article includes:

• Recording audio tracks
  • Configuring track input options
  • Recording audio inputs
  • Stop recording and discard recorded files
• Loop Playback and Recording
• Tracking multiple audio sources
  • Configuring multiple tracks for recording
  • Recording on multiple tracks
  • Using Console Tracking Mode
  • Making cue mixes
  • Punch-in recording with multiple tracks

 

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Recording audio tracks

 

 

To prepare an audio track for recording:

1. On the audio track, click on the Input row in the Mixer channel or on the Focus channel. The Input Focus Browser opens.
2. Choose the Input to which your source is connected. To switch between Mic and Line inputs, click the Mic/Line switch.
3. Click the Record enable button on the track, or press Shift+R.
   Note: If no tracks are record-enabled, when you press Record, any currently selected tracks are record-enabled, and audio or MIDI is recorded on those tracks.

Configuring track input options

Preamp controls correspond to the equivalent preamp controls on the Apollo hardware. Adjusting Apollo’s hardware preamp options updates LUNA, and vice versa.

Some preamp hardware controls (Gain, Low Cut, 48V, Pad, and Polarity) are Unison parameters that interact with Unison plug-ins placed in the Unison insert. 

Note: You can only adjust preamp controls and Unison plug-in parameters when a track is record-enabled or input-enabled.

Preamp Inputs

Each of Apollo’s preamp channels have multiple analog inputs (mic, line, Hi-Z) that can be selected with the preamp controls. 

Click to switch between mic and line inputs manually in LUNA or on the Apollo hardware. Channels are automatically switched to Hi-Z inputs when a 1⁄4” mono (tip-sleeve) cable is connected to Apollo’s Hi-Z input jack.

Line inputs

Analog line inputs without mic preamps are available on some Apollo models. These line inputs may have a reference level switch instead of preamp controls.

Digital inputs

Digital inputs work like analog inputs, except they don’t have the extra preamp and reference level settings that may be available on the analog inputs.

Virtual inputs

Virtual input channels do not reflect Apollo hardware inputs. Instead, they receive digital signals from the computer system via Apollo’s device drivers, enabling Realtime UAD Processing on digital audio signals that may be present in the system. On macOS, you can route digital signals to virtual inputs with the Audio MIDI Setup utility.

Low Cut

When enabled, the channel’s input signal passes through a low cut (high pass) filter. The filter has a cutoff frequency of 75 Hz with a slope of 12 dB per octave by default, though the filter can change when a Unison plug-in is active in the channel. The Low Cut filter affects the Mic, Line, and Hi-Z inputs. Low Cut is typically used to eliminate rumble and other unwanted low frequencies from the input signal. 

Note: The default low cut filter slope and frequency can change if a Unison plug-in is active in the channel. The input scaling and fader taper can also change if you use a Unison plug-in.

48V

Enable the 48V control to supply 48 volts of phantom power to the equipment connected to the Apollo channel’s Mic input. The indicator light is red when enabled. Many modern condenser microphones require 48V phantom power to operate. This option can only be activated when the Mic/Line switch is set to Mic. 

Activate 48V phantom power only with compatible equipment such as phantom-powered microphones. Incompatible equipment, such as some ribbon microphones, may be damaged by the applied voltage. There is a delay and audio is muted when changing the 48V state, to minimize the clicks and pops that are inherent when engaging phantom power. The 48V LED on the Apollo flashes during this delay.

Caution: To avoid potential equipment damage, disable +48V phantom power on the channel before connecting or disconnecting its XLR input.

Pad

Enable the PAD control to attenuate the microphone input signal level by 20 dB. The indicator light turns yellow when enabled. Pad does not affect the Line or Hi-Z inputs. Pad is used to reduce signal levels when overload distortion is present at low preamp gain levels, such as when particularly sensitive microphones are used on loud instruments, or if the A/D converter is clipping.

Polarity

Enable the polarity switch to invert the channel’s signal. The indicator light turns yellow when enabled. Polarity affects the Mic, Line, and Hi-Z inputs. 

Tip: Polarity inversion can help reduce phase cancellations when more than one microphone is used to record a single source.

Recording audio inputs

Audio can be recorded with or without UAD plug-in processing. 

Unison technology is activated when a Unison-enabled UAD plug-in is loaded in the dedicated Unison insert located above the preamp options. The Unison insert is only available on preamp channels. 

Audio on preamp channels is processed by the Unison insert before the Record FX inserts. Unison and Record FX plug-in processing is always recorded. 

Tip: You can monitor through UAD plug-ins without recording their processing by placing them in the standard inserts.

Record enabling and Input enabling tracks

Record and/or Input enable tracks to monitor track inputs according to your workflow needs. 

When you record-enable or input-enable a Unison-capable track, the Unison insert and Record FX inserts are made available, and the channel preamp controls become active.

 

Record enabled

When an audio track is Record enabled, you can monitor the input to the track while the transport is stopped and while the transport is playing and record-ready. When an audio track is record-enabled, and the transport is playing but not recording, audio from the input is muted, and audio clips on the track are played through LUNA. When the transport is recording, all Record enabled tracks are recorded to disk.

Tips

• You can record-enable one or more selected tracks by pressing Shift+R.
• If no tracks are record-enabled, when you press Record, any currently selected tracks are record-enabled, and audio or MIDI is recorded on those tracks.

Input enabled

When an audio track is input-enabled, you can monitor the input to the track at all times, whether the transport is stopped, playing, or recording. When an audio track is input-enabled, the audio clips on the track do not play through the LUNA mixer. When a track is both record-enabled and input-enabled, the track is monitored at all times, but the track is recorded to disk when the transport is recording.

Input enable tips:

• You can input-enable all record-enabled tracks automatically by pressing Option+K (macOS) or Alt+K (Windows).

• You can input-enable one or more selected tracks by pressing Shift+T.

To record audio:

1. In the Tracks browser, click the plus (+) next to Create New Tracks.
2. From the Type drop menu, choose Audio. Choose the number of tracks to create, the format (Mono or Stereo), and type a name for the track or tracks.
3. Click OK to create the tracks, or Cancel to stop track creation.
4. Click the ARM button in Global Controls, or choose Transport > Accelerated Realtime Monitoring to enable ARM.
   
   
   
   
5. Connect a mic, line source, or Hi-Z instrument into an input on the UA audio interface.
6. On the audio track in the Focus channel or Mixer, click the Input mixer row. The Input browser opens.
7. Choose the input to which your source is connected.
8. Click the Record enable button in the track or Focus channel (Timeline view) or in the channel (Mixer view) or press Shift+R to record enable the audio source. If you do not record-enable one or more tracks, any selected tracks are recorded when you start recording.
9. If you want to use a Unison plug-in click the Unison insert and choose the plug-in.
10. Adjust the settings for the Unison plug-in. Some Unison plug-in settings can be adjusted from Apollo hardware. All settings can be adjusted from the plug-in and LUNA channel controls.
11. To record with Record FX, insert up to four UAD plug-ins in the channel’s Record FX inserts.
12. Adjust the audio settings until the audio levels are correct. You want to record with enough headroom so the recording track doesn’t clip.
13. Click Record in the transport or press Command+Spacebar (macOS) or Ctrl+Spacebar (Windows) to record audio.
14. Click Stop or press the Spacebar to stop recording.

To listen back to the recording, press Play or the Spacebar. 

Note: You can listen to the recorded track if the track is record-enabled, but not if the track is Input-enabled. 

To record starting at a specific point on the timeline:

1. Switch to Timeline view. 
2. Click on a location in the Timeline where you want to begin recording. Click above the center of an audio track, or in any of the rulers. 
3. To use Pre-roll (listen to the existing track for a specified period of time before you start recording), Option+Click (macOS) or Alt+Click (Windows) to the left of the playhead on the Bars and Beats ruler.
   
   
4. Click the ARM button in Global Controls, or choose Transport > Accelerated Realtime Monitoring to enable ARM.
5. Record-enable track(s), and input-enable if necessary. If you do not record-enable one or more tracks, any selected tracks are recorded when you start recording.
6. Click Record in the transport or press Command+Spacebar.
7. Click Stop or the Spacebar to stop recording.

You can also move the playhead to a specific time by typing a time in the Counter field, and pressing Return. For example, in Bars and Beats mode, type 122 to move the playhead to 122|0|000, or type 122|2 to move the playhead to 122|2|000.

 

To record in a selection on the timeline (punch-in recording):

1. Switch to Timeline view. 
2. Click on a location in the Timeline where you want to begin recording, and drag to the right or the left to select the range to record. Click and drag above the center of an audio track, or in any of the rulers. 
3. To adjust the selection length, move the playhead to a position to the right or left of the center of the selection and Shift+Click. Note that you can lengthen or shorten a selection with this method. 
4. To use Pre-roll (listen to the existing track for a specified period of time before you start recording), Option+Click (macOS) or Alt+Click (Windows) to the left of the playhead on the Bars and Beats ruler.
   
   
   
   
5. Click the ARM button in Global Controls, or choose Transport > Accelerated Realtime Monitoring to enable ARM.
6. Record-enable track(s), and input-enable if necessary. If you do not record-enable one or more tracks, any selected tracks are recorded when you start recording.
7. Click Record or press Command+Spacebar (macOS) or Ctrl+Spacebar (Windows).
8. Click Stop or the Spacebar to stop recording.

You can also make a selection by typing a start time in the Start time field, and either a length in the Length field, or a stop time in the End field, then pressing Enter. For example, in Bars and Beats mode, type 122 in the start field and 8 in the Length field to select 8 bars from 122|1|000 to 130|1|000.

Stop recording and discard recorded files

To stop any in-progress recordings and immediately delete the audio or MIDI, press Command+Shift+.[period] (macOS) or Control+Shift+.[period] (Windows), or select Transport > Abort Recording while recording. The session continues playback, but the audio or MIDI you are recording is removed from the timeline and deleted from the session file. 

When you discard a recording during loop recording, only the most recent take is removed from the timeline and deleted from the session file. Files being recorded are moved to the macOS Trash. There is no undo for Discard Recording.

 

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Loop Playback and Recording

In loop playback/record mode, you play or record over a selection repeatedly. Use loop playback to audition a section repeatedly, when editing or adjusting levels or plug-ins. Use loop recording to build up or replace a MIDI performance with successive takes, or to record multiple takes on audio tracks. You can enable Loop by making a selection on any ruler or in the timeline, or with the special-use Loop Ruler.

You can make a selection on the Loop ruler to continuously loop a section of the session, while making edits to audio or MIDI data, without changing the original selection or moving the playhead. The Loop ruler appears in orange in Timeline view at the top of the track area. A selection on the Loop ruler is only active when Loop Playback/Record is enabled.

Loop Playback behavior

A selection on the Loop ruler continues to loop during playback. You can make selections on the Timeline, and edit audio and MIDI tracks, and the Loop ruler continues to play the same loop. However, if you make a selection on the Bar and Beats ruler, that selection overrides the Loop ruler selection. When you stop and start playback, playback starts from the selection on the Loop ruler, unless the selection has been overridden by a selection on the Bars and beats ruler. When Link Edit/Play Selections is active, after the transport stops, playback starts from the timeline selection or playhead location, even if there is a Loop ruler selection.

Loop Record behavior

A selection on the Loop ruler continues to loop during record. The selection continues to loop and record over that selection, even if you make a different selection on the Bars and Beats ruler or in the timeline, until the transport stops.

To loop playback while editing audio or MIDI:

1. Disable Link Edit/Play selections on the Bars and Beats ruler.
2. Enable Loop Playback/Record on the Transport (Ctrl+L on macOS or Alt+L on Windows).
3. Select a range in the Loop ruler. This range indicates the start and end of the section to loop. You can click and drag on either end of the loop selection to extend or shorten the selection.
4. Click Play on the Transport or press the Spacebar. 

The section you selected plays back. While the looped selection is playing you can select, edit, copy, paste, or delete data from any audio or Instrument tracks in the timeline, and make any other adjustment, without the loop stopping or changing. When you complete edits for a section, you can click and drag the loop to a different position in the timeline, or edit the length of the loop. Loop playback continues as you adjust the loop.

After you make changes to a loop, Loop playback resumes, based on the Update Playback setting.

Setting	Playback behavior after the loop changes
Transport > Update Playback > Instantly	Playback immediately restarts from the beginning of the new loop selection.
Transport > Update Playback > At Next Bar	Playback continues to the end of the next bar, then restarts from the beginning of the new loop selection.
Transport > Update Playback > At Loop End	Playback continues to the end of the loop that was previously defined, then restarts from the beginning of the new loop selection.

 

Loop recording, Versions, Takes

When you loop record, you replace a section of a track that you select with one or more recording passes, or “takes.” When LUNA reaches the end of the selection, the transport returns back to the start of the selection, and records again. Each loop record pass is saved as a Version labeled with a T (for Take).  The first recording on a track is labeled with a V, as are all other Versions created by adding or duplicating Versions. Takes are labeled with a T to indicate that they were automatically created by the loop record process.To show recorded Versions and Takes, click the Versions button at the top of the Tracks area.

Note: If the track height is too small to show the Versions list, the name of the current version appears in the Versions area, and you can click on the name to open a list of Versions and perform Version operations.

A Take is not always a complete track. Therefore, when you switch from a Version to a Take, you will not see the entire track, but only the section that was loop-recorded. 

To loop record:

1. Make an audio selection and click the Loop Play / Record button or press Control+L (macOS) or Alt+L (Windows).
   
   
2. Record your source.
3. Click the Versions icon to show track Versions. 
   
   
4. To switch between Versions, click the Version. 
   
   

To assemble different clips together using Versions, see Comping Tracks with Versions.

 

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Tracking multiple audio sources

Features for recording multiple audio sources in LUNA include: 

• Setting up audio tracks for multiple inputs at once by assigning cascading inputs. 
• Using cues to send a click and custom mixes to different groups of performers. 
• Easily copying the current mix to a cue bus. 
• Punch-in recording with multiple tracks.
• Switching the transport in and out of record on the fly.

Configuring multiple tracks for recording

Use Cascade mode to route multiple inputs to audio tracks quickly.

To assign multiple inputs in order to tracks:

1. Select multiple tracks in the Timeline or Mixer. (If you do not select multiple tracks, you can click Apply to All to apply cascade routing to all tracks in the session.) 
2. Click the input on the first track you want to assign. The Input browser opens.
3. Next to Routing, click the ••• options menu and select Cascade.
   
   
4. Click the first input you want to assign.
5. At the bottom of the tracks list, under Apply To, click All or Selected to choose the tracks to which you will apply cascade routing.

The selected tracks (or all tracks) are assigned the remaining inputs, in order.

 

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Recording multiple inputs at once

To record on multiple inputs, use selection grouping to enable recording on multiple tracks. To enable selection grouping, select Track > Selection Grouping (Command+G).

To record on multiple tracks:

1. In the Mixer or Timeline, select multiple tracks. All tracks you record enable must be assigned with unique inputs. 
   Tip: You can assign multiple track inputs with Cascade routing.
2. Record-enable one track, either by clicking the record-enable button, or pressing Shift+R. All selected tracks will be record-enabled.
3. Add Unison, Record FX, and standard insert plug-ins to the tracks if needed.
4. Adjust the audio settings until the audio levels are correct. You want to record with enough headroom so the recording track doesn’t clip.
5. Click Record in the transport to record audio.
6. Click Stop or press the Spacebar to stop recording.

You can make multiple input recordings with all of the same options as a single track recording, including Unison plug-ins, Record FX plug-ins, standard insert plug-ins, and buses, as DSP is available. 

Recording on multiple tracks

You can easily switch multiple tracks in and out of record mode while playing a session. Simply record enable the tracks you want to record, and press the Record button on the transport to toggle in and out of record. Enable ARM mode to do this seamlessly.

Note: If you do not record-enable one or more tracks, any selected tracks are recorded when you toggle recording.

Using Console Tracking Mode

Console Tracking mode allows you to use Console for live channel inputs, and prevents LUNA from automatically muting and unmuting console channels when recording. Essentially, all inputs remain live, and Console works as it previously did, while LUNA is running. 

In Console Tracking Mode, UAD plug‑ins do not persist in LUNA inputs as they normally do. Instead, when you record-enable a track in Console Tracking mode, the plug-ins assigned to the track in Console are loaded into the LUNA channel.

Because you always hear the channels from Console in Console Tracking Mode, you do not need to use the Input enable button on a track to monitor the audio source, as long as the source is not muted in Console. However, you still need to record-enable tracks to record audio. 

To enable Console Tracking Mode:

•  From the LUNA app menu, choose Transport > Console Tracking Mode.

Punch-in recording with multiple tracks

You can easily punch-in record on multiple record-enabled tracks, with multiple performers. You can even record-enable input tracks while LUNA is playing or recording, which allows you to enter record mode for any input without stopping the transport.

To prepare for punch-in recording:

• If you want to record at a specific point, move the playhead to the record location, or make a selection you want to record over. Alternatively, you can play the song and punch in with the record button as needed.
• Set the system in ARM mode.
• Make sure record-enabled tracks are not input-enabled. This allows performers to hear the recorded tracks until recording starts, and after recording stops, and hear live input while recording.
  

  Note: If you do not record-enable one or more tracks, any selected tracks are recorded when you toggle recording.

• Set a pre-roll for the performers. This allows the performers to play along to the music before the recording starts.

In this scenario, you can press Record to record on multiple tracks. With the capabilities of the LUNA recording engine, you can also easily play the song and have the performers play along, and punch them in and out manually by pressing the Record button on the Transport to toggle recording on and off. 

Making cue mixes

You can use up to four independent stereo Cue mixes in LUNA. You set Cue sources and assign Cue mixes to those sources, to allow performers to listen to a different mix when recording. When a hardware output pair is set to Cue (in the Cue Outputs popover), the cue source is the dedicated cue mix, determined by the settings on the Cue row in the Mixer. In this mode, the mix of the cue bus is determined by the cue send controls in the session’s tracks.

Note: The number of available Cue mixes is determined by the connected UA audio interface hardware and the Cue Bus Count value in LUNA Settings.

Cue sends are pre-fader by default, though they can be configured to be post-fader. When a Cue is pre-fader, changes to levels, pan, mute and solo on the channel strip do not affect the Cue mix send for that channel. 

Once you assign outputs to Cues (in the Cue Outputs popover), you can set channels as pre-fader in a Cue mix, and you can use the compact or large Cue strips to set the level and pan for each track in the Cue mix, and to mute tracks in the Cue mix. To simplify setting up a Cue mix, you can easily copy the levels and pan settings from your mix to one or more Cue mixes.

Cues have a dedicated Level knob, mute and Pre-fader switch. When you expand a Cue row to Large view, the expanded Cue channel has a more accurate fader and dedicated pan controls.

To assign a Cue to an output:

1. Choose View > Section > Monitor.
2. Click the Cue Outputs button on the Monitor column. A list of devices and available Cue outputs appears on a popover window. The left column displays connected devices, the right columns display available outputs for each Cue, and each row displays the device’s current Cue output assignments. 
3. If you want to make a custom mix for a Cue, deselect Mix in a column on the popover. When Mix is NOT illuminated, you create a Cue mix using the channel strip Cue sends.

 

To copy the main mix to a Cue:

1. In the Mixer, right-click or Control+click on an audio, Instrument, or bus track’s volume fader or pan knob.

2. Select the Cue to which you want to copy the main mix. 

 

Levels and panning for all track faders are copied to the selected Cue.