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Using LUNA Browsers

Updated

This article includes the following topics.

LUNA browsers allow you to configure items within LUNA from the sidebar, to prevent clutter in the main timeline or mixer views. 

Focus Browsers Overview

From the Other Views popover, click Tracks, then Focus to show the Focus Browser.

other-views.png

You can also show the Focus Browser from the LUNA menus by choosing View > Section > Browser.

Focus Browsers appear to the left of the screen so you can select and work with:

  • Tracks
  • Plug-ins
  • Presets
  • Inputs
  • Quantize options
  • Utility row items
  • Audio and instrument track SHOW options
  • Instruments
  • Inserts
  • API Vision Console LUNA Extension
  • Plug-in presets
  • Tape machine emulations
  • Sends
  • Cues
  • Sidechain routing
  • Outputs

Some Focus Browsers allow more choices. For example, when you click a Send on a track, the browser allows you the option to apply the choices to the selected track or all tracks.

apply-to-send-options.png

In its default view, the Focus Browser shows three tabs (Tracks, Plug-Ins, and Presets), with the Tracks tab selected.Click a tab to show that browser.

Using the Tracks Browser

In the tracks browser, you can accomplish several track management tasks. In the tracks browser you can change a track's color or name, select, rearrange, and show or hide tracks.

Click the plus "+" symbol to create a track. You can create audio, instrument, or bus tracks, or a track preset.

tracks-browser-callouts.png

Click the ••• menu or right-click on a track to open the tracks menu.

tracks-browser-menu.png

From this menu you can:

  • Duplicate a track/tracks with or without content. Select Duplicate to duplicate the track or tracks with content (audio clips, MIDI clips, and track versions). Select Duplicate Without Content to duplicate the track or tracks without content (without audio clips, MIDI clips, or track versions). Duplicating always copies plug-ins, sends, routing assignments, levels, and pan settings.
    Note: When you duplicate a bus track with content, the send routing to the bus is copied (this will result in multiple sends assigned from current tracks to orignal and duplicated bus tracks). To duplicate a bus without the send routing, use Duplicate Without Content.
  • Deactivate a track/tracks
  • Delete a track/tracks
  • Freeze a track/tracks
  • Bounce a track/tracks in place
  • Export a track/tracks (mixdown)
  • Show or hide tracks
  • Create a track group or add tracks to a group

Working with the Tracks browser

Each track in the Tracks browser includes a color square, the track name, a track type icon, and a show/hide circle. All changes are reflected in Timeline and Mixer view.

  • To search for a track by name, click in the search bar and begin typing. To focus a track that you have located with Search, press Return. Use the arrow keys to cycle through tracks. When you are using the Focus Browser to choose other settings or options (for example, when inserting a plug-in in the Inserts browser or choosing a plug-in preset), you can cycle through and audition changes with the arrow keys.
  • To show or hide a track, click the circle to the right of the track type icon. Note that hiding a track does not mute it.
  • To rename a track, double-click the track name, type the new name, and press Return. You can type an optional comment in the Comment field.
  • To apply a preset to an existing track, double-click the track name and click Assign Preset. The Assign Preset browser opens and you can assign a preset to the track. See Using the Presets Browser for more information.
  • To change the color ofa track, click the color square to the left of the track name, choose a color, and click Done. You can leave the color palette open to quickly recolor additional tracks, which are listed below the color palette.
  • To select a track, click on the track row. To select multiple contiguous tracks, Shift+Click the first and last track you want to select. To select multiple discontiguous tracks, Command+Click (macOS) or Ctrl+Click (Windows) the tracks. To select all tracks, Option+Click (macOS) or Alt+Click (Windows) a track.
  • To reorder tracks, drag and drop the tracks. The track order is mirrored between Mixer and Timeline views.
  • Right-click or Ctrl-click to open the context menu and delete or duplicate a selected track or tracks.
  • When you make a selection on any track, you can switch that selection to any other track by clicking the track in the track browser. To extend the selection to multiple contiguous tracks, Shift+Click the first and last track you want to select. To extend the selection to multiple discontiguous tracks, Command+Click (macOS) or Ctrl+Click (Windows) the tracks. To extend the selection to all tracks, Option+Click (macOS) or Alt-Click (Windows) a track.

Using the Plug-Ins Browser

The Plug-Ins tab shows all plug-ins and instruments in LUNA, and allows you to quickly search by text or category. You can add a plug-in to a selected track, create a new track for an instrument plug-in, or drag a plug-in to a track or to a specific insert slot.

  • To search for a plug-in by name, click in the search bar and begin typing. Press Return to add a plug-in returned by the search.
  • Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate the list of plug-ins. To add a plug-in when navigating the list, double-click the plug-in or press the Return key.

plug-in-browser-callouts-2x.png

 

Plug-in icon view

The plug-in icon view shows images of the plug-ins in the plug-in browser. For third-party plug-ins, you can create plug-in icons in LUNA. Click the plug-in icon switch to toggle the plug-in icon view.

Plug-in hover behavior

When you hover with your mouse over plug-ins and instruments in the list, the ADD or NEW buttons appear.

  • Double-click or click ADD to add the plug-in to the current track. Plug-ins are added in the next available plug-in slot.
  • Double-click or click NEW to add a new track with the instrument plug-in instantiated.

add-create-plug-in.png

Dragging plug-ins

You can drag a plug-in from the Plug-Ins browser to a specific channel, or to a specific insert slot.

  • To drag a plug-in to a channel, simply click the plug-in in the Plug-In browser and drag it to the channel. The channel is highlighted until you release (drop) the plug-in. You can drag a plug-in to a channel in the timeline, mixer, or a focus channel. The plug-in is added to the first available insert slot on the track.

    drag-plug-in-to-channel.png

     

  • To drag a plug-in to a specific insert slot, drag the plug-in to the slot on the focus channel or in the mixer. Note that if you drag the plug-in to a slot that is already occupied, the plug-in replaces the current plug-in in that slot.

drag-replace-plug-in.png

Dragging a plug-in over an existing plug-in (replace)

drag-empty-slot-plug-in.png

Dragging a plug-in to an empty slot

Using the Presets Browser

Track Presets are settings that you save in LUNA, which you can use to create new tracks, or apply settings to existing tracks. Presets also include instrument presets that you can easily use to create tracks for specific sounds.

  • Along the top of the Presets browser, you can select the type of preset (Audio, Instrument, Bus, or Multi-Track, or All).
  • For Instrument presets, you can select tag categories (Genre, Type, Description, or All) and tags. You can click a tag to or remove it from the list. Presets are filtered as you add and remove tags.
  • In the preset list, you can Option+Click to expand or close all preset folders.

preset-browser-callouts-2x.png

What is saved in a track preset

A track preset contains information that defines the configuration of a track, including:

  • Mute, solo, level and pan settings
  • Simple pan setting
  • Sends and send levels and pan settings
  • Insert, instrument, and MIDI FX plug-ins and plug-in values
  • Track names and notes
  • Tape assignments and pre and post-fader settings
  • Console assignments and settings
  • Summing assignments and settings
  • Mono or stereo formats
  • Track phase
  • Track delay
  • Side chain assignments, plug-ins, and settings
  • Track input and output routing

Multi-track presets

Multi-track presets include the instrument plug-in, the configuration of the multi-output mixer, and all settings included in the multi-output mixer configuration.

Saving a track preset

To save a track preset:

  • With one or more tracks selected, from the LUNA menus, choose Track > Save Track(s) as a Preset, or press Option + Shift + P (macOS) or Alt + Shift + P (Windows). In the dialog, type a name for the preset, then click Save.
  • With one or more tracks selected, right-click on the track name in the LUNA mixer or timeline, and choose Save as Preset or Save Multi-Track Preset. In the dialog, type a name for the preset, then click Save.

Creating a track from a preset

There are several ways to create a new track from a preset.

  • In the New Tracks dialog, choose Preset, then click Preset to open the list of preset browser and select a preset. After you select the preset type, the new track dialog returns. You can change the name and number of tracks to create before you press OK. After you press OK, the track(s) are created.
    Note: With this method you can create multiple tracks based on a track preset.
  • Press Command + Shift + P (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows) to create a new track from a preset.
  • From the LUNA menus, choose Track > New Track From Preset. Click the preset name, and the track or tracks are created.
  • Hover over a track in the preset browser, and click New. The track or tracks are created. After you click New the browser switches to a view that shows available track presets for that type of track, and you can select different presets to immediately apply them to the track.
  • In the Preset tab of the browser, double-click a track preset to create a new track or tracks from a preset.
  • Drag a track from the Preset tab of the browser to an empty space or a space between two tracks in the timeline or mixer.

Applying a preset to a track

There are several ways to apply a preset to a track.

  • Right-click on a track name and choose Assign… The preset browser shows available presets for the track type, and you can select a track preset to assign it to the track.
  • Double-click on a track name on the timeline or mixer, and choose Assign Preset. The preset browser shows available presets for the track type, and you can select a track preset to assign it to the track.
  • From the preset browser, drag a track preset onto a track.

Using Preset Assign mode

You can assign track settings from a track preset to existing tracks in your session.

  1. In the Preset browser, right-click on a preset and choose Assign. Note that the plug-ins and Extensions that are included in the preset are listed on the menu.

    preset-assign-menu.png

    After you choose Assign, the Assign button flashes next to the preset, and tracks in the LUNA mixer display plus symbols at the bottom.

    preset-browser-assign-2x.png
  2. Click a plus symbol to assign the track preset to a track.
  3. When you are finished assigning track presets, press Esc or right-click and de-select Assign to exit Assign mode.

Note: Only items that can be applied from the preset to the destination track are assigned. For example, instrument plug-ins are not applied to audio tracks.

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