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LUNA Feature Previews

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LUNA Feature Previews let you try features that may be officially released in a future version of LUNA. 

In LUNA version 2.0.5, the following feature previews are available: 

Stem Separation

You can separate stems from imported or recorded tracks using LUNA. Stem separation analyzes audio and creates new tracks for the musical parts it identifies. You can use these tracks to learn parts, record your own parts such as vocals or instrument parts, and remix or rearrange a song. 

separated-stems.png

Separating stems

  1. Select an audio clip or a range of audio to separate.
  2. Right-click on the selection and choose Separate Stems... or choose Edit > Separate Stems... from the LUNA menus. 
  3. In the Separate Stems popover, choose the audio tracks to create. To separate only vocals from all other song elements (grouped into an Instruments track), choose Vocals and Instruments. To separate vocals and individual rhythm elements onto their own tracks, choose Vocals, Bass, Drums, Other. 
  4. To create only specific tracks, deselect any track you don't want to create. For example, when separating Vocals and Instruments, you can deselect Vocals to create only the instrument track. 
  5. After selecting/deselecting tracks, click OK.

Separate stems are created and added to the session. 

Folder Tracks

Folder tracks are used to combine a selection of tracks for visual organization, summing, and editing. 

folder-tracks.png

How folder tracks work

Folder tracks allow you to instantly create a bus track with all tracks routed to the bus, but also provide grouping features not included with buses.

  • Folders can be created from a selection of other tracks. Folders can also be nested (moved inside other folders).
  • Tracks that are in a folder can be removed from the folder, and tracks that are not in a folder can be moved into a folder.
  • Folders can be renamed and recolored. All tracks in the folder inherit the folder color when changed.
  • Folders can be collapsed/expanded by clicking the folder icon.
  • A folder can be removed while keeping all folder items. A folder can also be deleted with all contents.
  • You can make individual edits and adjustments to tracks in a folder. However, adjusting the folder track (for example, adjusting volume, adding a plug-in or send, or editing a selection on the timeline) does the same to all folder items.
  • Because a folder is a bus track, you can add summing Extensions in the Summing slot. 

Creating a folder track from existing tracks

  1. Select tracks in the timeline or mixer.
  2. Right-click a track header, a track name in the mixer, or in the Tracks browser, and choose Create Folder from Tracks.

A folder is created containing the selected tracks.

Creating an empty folder track

In the New Tracks dialog, select Folder as the track type. You can select Summing, Tape, and Console Extensions when creating the folder. 

create-new-folder.png

Adding and removing tracks from a folder

  • To add a track to a folder, in the timeline, mixer, or Tracks browser, right-click on a track and choose Move to Folder, then select the folder.
  • To remove a track from a folder, in the timeline, mixer, or Tracks browser, right-click on a track and choose Move to Folder, then select [Remove from Folder].

Removing a folder track

Warning: The command Delete Folder with Contents deletes the folder track and all tracks contained within it. This action can be undone, but should still be used with caution. 

  • To delete a folder track and keep the folder items, in the timeline, mixer, or Tracks browser, right-click on a folder track and select Remove Folder. Note that the Folder is converted to a bus track in your session, not completely deleted.
  • To delete a folder track and all tracks within the folder, in the timeline, mixer, or Tracks browser, right-click on a folder track and select Delete Folder with Contents.

MIDI Clip Editor

The MIDI Clip Editor is a separate, independently resizable piano roll view docked at the bottom of the LUNA timeline. The MIDI editor includes its own view settings and zoom settings, selection tools, and dedicated editing tools.

midi-clip-editor.png

Toggle visibility of the MIDI Clip Editor

  • Double-click a MIDI clip, or click MIDI in the timeline footer to open the MIDI Clip Editor.
  • To close the MIDI Clip Editor, click the X at the upper left of the editor area, or click MIDI in the timeline footer.

MIDI Clip Editor tools

When a clip is selected in the MIDI Clip Editor, you can choose various editing tools. 

  • Use the Default tool for the same features as the current MIDI smart tool.
  • Use the Pencil tool to draw in single notes at the current grid setting. Drag to create longer notes.
  • Use the Paint tool to draw multiple notes at the current Grid setting.  
  • Use the Velocity tool to easily scale the velocity for a note or a selection.
  • Use the Erase tool to quickly erase MIDI notes. 

Key and scale

Choose a root key and scale manually, or choose Follow Key to get the key from the main Key ruler. Notes in key are highlighted green in the MIDI Clip Editor. 

Grid, Link, Snap, and Auto Scroll options

The MIDI Clip Editor has its own options for Grid, Snap, Link Edit & Play selection, and Auto Scroll. You can set these options entirely separately from the main LUNA timeline settings. 

Adaptive Grid

Adaptive Grid automatically sets a visually and musically useful grid division as you zoom in and out of your LUNA timeline. This allows you to intuitively make broader selections and edits when zoomed out, and finer resolution selections and edits when zoomed in.

adaptive-grid.png

Setting Adaptive Grid

Click the Grid item in the Bar | Beat ruler, or at the top left of the MIDI Clip Editor, then select Adaptive.

LUNA sets the Grid size based on the visual zoom level. The adaptive value is then used to display grid lines and for Snap (when enabled). The grid value is prefixed with A, for example "A 8" is an adaptive eighth-note grid.

Mono Inputs on Stereo Tracks

Assign a mono input to a stereo track for stereo plug-in and Extension processing without a bus. For example, you can assign a stereo guitar amp plug-in to a stereo track, while recording your guitar from a mono Hi-Z input on your audio interface. 

To assign a mono input to a stereo track

  1. Create a stereo audio track. 
    new-track-stereo-highlighted.png
  2. Click the Input panel on the track in the timeline, mixer, or focus channel. 
  3. In the Input browser, select the MONO option.
    mono-input-stereo-track.png
  4. All available mono inputs now appear at the top of the list, followed by the stereo inputs. Choose a mono input. 

LUNA now uses the selected mono input to feed a stereo track. 

Clip Gain Automation

You can edit Clip Gain directly within a clip. This allows Clip Gain to be automated with all of LUNA's editing capabilities.

Show Clip Gain automation

Click View on a track in the timeline, and choose Clip Gain from the browser.

clip-gain-browser.png

Clip Gain lines are displayed in each clip on the track. 

clip-gain-clip.png

Host Record FX and Record Modes

Host Record FX provides the ability to record effects processing on input signals with native (host-based CPU, in addition to UAD-2 DSP) plug-ins. This allows you to commit to a sound and performance while recording. There are now two Record/Playback modes in LUNA's transport menu.

  • Input: Signals are recorded before any processing (dry).
  • Record FX: Signals are recorded after record FX processing, so all Record FX are applied to the recorded signal. Plug-Ins in standard FX slots and Extensions are not recorded to the track.

Enable Record FX mode and assign plug-ins

  1. From the LUNA menus, choose Transport > Record/Playback Mode > Record FX.
  2. Add insert plug-ins to the Record FX slots, below the Input row. You can add up to four Record FX plug-ins. 

Tracks are now recorded with the Record FX plug-ins applied. 

record-fx-native.png

Console Tracking Mode for all Hardware

Console Tracking Mode, previously only available with Apollo hardware, allows you to have live channel inputs from your hardware, and prevents LUNA from automatically muting and unmuting channels when recording. Essentially, all inputs remain live while LUNA is running. Available inputs, monitoring behavior, and latency depend on your specific audio hardware.

Enable Console Tracking Mode

From the LUNA menus, choose Transport > Console Tracking Mode.

Click Track Automation and Export

You can show the Click ruler and automate the click level throughout an arrangement. This can be useful when performers only want the click track in certain sections (for example, when percussion drops out) or when sections have a less rigid tempo, such as at an ending. The Click track can be exported as a separate audio file with your mix.

Show the Click ruler

  1. From the LUNA menus, choose View › Rulers… › Click. 
  2. Click the disclosure triangle to expand the click ruler. 
click-ruler.png

Automate the click level

  1. Click to add an automation breakpoint.
  2. Drag breakpoints or segments up and down to adjust levels.
  3. To delete a breakpoint, double-click it.

Export the click track

  1. Choose an Export option from the LUNA menus. Choose File > Export, then select Mixdown, Selected Tracks, or All Tracks as Files.
  2. In the Sources browser, select Click, and any other export sources. 

The Click track is exported as a separate file. 

export-click.png

Key Signature Ruler

Use the Key Signature ruler to add key signatures throughout your arrangement. Keys added can then be followed by the MIDI Clip Editor (using the Follow Key option), which highlights in-key notes in the piano roll. 

Show the Key Signature ruler

From the LUNA menus, choose View › Rulers… › Key.

Add and edit keys

  1. Click in the arrangement where you want to add a key signature.
  2. Hover next to Key to see the plus symbol ( + ) and click. 
    The Add Key Signature popover opens.  

    add-key-signature-plus.png
  3. Select the Root and whether the key is major or minor.
  4. You can type in the Bar, Beat, and Tick fields to specify an exact location, or select Snap to Bar to add the key signature at the nearest bar. 
  5. Click Apply.

The Key signature is added. 

  • To edit a key signature, double-click it and make changes in the Edit Key Signature popover.
  • To move a key signature, drag it along the ruler.
  • To delete a key signature, click Delete in the Edit Key Signature popover. 

Strip Silence

Use Strip Silence to remove unwanted silence from selected audio clips or a selected range, creating multiple distinct clips instead. While stripping silence, a preview shows how your changes to the settings affect the clips that are created. 

strip-silence-dialog-and-clips.png

Stripping silence

  1. Select audio to strip. You can select individual clips (or a timeline selection).
  2. Right-click and select Strip Silence, or from the LUNA menus, select Edit > Strip Silence... or use the key commands Command + Shift + X (macOS) / Ctrl + Shift + X (Windows).
  3. The Strip Silence dialog opens. Adjust the options to strip silence while previewing the clips, then click Apply.

Previewing Strip Silence

Strip Silence analyzes clips on the selected playlists and highlights the audible intervals in the Timeline. Changing a control refreshes the preview and region count, so you can inspect the result before editing the clips.

Strip Silence settings

  • Strip Threshold: Adjust the threshold to separate silence from audible material.
  • Minimum Strip Duration: Set the shortest duration to strip. Adjust this setting to create fewer clips by ignoring very short audio gaps.
  • Clip Start Pad / Clip End Pad: Adjust this to add extra material around each identified audio clip. This can be useful if you want to create fade-ins and fade-outs for clips.
  • Strip Bookends: Select this option to remove additional material from the start and end of clips. 

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