LUNA Free Interactive Tutorial

Guided beginner course · LUNA Free

Make a repeatable eight-bar audio session in LUNA Free, edit and balance it, then export and independently check a stereo mix.

8 guided lessonsPractice audio + MIDIKnowledge checks

Checked 27 October 2026 against UA’s September 2026 LUNA manual and Free/Studio licensing FAQ. The current paid tier is LUNA Studio. This course needs only LUNA Free’s core audio workflow; it does not require stem separation, chord extraction, paid extensions or Apollo recording hardware. macOS uses Core Audio or Apollo mode; Windows uses supported ASIO hardware. Windows session opening differs from macOS.

Before you start
  • LUNA Free already installed and authorised through your own UA/iLok setup.
  • A working supported audio device and headphones or speakers; Windows users need a supported ASIO device/driver.
  • Download and unzip the original DeviceCritique practice pack. Use the beat and melody WAVs, not the reference mix as a third track.
  • The supplied WAVs are original synthesized fixtures, 44.1 kHz/16-bit mono, 16 seconds each: eight bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM.

Work in a practice project and keep the supplied files together. The checks on this page record your answers and your own confirmation that you tried the exercise.

Start lesson 1Open practice lab
Practice lab: listen, mix and download

Start with the same two parts: a beat and a simple melody. Both are eight bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM—16 seconds each. The pack also includes MIDI notes and three drum one-shots.

Original DeviceCritique synthesized teaching audio. Your DAW instrument can sound different; the exercise is about timing, editing, balance and a complete export.

Download practice pack · ZIPBeat WAVMelody WAV

The full-length WAVs are mono, 44.1 kHz / 16-bit. Unzip the pack for MIDI and kick, snare and closed-hat samples. Keep a copy of your editable DAW project as well as your final audio file.

Lesson 1 of 8

Meet Timeline, Mixer and your output

By the end: Find the editing view and confirm the device LUNA is using.

LUNA has separate Timeline and Mixer views, with a shared Control Bar. You will arrange in Timeline and balance in Mixer. This lesson is about recognising those places and the listening device, not configuring a recording studio. The supplied files remove microphones and virtual instruments from the first-project equation.

  1. Identify your views

    Use the view selector at the left of the Control Bar to choose Timeline, then Mixer. Return to Timeline and locate Play, Stop and Return to Zero.

  2. Inspect the audio device

    Choose View → Section → Info if the bottom Info area is hidden. Click its audio-settings area. Confirm the expected device mode: Core Audio on a native Mac, ASIO on Windows, or your configured Apollo mode.

  3. Check the listening output

    On macOS, open the settings Hardware panel, enable your actual device, choose its Main Outputs pair and click Apply. On Windows, confirm your supported ASIO device is already configured before continuing.

Check your project: You can switch views and identify the device and physical outputs you intend to hear.

If your result is different

If no usable Windows ASIO device is available, resolve that setup first. A browser playing sound does not confirm LUNA’s separate output path.

Lesson 2 of 8

Start a named, fixed-tempo session

By the end: Create a session at 120 BPM without stretching the practice files.

We know the files’ timing already: 16 seconds, eight bars, 120 BPM. Automatic tempo interpretation is useful elsewhere, but this exercise does not need it. Disable tempo-follow before importing so the fixtures stay a predictable length. The little arrangement is already doing enough without an unexpected interpretive dance.

  1. Create the session

    On the Create page, type DC First Mix under Create New Session, choose Location, then click Create. From an open session, use File → New.

  2. Set the known tempo

    Double-click the Control Bar’s BPM value, type 120, and press Return. Keep the session in 4/4; do not add tempo changes for this exercise.

  3. Preserve the source duration

    Click at the top of BPM, or its adjacent menu icon. Under Session Tempo Mode, turn Clips Follow Tempo off before adding audio. Return the playhead to the session beginning.

Check your project: Your named session reads 120 BPM, with Clips Follow Tempo disabled before import.

If your result is different

If you already imported stretched clips, simply disabling tempo-follow preserves their current length. Reimport untouched source WAVs after correcting the mode.

Lesson 3 of 8

Import two parts, hear two parts

By the end: Create aligned audio tracks from the supplied WAVs.

Use the same start for both files so the supplied rhythm and melody line up. LUNA can place dragged files exactly where you drop them, which is convenient until “approximately the beginning” becomes your accidental arrangement. Take a moment to verify the edges; your ears will appreciate the paperwork.

  1. Add the beat

    Find devicecritique-practice-beat-120bpm.wav in the unzipped folder. Drag it into empty Timeline space at the session beginning so it creates an audio track.

  2. Add the melody separately

    Drag devicecritique-practice-melody-120bpm.wav into another empty row at that same start. Use the Bars and Beats ruler’s Grid → Bar and highlighted Snap control to help placement.

  3. Confirm the sound

    Click Return to Zero, then Play. In Mixer, briefly mute one track and then the other to identify each part. Restore both, stop playback and confirm their right edges meet at bar nine.

Check your project: Two separate tracks play together from the start and last eight bars at 120 BPM.

If your result is different

If a file landed on the existing track, undo and drop into empty space. If silent, check track mutes and the device/output from lesson one.

Lesson 4 of 8

Edit an edge without losing the phrase

By the end: Try a trim, undo it, then keep a short ending fade.

An audio clip has boundaries and fades, and LUNA chooses the tool from where you hover. That makes precise pointer placement more useful than frantic clicking. First practise an edit you will undo. Then make a small finish you intend to keep. Only the melody changes; the beat remains your timing reference.

  1. Rehearse trimming

    Zoom into the melody’s beginning. Hover at its lower start boundary until the trim tool appears, then drag inward by roughly one beat. Play the opening to hear what disappeared.

  2. Restore the source view

    Choose Edit → Undo. Confirm the melody starts with the beat again and still reaches the original end. Undo changes the edit, not your practice-pack file.

  3. Create a gentle finish

    At the melody’s upper end boundary, hover for the fade tool and drag inward to create a short fade-out. Listen across the ending and shorten the fade if it hides too much of the phrase.

Check your project: The original opening is restored and a short, audible melody fade remains at the ending.

If your result is different

If the clip moves instead of trimming, undo, zoom in and target the lower boundary. A fade uses the upper boundary tool.

Lesson 5 of 8

Mix for a clear relationship

By the end: Choose a melody level that leaves space for the beat.

Balance is a decision about attention. The melody should be easy to follow, while the rhythm still gives the idea shape. The reference example contains the same original fixtures; it is a listening aid, not a measured LUNA export you must match. Your ears still get a vote. Quite a large one, actually.

  1. Use Mixer faders

    Switch to Mixer. With both parts playing, lower the melody fader, then bring it up gradually until the tune is clear without covering the beat. Leave Main processing alone.

  2. Compare with mute and solo

    Briefly solo the melody, then clear solo. Mute and restore it to hear what it contributes. Finish with both tracks audible and no unintended solo state.

  3. Check the combined output

    Watch LUNA’s overload indication while playing the whole eight bars. If overload appears, lower the contributing track levels, clear the indication and listen through again. Keep a comfortable physical listening level.

Check your project: The complete passage plays with both parts clear and no persistent overload indication.

If your result is different

If only one part survives, clear solo and check mutes. Do not try to fix every balance problem by raising Main or your speaker volume.

Lesson 6 of 8

Make the session recoverable

By the end: Check autosaved work by closing and reopening the named session.

A good first project should survive being closed. LUNA saves work automatically, but that does not remove the need to know where the session lives or which version you opened. This is a small recovery drill before export. The editable session preserves your choices; a stereo WAV alone cannot replace it.

  1. Record the useful details

    Note your session name and chosen folder. Write one sentence describing the current result: both parts aligned, melody balanced, ending faded. That sentence becomes a simple reopening checklist.

  2. Close and reopen

    Close the session through File → Close, then reopen it from Open Recent Session. On Windows, if it is absent, use Open From Disk or File → Open and select the session folder.

  3. Verify the music, not just the title

    Play from the start. Check the two tracks, tempo, clip positions and ending fade. Confirm you reopened the correct session before making further changes or deleting any source material.

Check your project: The reopened session retains the arrangement and balance you intended.

If your result is different

On Windows, ordinary session-package double-clicking is not the supported opening route. Use LUNA’s Open From Disk or File → Open instead.

Lesson 7 of 8

Export precisely the intended passage

By the end: Mix the eight bars to a WAV and check it outside LUNA.

The export must contain your arrangement, not whichever playhead position happens to look important. Set an explicit range and choose the Main mix. Our 44.1 kHz, 16-bit WAV target keeps the exercise straightforward; it is not a universal delivery requirement for every future release. Always follow a real recipient’s specification later.

  1. Select the eight bars

    In Timeline, select the range from the start of bar one to the start of bar nine using the ruler. Confirm it covers the original 16-second passage and your ending fade.

  2. Create the mixdown

    Choose File → Export → Mixdown. Select the Main output as the source and WAV, 44.1 kHz, 16-bit. Name the file dc-luna-first-mix.wav and click Export.

  3. Listen independently

    Locate the result in the session’s Exported Files folder unless you selected another destination. Open it in an ordinary audio player and check opening, both parts, ending and roughly 16-second duration.

Check your project: A standalone WAV contains the whole intended passage with no missing part or long silent tail.

If your result is different

If no range is selected, LUNA exports from session start through all audio, not from the playhead. Recheck range and sources if the result differs.

Lesson 8 of 8

Make an alternate with a clear intention

By the end: Repeat the workflow and deliver a second, distinguishable mix.

Put the tutorial on your side of the desk rather than letting it drive every click. This time the brief is “a gentler melody, with a clean finish.” Keep timing fixed so the change you hear comes from your mix choice. You are practising a complete small workflow, not auditioning for the world’s strictest snare committee.

  1. State your plan

    Write one sentence describing how the second mix should differ from the first. Keep the same two fixtures and eight-bar duration. Pick one main change so comparison remains easy.

  2. Make the change deliberately

    Reopen your session, adjust the melody fader and refine its ending fade if needed. Play all eight bars and verify the beat is still present. Keep Clips Follow Tempo off and preserve both start positions.

  3. Deliver and explain

    Export the same range as dc-luna-alternate.wav. Compare both WAVs outside LUNA at a similar listening level. Describe what changed and which version better fits your stated plan.

Check your project: You have two playable mixes, an editable session and a clear reason for preferring one.

If your result is different

If the alternate sounds identical, exaggerate the one intended change briefly, then refine it. Avoid changing tempo just to force a difference.

An eight-bar LUNA mix you can reopen

Use the original beat and melody fixtures to produce two purposeful mixes. Keep the LUNA session, reopen it successfully, and listen to both exported WAVs outside the application. Your completion tick is a self-check; the tutorial does not read or grade the session.

  • The named session uses 120 BPM in 4/4.
  • Both original WAVs start together and retain their 16-second duration.
  • A trim was tried and undone; an intentional ending fade remains.
  • Both parts are audible and overload was checked.
  • Closing and reopening preserves your work.
  • Two eight-bar exports play outside LUNA and have an explainable difference.
Official manuals and lessons used for this course

Documentation-based instruction, checked 27 October 2026. Progress and quiz answers stay in this browser. Use the checkpoint descriptions to assess your own DAW project. The original practice audio demonstrates an exercise; it is separate from the manufacturer interface reference.