How to Install & Use LUNA 3: Recording, Editing & Shortcuts

Your first take starts here. LUNA 3 is Universal Audio's recording and editing software for Mac and Windows. With your Vox Boy connected, it gives you a place to capture a performance, clean up the edit, shape the sound, and export a file ready to share.

This guide takes you from installation to a finished voice recording. The main walkthrough uses a Mac with Apollo Solo Thunderbolt, with Windows notes and shortcuts in the download. The basic workflow below uses LUNA Free.

Jump to: Install · Record · Edit · Export · Shortcuts · Watch & learn

What is LUNA 3?

LUNA is a digital audio workstation, or DAW. It records audio onto tracks, lets you arrange and edit those recordings, and turns the result into a finished audio file. UA Connect installs and activates the software. UAD Console handles Apollo routing and monitoring. LUNA is where you record and edit.

Version 3 adds LUNA Play, an approachable recording view, alongside new editing and music-production tools. You can move between Play, the full timeline, and the mixer as your session develops. For voice over, we recommend learning the full timeline so you can make precise cuts and control your final delivery.

Free or Studio? LUNA Free covers the recording, editing, and export workflow below. Studio adds tools such as six-stem separation, lyric transcription, chord extraction, and Audio-to-MIDI, plus additional licensed plug-ins. Check UA's current edition overview for the exact bundle. A paid upgrade is optional.

1. Install and activate LUNA

If your Apollo is new, complete our Apollo Solo installation guide first. Then:

1. Check compatibility. Review UA's current system requirements for your computer, interface, and storage. Use supported SSD session storage: APFS on Mac or NTFS on Windows.
2. Get the license. Follow UA's UAD Explore FREE instructions if LUNA is not already in your account.
3. Open UA Connect. Sign in with your UA account. Look under UAD Explore Free or LUNA, link your iLok account when prompted, activate the license, and download LUNA.
4. Launch LUNA. On Mac, allow Microphone access. A physical iLok USB key is not required when the license is activated to your computer.

Travel tip: finish activation while online and test the entire setup before leaving. Keep UA Connect installed. The PDF explains account setup and the most common activation checks.

2. Connect Vox Boy and record a test

1. Connect the hardware. Plug your headphones into Apollo and connect the SC-1 microphone to input 1. Enable 48V for the SC-1 after connecting it.
2. Select Apollo mode. In LUNA's bottom-left audio info area, choose Apollo and use ARM for low-latency monitoring with supported Apollo hardware. Other Mac interfaces use Core Audio; Windows users should install and select the correct supported interface driver.
3. Create the session. Choose File > New, give it a useful project name, and save it on a supported local SSD.
4. Add a mono audio track. Choose Track > New Tracks, select Audio and MONO, and name it VO RAW. Assign the microphone's single input and arm the track.
5. Set the level. Read your loudest line. As a Vox Boy starting point, aim for peaks near -12 dBFS with room for louder moments. Adjust preamp gain, not the track fader, to prevent input clipping.
6. Record and listen. Turn off the metronome for speech, record 20-30 seconds, then stop. Disarm the track and turn off input monitoring before checking the recorded take.

Apollo Solo owners: set input gain manually. LUNA Play's Assistive Auto-Gain depends on compatible hardware, such as Apollo X Gen 2 or Volt 876. Installing LUNA 3 does not add automatic preamp gain to the Solo.

Want the simpler LUNA Play view?

Choose Start Recording in Seconds from the dashboard, or More Ways to Start > Record Vocals. Confirm the selected input and preset, record your idea, and use the top-left view controls to open the full timeline. For clean VO, bypass reverb and other stylized effects before committing to the sound.

3. Edit for a natural performance

Create a checkpoint with File > Save New Version before editing. Turn Snap off when you need to cut speech freely, and work one sentence at a time.

• Separate and trim: select the unwanted phrase, separate it into a clip, and remove it. Leave enough room for breaths and word endings.
• Smooth the joins: use short fades and listen through the transition. A clean waveform does not guarantee a natural edit.
• Use clip gain: bring an overly loud pickup or breath down locally before changing the entire track.
• Try Strip Silence carefully: preview a short section, protect quiet syllables with start/end padding, then audition the result. It removes gaps; it does not remove noise underneath a spoken word.

The PDF includes a labeled editing-tool image, practical cleanup examples, and the full Mac/Windows shortcut sheet.

Understand what gets recorded permanently

Use standard Inserts when you want to adjust processing later. Unison and Record FX can print processing into the recorded audio. If a client needs a raw file, start with a clean recording; removing a printed effect afterward will not recover the original dry sound.

For a lightly processed read, make small changes and compare at similar playback volume. Follow the client's requirements for compression, EQ, noise reduction, and effects. Our UAD Console and voice-over plug-in guide provides the companion Apollo setup context.

4. Export and check the actual file

1. Select the intended delivery range, including complete word endings.
2. Choose File > Export > Mixdown.
3. For a mono voice file, select the mono VO track and enable Preserve Mono Tracks. Use Bypass Effects if the client requests a dry export. For a finished stereo program, select MAIN.
4. Choose the required format, sample rate, and bit depth. A common Vox Boy working starting point is WAV at 48 kHz / 24-bit; client specifications take priority.
5. Export with a clear filename, then listen outside LUNA. Verify duration, channel count, and any required peak or loudness targets.

Keep your editable project: LUNA saves changes automatically, while Bookmarks and Versions give you checkpoints. Back up the whole session folder as well as the final audio. Once the workflow passes a test, use File > Save as Template to build your reusable Vox Boy recording setup.

A few shortcuts to learn first

These are default assignments. Check Help > Show Keyboard Shortcuts if you use a custom preset or a key behaves differently. On Mac, Cmd + Space may conflict with Spotlight; use the Record button or change the conflicting shortcut.

Watch and learn

• Universal Audio: How to Record Vocals in LUNA Free — official article and embedded video covering recording and mixing. Music-vocal focused; adapt the effects choices for VO.
• Audio Tech TV: What's New in LUNA 3 — an independent overview with an embedded YouTube video, published September 21, 2026.
• Audio Tech TV: recording and mixing with LUNA Free — a practical music workflow linked by the creator; earlier interface details may differ.

Independent videos are supplementary viewing, selected from the creator's descriptions. The instructions here are based on UA documentation; full video transcripts were not available for review.

Keep the guide beside your kit

The full PDF expands this walkthrough with installation images, monitoring guidance, an editing-tool reference, export settings, a shortcut sheet, troubleshooting, and clickable sources.

DOWNLOAD THE 18-PAGE LUNA 3 GUIDE

Official references

LUNA manual · Release notes · Recording · Editing · Mixing and export

Reviewed September 23, 2026 for LUNA 3.0. Prepared by Vox Boy as an independent customer guide. Universal Audio names and interface images belong to their respective owners. Menu labels, compatibility, and included licenses may change with software updates.