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Universal Audio has announced Luna v1.9, an update to Luna, its free DAW, that introduces a number of AI-powered assistive features including voice control, instrument detection, tempo extraction and more.

Originally launched in 2020 as low-latency recording environment for owners of UA hardware, Luna was made available free to all Mac users in 2023 before a Windows version was launched in May 2024.

Luna has a toolbox of UA’s analogue emulations baked into its mixing workflow, integrating the sound of classic channel strips, mixing consoles, and tape machines into the DAW itself.

Luna’s 1.9 update brings the vintage-inspired software squarely into the 21st-century with several AI-powered tools designed to make the recording process easier and more efficient.

First up is Voice Control, which allows users to start and stop recording by saying “Hey Luna” from anywhere in the room, a feature intended to help musicians stay in the creative flow of a performance without having to interact with their DAW. (This feature is currently only supported on Apple Silicon Macs.)

Luna 1.9 also introduces Instrument Detection, which analyzes incoming audio to identify instrument types, automatically naming and colour-coding the relevant tracks accordingly.

Also new in Luna’s latest update is Tempo Listen, which monitors incoming audio as you perform and sets the DAW’s metronome to match your playing, and Tempo Detection, which automatically detects the tempo of any audio file dropped into the timeline. Luna can also extract a dynamic tempo map from tracks or stems with tempo changes and timing variations using its Tempo Extraction feature.

“We believe that the best audio tools can ‘disappear,’ and feel like they are simply a part of the creative process,” Universal Audio CEO Bill Putnam Jr. said in a press release.

“We think the new AI-powered tools in Luna 1.9 start to make it feel like a behind-the-scenes music recording partner, not just a DAW. Ultimately, we always look forward to hearing what our users think.”

Luna 1.9 is a free update for all macOS and Windows users, and no UA hardware is required.

Find out more and download Luna on Universal Audio website.

Developer Iftah Gabbai has released Sting 2, a major upgrade to the M4L acid line generator.

What Gabbai has to say about it:

“It’s an expressive, improvisational acid line performance system.

Sting can generate anything from random to acid patterns and morph between them fluidly. It features a new generation algorithm, advanced editing, expressive control, generative sequencing, and modulation capabilities, along with a set of live performance oriented features. These include a dedicated Push takeover mode that transforms Sting into a hands-on live performance system when used with Ableton Push 2 or 3.

All of Sting’s parameters are logically laid out and fully controllable via Tabbing, making it accessible to blind, visually impaired, and sighted users.”

Sting is available now, as either a free or paid download. The developer notes, “Both versions are identical, you can decide whether you want to support my work.”
 

Caelum Audio’s Toyphonic Micraliser is the plugin nobody asked for. This hilariously bad mic modelling plugin is free for International Joke Day.

1st July marks International Joke Day (who remember?) and plugin developer Caelum Audio is celebrating the occasion with the release of a hilariously – and deliberately – bad plugin that the company promises will “transform your music into something only a toddler could appreciate”.

Toyphonic Micraliser is a mic and speaker modelling plugin that emulates the tinny and unpleasant sound of cheap and undesirable gear. Imagine a children’s toy microphone that your three-year-old accidentally dropped in the bath run through a budget Bluetooth speaker, and you’ll get the idea. As Caelum Audio puts it, “if your singing sounds like a dying cat, this finally kills the cat.”

The plugin’s “ultra-realistic, precision-tuned” mic and speaker modelling is based on “painstakingly captured” impulse responses that can be shaped via Size, Attack and Decay controls, and there’s also a Quality control onboard that introduces an appropriately nasty-sounding bitcrushing effect.

For a free plugin that’s intentionally poor, Toyphonic Micraliser actually offers plenty of modulation options, including an LFO with four waveforms, a 64-step motion sequencer and envelope follower, all of which can be assigned to eleven destinations. “Just because your music is flat and boring doesn’t mean the automation has to be too,” explains Caelum Audio.

A selection of 15 “locally sourced and organic” presets are available – included, Caelum Audio says, “so your AI-reliant selves don’t have to think beyond the blinking and breathing part of your day” – and a randomize button instantly generates new presets by randomizing the plugin’s controls.

While Toyphonic Micraliser doesn’t sound great – it does have some potential as a tool for lo-fi sound design, if that’s your kind of thing. “We cannot be held liable for any personal threats or harm you may encounter upon being encouraged to sing into the Toyphonic Micraliser,” warns Caelum Audio. “You should have known better, you silly sausage.”

Toyphonic Micraliser is available now for macOS, iOS and Windows in VST3/AU/AAX/AUv3 formats. Find out more on Caelum Audio website.