Universal Audio has launched LUNA v1.9, a software update for its free DAW with new AI‑powered features.
LUNA was released in 2020, and UA says it “continues to evolve into the most musician‑friendly DAW on the market”. The v1.9 update is free for all LUNA users and can be downloaded immediately.
Five new key features arrive with the update, including a voice control tool that lets users start and stop recordings using a simple “Hey Luna” voice command from anywhere in their space.
It also brings instrument detection, with LUNA now able to analyse incoming audio, identify instrument types, and automatically name and colour‑code tracks. Additionally, LUNA can also listen to performances and set the metronome to match.
On a similar note, the update lets LUNA automatically detect the tempo of any audio loop dropped into the timeline so everything locks in sync, and tempo extraction capabilities can now extract a dynamic tempo map from tracks or stems, including tempo changes and natural timing variations.
“We believe that the best audio tools can ‘disappear,’ and feel like they are simply a part of the creative process,” says UA CEO, Bill Putnam Jr. “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.”
In other DAW news, MusicTech recently reviewed FL Studio 2025 and praised its new AI chatbot, Gopher. The 2025 edition is a free update for existing owners from any earlier version, and it even coexists on your computer alongside the 2024 version if you want to keep both.
Interestingly, FL 2025 also introduces one particularly standout AI-powered update: a chatbot called Gopher, which has been trained on the FLS manual and other sources in a wide range of languages, so it can help users if they get stuck with any FL tools or features.
To find out more or download the LUNA DAW now, head over to Universal Audio.
Rachel is a DIY musician who began learning guitar and keyboard from her bedroom at 14. She has written news and features for MusicTech since 2022, and also has bylines across Kerrang!, Guitar.com, and The Forty-Five. Though a lover of heavy music, her guilty pleasure is 2000s pop.
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