Should I try Luna?

[garrettendi]

Been having a lot of issues with Mixbus 8. Random crashes, graphical glitches, stuttering on higher stress plugins (like Melda's MDrummer). I want to be rid!

Luna is free, and most of my plugins have AU versions, so should I go for it? I have a licence for Reaper but I'm interested in something new. Most of the time I spend in my DAW is playing piano or guitar using headphones.

[Eddy Deegan]

I've no experience with Luna but the best advice I can think of is to try it and see how you get on with it

[James Perrett]

Personally I'd suggest resisting the temptation to always go for something new and learn Reaper thoroughly. I've been using it for 15 years and I still have new parts of it to explore (like the Node Editor that my lad discovered recently).

If you'd like a change of scenery then try a new theme. If there is something that you want to do that it doesn't do at the moment then check the repository of additional scripts, effects and add-ons (though check the action list first because there are probably hundreds of actions that don't appear on the menus).

[garrettendi]

Personally I'd suggest resisting the temptation to always go for something new and learn Reaper thoroughly. I've been using it for 15 years and I still have new parts of it to explore (like the Node Editor that my lad discovered recently).

If you'd like a change of scenery then try a new theme. If there is something that you want to do that it doesn't do at the moment then check the repository of additional scripts, effects and add-ons (though check the action list first because there are probably hundreds of actions that don't appear on the menus).

I currently don't have Reaper installed since I wiped the iMac clean over a year ago!

[great_big_hoo]

Luna is free, and most of my plugins have AU versions, so should I go for it?

Yes, it's free, and excellent, so why not?

Also, you can get 3 months of UA Spark for 0.99 - a plugin subscription with some of UA's best native plugins, including Ravel (piano) and the new Sound City Studios plugin which is amazing. They are native plugins so they will run outside of Luna - https://spark.uaudio.com/

[garrettendi]

So, update: I decided to go for it and I'm really glad I did. The issues I had with Mixbus are gone, no more graphical glitches, audio stuttering and distortion etc.

Downside, Hornet's WahWah isn't showing up as an AU in either Luna or Mixbus - a support ticket has been created. And while Melda's MDrummer sounds better and doesn't glitch as it did in Mixbus, it appears to be the cause of Luna crashing. I've started using Ugritone Drums instead and so far no crashes. A support ticket will be created for Melda, and I am confident both companies will give me the support I need.

A happy chap am I! Next step is to use any Christmas money I get for UA's SSL Channel Strip.

....I'm becoming a big UA fanboy...

[Random Guitarist]

Nice, if you like channel strips I'd suggest checking out the plug-in alliance ones. I've been very pleased with them and, so long as you choose a sale time, they can be quite cheap. ($30 or thereabouts)

As always, try before you buy and your mileage may vary.

[garrettendi]

Nice, if you like channel strips I'd suggest checking out the plug-in alliance ones. I've been very pleased with them and, so long as you choose a sale time, they can be quite cheap. ($30 or thereabouts)

As always, try before you buy and your mileage may vary.

Yes the UA one is cheap although not as cheap as $30. I’ll shop around with any Christmas cash I get

[garrettendi]

I’ve taken a look and the SSL strips on Plugin Alliance are the same price as UA!

[Random Guitarist]

Timing is everything with the sales.

Last time I bought plugin alliance I think it was 3 for 60$, but yeah UAD have some deep discounts right now. I wonder if this indicates a long-term shift in their business model/pricing?

[garrettendi]

Timing is everything with the sales.

Last time I bought plugin alliance I think it was 3 for 60$, but yeah UAD have some deep discounts right now. I wonder if this indicates a long-term shift in their business model/pricing?

Thanks so much for the recommendation! I just downloaded the brainworx SSL trial and HOT DAMN my drums sound good!

13 more days in the trial, enough time for Father Christmas to send me $49.99

[sonics]

The new Waves SSL strip sounds great too. $30. Just sayin'...

[garrettendi]

The new Waves SSL strip sounds great too. $30. Just sayin'...

I’ve had five plugins from Waves over the years… never again. Not even free

[Random Guitarist]

Thanks so much for the recommendation! I just downloaded the brainworx SSL trial and HOT DAMN my drums sound good!

Glad you're having fun with it. I was sceptical when I downloaded them and quite surprised how quickly I could get sounds dialled in. Being old my brain likes channel strips. I also like not having lots of graphs of what is happening to the EQ, I find it helps me focus on listening.

Now you have to decide which channel strips are for you!

[ConcertinaChap]

Last time I bought plugin alliance I think it was 3 for 60$, but yeah UAD have some deep discounts right now. I wonder if this indicates a long-term shift in their business model/pricing?

I doubt it. This has been part of UAD's mareketing strategy for a long time. Periodic, heavily discouted sales combined with the vouchers they're always handing out to customers can result in some superb bargains. Looking back at my records I see I paid £55 for the LA-2A collection against a list price of £229, the UA 610-A Tube Preamp for £15 against £115 and so on.

CC

[Sam Spoons]

So, update: I decided to go for it and I'm really glad I did. The issues I had with Mixbus are gone, no more graphical glitches, audio stuttering and distortion etc.

Downside, Hornet's WahWah isn't showing up as an AU in either Luna or Mixbus - a support ticket has been created. And while Melda's MDrummer sounds better and doesn't glitch as it did in Mixbus, it appears to be the cause of Luna crashing. I've started using Ugritone Drums instead and so far no crashes. A support ticket will be created for Melda, and I am confident both companies will give me the support I need.

Changing DAW is a fairly involved process and not to be undertaken lightly. I share James P's opinion that sticking with the DAW you already have makes more sense and would resist the temptation to change without a very strong reason. In the OP's case he has a good reason in that Mixbus was not performing as it should but for others contemplating a change, there is much to be said for choosing a DAW and sticking to it,* remember that there is no such thing as 'intuitive software' it all has a learning curve and that will eat up time you could be using to make music.

* For several years, from the start of my computer music journey I used Cubase, initially as midi only and later for audio. After a while I found that I was spending more time playing computers than playing music (Win XP and Cubase seemed to require a fair bit of effort back then) so I returned to hardware with an Akai digital multitracker for a while. I decided it was time to revisit computer recording when a mate offered me a Mac Pro G5 for not much money and as I had not used Cubase for so long that I was, effectively, starting from scratch so I decided (for various reasons) on Reaper and like James, I have not regretted that choice.

[garrettendi]

I agree, but as you did state, Mixbus was being incredibly unstable and sometimes took a good 5 minutes to load a project with eight tracks. Not sustainable at all, and then it would crash shortly after pressing some notes on a MIDI keyboard...

But I agree, there is a lot to be said for sticking with the one you've got if it's good enough. I had bought Reaper and if Luna wasn't free, I probably would have gone to that on abandoning Mixbus. However, I had the opportunity to make a move, and I took it!

[OneWorld]

Learning a new DAW. As Einstein said "Asking the same question and expecting a different answer means you're asking the wrong question" will drive you mad, and become a Lunatic

I looked at switching to other DAWs and concluded the juice ain't worth the squeeze

That said, I did try Mixbus albeit it way back when, think I was on Windows XP and had more crashes than a blindfolded driver in a stock car race. I gave up and stuck with what I knew

[garrettendi]

Yes, Mixbus is great when it works, but sadly - it doesn't.

[Sam Spoons]

I agree, but as you did state, Mixbus was being incredibly unstable and sometimes took a good 5 minutes to load a project with eight tracks. Not sustainable at all, and then it would crash shortly after pressing some notes on a MIDI keyboard...

But I agree, there is a lot to be said for sticking with the one you've got if it's good enough. I had bought Reaper and if Luna wasn't free, I probably would have gone to that on abandoning Mixbus. However, I had the opportunity to make a move, and I took it!