How to Record Vocals in LUNA Free: Step-by-Step Guide

You don't need an expensive studio to get great sound. With our UAD Explore FREE bundle, you get a professional DAW and eight popular UAD plug-ins. It's the perfect set up to record and mix vocals.

In this guide, we walk you through everything from mic setup and capturing takes to comping, mixing, and finishing your track.

Download the UAD Explore FREE bundle ›

UAD Explore FREE includes eight legendary UAD plug-ins and our award-winning LUNA DAW.

Everything You Need to Get Started

If you already have a microphone and basic audio interface, the UAD Explore FREE bundle includes everything else you need to record and mix professional vocals:

LUNA Free DAW
Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor
UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor
UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ
Pure Plate Reverb

UAD Explore FREE plug-ins and LUNA give you nearly everything you need to record and mix professional vocals.

How to Record & Mix Vocals

1. Set Up Your Session

Once you've downloaded the UAD Explore FREE bundle and installed LUNA, it's time to set up your first session.

First, you'll first set your BPM, then create a an audio track for your vocal. If you're recording over a beat, you can drag the instrumental into a new track as well.

2. Get Your Mic Placement Right

A surprising amount of vocal quality is decided before you ever hit record. Even small adjustments can reduce plosives and harshness, so you don't have to reach for an EQ later. If you're using a studio condenser microphone, start here:

Position the mic 6–8 inches away from the singer
Place a pop filter between the singer's mouth and the mic
Angle the mic slightly off-axis to reduce sibilance

For proper gain staging, have the vocalist sing the loudest section of the song while you watch the input level. Target -10 dBFS to -6 dBFS at the loudest moments. This preserves clarity while leaving enough headroom for unexpected louder moments.

3. Set Your Levels

Have the vocalist sing the loudest part of the song while you watch the input meter. Target -10 dBFS to -6 dBFS at the loudest moments.

This preserves clarity and leaves enough headroom for unexpected peaks. Getting this right now means less cleanup later.

4. Reduce Headphone Latency

Latency is the small delay between singing and hearing your voice in the headphones. Even a slight delay can throw off timing and hurt the performance.

These are a few ways to minimize latency while recording:

Engage direct monitoring. Many interfaces let you route signal straight to headphones with no processing delay.

Lower your buffer size. Go as low as your computer allows without glitching.

Explore Apollo interface. Onboard DSP lets you monitor through UAD plug-ins in real time, without distracting delay.

Learn more about Apollo audio interfaces ›

Capturing the perfect vocal take requires planning and patience. Having your DAW set up correctly is the first step to nailing your performance.

5. Record Multiple Takes

Resist the urge to chase one perfect take. Here's how to capture multiple options that you can work with later:

Use Loop Record. LUNA automatically stacks each pass on a separate take lane with no manual organizing required.

Record in sections. If dynamics vary significantly between the verse, chorus, and bridge, break the song into parts and gain stage each one individually.

Use punch-ins. Nailing most of a take but stumbling on one line? Set in/out points around the problem area and drop a new pass in cleanly without starting over.

LUNA supports voice commands. You can say "LUNA, start recording..." to keep the session moving without touching the mouse.

6. Comp and Clean Up

Once you have several takes, open the timeline and start comping. Listen through each pass and pick the strongest phrases to build one final vocal. When choosing between takes, prioritize in this order: delivery, clarity, pitch.

Pitch can be fixed. Emotion can't. A take that sounds alive, even if slightly off-tune, will always connect more than a technically perfect but flat performance.

Once your comping is done, you can do a quick cleanup pass to remove excess breaths and mouth noise between phrases, or fix awkward transitions between edited sections.

Once you've found the best take from each section, it's time to start mixing. Using a vintage channel strip like the 610 Tube Preamp & EQ in your recording chain gives you a solid foundation for the rest of you signal chain.

7. Build Your Vocal Chain

With a clean comp in hand, it's time to start shaping the sound. Here's a solid vocal chain that works across nearly any genre:

Pitch correction. With a plug-in like Topline Vocal Tune, you can pitch correct while keeping transitions sounding natural.

Preamp saturation. Load up the UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ and drive the input until you hear a subtle edge on the loudest peaks, then back off slightly. It adds density and presence.

Smooth compression. The Teletronix LA-2A responds naturally to vocals and never sounds aggressive. Aim for 2–5 dB of gain reduction, and A/B the plug-in on and off to hear exactly what it's doing.

EQ. With a plug-in like the Pultec Passive EQ Collection, cut the lows to remove mud, and a gentle boost around 16kHz for air and clarity.

Peak control. The UA 1176 catches the fast transients the LA-2A lets through. Note that its attack knob works opposite from most compressors. Clockwise means faster attack. Start with medium-to-fast attack, fast release, and moderate gain reduction.

Pure Plate Reverb works especially well on vocals because it adds depth without washing out clarity.

8. Use an Aux Send for Reverb

Don't insert reverb directly on the vocal track. Using a send keeps the dry vocal clean and gives you full control over how much reverb you blend in.

Here's how to set it up in LUNA:

Open "Sends" on your vocal track
Create a new bus and name it "Vocal Reverb"
Insert Pure Plate Reverb on the aux track

To dial in the level, bring the reverb up until you clearly hear it. Then pull back until you'd miss it if it were gone. That's usually the sweet spot.

The Real Secret to Great Vocal Recordings

It's not the gear. It's the decisions made before you hit record.

Get mic placement right. Nail your levels. Make sure the singer can monitor comfortably. Record multiple takes. Edit with intention.

When the source is strong, every step after it gets easier. LUNA Free gives you a professional environment to do all of it, at no cost.

Download the UAD Explore FREE bundle ›

— Brittany Rogers

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I download and install LUNA Free?

Navigate to the UAD Explore FREE page and sign up to get the UAD Explore FREE bundle, which includes a free license for LUNA. LUNA is installed and authorized via UA Connect. For LUNA's system requirements, read this article.

What plug-ins come free with LUNA?

LUNA comes with a virtual instrument toolkit and the UAD Explore FREE bundle, which includes eight of UA's most popular plug-ins at no cost: Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor, UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor, UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection, Vibe Analog Machines Essentials, UAD Showtime ‘64 Tube Amp, Century Tube Channel Strip, PolyMAX Synth, and Pure Plate Reverb. Sign up on the UAD Explore FREE page and download through UA Connect.

Does LUNA Free work without a UA interface?

Yes, LUNA runs as a standalone DAW without any UA hardware required. That said, if you own a UA interface like Volt or Apollo, the integration adds benefits like near-zero latency monitoring and direct hardware control that aren't available with third-party interfaces.

Can I use third-party plug-ins in LUNA Free?

Yes, any third-party AU or VST3 plug-in installed on macOS or Windows will be available inside LUNA Free alongside your UAD plug-ins. For a step-by-step guide on using inserts to add plug-ins, read this article.

What's the difference between LUNA Free and the full version?

LUNA Free gives you unlimited audio and MIDI recording, take lanes, comping, and access to your UAD plug-ins with no cost or time limit. The full version adds Hardware Inserts, with deep integrations with specific hardware like the UA 1176, LA-2A, and Neve 1073 consoles, as well as additional instruments and expanded features. For most tracking and mixing workflows, LUNA Free covers everything you need to get started.

What do I need besides LUNA Free to start recording?

To record vocals in LUNA Free, you need three things: a condenser or dynamic microphone, an audio interface to connect it to your Mac or Windows computer, and plug-ins to build your signal chain. LUNA Free comes with the UAD Explore FREE bundle, which includes eight plug-ins at no cost. UA's Volt interfaces work seamlessly with LUNA, and Apollo interfaces add near-zero latency monitoring through UAD plug-ins while tracking, but any interface will work.

Can I record a full song or cover in LUNA Free?

Yes. LUNA Free has no session limit, no track limit, and no time cap. You can record a full original song or a complete cover — including multiple takes per section, comping, pitch correction, and a finished vocal mix — entirely within LUNA Free using the plug-ins from the UAD Explore FREE bundle.

*All trademarks property of their respective owners. Use of artist names does not constitute endorsement of Universal Audio products.

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