LUNA vs Soundtrap

LUNA is Universal Audio’s digital audio workstation for recording, producing, and mixing music. It runs on macOS and 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and supports VST3 and AU plug-ins and virtual instruments. Its smart tools include tempo and instrument detection, voice control, stem separation, audio-to-MIDI, lyric transcription, and chord extraction, though some require LUNA Studio. LUNA Play detects an instrument, sets levels, and suggests presets. The software works with any audio interface; Apollo and Volt have deeper integration, and Apollo supports real-time tracking with UAD plug-ins, Unison preamp technology, and Accelerated Realtime Monitoring. LUNA Studio adds API, Studer, and Ampex console or tape extensions, hardware inserts, and six ARA plug-ins. LUNA Free is free. Listed paid plans are LUNA Studio at $199 a month and UAD Spark Studio at $149 a year, billed annually. Installation requires free Universal Audio and iLok accounts, UA Connect, and iLok License Manager. LUNA needs 600 MB of available system storage.

Soundtrap is a cloud-based digital audio workstation for creating music and podcasts, available in a browser and on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. The studio includes vocal and mixing tools, virtual instruments, a MIDI editor, and royalty-free loops and samples. Users can edit multitrack projects, sequence MIDI and use noise reduction. Collaboration includes real-time video and chat, comments on shared projects and autosave. Soundtrap says its library has up to 24,000+ loops and hundreds of presets, with new sound packs added every two weeks. A free account allows users to create and save projects and use selected free loops, instruments, drum kits and studio tools; some sounds and features require a paid plan. Soundtrap for Education is designed for students and teachers, and integrates with services including Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Canvas and Schoology. Educators can try it free for 30 days without providing payment details upfront. Browser support includes current Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, though some audio features may not work fully in every browser and operating system, and recording may have higher latency. Mobile apps do not include automation or MIDI input.