Building your studio is expensive! Luckily, that’s what Black Friday is for. Now is the time to splurge on some plugins, sample packs, or even the synths and microphones you’ve been eyeing but couldn’t bring yourself to buy. From Moog to Pro Tools to Subpac, there are tons of deals available for musicians and producers. Here are some of the top picks, with more to come.
The best audio deal to buy this Black Friday
If you buy one Black Friday deal this year, this should probably be it. Waves’ Diamond Bundle, the company’s top-of-the-line suite with 65 audio mixing and mastering plugins, from dynamics to pitch correction, is going for an astounding 90 percent off. It’s currently priced at $299 (normally $2,999). If you don’t want to bundle and instead want to pick and choose individual plugins, there’s lots of Waves discounts to be had all around.
Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)
FL Studio: Save up to $350 on select Razer Blade laptops, and get a free copy of FL Studio Producer Edition (with lifetime free updates). The DAW is normally $199. The deal runs until the 30th of November and is valid in the US, Canada, EU (English), the UK, Germany, France, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
PreSonus: Until November 27th, PreSonus’ DAW Studio One and its notation software, Notion 6, are 50 percent off. That means you can nab Studio One 3 Artist for $49.50 (normally $99), Studio One 3 Professional for $199.50 (normally $399), and all crossgrades and upgrades at the same 50 percent discount. During the sale, Notion 6 is $74.97 (normally $149.95), and all crossgrades and upgrades have the same 50 percent discount.
Ableton Live: Ableton Live recently announced the newest version of its DAW, Live 10, coming early 2018. In the meantime, purchase the current version, Live 9, with a 20 percent discount, and get a free upgrade to Live 10 when it comes out. During the sale, Live 9 Intro is $79 (normally $99), Standard is $359 (normally $449), and Suite is $599 (normally $749).
Propellerhead: Reason 10 is currently $100 off, making the digital download of the DAW only $299.
Bitwig: New customers can save $100 on Bitwig Studio 2 during the company’s winter sale. Grab it now from Bitwig’s webshop for $299.
Plugins, software, soundware, and more
iZotope: iZotope is offering discounts on both bundles and individual products. The Mix & Master Bundle, for example, which includes Ozone 8 Standard and Neutron 2 Standard is $199 for any Standard product owner (regularly $398). Individually, products like mastering tool Ozone Elements is $29 (regularly $129) and audio repair tool RX Elements is $29 (regularly $129).
Lennar Digital: Until November 27th, get Sylenth1 for 25 percent off. Enter the coupon code BLFR2017 during the order process. The discount does not apply to monthly payment plans, but can be used for paying off a remaining balance.
Beatport: Until Monday, dance music retailer Beatport is offering up to 50 percent off your cart with a mystery sale. The discount changes hourly, so enter CYBERSALE at checkout to discover your savings.
Loopmasters: Get up to 70 percent off sample packs from Big Fish Audio, Prime Loops, ModeAudio, Freaky Loops, and more.
Serato: Get 50 percent off on the full Serato DJ Suite, which includes Serato DJ, Serato Video, Serato DVS, Serato FX Pack, Serato Flip, and Serato Pitch ‘n Time DJ. Serato’s Control Vinyl is also 50 percent off, minus the standard black version, so if you’ve been eyeing one of the ?uestlove 7-inch vinyls or a pop of color with a pair of yellow or purple marbled 12-inch vinyls, now’s the time to splurge.
Universal Audio: Universal Audio is currently doing 12 Days of UAD, where it reveals deals every day until December 1st. The company has knocked 50 percent off several bundles and plugins: the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip collection is $149 (regularly $299) and Little Labs’ Voice Of God Bass Resonance is $75 (regularly $149.99). Check the site daily for additional sales.
Reveal Sound: Get coveted Spire synth with a massive sound bundle for $259 (regularly $375).
Splice: Get two free months of Splice Sounds (a cloud-based sample and preset library with over 1 million sounds) with code 2FREE (normally $7.99 a month). New customers only.
Fender Play: Until December 31st, receive 50 percent off Fender Play (a video-based platform for learning to play guitar) for your entire subscription duration (normally $19.99 per month). Offer for new subscribers only.
Steinberg: Until November 27th, save 40 percent on Steinberg’s Absolute 3 VST Instrument Collection, which includes The Grand 3 for piano sounds, Padshop Pro for granular sound design, Retrologue 2 for vintage analog synth sounds, and more. Enter coupon code ABSOLUTE2017 at checkout.
Plugin Boutique: There are tons of plugins on sale here with deep discounts. Vocal editing tool Celemony Melodyne Essential is $49 (normally $99), and Sugar Bytes synth Cyclop is $49 (normally $99). Poke around the site for more great deals on VSTs and AUs.
Native Instruments: Native Instruments is knocking up to 50 percent off over 180 instruments, effects, and more, including Massive and Kontakt 5. Hardware alert: if you’ve been eyeing the new Maschine MK3, this could be a good time to scoop one up. The company is bundling it with Komplete 11, a suite of instruments, products, and sounds, for $798.50 (normally $1,198).
Hardware, headphones, and more
Sol Republic: Sol Republic is offering 30 percent off any product over $29.99, and is throwing in free shipping. That means you can grab the Tracks HD2 for $59.99 (normally $99.99). The deal will end at 11:59PM ET on November 27th and is only good for US customers.
Sweetwater: Retailer Sweetwater has a lot of Black Friday deals going on, like 20 percent off their regular price for Avid Pro Tools 12 software with an upgrade plan. Sweetwater is offering the DAW’s monthly subscription at $10 a month for 48 months. By comparison, if you purchase the monthly subscription directly on the Avid website, it’s $24.92 a month. They’re also currently offering a chunk off custom Westone AC10 in-ear monitors at $239.99 (regularly $299.99). If you’re looking for speakers, the company just bought up a bunch of Focal CMS 65 6.5-inch Powered Studio Monitors. Normally $795 each, Sweetwater is offering the remaining stock at $495 per unit.
Guitar Center: Guitar Center has a 25 percent off code (SAVE25) that is applied to quite a few items. The code makes the Alesis VX49 keyboard controller $299.25 (regularly $399), the KRK Rokit 5 G3 studio monitor $112.49 (regularly $149.99), and the Road Runner ATA DJ Case $288.74 (regularly $384.99). There’s tons more available on Guitar Center’s website, so go have a browse.
ACS: These custom, in-ear monitors that also offer hearing protection are currently on sale from 10 to 35 percent off. For example, get the PRO17 hearing protection buds for $120.25 (regularly $185), and the Evoke Custom in-ear monitors for $276.25 (regularly $425).
AKG: The brand is offering 50 percent off headphones, including the over ear Y50 model. On top of that, enter code FREE2DAY to get free two day shipping on any order over $19.99.
Pioneer DJ: Until November 27th, cop a pair of DM-40 speakers in white or black for $99 (regularly $149). The company is also currently offering a couple of mail-in rebates. If you purchase a DJM-900NXS2 4-channel professional DJ mixer from an authorized Pioneer DJ dealer through December 31st, you can claim a free pair of HDJ-2000MK2 DJ headphones (priced at $249.99). Also, if you purchase a TORAIZ AS-1 monophonic analog synth from an authorized Pioneer DJ dealer through December 31st, you can claim a free pair of HRM-5 studio headphones (priced at $99). All claims must be postmarked by January 31st, 2018, and the offer is only valid in the US and Canada.
V-Moda: V-Moda is offering a steep discount on its popular Crossfade Wireless headphones. Normally $300, you can grab them now for $180. That’s 40 percent knocked off the usual price.
DJ TechTools: All versions of the Midi Fighter — the Twister, 3D, and 64 — are 20 percent off. Its backpack, made specifically to carry DJ controllers and bring as a flight carry-on, is also on sale for $119 (regularly $149.99). Lastly, the company’s Chroma USB cables are 50 percent off, making them a 2-for-1 deal.
Shure: Shure is offering discounts on a bunch of products through the end of the year. Some headphone deals include the SRH550DJ for $79 (regularly $99), the SRH750DJ for $99 (regularly $149), and the SRH1840 open backs for $399 (regularly $499). Microphones are also on sale. Vocal microphone SM58 is $89 (regularly $99), large diaphragm condenser mic MV51 is $149 (regularly $199), and drum mic kit DMK57-52 is $369 (regularly $399). There’s a whole bunch more scattered around the Shure website and all deals are good until December 31st.
Subpac: Wearable bass system Subpac is offering a Subpac S2 for $199 with a free BackPac. The Subpac S2 is normally $299 and the BackPac is $79 so that’s nearly $200 in savings. It’s only for the first 100 customers, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one of these for your studio, now is definitely the time.
ROLI: ROLI is offering $200 cash back on the Seaboard RISE 49 (priced at $1,099.95) and $100 cash back on the RISE 25 (priced at $849.95). Along with the cash back, your purchase will also come with acoustic drum studio software FXpansion’s BFD3 for free (worth $350). The Lightpad Block also has a cash back deal of $50 (priced at $179.95) bundled with a free Snapcase Solo protective case (worth $39.95). Deals run through November 28th.
Moog: Moog is offering up to 30 percent off the following Moog instruments: Minimoog Model D, Minimoog Voyager XL, Sub Phatty, Minitaur, Mother-32, Werkstatt-01, Etherwave Theremins, Theremini, Moogerfoogers, and Minifoogers. Find an authorized Moog retailer to inquire about discounts and availability.
PSSL: Many of PSSL’s Black Friday deals are for pro lighting and trussing, but one product in particular is worth noting: it’s offering the MXL Revelation Solo Tube Condenser Microphone for only $299.99. Normally $999.95, the cardiod mic features a EF86 pentode tube, 32mm 6 micron gold sputtered capsule, and a full complement of Mogami cables.