Cyber Monday 2020: The best software deals for producers

This year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday is different for retail store shoppers, but it’s pretty much business as usual for us plug-in patrons. Software developers and marketplaces are all planning on slashing prices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so we’ve compiled a list of the best online deals for new plug-ins, DAWs, samples and subscriptions.

Plugin Boutique has some mammoth discounts on individual plug-ins and bundles, with up to 95 per cent off selected products. Arturia is offering 50 per cent discounts across its flagship titles, while sample pack newcomer Bvker is giving away 3.91 GB of 2925 samples for just $20. DAW-makers have been updating their music-making software and are celebrating with introductory prices, so those looking to get into music production can get involved for less, too.

This is a rolling list that will be updated as more deals come in.

The latest Cyber Monday deals at a glance:

• Slate Digital – Free plug-ins and sample packs, plus huge savings on hardware
• Ableton – Save 20% on Live 10 and get a free upgrade to Live 11
• ROLI – 10% discount on LUMI and up to 20% off on Equator2
• Plugin Boutique – Up to 95% off individual plug-ins and bundles, including Sonnox Inflator and iZotope Holiday Bundle, among many others.
• Leapwing Audio: 40% off mixing plug-ins, including StageOne
• Positive Grid: 60% off Bias plug-ins
• Steven Slate Drums: SSD 5 for $59 (usually $149)
• Serato: 50% off Serato Studio and Sample
• Loopmasters – Up to 70% off sample packs, 3 months of Loopcloud for £3/$3 and receive free Bass Master plug-in
• Soundtoys – 55% of Soundtoys 5 and up to 70% off on individual plug-ins
• Spitfire Audio – The Black Weekend
• Wavparty – 2020 Mega Bundle for $25
• Novation – up to 21% off Launchpad devices
• Apogee – 50% off all FX plug-ins and bundles
• Neural DSP – 50% off plug-ins, contest to win a Quad Cortex
• Synchro Arts – up to 50% off VocALign and Revoice Pro 4
• IK Multimedia – 50% off AmpliTube Joe Satriani and Brian May and more
• Arturia – 50% off V Collection, FX Collection and Pigments
• Native Instruments – 50% off 190 software products
• Baby Audio – Up to 40% off all plug-ins
• denise audio – 35% off all plug-ins plus free Sub Generator
• Sonible – smart:comp for only €49
• EastWest – 60% off a vast range of products, including Hollywood Backup Singers
• PreSonus – 30% off Studio One 5, 10% off Presonus Sphere
• Sensel – Up to $170 off MPE software and Morph
• AIR Music Technology – Loom II available for €4.90, usually €149
• FL Studio – Over 50% discount on FL Studio All Plugins Edition
• Time + Space – Big savings on a wide range of virtual instruments and soft synths, including Toontrack and SoundYeti
• Bvker – Black Friday Bundle 2020 comprising four of Bvker’s biggest sample packs for $20.
• Waves – Savings on individual plug-ins and up to 50% discount when purchasing multiple plug-ins
• Output – Over 35% off all software, including the Output Bundle which is £494, usually £2,278.
• Softube – New savings on different products every weekend
• Plugin Alliance – New deals daily.

The best Cyber Monday software deals for producers:

Slate Digital: Free plug-ins and sample packs, plus savings on hardware

If you’re looking for a bit of excitement in your productions, Slate Digital might have a fresh solution. The audio brand is giving away its new exciter plug-in, Fresh Air, for free, along with six free sample packs. You can check out the plug-in in our Plug-in Preview video below. Also free is the FG-2A, the world’s most authentic LA-2A emulation – you just need to sign in to your Access All Areas account, which you can sign up to for just $10 a month. Slate is also slashing hundreds of dollars off of its ML-1 microphone and Virtual Recording Studio, along with other software discounts. Be sure to the brand’s deals out and nab yourself a freebie!

Our pick: What are you waiting for? Go get Fresh Air while you can!

Pick up your new plug-ins at slatedigital.com

Ableton: Save 20% on Live 10 and get a free upgrade to Live 11

With the next edition of Ableton‘s supremely popular DAW, Live 11, the Berlin music technology company is offering a 20 per cent discount off Live 10. The purchase will ensure a free upgrade to Live 11 upon its release in early 2021. This means that Live Intro is now £55 – a reasonable price to pay for an entry-level edition of the software. The full monty, Live Suite, is down to £431. Check out all the new features of Live 11 below.

Claim your copy of Live at ableton.com

ROLI: Discounts on LUMI Keys and up to 50% off soft synths

MPE pioneer ROLI is celebrating the launch of its new LUMI Keys with 10 per cent discounts on both the Studio Edition Bundle and LUMI Launch Bundle. The colourful controller offers enhanced expression in your performances – especially when coupled with its MPE-focused soft synth, Equator2, which just received a huge update and can be purchased with 20 per cent off. Equator users can get a 33 per cent discount on upgrades, too.

Our pick: If you’re yet to venture into the world of MPE, ROLI software is probably the best gateway into expression. To that end, we’d recommend taking advantage of the discount on Equator2 and start tinkering with its expansive synthesis enginie.

Save on ROLI gear now at roli.com

Plugin Boutique: Up to 95% off bundles and individual plug-in

Plugin Boutique is widely known for its jaw-dropping discounts, and the marketplace is really going to town on Black Friday. It hosts software from an expansive amount of brands, with most discounts running through until early December – some are running all the way into January. Plus, with any purchase, you can choose a free plug-in, courtesy of Plugin Boutique.

Our pick: The discount on the iZotope Holiday Bundle is a no-brainer, saving you £726 on its Element Suite, Iris 2, Trash 2 and its expansions, R2, Excalibur and PhoenixVerb. Nine plug-ins for £42? Bargain.

Check out the deals at pluginboutique.com.

Leapwing Audio: 40% off mixing plug-ins, including StageOne

Leapwing Audio’s deals for Black Friday sees the brand offer its CenterOne, DynOne 3, StageOne and RootOne for just €119 (40% off). These offers are set to run until 3 December.

CenterOne and StageOne let you finesse your mix’s phantom center image and stereo imaging, respectively. Meanwhile, Dynone 3 is a powerful multi-band compressor with parallel processing talents. RootOne lets you add and shape three bands of subharmonic content for better tonal balance.

Watch a demonstration of StageOne below:

Check out the deals at leapwingaudio.com

Positive Grid: 60% off Bias plug-ins

Tracking guitars directly in the box is getting increasingly popular. That’s in part thanks to virtual rigs that simulate the sound of a mic’d up setup. Positive Grid’s Bias plug-ins let you do just that and are going for 60 per cent off for Black Friday.

Bias FX2 ($119) is an all-in-one amp and effects processor for guitar and bass, while Bias Amp 2 ($119) lets you shape your ideal amplifier with virtual components. Meanwhile, Bias Pedal ($39) lets you craft custom distortion, delay and modulation pedals.

Check out these deals on positivegrid.com

Steven Slate Drums: SSD 5 for $59 (usually $149)

Authentic-sounding virtual drums are a mainstay workaround to live drum tracking. Steven Slate Drums 5 is one of the most popular drum plug-ins out there and one that you’ve definitely heard on some hit records. This latest edition includes 148 modeled drum kits and 2,400 MIDI grooves spanning an array of genres, so whether you need grooves to sketch with or to complete a full track, you’ll have plenty of options. It’s going for $59 for Black Friday.

See the deal at stevenslatedrums.com

Serato: 50% off Serato Studio and Sample

DJ and production software makers Serato are taking 50% off subscriptions to Serato Studio. Signing up now lets you access the beat-making software for $60 annually – for life. The brand have also taken half off its Serato Sample, offering the plug-in for $49.50.

Check out the deals at serato.com

Loopmasters: Up to 70% off sample packs, deals for Loopcloud and more

Loopmasters‘ Black Friday deals have begun with hundreds of sample packs for countless genres offered on discount. Plus, if you’re looking to up your production skills, you’ll also find the Producertech music courses going for 60 per cent off.

The brand is also offering a three-month subscription to Loopcloud for just £3. The cloud-based service lets you access Loopmasters’ entire library in your DAW. Along with that, you’ll also get a free Bass Masters plug-in worth £89.

This year’s deals are running until 6 December.

Check out the deals at loopmasters.com

Soundtoys: 55% of Soundtoys 5

Until 3 December, Soundtoys‘ Black Friday bundle lets you get access to all 21 of the brand’s plug-ins for just $229. That includes Decapitator, EchoBoy, Crystallizer, PhaseMistress and heaps more. The pack also includes Effect Rack, which lets you contain all effects to a single plug-in. Alternatively, you can pick up individual titles at up to 70 per cent off.

https://youtu.be/DY3k7053fVY

See the deals at soundtoys.com

Spitfire Audio: The Black Weekend

British sound specialist Spitfire Audio isn’t holding back this weekend. Until 1 December, you can take advantage of up to 40 per cent discounts on single products and up to 80 per cent on Collections. This includes a £100 reduction on the brand new Abbey Road One orchestral library, price slashes on Hans Zimmer and Olafur Arnalds instruments and tons more. Plus, if you spend over £299 you’ll get the limited edition Black Edition Aperture Orchestra for free.

Our pick:Spitfire Audio’s collaboration with the BBC Symphony Orchestra is always worth shouting about. The full version is usually £899, but this weekend you can save a whopping £260.
Browse the Black Weekend offers at spitfireaudio.com

Wavparty: 2020 Mega Bundle for $25

For a cool $25, you get access to everything wavparty’s put out in 2020. The “whole enchilada” as the website calls it includes 21 sample packs, a total of 2,880 samples, 210 loops and 168 Ableton instruments. If you aren’t familiar with wavparty yet, suffice it to say that it’s put out some very quirky and characterful sample packs in the past. You’ll have fun with this one.

See the deals at wavparty.com 

Novation: up to 21% off Launchpad devices

Novation’s Black Friday discounts have taken off! This November, the brand lets you save up to 21 per cent on its Ableton-focused Launch MIDI grid controllers. The Launchpad Pro MK3 goes for $318 (usually $402); the Launchpad X for $173, and the compact Launchpad Mini MK3 for $95 (usually $115).

Check out these deals here. 

Apogee: 50% off all FX plug-ins and bundles

Apogee is offering a 50 per cent discount on all of their plug-ins and plug-in bundles until the end of the month (30 November). The deals include the stellar effects conceived with mixing legend Bob Clearmountain, letting you pick up Clearmountain’s Domain and Clearmountain Spaces for $125 and $25, respectively.

Stay tuned, Apogee’s Black Friday sales event kicks off 25 November at 12am PST.

Neural DSP: 50% off all plug-ins and a contest to win a Quad Cortex

Neural DSP is doing Black Friday two ways this year, firstly by offering 50 per cent off all of its plug-ins. If you’re a guitar player working in the box, Neural DSP’s virtual rigs are top of the line. Plus, artist collaborations such as Archetype: Plini and Archetype: Cory Wong give you access to tried-and-tested tones from some of the best in the biz.

Until the end of the month (30 November) the brand will also be giving away a Quad Cortex to a lucky newsletter subscriber, each day. This powerful modeller pedal equips impressive specs and a wide range of guitar and bass algorithms that include over 50 amps, 70 effects and over a thousand IRs.

Join the contest here or see the rest of the plug-in deals here. 

Synchro Arts: up to 50% off VocALign and Revoice Pro 4

Synchro Arts’ VocALign and Revoice Pro 4 are going for half off until the end of the year (31 December). These software tools deal with pitch and time alignment corrections for multi-layered vocal tracks, streamlining the process to save you time.

The deals see VocALign offered for $249 (usually $399) and Revoice Pro 4 for $399 (usually $599).

Check out these deals at synchroarts.com 

IK Multimedia: 50% off AmpliTube Joe Satriani and Brian May and more

Off the back of its major update to Amplitube, Italian software developer IK Multimedia is offering huge discounts across many of its online products. Not only is Amplitube 5 available at a special introductory price, but you can also get up to 50 per cent off amp simulations from Joe Satriani and Brian May, plus some T-RackS effects.

Our pick: IK has extended an offer on its Total Studio Spectacular II software bundle, slashing the original price by 75 per cent. This gives you tons of amp models from iconic brands, classic analogue synth emulations, professional-grade mixing and mastering plug-ins and so much more. This bundle is sure to give your productions the edge it needs. Catch this deal before it ends on 30 November.

Browse the discounts at ikmultimedia.com.

Arturia: 50% off V Collection, FX Collection and Pigments

French brand Arturia is renowned for its faithful emulations of classic analogue icons, including those of the UREI 1176, Fairlight CMI, Minimoog, Fender Rhodes, and CS-80. This Black Friday, you can get your hands on all of the above and more for half price. V Collection 7, FX Collection and Pigments are all on offer until 6 December and if you’re already an Arturia customer, you might be eligible for even further discounts.

Our pick: We said in our review of V Collection 7 that at €499, it’s ridiculously good value for money. What does that mean when it’s now priced at €249, then? Don’t miss the boat on this one.

Find out more about Arturia’s sale here.

Native Instruments: 50% off 190 products

Berlin’s beloved audio brand Native Instruments is joining in on Black Friday festivities with its Cyber Season sale. The offer sees a 50 per cent discount across more than 190 products in its catalogue, from flagship software to useful Expansions. There are some serious bits of software in here, including Arkhis, Super 8, Massive X, Kontakt 6 and Reaktor 6, among over 70 Expansions and the wonderfully simplistic Play Series.

Our pick: Pharlight is truly a phenomenal granular instrument, that’s capable of the most unique pads, atmospheres and vocal-based sounds. At half-price, this is a useful weapon in a sound designer’s belt.

Baby Audio: Up to 40% off all plug-ins

Baby Audio has stunned us with its affordable multi-effects plug-ins, designed to help make your life easier and your project tidier. Need parallel compression? Spank your audio with I Heart NY, and add extra heat with Parallel Aggressor. Going lo-fi? Boot up the VCR with Super VHS. Need some space? Get seriously saucy delay with Comeback Kid. All are on sale this Black Friday with up to 40 per cent discount. Alternatively, purchase all four as a bundle for $69, down from $176, or as various different bundles. This sweet deal runs until 6 December.

Our pick: It’s hard to single out just one of these low-cost plug-ins, as they can easily be a plug-in folder favourite for years to come. The simplicity and versatility of Baby Audio’s Comeback Kid, however, will likely have you singing “Baby, come back!”.

Simplify your production process and check out Baby Audio’s plug-ins at babyaud.io

denise audio: 35% off plug-ins plus free Sub Generator with any purchase

Berlin’s boutique software developer, denise audio, builds on its Essentials range this Thanksgiving with the introduction of Sub Generator. The plug-in can be added to any instrument to thicken up its low-end, so is best used on drums and bass. You can claim this bass-breathing bad boy for free with the purchase of any denise plug-ins. All of these are on offer with a 30 per cent discount, plus a further 35 per cent discount when purchasing three plug-ins or more. denise make some cracking software too, so be sure to see what your plug-in folder is missing and head to the brand’s website.

Our pick: Perfect Room hasn’t been out for long, but it’s already been labelled by many as their favourite reverb out there. Check out our review here.

Beef up your bass and grab some new production tools at denise.io

Sonible: smart:comp for only €49

Sonible excels at creating smart plug-ins that make use of AI to quickly and effectively help you achieve great-sounding results. smart:comp is on offer this Black Friday with a 60 per cent discount, bringing it to just €49. With one click, this plug-in will intelligently find the ideal parameters to compress your audio with. There is a free trial available, so you should be able to try it for yourself before the deal ends on 1 December.

Check out Sonible’s smart:comp at sonible.com

EastWest: 60% off a vast range of products

Unique virtual instrument virtuoso EastWest is offering 60 per cent discounts across all of its products this month. Among those, of course, is the recent Hollywood Backup Singers, which has earned a nomination for our Gear of the Year awards and is really one-of-a-kind. You can also save 45 per cent on ComposerCloud X, giving you all 67 collections that include over 40,000 Instruments.

Our pick: If you’re eyeing up any of these instruments, it’s definitely worth going for the ComposerCloud one-year subscription. Not only will you get access to the collection you desire, but also to the other 66 fantastic collections EastWest has created.

Check out the Eastwest collections at soundsonline.com

PreSonus: 30% off Studio One 5, 10% off PreSonus Sphere

PreSonus has slashed 30 per cent off all editions of its flagshig Studio One 5 DAW. You can now pick up a copy of Professional for just $280 or Artist for $70. The latest version of the brand’s flagship DAW, which launched earlier this July, adds a wealth of new features including a new performance environment and effects. Annual subscription prices to PreSonus’ Sphere membership program get 10 per cent taken off.

Check out our full review here.

See the deal at Presonus.com

Sensel: Savings on Morph and MPE software bundles

On top of a $50 discount on all of Sensel‘s Morph Bundles, the brand has slashed prices on some of its software bundles, too. $80 can be saved on Morph bundles featuring Madrona Labs’ Aalto plugin, a powerhouse west coast synth inspired by Buchla. You can also save $76 on bundles featuring the Morph, Buchla Thunder Overlay, and exotic sine waves of SonicLAB’s Fundamental software synth. Finally, you’ll save up to $170 on bundles featuring the Morph and three Audio Damage Synths. Morph is an innovative MPE controller that you need to take a look at – it could be a game-changer in your setup.

Check out Morph and accompanying software bundles at sensel.com

ujam: Up to 74% off virtual instruments and effects

The complete ujam bundle – comprised of all its virtual instrument and effect plug-ins – is going for $599 (usually $2,338) during the brand’s Black Friday sales event. That includes its Virtual Bassist, Guitarist and Drummer instrument packs, as well as a slew of its creative-focused Finisher ones. Alternatively, you can pick up individual plug-ins for roughly 50 per cent off each.

See the deals at ujam.com

FL Studio: Over 50% discount on FL Studio All Plugins Edition

The full version of Image-Line’s well-loved DAW, FL Studio, gets a price drop this November, now available for £305 – that’s a £365 discount. There’s a plethora of tools, effects and instruments in this bundle that will get you set up with all you need for serious beat-making. FL Studio All Plugins Edition will return to its regular price on 30 November.

Get the full version of FL Studio at image-line.com

Time + Space: Savings on Toontrack, SoundYeti and more

Home of Toontrack, Zero-G, Rob Papen and plenty more revered brands, Time + Space is hosting a pretty impressive Black Friday sale. With savings of up to 90% across a wide range of virtual instruments, samples, mixing tools and synths, you’re sure to find something that will enhance your productions and creativity here. The deal end date varies for each product, so make sure to check in regularly to catch the best deal.

Our pick: Sound Yeti has kicked off its Black Friday sale with up to 52 per cent off its impressive Kontakt instruments, including the Sound Yeti Ambition Bundle, exclusive to Time+Space. There’s some serious sound in these libraries, so be sure to check them out.

Browse the Black Friday sale at timespace.com

Bvker: Black Friday Bundle 2020

German sample creator Bvker is new to the scene, but that hasn’t stopped the company from offering a whopping 2925 files for $20, bringing the price down from $160. You’ll get over 400 Serum presets, 1057 drum shots, 156 MIDI files, 219 effects loops and much, much more. This offer will run until Black Friday comes to a close, so if you’re on the hunt for some fresh, inspiring sounds, get involved.

Grab a ton of new samples at bvker.com

Waves: Up to 50% discounts on all purchases

One of the most recognised plug-in creators in the industry is kicking off its Black Friday celebrations with some Early Bird Bonus Savings. 20 of Waves‘ plug-ins are included in the offer, with up to 91 per cent savings on individual plug-ins. If you’re in need of a few additions to your arsenal, Waves has a bundle deal in which 30 per cent off a second plug-in, 40 per cent off a third plug-in and 50 per cent off the fourth plug-in and beyond.

Our pick: The Chris Lord-Alge Signature Series comprises six plug-ins for mixing vocals, guitars, bass, drums and more, created with Grammy-winning mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge. You can save 85 per cent on this pack, now costing just $60.

Grab some early savings at waves.com

Output: Over 35% off all software

Californian audio brand Output has created an impressive suite of plug-ins over the last few years, many of which can be found in the plug-in folders of the most revered producers on the planet. This November, the company’s entire software catalogue has been discounted by 35 per cent. That includes Thermal, Portal, Rev, and much more, plus all 22 expansions until 6 December.

Our pick: If 35 per cent off all Output’s software wasn’t enough to pique your interest, perhaps the discount on the Output Bundle will be. Usually, you’d be forking out £2,278 for the sounds used on Black Panther and tracks by Diplo, Coldplay and Rihanna. For Black Friday, you can grab the bundle for just £494. Nice.

Inspire yourself with some new sounds at output.com

Softube: Black November

In usual Softube fashion, Black Friday is unfolding in a slightly different way for the Swedish software developer. Every weekend, a new set of deals will appear on the Softube website and will only be available for that weekend. Then, on 23 November, the brand will unveil Black Week sales, followed by its Black Friday sales on 26 November and its Cyber Monday offers on 30 November. Needless to say, there’s plenty to get your hands on if you can keep up this month.

Keep updated on the latest deals at softube.com

AIR Music Technology: Loom II for under €5

In need of a new synth? It’s hard to say no to AIR Music Technology‘s Black Friday offer, in which Loom 2 costs just €4.90. The additive synth would usually set you back €149, so this deal shouldn’t be one to hesitate about. Still, if you do need some time to consider the purchase, you’ve got until 7 December. Check out this overview video to find out more.

Purchase Loom 2 at thomann.de

Plug-in Alliance: New Deals Daily

You’ll have to watch Plug-In Alliance’s social media handles to get word of its daily flash sales. Each day, the website shares a discount code to a different plug-in and some deals have pretty great. Best stick a bookmark on this one.

See the deals here.

For more deals, guides and news on music technology, head to musictech.net.