Winter is far from over. Or, erm, summer; I don’t know which hemisphere you’re in. You need to prep for what’s ahead by stocking up on music gear and software now. I am the voice of your Gear/Plugin Acquisition Syndrome, and this is my hand-picked list.
Okay, in all seriousness – this is all stuff I would gladly pick up myself, so I’ll be selective.
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Get hardware in the USA
Yeah, we’re all worried about tariffs increasing costs in the USA and across North America. I have no idea what will happen there, but in the meantime, here are some great offers.
Guitar Center has a massive post-holiday clearance going. Some examples: the Sequential Take 5 for $1349.99 – who says great synths aren’t democratized? Universal Audio’s terrific audio interfaces are also on sale – and the Volt line was already a great deal. Or there’s the FLkey Mini from Novation.
Sweetwater has its clearance sale, too. There’s a lot, but right off the bat, I didn’t expect Ableton Move available for $449. That’s the same price as at Ableton, but it means you can use Sweetwater financing plans, etc. – and they have it in stock. It’s only been available direct through Ableton. Oh yeah, and the SM7B mic from Shure doesn’t get discounted often, but right now, it’s $40 off. Let’s buy it and all start podcasts in 2025, basically. All the Sweetwaterness:
This is at its usual price, but Erica Synths Steampipe is available, too.
Perfect Circuit goodness
They’re not giving it some fancy name like “Orthodox Christmas Sale” or something, but Perfect Circuit has some terrific stuff in their Deals section. It’s so beautifully curated that you’ll easily covet half of this; it’s fun to just page through:
These ones in particular, though:
The authentic, Tom-endorsed Oberheim OB-X8 is what I’d buy if I won the lottery, and now at $1000 off, you don’t need much of a lottery. The module version is $700 off.
Faderfox’s knob-covered PC12 USB MIDI Pot Controller, below, arguably the last controller you’ll ever need, is $100 off.
And to finish your modular rig, you could do worse than the discounted Tiptop Audio Mantis (probably my favorite everyday case) and Bartender stereo performance mixer.
Soundtoys, through January 2
It is nearly too late to take advantage of Soundtoys’ steep discounts. This one ends today, with up to 75% discounts (50% off bundle and upgrades). Right now, only available via their site:
https://www.soundtoys.com/product/
Oh and their Radiator sales include 100% proceeds to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders.
What still impresses me about Soundtoys’ stuff is how often I return to it – and how often that means discovering new things. Take their recent PhaseMistress tutorial as an example, as the idea here really is to learn and make music, not just collect stuff:
Universal Audio Bundles
UA bombards everyone with promos, so you probably know about their sales. What you might not know is that they have a bundle of some of their best stuff as a one-time purchase of $79 in their UAD Producer Bundle. While it’s labeled “UAD,” this is actually the UAD Native version – meaning you don’t need special UA hardware. (It does require iLok, but as I’ve written before, easily half the plug-ins I use every day do that. I’ve pretty obsessively covered any compatibility issues on both Mac and PC when they’ve arised.)
What’s in there – 23 plugins for $79:
- 1176 Limiter Collection
- Brigade Chorus Pedal
- Century Tube Channel Strip
- Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio
- Galaxy Tape Echo
- Moog Minimoog
- Opal Morphing Synth
- Oxide Tape Recorder
- PolyMAX Synth
- Pultec EQ Collection
- Pure Plate Reverb
- Ravel Grand Piano
- Studio D Chorus
- Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
- Waterfall B3 Organ
- Waterfall Rotary Speaker
- NEW! Verve Analog Machines Essentials
Those are not all equally useful. But their Roland Dimension (Studio D Chorus) and Space Echo (Galaxy Tape Echo) are really terrific models, the Pultec and 1176 stuff is always useful, and I am addicted, addicted to the Opal Morphing and PolyMAX synths. I actually don’t know why those synths haven’t gotten more attention; the combination of UA’s models and some modern, usable design make them really feel like hardware instruments. Everything in there is well done, so there’s likely something you need at this price.
I think this might be a Plugin Boutique exclusive, but it also might be that I’m lost on UA’s site. Here you go:
This deal is for all of January. They also throw in some freebies at PB.
Alternatively, for $79 there’s the Save The Music Holiday Bundle:
- LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip
- Pultec Passive EQ Collection
- Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection
- UAD Ruby ’63 Top Boost Amplifier
- Opal Morphing Synthesizer
- Verve Analog Machines
That includes the full Verve Analog Machines – which is a nice encapsulation of all the tape modeling work UA has done. It still includes my favorite Opal Morphing synth (even though I might miss the PolyMAX.) And you still get a bunch of Pulteq, and a limiter and channel strip that will more than cover you. This bundle is definitely an exclusive and a portion of proceeds help support the Save The Music tech grant program, so it’s a worthy cause:
UAD Save The Music Holiday Bundle
There are other deals, too:
Universal Audio @ Plugin Boutique
Minimal Audio
I don’t know when Minimal Audio’s holidays end, but they’re still going. That includes their great effects and the insanely deep Current synth for $99. I’m finally getting around to posting that Current 2 review tomorrow, hopefully, with some sound design ideas, but it is unlike anything else. Order direct from them:
Native Instruments
NI has been short on product releases lately, but $19 for some of their effects and synths seems worthwhile. Molekular (Effect), and Prism, Tim Exile’s Flesh, and Razor (Instruments) are all classics. (Driver, too, but that one’s $49 for some reason.) TRK-01 you could probably use to finish an entire club album. Massive did just get a refresh with a scalable UI and Sequoi support and – the original has its appeal. The KOMPLETE Synthesizer Collection is a nice deal, as well, with a bunch of the best stuff. The only thing that gets me down here is that all of this harkens back to the days under previous ownership when the company invested in developers.
At Plugin Boutique:
Eventide
Eventide’s sale is running, to, including some of their unique reverbs (Blackhole, Shimmerverb, MangledVerb), and the H910 Harmonizer. That last one I really have not found another equivalent for from anyone. If you put together Eventide and Soundtoys, you have not only the whole arsenal of H3000-adjacent digital effects history but also the literal engineers who designed those effects (and new ideas from them, as well).
There are a lot of plugins out there. But while yes, yes, it doesn’t really matter which tools you use – it also does matter. I’m often discovering details in implementation in each of these as I work. (That’s also why reading the Valhalla DSP blog or checking in with Airwindows is so much fun.) Production is always this dance between composition and engineering.
So, yeah, all that is to say – the Eventide stuff can be worth your investment. Even if it’s just to buy the H910 for $79.
D16 Group
D16 Group seems to be routinely on sale, but … let’s see. Decimort is my favorite bit crusher, no contest. Devastator is one of my favorite distortions. PunchBOX is a secret weapon for industrial kicks. (Okay, secret out.) Nithonat 2 is a perfect 606 … Nepheton 2 is a perfect 808 … Drumazon 2 is a perfect 909.
If you need a mood enhancer and you love distortion, industrial stuff, or Roland gear (or all three), they come fully recommended. It’s either that or pierogi for me to get me through the winter holidays, so I guess I’m indebted to Poland either way.
Tokyo Dawn Labs
I think Tokyo Dawn is criminally underrated – and these are almost criminally affordable now. Their compressors are more than just another compressor/limiter in the crowd – they’ve got some fantastic coloration qualities available, too.
Tokyo Dawn Labs @ Plugin Boutique
AAS
AAS is a rare combination of two things – those quick, unique sounds that can help you finish a gig, and a deep sound design playground, all in one.
Their sale is still on. Chromaphone and Multiphonics, every time.
That’s all for now, folks. Welcome to 2025.