The Best Black Friday Plugin Deals in 2024
We list, predict and rate the best Black Friday deals for plugins, DAW, synth, bass, guitar, studio and drums
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Received a free license or product on loan from some of the brands
Have used some but not all of the brands and products
Table of Contents
- 1. The Summary: Quick guide to the best deals, deal predictions, free plugins, and retailer deals
- 2. The Live Deals: The best Black Friday plugin deals 2024 right now, rated by us
- 3. The Deal Predictions: Deals we predict for 2024, based on deals offered 2019-2023
- 4. The Free: Free Black Friday plugins, available only for a limited time
- 5. The Buying Guide: Helping you to prepare to find the best deal for you, and avoid overspending
- 6. The FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Black Friday audio software and hardware deals answered
1. The Summary: Quick guide to the best Black Friday live deals, predictions, free plugins, and retailer deals
⚡️ Top LIVE Black Friday 2024 Plugin Deals from brands
For this summary, we only selected the top 10 live Black Friday deals so far, based on our 5 star rating. For a full list of all live deals in our database, jump to the full deal section below.
For a full list of all live deals in our database, jump to the full deal section below.
⚡️ Top PREDICTED Black Friday 2024 Plugin Deals
For this summary, we determined the top 10 most popular brands, based on the amount of internet searches in November 2023 for black friday. We then used our extensive research of Black Friday deals offered since 2019, to make predictions for 2024.
For a full list of all predicted deals in our database, jump to the full predictions section below.
🆓️ Top FREE Black Friday 2024 Plugins
There are so many great free plugins available, so why look out for them during Black Friday? Well, a few brands offer free plugins for a limited period of time during Black Friday. We researched the patterns across recent years from the likes of Baby Audio, Waves and Soundtoys, so bring you predicted and live free plugins in our guide.
For details on the free plugin deals, including what plugins were offered before, and what plugins we predict this year, jump to the full section below.
2. The Top Deals: The best Black Friday 2024 deals you can buy right now
As every year, a few keen brands have already started discounting their DAWs and VST plugins from the end of October, with some stretching their deals into January. Now whilst you can buy audio software and hardware in a sale at any time of year, we have so far not picked up any that are called Black Friday.
Sonnox offer cracking plugins, with the Oxford range Inflator and Limiter home in many studios. With up to 90% off their most popular plugins, you can get your hands on those crackers from $19, for one month. Only Plugin Boutique offer the early Black Friday sale however, with the Sonnox website not offering any discounts. If you haven't got any Sonnox plugins, try them and buy some. 5 stars.
This year, Antares started three weeks earlier, and extended to offer Black Friday discounts across all their products, both perpetual licenses and subscriptions. On the downside, the maximum discount reduced from 75% in 2023 to 50%.
This year, KVR Marketplace is first out of the block with the typical Arturia 50% off Black Friday deal. Products included are:
- Arturia V Collection X: $299 (53% off $649)
- Arturia Analog Pro: $99 (50% off $199)
- Arturia FX Collection 5: $249 (50% off $499)
- Arturia Pigments 5: $99 (50% off $199)
We still predict that Arturia will repeat their Black Friday deals from the last years, with 50% off V Collection X, FX Collection 5, Analog Lab V and Pigments 5, on their own website, and other retailers such as Plugin Boutique*, later in November.
Focusrite are offering up to 25% off in their own web store from 1 November until the end of the year. You can pick up both new items and refurbished items, starting from $74.99 for a refurbished Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen, normally selling for $99.99.
You can save even more when you buy at Thomann, the largest European retailer, who also ships internationally, including the USA. For example, the popular Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen:
LANDR is more than just an online mastering service it originally started as. Nowadays, subscriptions include a wide array of attractive plugins, it offers music distribution services, samples, courses and a lot more. With that in mind, you can save up to 50% for a limited time during Black Friday, with subscriptions starting from $7.43 a month.
FL Studio Black Friday has gone live on 4 November 2024, and continues until 6 December 2024. Image Line offers up to 30% discount this year - higher than the 25% offered in 2024. Thank you - 4 star rating.
- FL Studio Fruity Edition: $99 (no saving)
- FL Studio Producer Edition: $139 (20% off $199)
- FL Studio Signature Bundle: $199 (26% off $269)
- FL Studio All Plugins Edition: $314 (30% off $449)
Loopcloud provide a high quality sample library subscription, provided through our 5 star rated Loopcloud sample management software. For Black Friday 2024, Loopcloud excelled their excellent Black Friday deal yet again: Subscribe for up to 50% off (12 months for the price of 6). Plus get 10 free plugins to keep, even if you don't continue to subscribe after year 1. The sale prices look as follows:
- Loopcloud Artist Subscription: $47.99 for the first year (40% off $79.99)*
- Loopcloud Studio Subscription: $71.99 for the first year (40% off $119.99)*
- Loopcloud Professional Subscription: $131.99 for the first year (40% off $219.99)*
Not stopping there, Loopcloud throws in 10 plugins for you to keep, even if you don't subscribe longer than the first year. 5 stars.
Novation offer up to 30% off their extensive MIDI keyboard, controller and synth range during Black Friday 2024. Highlights include:
- Novation Peak Refurbished: $1,149.99 (instead of $1,599.99)
- Novation Summit Refurbished: $1,699.99 (instead of $2,299.99)
- Novation Circuit Track Refurbished: $289.99 (intead of $399.99)
- Novation Launchpad Pro mk3 Refurbished: $254.99 (instead of $349.99)
- Novation Launchkey Mini mk3 Refurbished: $79.99 (instead of $99.99)
Waves are on sale every day but still leave their biggest discounts reserved to Black Friday*. They started their Black Friday sale on 4 November, and will extend deals at an expanding rate until Black Friday itself.
- Plugins reduced: prices $19.99
- Additional savings: up to 45% off in addition, if you buy 4 or more plugins
The product range included will increase week by week in the run up to Black Friday:
- Week of 4 Nov: 30 Plugins starting from $19.99
- Week of 13 Nov: 60 Plugins starting from $19.99
- Week of 20 Nov: 90 Plugins starting from $19.99
The multi-buy savings are as follows, if you buy more than one plugin together:
- 25% off your second plugin purchase
- 35% off your third plugin purchase
- 45% off your fourth and more plugin purchase
The AVID Protools Black Friday deal AVID improved in 2024 compared to 2023. 33% discount is reasonable, and higher than what the company offered in 2023 with 20% off. The discount only applies for the first year, however, so you will go back to paying the full price for the subscription from year 2. But at least the length of the deal increased from 10 days to 3 weeks, meaning you don't have to take any rash decisions.
3. The Predictions: The Black Friday 2024 deals we expect in 2024
We analysed the best plugin and DAW deals offered by the most popular brands from Black Friday 2019 to 2023. That information helped us predict what brands are likely to offer Black Friday deals, at what discount, at for how long. Unfortunately, we cannot gaze into the future. However, we are in contact with many companies who share upcoming promotions with us.
4. The Free: Free Black Friday plugins
Many brands offer high quality plugins for free all year round. During Black Friday, we see others release plugins for free for a limited time. This year, we expect the following brands to offer free Black Friday plugins:
Free Baby Audio Plugin: PREDICTING the fifth free Black Friday plugin from Baby Audio in 2024
DOWNLOADWe predict the Baby Audio with continue to offer a free plugin in 2024, and will include this here as soon as it is released. In the meantime, you can still download the all four free plugins Baby Audio released in prior years.
Black Friday 2023*: Free Baby Audio Beat Slammer
A punchy free compressor plugin that is not for the faint-hearted. Love smashing? Enjoy squashing? This one pumps and mangles the dynamics, whilst allowing you to set the dry/wet mix through a XY pad.
Black Friday 2022*: Free Baby Audio Pitch Drift
An simple plugin, based on the Super VHS algorithm, offering random fluctuations in the pitch of the incoming audio signal, for that vintage, tape emulation sound. Using the amount slider, you can choose from subtle variations to extreme fluctuations in pitch.
Black Friday 2021*: Free Baby Audio Magic Dice
An easy to use algorithmic reverb VST plugin derived from Baby Audio Spaced Out. At every click, Magic Dice will generate a new texture, using Spaced Out's randomisation engine – and no two results are ever the same.
Black Friday 2020*: Free Baby Audio Magic Switch
Magic Switch is a free chorus plugin from Baby Audio, based on Super VHS. First launched during Black Friday 2020, it is still available.
Black Friday 2019*: Free Baby Audio Baby Comeback
Baby Comeback is not just a play on the Baby Come Back song from Player, but first and foremost a free delay plugin from Baby Audio. It is free and available since 2019 on the Baby Audio website.
For Black Friday 2024, Waves Audio will release another new plugin for free. It will only be free on Black Friday, 26 November. But you can sign up to get the plugin* from 6 November 2024, and Waves will send the software to you.
For Black Fridya 2022, Waves Audio released a free plugin called Lil Tube, a tube saturator plugin*. Lil Tube is the first in the new MAGMA series of Waves plugins which specialise in analog emulations. The plugin is available as part of the BB Tubes plugin bundle for $39.99.
In 2023, Waves Audio introduced Silk Vocals*, and gave it away for free during Black Friday 2023 only.
PhaseMistress is more than a simple phaser effect – its versatile saturation, modulation, and resonance controls will completely transform your tracks. A diverse set of factory presets can help you get inspired and find great sounds quickly. Plus, there’s even more power beneath the surface. Open up the Tweak menus and find unique ways to manipulate audio and loads of creative inspiration.
PREDICTION for Black Friday 2024: Free Soundtoys Microshift
We think for Black Friday 2024, Soundtoys will indulge us plugin aficionados with another nifty little plugin for free. The company gave us one month in 2022 and 2023 to download Little Radiator one year, and LIttle Plate the next year, for free.
Looking at the Soundtoys line of "Little" plugins worth $29, we think Little MicroShift might the one they choose in 2024.
Free during Black Friday 2023: Soundtoys Little Plate (6 November to 1 December 2023)
Little Plate is a nifty light plate reverb emulation from the well respected Soundtoys stable. The settings are limited to decay time, mix and low cut. But then, the original EMT 140 plate reverb Little Plate is modelled on, does not have a lot of settings either.
Normally selling at $29, for one month you could download the plugin for free.
Free during Black Friday 2022: Soundtoys Little Radiator
5. The Buying Guide: Helping to choose the best deals for you, without overspending
Before you spend more than you can afford, you might want to consider the following top tips:
- Organise your plugin folder: How many plugins do you have in your folder already? How many of them do you actually use? Can you organise your plugins into folders so you can find them better? Can you delete some that you haven't used for the last years? (But be careful if you have used them in any of your projects in the past).
- Set a budget: How much can you invest in plugins this year? How much have you spent already this year? Have you got the money saved and ready to go, or do you need to set aside some money now to avoid credit card debt?
- List your plugin priorities: Which plugins and upgrades will bring something new and different to your plugin folder? Are you sure you don't already have a plugin that does the job?
- Estimate what you can likely afford this Black Friday: Use our guide of predicted deals to work out what discount you might expect this year, using our detailed guide.
- Sign up to the musicmanta newsletter: Get the top deals straight to your inbox, when signing up to our newsletter.
6. The FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Black Friday audio software and hardware deals answered
Can I buy Omnisphere cheaper? Will an Omnisphere Black Friday take place in 2024? Does Omnisphere offer any discounts? Will Spectrasonics offer an Omnisphere sale during Black Friday 2024?
No, we predict Spectrasonics will not offer Omnisphere at an discount during Black Friday. However, you can buy Omnisphere at Andertons, a UK retailer, for £319 at the time of writing (2 Nov 2024). At current exchange rates, this is about $412 - a 18% saving over buying direct from Spectrasonics at $499.