Black Friday plugin deals 2024: Black Friday is over, but there are still plenty of deals to get your hands on

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Black Friday is done and dusted and we're sorry to say many of the great deals have finished for this year. If you're here late then don't worry, you can still get hold of some excellent value-for-money plugins to help take your mixing to the next level.

Over at Plugin Boutique, their Cyber Week sale is going to continue until December 31st, with savings of up to 95% off plugins. There's loads of great brands represented like Universal Audio, Arturia, Soundtoys, Softube, and many more still seeing some mega discounts.

Unfortunately a lot of the most highly sought after plugins have returned to their full price. The FabFilter range is back to normality, as is Soothe 2 so if you're looking for those I'm sorry to say you've missed the boat. Don't feel too bad though, some plugins like UAD Sound City have actually been discounted even further now!

All of these plugins will go back on sale at some point though, and of course, we'll be covering it here at MusicRadar when they do. Below you'll find links to all the plugin deals that are still live at the time of publication, and further down we've sorted all the remaining deals by category to make it easier to browse.

Black Friday plugin deals: Quick links

The Black Friday plugin deals are officially here! Here are some quick links to some of my favorite plugins you can get your hands on right now:

If you already know what you're looking for, here's some links to all the Black Friday sales that are live right now:

Black Friday plugin deals: Editor's picks

With Black Friday finally here, there are some amazing plugin deals you can pick up right now. Here's a selection of handpicked plugins from myself and the MusicRadar team that will soup up your productions for less:

Sonnox Oxford Limiter
Sonnox Oxford Limiter: was US$235 now US$29 at Plugin Boutique

If you want to instantly amp up your home recording efforts, you should buy this plugin right now. It's got a huge $206 reduction over at Plugin Boutique and is designed to be placed at the very end of your mix bus. The Sonnox Oxford Limiter will hugely increase the loudness and clarity of your mix without clipping. We've just bought one ourselves, and it's had an instant effect on our mixes, helping bring our tracks to life at the mixdown stage.

Soundtoys EchoBoy
Soundtoys EchoBoy: was US$199 now US$49 at Plugin Boutique

Probably my all-time favorite delay plugin, Soundtoys EchoBoy has been used at one point or another on pretty much all of my productions, and I regularly see it appearing in professional studios too. Packed full of lush analogue delay tones and with unparalleled flexibility in tweaking, with $150 off at Plugin Boutique it's a must-have for your plugin folder.

Waves Platinum Bundle: US$1,999, now US$129.99 at Waves Audio

Waves Platinum Bundle: was US$1,999, now US$129.99 at Waves Audio
Packing 67 bundles into one all-encompassing package, the Waves Platinum Bundle is the perfect place to start your producing journey. Bought individually at full price they'd total a massive $1,999, but a ginormous $1,869.01 discount brings back into reach of the majority of music makers out there.

Native Instruments Komplete 15
Native Instruments Komplete 15: was £539 now £269.50 at Native Instruments

NI’s longstanding software bundle series has really benefited from the company’s merger with iZotope and Plugin Alliance. The combination of NI big hitters kontakt 8, Massive X and Guitar Rig 7, alongside iZotope’s excellent Ozone 11 mastering suite, plus a generous crop of effects and sampled instruments, make for a really well-rounded package that’s very tempting given the 50% discount. For our money, the Standard package is the sweet spot value-wise, but the more expansive Ultimate and Collector’s Edition bundles are also 50% off.

UAD Sound City Studios
UAD Sound City Studios: was US$349 now US$39 at Plugin Boutique

I already own UAD Sound City Studios and it's quickly become one of my most used plugins. I use it to liven up drum room sounds, add space to guitar tracks recorded via plugins, and give a sense of space to vocals.

IK Multimedia Total Studio 4 Max
IK Multimedia Total Studio 4 Max: was US$599.99 now US$149.99 at IK Multimedia

An all-encompassing software that will cover off all of your music-making needs, IK Multimedia's Total Studio 4 Max has got a gigantic $450 discount on their official site. Comprising thousands of instruments, a huge selection of plugins, and countless effects, it's an all-in-one solution for making music at an unbelievable price.

Arturia V Collection X
Arturia V Collection X: was US$599 now US$399 at Plugin Boutique

Probably the greatest collection of soft synths ever amassed, Arturia's V Collection X has got a phenomenal $200 discount at the moment at Plugin Boutique. Packed full of useful presets, synths, instruments, and samplers, this is the ultimate collection of software instruments for home producers, professionals, and sound designers.

Soundtoys Decapitator
Soundtoys Decapitator: was US$199 now US$49 at Plugin Boutique

One of the most popular saturation plugins in the industry, Soundtoys Decapitator is a standard in studios across the globe. Versatile enough to cover a light dusting of vibe all the way through to all-out sonic destruction, this is one plugin that should be in every producer's arsenal. A $61 discount over at Plugin Boutique makes it a fantastic early deal to take advantage of.

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: was £129 now £90.30 at Native Instruments

Native Instruments recently gave its DJ software a long-needed overhaul. New features include AI stem separation, flexible beat grids and a fun mini drum machine. Overall, v4 has a well-rounded feature set and smart-looking interface. Its best feature, however, is that unlike many DJ apps, there’s no subscription or paid add-ons involved. You can pick the software up for the thoroughly reasonable discounted price of £90 and have access to everything Traktor has to offer. For home DJs or simple pro setups, it’s a good deal.

ROLI Equator2
ROLI Equator2: was US$253 now US$151.73 at Plugin Boutique

This MPE-leaning, expressive synth can be picked up with 40% off the standard price. Morphing and shaping kinetic synth pads, leads and atmospheric textures are the order of the day with Equator2. Though the company is best known for its extraordinary range of Seaboard MPE instruments, its their ultra-flexible soft-synth that we tend to reach for most frequently.

🎤 Vocal plugin deals

Antares Auto-Tune Pro: 50% off at Antares

Antares Auto-Tune Pro: 50% off at Antares
Probably the most famous vocal plugin of all time, Antares has slashed a massive 50% off perpetual, annual, and monthly licenses for the encompassing tuning software. Nearly every modern record uses vocal tuning in one form or another, and so should yours.

🎛️ EQ plugin deals

brainworx bx_digital V3
brainworx bx_digital V3: was US$299 now US$29.99 at Sweetwater Sound

Another unmissable deal on perhaps the ultimate EQ control room. With parameters for fine-tuning your frequencies beyond most other plugins on the market. You shouldn't miss this one.

Sonnox Claro
Sonnox Claro: was US$118.80 now US$22.73 at Plugin Boutique

A fantastic deal on an intelligent and easy-to-use EQ that will point out where you're going wrong, and fix your problems without breaking a sweat. Sonnox has a wealth of experience in this field and Claro is built on their expert knowledge.

Soundtheory Gullfoss
Soundtheory Gullfoss: was £162 now £97.20 at soundtheory.com

Gullfoss is an intelligent EQ plugin that forensically diagnoses what's going wrong in your mixes - and can correct those issues at will. It's a recommended pick-up.

📉 Compression plugin deals

Universal Audio 1176 Collection
Universal Audio 1176 Collection: was US$299 now US$29 at Plugin Boutique

Even if you already own a 76-style compressor plugin, this is one of the best Black Friday plugin deals I've ever seen. Normally retailing at $299 it's got a humongous 90% discount, taking the price down to less than your average family takeaway. Capturing all the characteristics of the original hardware units, I reach for these plugins a lot when I'm mixing.

Sonnox Oxford Limiter
Sonnox Oxford Limiter: was US$235 now US$29 at Plugin Boutique

If you want to instantly amp up your home recording efforts, you should buy this plugin right now. It's got a huge $206 reduction over at Plugin Boutique and is designed to be placed at the very end of your mix bus. The Sonnox Oxford Limiter will hugely increase the loudness and clarity of your mix without clipping. We've just bought one ourselves, and it's had an instant effect on our mixes, helping bring our tracks to life at the mixdown stage.

🔁 Delay plugin deals

Soundtoys EchoBoy
Soundtoys EchoBoy: was US$199 now US$49 at Plugin Boutique

Probably my all-time favorite delay plugin, Soundtoys EchoBoy has been used at one point or another on pretty much all of my productions, and I regularly see it appearing in professional studios too. Packed full of lush analogue delay tones and with unparalleled flexibility in tweaking, with $150 off at Plugin Boutique it's a must-have for your plugin folder.

Baby Audio Comeback Kid
Baby Audio Comeback Kid: was US$69 now US$29 at Plugin Boutique

With its excellent selection of analog-flavored delay tones, Baby Audio's Comeback Kid is a great choice if you're in the market for a delay plugin. It's already pretty cheap by plugin standards, but a $40 discount at Plugin Boutique has brought it down to just $29, an absolute steal.

Read more: Baby Audio Comeback Kid review

Erica Synths Zen Delay Virtual
Erica Synths Zen Delay Virtual: was US$89 now US$59 at pluginboutique.com

This sublime emulation of a modern hardware classic is on sale for $59 instead of $89 until December 27th. ZDV can concoct some genuinely captivating delays with those big front-panel knobs demanding you to get creative, manually mangling up its impressive filters. We heartily recommend you add it to your delay-roster

🌌 Reverb plugin deals

UAD Sound City Studios
UAD Sound City Studios: was US$349 now US$174 at Plugin Boutique

I already own UAD Sound City Studios and it's quickly become one of my most used plugins. I use it to liven up drum room sounds, add space to guitar tracks recorded via plugins, and give a sense of space to vocals.

Acon Digital Verberate Immersive 2
Acon Digital Verberate Immersive 2: was US$199 now US$139 at Sweetwater Sound

This reverb goes beyond stereo and has been tailor-made for 3D and spatial mixing. With support for up to 7.1.6 channels, this particular reverb/space-shaper is a real boon for making those mixes sound even bigger

📼 Saturation plugin deals

Soundtoys Decapitator
Soundtoys Decapitator: was US$199 now US$49 at Plugin Boutique

One of the most popular saturation plugins in the industry, Soundtoys Decapitator is a standard in studios across the globe. Versatile enough to cover a light dusting of vibe all the way through to all-out sonic destruction, this is one plugin that should be in every producer's arsenal. A $61 discount over at Plugin Boutique makes it a fantastic early deal to take advantage of.

Baby Audio Super VHS
Baby Audio Super VHS: was US$69 now US$9 at Plugin Boutique

If the thought of a plugin with a million options on it brings you out in a sweat, you'll love Baby Audio's Super VHS. Simple, yet powerful, it's capable of subtle character changes right through to all-out mangling of whatever sound you want to feed it. Down to just $9.99 from $69, you're saving yourself a hefty $60, brilliant value.

🎸 Guitar plugin deals

Universal Audio  Dream '65, Lion '68 and Ruby '63 amp plugins
Universal Audio Dream '65, Lion '68 and Ruby '63 amp plugins: was US$299 now US$143 at thomann.co.uk

Less than half price for three of the finest amp plugins you'll find anywhere? Trust Thomann to deliver this Black Friday. The classic tones and versatility of the Fender Deluxe Reverb, AC-30 Top Boost, and Marshall Plexi are all here waiting for you.

IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 Max/Tonex Max
IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 Max/Tonex Max: was US$599 now US$99.99 at IK Multimedia

Probably the best guitar VST deal we've seen this Black Friday, at IK Multimedia's website if you buy Amplitube 5 Max or Tonex Max for $99.99, you'll get the other completely free of charge. With a huge array of accurately modeled and captured guitar tones, the combination of both bits of software means you'll be well covered for guitar tones for the considerable future.

🥁 Drum plugin deals

Steven Slate Drums Trigger 2
Steven Slate Drums Trigger 2: was US$119 now US$49 at Sweetwater Sound

An ultra-powerful way to increase the punchiness of your drum recordings - or replace them entirely - Steven Slate Drums Trigger 2 is used by many pro engineers to augment their drum tracks. It's incredibly accurate bleed suppression needs to be heard to be believed, and it comes loaded with loads of great samples too. A $70 discount at Sweetwater makes it a must-have if you want to add some pro sheen to your drums.

🆓 Free plugins

Valhalla DSP Supermassive: Free

Valhalla DSP Supermassive: Free
Once you've used Valhalla's Supermassive reverb plugin it's honestly difficult to believe it's free. Packed with larger-than-life sounds it is perfect when you want to add some ultra-spacious tones to your recordings. I regularly use it on ambient tones in my recordings, and it's great for vocals too.

Minimal Audio Squash: Free

Minimal Audio Squash: Free
Get Squash - the brand new ultra-modern OTT compressor from Minimal Audio absolutely free this Black Friday. Squash is perfectly tuned for modern styles, and allows users to quickly explore different characters and achieve the ideal loudness and spectral balance.

Black Friday plugin deals FAQ

Two men working in a recording studio

(Image credit: Future)

What day is Black Friday 2024?

Black Friday isn't 'officially' until Friday 29 November, but last year things kicked off much earlier than that, so it pays to be prepared. Waves got the wheels in motion with a sneak peek at the deals they planned on launching in November, followed by a natural segue into their Early Bird Black Friday plugin deals at the start of November.

Will we see more plugin deals sooner than the day itself in 2024? Judging by previous years, that's a strong horse to back. Whether we see more brands than just Waves jumping on the early doors bandwagon remains to be seen.

You can also expect the deals to continue through the weekend after Black Friday - aka Cyber Weekend - before transforming into Cyber Monday plugin deals three days after Black Friday.

If you're using Black Friday to save money on Christmas gifts, our guide to the best Christmas gifts for musicians is great for inspiration.

What deals should I expect?

Loads of music software sites will be taking part in the Black Friday plugins bonanza, so we'd recommend signing up to mailing lists of your favourite retailers now to get the jump on the best deals when they do come around.

Of course, if you'd rather not deal with the stress of searching through endless deals yourself, as we get closer to the event our experts will be pulling all-nighters to uncover the very best Black Friday plugin deals and publishing them on this page.

We’d recommend bookmarking this page - as well as our main Black Friday music deals hub page - so you can keep checking back as more deals are added.

So we know there will be deals. But what should you be looking out for? We've covered enough of these events to know a thing or two about what to expect. Seeing as plugins are downloads rather than physical products, they won’t sell out. A more realistic consideration is that some of these deals might be time-limited to just a day or two, or perhaps only a few hours, so we’d recommend you don’t ponder a purchase for too long.

Discounts can range from a few $/£ off a cool sample pack to massive percentage discounts off huge swathes of music production software.

Great deals come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few key types to look out for:

  • Single item - A single product or plugin with a great discount
  • Site-wide discounts - A single discount percentage on a large range of products across a site
  • Discount codes - Load your basket to a certain value and redeem a discount code for money off your basket contents
  • Added value deals - These include multi-buy discounts, or additional products or software for free when you buy certain items

Whichever deals you go for, you can guarantee there will be a lot of noise during the weekend, so if you’re planning on updating your studio or adding to your collection to boost your music production set-up, it’s well worth marking your diary for this year's Black Friday plugin deals.

Can I get free plugins on Black Friday?

Yes! Many sites offer a free plugin to celebrate Black Friday and as a way to tempt you into their ecosystem, so you could feasibly take advantage of the Black Friday hysteria without spending a thing.

Once again, Waves is a sure bet when it comes to free stuff. Last year they gave customers Walves Silk Vocal completely free, normally retailing at $79. Usually, all you have to do is provide them with an email address to get your freebie.

Which sites are best for software deals on Black Friday?

We have personal experience shopping software at a varity of retailers and we know the ones we trust and where we've had a great experience. These are the places we will always recommend first.

Developers we trust include Waves, IK Multimedia and Native Instruments. They all run great sales and we know they're above board. Buying software from them is a breeze and they all offer fantastic customer service.

Special shout out to Plugin Boutique who sell plugins from hundreds of fantastic brands, and has regular sales throughout the year. They've got pretty much any plugin you can think of so are a great place to start shopping during Cyber Weekend.

Specialist online music retailers have become better on the software front, too. Where you used to only be able to buy physical copies of DAWs, it's now easy to access direct digital downloads at places like Sweetwater, Guitar Center and Thomann of all your favourite plugin brands. And the best thing is that, because software is a download rather than a physical product that needs shipping, you can go for the seller that has the best price!

Plugin shopping tips for Black Friday

1. Make note of the prices - Once you've found your favourite plugins, keep track of how much they are when they're not on sale. This will help you determine whether or not it's actually a good deal, as some retailers are fond of relisting products at the RRP, which makes the discount look larger than it actually is.

2. Consider your music production goals - What do you want to achieve with your music production goals for the next 12 months or so? Is there software that will help you hit them? Or do you have an unfinished track that needs some extra sauce? We know that shiny new AI-powered plugin looks amazing, but you should always be buying plugins that are going to improve your compositions, mixes, and mastering.

3. Clear some space - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space on your machine to account for all these additional downloads! Get rid of any unnecessary bloat on your laptop or PC now, or you might want to consider picking up an external hard drive. Focusing your plugin selection is also a great way to work better, so think about how long it was since you last used that EQ, and if you can't even remember what it looks like or does - get rid.

4. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday plugin deals is to know in advance what you’re looking for. This will make searching much easier, rather than having to trawl through loads of deals you don’t want to find the ones you do, or pondering things you don't need.

5. Sign up for mailing lists - Pretty much every retailer and manufacturer will be sending emails during Cyber Weekend. Signing up for your favorites can help you get the lowdown on when a deal becomes available straight away. Many will also give you a sign-up discount, although be careful here as it often doesn't apply to already discounted products.

How we choose the best Black Friday plugin deals

The team at MusicRadar is made up of real-life musicians who are ultra-passionate about music and music-making. We're all creating music in our spare time, whether that's solo EDM projects or touring in bands. That means we write with our own needs and experience in mind, so you can rest assured that our picks come from the heart.

We're not interested in trying to sell musicians stuff they don't need, and if you look at the buying advice we always advise getting things you need rather than buying superfluously.

For us to recommend a plugin to buy, it has to be a truly great piece of software, solve a common problem, or sound fantastic in our own productions. We'll never recommend something just because a manufacturer wants us to, and its all our own opinions that inform our product selection.

Why you can trust us

We spend a lot of our time scouring software retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite plugins. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides and reviews, but we’re also dedicated to helping musicians get the best deals on the stuff they need, too. After all, the only thing better than New Gear Day is a hearty discount.

We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, 4th of July sales, and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view of which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.

Our industry expertise combined with our passion for music makes us well positioned to help our fellow music-makers. It's why we do this job in the first place, to help spread the word of all the great music and music gear that's out there.

Last year's Black Friday plugin deals

Take a look at a few of the deals that caught our attention during Black Friday last year:

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Komplete 14 Select: Was $199/179, now $99.50/89.50
Komplete 14 Select is a fantastic range of top music production software. You get a total of 19 instruments and effects and 15,000 sounds. As NI says, it's everything you need to make music, and more. The instrument highlights are Massive, one of the biggest-sounding and most enduring softsynths. There's also the classic virtual analogue softsynth Monark, and more vintage synth goodness in Retro Machines Mark 2. Traditional instruments are also catered for with The Gentleman upright piano, Drumlab drums, Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass and Vintage Organs. Komplete 14 Select covers pretty much every instrument, then, and also comes with a fabulous suite of effects (including a delay, phaser and reverb) plus nine expansion packs. That's a huge range of software titles at half price!

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Total Studio 4 MAX: Was $/£799, now $/£349
Get all the plugins you need to take your music from a spark of inspiration, all the way to a finished, mastered release with IK Multimedia Total Studio 4 Max. With 170 instruments, more than 500 FX and over 640 gigabytes of sample data, it’s a complete solution for composition, mixing and mastering your music with a combined total value of over €14,000. At this price, why are you still reading this article?

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KV331 Audio Synthmaster 2: Was $119.77/£94.96, now $31.47/£24.95:
They don't call it Synthmaster for nothing. KV331 Audio's Synthmaster 2 is truly a master of synthesis in one application. It uses a semi-modular approach to deliver all sorts of synthesis types including VA, Additive, Wavetable, Wavescanning, Phase Modulation, FM, Pulse Width Modulation, Ring Modulation, Amplitude Modulation, and Physical Modeling. It is packed with more than 2,000 sounds and also comes with some great effects, incredible modulation and a very easy-to-use interface considering the power under the bonnet. Synthmaster 2 for under $32/£25 is a steal, simple as that! Get it quick.

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Korg Collection: Was $485.60/£385, now $251/£199
Korg has many of its software synths, both old and new, in the Plugin Boutique sale. They are typically being sold for between $/£50-100 each at between 30 and 50% off. However, depending on what you already own, you might want to simply grab the Korg Collection instead. This delivers over a dozen classic and newer Korg synths, and is only $251/£199 for the lot, a huge saving of nearly 50%. You get some absolute belters too: classic 70s synth emulations like the MS-20 and ARP Odyssey; the Mono/Poly and Polysix from the 1980s; plus the Prophecy, Triton and M1 from the 90s. It's a history of classic Korg synths!

Pro Tools Artist annual: Save up to $120• Pro Tools Artist -• Pro Tools Studio -• Pro Tools Ultimate -

Pro Tools Artist annual: Save up to $120
Pro Tools is pretty much the industry standard in pro studio environments, but is actually perfectly accessible for serious beginners - especially at these prices.
• Pro Tools Artist - Was $99, now $79
• Pro Tools Studio - was $299, now $239
• Pro Tools Ultimate - Was $599, now $499

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Amplitube 5 Max: Was $299.99, now $79.99
Save big on Amplitube 5 Max from IK Multimedia this Black Friday. For a limited time, you can score a whopping over 70% off its original price!

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Artist Subscription: $/£1 for first two months
With a Loopcloud Artist Subscription you get access to a huge library of over four million samples, 5GB of cloud storage, a huge 1GB welcome pack of samples, and 100 points a month to spend on more sounds. You can upgrade at any time to Loopcloud Studio or Professional for additional sounds, storage and up to 600 credits to spend a month. Now is the time to experience the future of sampling for just £1 a month for the first two months. Usually you would pay £5.99/month.

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Line 6 Helix Native: Was $399, now $199
Harness the power of Helix inside your DAW for half price with Sweetwater’s early Black Friday deal. With 60+ amp models, 30+ speaker cabs, over 100 effects and more, you can have multiple instances of Line 6’s award-winning, world-class studio guitar tone at your fingertips. From vintage to modern classics, rare and sought after stompboxes, and the flexibility that a plugin provides over hardware, if you’re recording guitar then Helix Native should already be high on your list. Save $200 and get your plugin instantly.

More places to shop this Black Friday

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

We're not just covering plugins this Black Friday. Take a look at some of our other deals hubs:

Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else home recording-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.  A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the UK in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at.

With contributions from