Black Friday Plugin Buying Guide... sorta.

Marula Music
Nov 12
3 min read

I don't typically like advocating for spending money on Black Friday, although I'm not immune to the phenomenon myself. We buy stuff that isn't really any good, that we don't really need, all because it's cheap, or at least cheaper than usual. We're also so saturated with tools these days, I believe it actually hinders our creative processes more often than not. In this day and age, you can 100% get buy with a DAW and stock plugins. That said, new toys does often equal new inspiration, and if you've been producing for a bit and want to expand your sonic pallette, no problem.

Personally, I'm not picking up anything new right now. Omnisphere 3 was my only software acquisition this year, aside from some products I've reviewed, consulted on, beta tested or otherwise been involved in the development of. That said, I had a quick scroll through some of the deals currently (and upcoming I assume) available at Plugin Boutique to create a brief buyers guide for those looking for something new. These are ONLY products I'm using in

my own projects on a daily basis that I am happy to put my personal stamp of approval on.

Some of the links in this article are affiliated, which means I'd earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Bitwig

Bitwig 6 Crossgrade

Bitwig is my weapon of choice when it comes to DAWs. I still use Cubase from time to time on certain projects, but as a non-linear DAW for creative workflow, I can't recommend Bitwig enough. Currently you can do a crossgrade for 50% from any other DAW you own.

Devious Machines

Multiband X6

Probably my favorite compressor at the moment. Digital, no analog modeling in site but an absolute weapon for slamming drum busses and handling low end dynamics.

Infiltrator

Insane multi-effect. It does the basics with filters, volume modulation, compression etc. but it really excels at complex and insane glitched out effects.

Arturia

V-Collection & FX Bundles

I use both Arturia hardware and software products pretty much everyday in all my projects. They have a great ecosystem, a TON of preset content when the inspiration has run dry, and generally sound fantastic. You can't really go wrong with either the effects or instrument bundles.

Pigments 6

It's one of the most powerful synths on the market right now, without being too intimidating. An inspiring instrument to work with.

Cableguys

Shaperbox Bundle

An old favorite of mine, and an incredible amount of utility jammed into a single plugin. It's way more than just a tool for ducking under your kick...

Plugin Alliance

I have a ton of Plugin Alliance plugins as I've been a beta tester for years for them. The sheer quantity can be a bit overwhelming though. I've also been less and less enamored with the never-ending stream of analog modeled effects. Nevertheless, here's a few I particularly like at the moment for various reasons.

Three Body Tech Cenozoix, Trinity Shaper and Kirchoff EQ

Skip these if you own Fabfilter's Pro-Q4 and Pro-C2, although Trinity Shaper doesn't have a replacement and is we;; worth it. Otherwise, these are both comprehensive and highly flexible mixing tools.

Vertigo VSS-2

The VSC-2 and VSM-3 have been in tons of my tunes and favorites of mine for years. This is basically both, with Vertigo's EQ bolted on in one plugin.

That's it for now. Black Friday official is still two weeks away so I'll try update this list as I can if I see anything I deem really worth while pop up. Brands to look out for? Softube is currently running a bunch of sales. I'm a big fan of the Mike-E range and the Weiss Limiter. in terms of instruments, u-he and synapse ran sales last year and are worth checking out.

Last bit of advice, get what you want, not what's on sale, but if you can do both, all the better for you!