“Black Friday” has become a traditional date for talking discounts, but one price you can’t beat is free.

Cakewalk is giving away some of their older effects and synth plug-ins. These aren’t just hand-me-downs – Cakewalk forum members lamented that a couple of these didn’t receive greater development attention. They’re eminently usable on Windows systems now. Available free:

• SFZ+: The real highlight here, rgc:audio’s excellent SoundFont sampler player, with built-in effects, various performance options, and an all-in-one interface
• Square I: A very lovely analog subtractive synth
• Audio FX 1: Multi-effects including compressor/gate, limiter, expander/gate, dynamics 
• Audio FX 2: Guitar amp and tape simulation
• Audio FX 3: A unique reverb / room emulation plug-in that allows you to design your own soundstage

Audio FX 1-2 have been easily supplanted by newer options from Cakewalk, but Audio FX 3 is fun to play with. And Square I and SFZ+ are both good bread-and-butter additions to your plug-in library. Note that the FX plug-ins are all DirectX plug-ins, not VST, but the two synths will work as VSTs – meaning they can also work on Linux, making them a nice choice for your netbook.

Holiday discounts

Cakewalk is also discounting software in their Holiday Guide – and offering savings on new, music-optimized PCs. Native Instruments is running a $99 sale on their synths, which is repeated here, but Cakewalk has some deals, too:

• Rapture for $49 or $99: Easily on par with NI’s better instruments now on sale (like Massive), Rapture is a favorite electronic instrument, capable of some gorgeous sounds and with a friendly but deep envelope editing window. Current SONAR users get it for $49/€49/£34.50, and any registered Cakewalk customer for $99/€99/£82.50.
• Kinetic 2 for ten bucks: Kinetic is actually a fun but overlooked little drum machine packed with Roland groove box samples, VST and ReWire support, and simple sampling. At $10, this is a nice stocking stuffer for yourself.
• Beat Fetish for $20: Martin Atkins-produced beat soundware at a steep discount
• Elite Packs for SONAR: Bundles featuring notation, reverb, sound restoration, guitars, and piano are now discounted for SONAR 8.5 users to US$/EUR 79-199.
• And a new computer: Through Sunday, SONAR 8.5 users get a 20% coupon off of PCAudioLabs’ excellent, music production-optimized PCs. And yes, this sort of thing is a good thing to squeeze in before the end of the tax year as a writeoff, especially for freelancers and the self-employed.

For all the deals:

Cakewalk "Black Friday" Holiday Deals

By the way – for the record, “Black Friday” is not some sort of goth-tinged day in which retailers offer deals so cheap they horrify even themselves with bargains as black as the night. No, it’s a reference to the day on the retail calendar at which businesses traditionally broke even, with the holiday shopping season the time of year to actually turn a profit. So here’s to the move from red ink to black ink – something we’d all celebrate in this economy.

If you haven’t spent every last penny you own on the latest playourwiibox, your strength hasn’t been taken away from coma-inducing leftovers and you’re in the mood for some jaw-dropping music tech bargains, well just read on dear CDMers because we have the best sales to help you start your new year of music-making off right.

Note: most items listed are either clearance or limited time only deals. CDM makes no promises about the availability of said bargains.

Wusik.com
THE ULTIMATE WUSIKSTATION VSTi GROUP BUY! – $50

Voxengo
Holiday Sale – 15-25% off selected products!

Synapse Audio
Holiday Sale – 50% off Orion Platinum & Synth Pack

Audiomidi.com
Quantum Leap Hardcore Bass – $145
Waldorf Edition – $79
z3ta+ – $100
Vapor – $46
Wizooverb Bundle – $130
Komplete 4 – $995
Minimonsta/Guru Combo – 350

Musiciansfriend:
Kinetic – $30

Sweetwater:
Guitar Combos – $70

Computers And Music
Kantos – $175
Finale Guitar – $65
Amplitube 2 – $150
Ampeg SVX – $235
Amplitube Live – $49

Platinum Records:
Vestax CDX-16 – $200

Scitscat:
Sonik Synth 2 – $219
Trigger Finger – 180

JRR Shop:
Bass Station VSTi – $50
Steinberg Warp VST – $50
Gigapulse – $200
Minimonsta – $125
Gigastudio 3 Solo – $79
Tracktion 2 – $99
Live 5/Trigger Finger Combo – $400
Moog Modular – $180
Arturia Vintage Collection – $600
Beatburner – $50
Oddity – $90
Creamware Noah Bundle – $999
FXpansion BFD Sonar Upgrade W/ Free 8-Bit Kit – $266

If you’ve got a deal that fell through the cracks, post it bellow so that we can catch it. Just remember to make your order before you do. Otherwise we may just buy it out from underneath you…

ATA

Great idea

It’s pretty sweet for Win users that have a DAW that doesn’t support DX effects (like Live, Bidule, Usine, etc.) Even in its current buggy stage it’s way more useful than previous freeware DX effect chainers. Should they fix the bugs, and add a few more features it will go from a worthy freebee to an essential for Windows users.

I hope to find out soon from them if they plan adding on instrument support in a future release.