December Deals 

We’ve already reached the final month of 2016. In these final days around the holidays it gets dark earlier in the day and the temperatures are far from nice. But this month also has its advantages. Especially for the producers and dj’s among us! It is not very tempting to go outside with this cold weather. So there’s more time for making music. And while we are on that subject: this is also a great month for buying some new toys.

Making music is great. Especially now, in this day and age. More options than ever, computers that keep getting faster, better software and loads of information/tips thanks to the wonders of the internet. Possibilities that producers in the past could only dream of. Despite all the affordable or free tools you can find (also see my other blogs on free software) there’s no denying it: music production and dj-ing are expensive hobbies. Investing in good gear is necessary if you want to keep on developing your skills. And quality is usually more expensive. So if you need to buy new gear or software anyway, you might as well do it in december. For several reasons. Here are some tips on saving money on new gear or software in this already quite expensive month.

– Second hand gear

I’ve said it before, but especially in this part of the year this is a great option. Sure, but I can do that all year, I can almost hear you say. But since this is already an expensive month many people decide to sell some studio gear. To make a bit of extra money for the Holidays, or to invest in some new equipment due to all these big discounts! So take a look at some second hand gear too.

– Free extras

Christmas, Sinterklaas. It is part of december. So many companies selling software think the same way. Make sure you keep an eye out for free gifts. Big companies like the German Native Instruments are famous for it: towards the end of the year there’s always a big chance of getting a nice piece of software for free. In recent years they’ve given away fantastic plugins. Driver, a filter/distortion plugin. Or Replika, a superb delay effect that you have to pay for now. And there are more companies that give away free stuff around this time of year. So watch your favourite software manufacturers. Who knows what might pop up. It will save you a lot of money for sure.

– Huge discounts

Getting nice software for free is always nice. But most software or gear will cost you money. No worries: you can still save a lot of money in december. You’ve probably seen it already. Mega discounts here, huge offers there. Of course there’s also a lot of crap in between all these cheaper products. But it won’t hurt to stay sharp and have a look in your favourite shop. Who knows, that one thing you planned on buying might just be on sale.

– Gifts

Yes, this is an obvious one, but I’ll write it down anyway. Because this is the time of giving/receiving gifts, you could use it to your advantage. I’m not saying you should put that 2-grand-synthesizer on your wishlist for the christmasparty at school or work. But think of all the smaller but useful things you need. New cables for your interface, a new sample pack, nifty little plugins, that kind of stuff. You could even consider asking for gift vouchers, so you can make your own choices. Or ask for Itunes vouchers. My point is: you don’t have to save money on big expenses alone. Think about the smaller things too.

– Extra Tips

You could Google for hours and hours, or finally clean out your spam folder just to run into some good deals. But I’m also going to give you a few tips right here. A few good december deals for the end of 2016:

Je kunt natuurlijk zelf uren gaan zitten Googelen, of toch maar eens je spam-box uitkammen voor goede deals. Maar ik geef je hier ook alvast wat nuttige tips voor kortingen. Een kleine greep uit de deals van december 2016:

Native Instruments: we will have to wait and see if they have some cool giveaway present this year. But in the mean time, if you are quick (discounts end today) you can get up to 50% discount on 140 of their products. Go here to see if there’s anything you like.

Ableton Live: no need to hurry here. Until the 11th of january 2017 they offer 20% discount on several of their products. Both hardware and software. To name a few: the Push midi controller, Live 9 software and several “packs”. More info here. And while you are there anyway, don’t forget to download this fantastic free pack by techno hero Marc Houle.

Plugin Boutique: a well-known website by samplepack-company Loopmasters. Aimed at software plugins for music. And they’ve put together a list of december discounts.

KVR: another popular plugin website. And they’ve also made a list of december deals.

(Online) stores: there are too many options here. But don’t forget to have a look at all the discounts and deals you can get at your go-to shop. You know where to find them.

Reason/Propellerheads: again some very interesting deals. Buying Reason 9, for example, will get you 430 euros in plugins for free in the month of december. Check out more on the Propellerheads website.

Black Friday may be over, but there’s still a lot of money to be saved this month. Use it to your advantage!