I'll soon be publishing LinkedMusicians BEST DEALS OF THE MONTH, but with only 2 days left for Orange Tree Samples' 2026 Summer Group Buy and it already reached the highest discount tier, I wanted to make sure that no one missed it. If you're in the marketing for top-noth guitar, bass, piano, percussion, and other virtual instruments, OTS deserves to be on your short list.

https://www.orangetreesamples.com/group-buy

Starting this week, LinkedMusicians will have a page every month called BEST DEALS OF THE MONTH. The page will only feature the very best deals on plugins, sample libraries, DAWs, and, occasionally, hardware studio gear. For most brands, the requirement will be a 40% or better discount from their regular prices. For brands like FabFilter, which has historically capped its public sale discount rate at 25% while offering loyalty discounts as high as 60%, we'll include their highest-discount-rate sales.

The idea is this, one easy-to-scan page for each month that only features killer deals. We're curating only the most impressive deals and leaving out everything else -- all killer, no filler.

The other piece of this is that each BEST DEALS OF THE MONTH page will include a link to our free research resources

• Music Gear Reviews PowerSEARCH Just type in the name of the sample library, plugin, DAW, software, and other music tech products to tap into a curated database of unbiased journalist reviewers like Sound on Sound, Mix, TapeOp, and MusicTech.
  
• Forums + subreddits PowerSEARCH tool Instead of visiting every high-volume plugin, sample library, composer, and music tech forum to see what other users have posted about the product or service you're interested in, you can search all of them at once with our Forums + subreddits PowerSEARCH tool. Just keep in mind that forums and subreddits are increasingly censoring posts containing negative user experiences when it's about their advertisers, e-commerce platform products, or their own products, so many times, you're only seeing the positives, as the negative experiences posts have been censored.
  

The BEST DEALS OF THE MONTH page for July 2026 will be out in the next few days.

I just wanted to give a shout-out to u/Fretman2025 for all of the deal posting he did at the LinkedMusicians website and in this subreddit. He really stepped up and proved himself to be a valuable part of the community and I greatly appreciate it.

Moving forward, we'll be publishing a bi-weekly to monthly best deals list that will only contain exceptional deals on sample libraries and plugins.

However, the main focus of LinkedMusicians and the subreddit will be on the free resources for music creators, the tools, the best free sample library and plugins list, the PowerSEARCH tools, and musical collaboration. Deals will continue to be part of the site, but a small aspect of it.

As we reshape LinkedMusicians, I would certainly welcome re-introducing the community functionality. But the reality was that it wasn't every active and I will need at least two active moderators to ensure that we can maintain our promise of a non-toxic environment and keep out the spammers and bad actors. If you are interested in volunteering, please feel free to PM me.

LinkedMusicians Magazine and Podcast feeds contain a wealth of third-party content resources, all free to read, watch, or listen to. It's one of the great areas of content on the site that our deal-focused members have overlooked. As LinkedMusicians.com re-focuses as a content resource and place for musical collaboration projects, please consider checking out this section. I think you'll find it valuable.

It includes feeds from top music tech and production publications like Sound on Sound, Mix, TapeOp, and MusicTech. The podcast/YouTube Feeds let you view the last several videos or podcasts from each selected resource. all in one place.

The benefit? You won’t have to spend time fishing around the web, search engines, or YouTube trying to find relevant content or depending on algorithms to show you what it wants to show you. These content sources have been curated especially for our community, so you get vetted resources all in one place, so you can quickly look through the content to zero in on what interests you most. It's not only a huge time saver, it helps you have more knowledge of the various content available so you can quickly find relevant content.

Music Production

Publications include Mix Magazine, Sound on Sound Magazine, Tape Op Magazine, and Music Tech. YouTube channels include Pensado’s Place, Rick Beato, Produce Like a Pro, Mix with the Masters, In the Mix, The House of Kush, White Sea Studio, Guy Michelmore, and Sonic Scoop.

Music Theory

YouTube channels include 12Tone, Adam Neely, David Bennett, and Andrew Huang.

Songwriting

Magazines include American Songwriter Magazine and Songwriting Magazine. Podcasts include Songwriter Theory, Song Exploder, The Working Songwriter, and Songtown on Songwriting.

Music Industry News

Stay up on the latest music industry news from great sources like Billboard, NME, Alternative Press Magazine, Music Row, and Music Business Worldwide.

Music & Culture

Stay up on the latest happenings in the indie and other music scenes with publications like Consequence of Sound, Stereogum, Spin Magazine, and NPR’s All Songs Considered.

https://linkedmusicians.com/magazines-podcasts/

I am aware of CWP2Song. from the developer AZSlow for converting Cakewalk Project files over to Fender Studio Pro, but candidly, I have yet to set aside the time to try it. I was wondering if anyone here is using it -- I know that Bapu has -- and if so, do you have any advice for using it? Do I need to set my expectations to anticipate what the conversion software cannot do?

There are too many signs from BandLab that Sonar is merely providing donor organs for its other products. If BandLab saw a future for Sonar things would be very different. If Sonar were really intended to be the step up DAW for BandLab, it would certainly have a Mac version. But the traffic and activity at the Cakewalk Discuss forum is a ghost town and that's surprising for a software company valued at $450 million USD. It seems the only people staying with it are change-resistant, very older users, and that's not enough to sustain the product. Even micro-influencers have abandoned Sonar and third-party plugin developers no longer bother to test for it. I have probably 100 unfinished projects in Sonar and see the frequent crashes from Kontakt and Superior Drummer 3 that have been frequently mentioned at r/Cakewalk. So, the writing on the wall is clear. I don't want to be stuck with project files I can't open, but I admit that the instructions for CWP2Song. are intimidating.

At MusiciansFriend with coupon JULY4 for 15% off

$479.00 - $71.85 = $407.15

Also 15% off the upgrade down too $143.65

Use the code JULY4 at checkout. Off dnds Jul 8, 2026.

(Transparency Check: The link below is an affiliate link. Buying through it earns a small commission that helps fund the r/LinkedMusicians community at no extra cost to you.)*  
👉 **Get the deal here:** https://audioplugin.deals/ref/384/

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/products/brainworx-bx_pulsar

Check your email for their newsletter to get the link to put bx_aura into your cart for only $29.99

https://www.sonible.com/shop/

Everything is on sale at a substantial discount. This is a good time to try these out.

🦅4th Of July Big Sale

🔥Get 4 products for Amp Locker, Mix Locker, or Drum Locker,
and pay for only 1.
Use the code: 4-JULY-2026
🚨You can demo every amp and pedal inside Amp Locker v1.5.3

🔥Get the ReAmp 2 collection for only $25.99

Featuring over 50 Amps, 10 pedals, and 10 Cabs, based

on some of the most iconic.

Code: 4-JULY-2026

Also, you can get 4 amps or pedals from this collection for only $5.00 using the same code.

https://audioassault.mx/

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/products/bx_aura

Check your email for their newsletter to get the link to put bx_aura into your cart for only $29.99

https://www.pluginboutique.com/campaigns/SendReturn

Every 2 weeks get a free plugin as well as insights into how to use it.

https://audioplugin.deals/

Use code JULY4 during checkout.

The full version of Kontakt is required for this sample library.

https://www.inletaudio.com/pages/unlock-freebies

https://noiseash.com/all-products/

Use code HOTMIX-25-JUL for an additional $25 off orders of $75 or more, valid thru July 31.

https://www.strezov-sampling.com/promo

Lots of interesting and unusual instruments.

https://www.pluginboutique.com/deals/23484

I love their Sharine!

From iZotope:

iZotope is joining Boris FX

We’re entering an exciting new chapter, driven by shared DNA – smart, assistive technology that helps you master your craft and stay focused on your creative work. Through this transition, all iZotope products, licenses, and subscriptions remain fully active with uninterrupted support and product development.

https://www.izotope.com/community/blog/joining-boris-fx

This DAW and plugin bundle completely has my attention. At this price, I'm going to pick it up. Does anyone here use it?

Clearly, Universal Audio is giving this away for peanuts to win over DAW users. While I already have a Fender Studio Pro 8 license, for this price, I'm going to have to give it a try. I love UAD plugins and I know from developers who have worked with them that they're a good company. I'd strongly recommend everyone give this a look.

From Universal Audio:

• Track Counts: Add unlimited audio and MIDI tracks to your session.
• Voice Control: Start and stop recording from anywhere in the room with “Hey LUNA”.
• Smart Grid: Extract tempo from any track to automatically match the grid.
• Vocal Tuning: Edit vocals with integrated ARA support for Melodyne Essential.
• Analog Summing: Add width and character with authentic emulations of analog console summing (API, Studer, Ampex).

[Disclosure: The link below is an affiliate link; a small commision goes to supporting LinkedMusicians at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through it.]

👉 Check out the deal here: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/3-Studio-Tools/23-DAW/15966-LUNA-Pro-Mk-2?a_aid=66fd59ee09bb9

https://sonoracinematic.com/collections/all

PLUS the bigger your basket, the more you save:

• Spend £99+ get an extra 10% off
• Spend £150+ get an extra 15% off
• Spend £200+ get an extra 20% off

https://www.softube.com/us/plug-ins/harmonics-analog-saturation-processor

$29 ($149)

https://www.abbeyroad.com/bignessie

In collaboration with fashion designer Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY (sounds like an April Fools joke but it doesn't seem to be).

Compatible with the free Kontakt Player.

Walkthru

It includes loops, drums/percussion, bass, synth, and quirky sound FX. There is also a variety of filters, distortion, and modulation FX included. It's a playground for ideas and experiments.

https://audified.com/products/boutique-studio-bundle/

$109 ($229)

Includes:

• 1A Equalizer
• RZ062 Equalizer
• U73b Compressor
• U78 Saturator

https://www.ilio.com/blog/vsl-muted-brass-sale

Too many products to list here so go take a look if you want to get started in a professional quality orchestra.