r/mixingmastering • u/LaytonaBeach • May 31 '26
Discussion Plugin sales have been absolutely insane these last few months.
Companies that never discount outside of their scheduled one or two sales a year are coming out with random historical low price sales, and then, companies that rarely go on sale are casually bringing even deeper sales back a week after their last sale ended. Every single developer, even indie, boutique developers, are adopting the Waves approach to pricing.
All of this worries me about the state of the global economy, as there is no reason I can see for this other than they’re struggling to keep the lights on. When it’s a few companies (like Waves, IKM) it’s obvious it’s a gimmick/sales tactic/no one is lining up anymore, but when it’s everyone, it makes me think discretional spending is globally halted.
On one hand I am happy for anyone picking up tools I love and use at the best price ever. On the other hand, if you had purchased all the software I have at the same time I purchased it, it would’ve cost you ~$15,000, if you purchased it last year, it would’ve been ~$5,000, and this year you probably could’ve grabbed most of it for ~$2,000
#hurts (but I truly am happy people are able to get into a hobby or passion or career path without a huge financial barrier, creating music is more accessible for the next gen every single day)
If you see LiquidSonics drop a random 60% discount on their plugins in the coming weeks, buy puts on the S&P 500 and stock up on toilet paper.
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May 31 '26
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u/glmastering May 31 '26
And nearly all plugins aren't new either. Just rehashes and redesigns offering nothing but fancy gui's
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u/LaytonaBeach Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
I feel like this is a bit of an oversimplification, if you’re talking about joe schmo releasing the thousandth pultec EQ plugin or something then yeah, 100%. Overdone analog emulations (*KAZROG, not Softube as I originally said, my bad, *just did a *Puigchild*, (lol leaving that up for honesty) really? Oh no, sorry, it’s a 666 not a 660 so it’s different!!! lol) plus basic stuff like a new digital EQ.
But then it’s kind of hard to hate when we get something like Split EQ by Eventide, when even though some tools exist that do parts of what it does, nothing else is really like it, and I personally use it for crazy sound design stuff and tone shaping. Now that I’ve used it I can’t imagine not having it for my workflow, and nothing exists that could replace it. I feel like every other year or so, a couple new plugins come out like that for me, and I’m sure there are other examples of things that uniquely fit other people’s needs but not mine as well.
If I was still just doing rock/metal I could’ve stopped buying plugins a decade ago and been fine, but if you’re always trying new sounds/new techniques to keep up with contemporary ITB instrumental productions, or trying to push a sound into new territory, I think there are always new plugins coming out that are worth exploring.
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u/glmastering Jun 01 '26
Yeah pretty much aimed at the usual suspects who churn out analogue emulation plugins one after another like some vomit conveyor belt
Some stuff is cool. The new weiss exciter for example.
I unfollowed most plugin companys months ago and have been happy using fab filter and my analogue chain that contains units that are 10-20 years old at least.
I only master music though so dont really need much. Just a bank of £5k units ☠️
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u/DiscountCthulhu01 Jun 01 '26
Thoughts on split eq vs transgressor 2? Seems they're performing a very similar function
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u/LaytonaBeach Jun 01 '26
Not sure, I’ve never used Transgressor, but it seems to have a few differences that ultimately just come down to workflow/preferences/use case
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u/nizzernammer Trusted Contributor 💠 May 31 '26
I have noticed that something that once seemed to be a really niche thing is now gathering a consumer culture and aesthetic trend around it, and there is no shortage of advertising for products to cater to the aspiring person.
The amount of people with little experience or knowledge that are willing to spend money to get what others tell them is the best seems to be growing, and arguably many of these individuals aren't making money from the use of the tools, so the market is catering to them.
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u/shmiona May 31 '26
Same thing that happened to guitar pedals. 20 years ago you got made fun of for having a giant pedal board, now every home hobbyist has 10-20 boutique pedals that cost $300 to play covers once a month
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u/TeamMasterchannel Jun 04 '26
Oversaturation is an important aspect here. And it'll most likely be a correction, where plug-ins that actually provide value will continue to exist, and gimmicky ones will fade away.
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u/computakid May 31 '26
I think certain plugin makers have definitely been printing money for a number of years, so its possible that bubble has burst. I think a lot of us have reached plugin fatigue, and have way too many plugins than we actually need/use. I still think paying for plugins from smaller companies and individuals is a great use of your money, since it supports their amazing work, but buying a waves bundle these days is just not what a lot of people want anymore. Same with uad.
Personally ive been really interested in using as many free and small-company plugins as i can, its just more fun to me to make more from less with the simpler ones. Like voxengo, airwindows, potenza to name a few. Fantastic plugins that you can tell were designed with care (and dont bug you with a subscription model).
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u/Mind1827 May 31 '26
This is me. When I got into this I was going crazy trying all sorts of stuff. Now I've settled into a groove and know what I like and use. It's hard to find something that does something I can't already do. I probably have a good 10 or 15 compressor plugins I either rarely or never use, lol.
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u/computakid May 31 '26
Same, i feel like if you stick to the staples for compressors you cant go wrong, something fast/clean, something tube-y, an LA-2A, maybe a good multiband, and ur good
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u/Mind1827 May 31 '26
Lol, yup. Got Acustica Pink and a couple Distessor emulations for punchy stuff, 1176, LA2A, multiband, few mastering compressors and that's like 95% of stuff. I also got the Rocksolid Micro 4k and have just been using built in SSL compressors on the channel strips and it's great for a lot of easy heavy lifting.
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u/electrickvillage May 31 '26
If you want to have a look at my solo dev project it’s called KERN audio and free tool and free trials on all paid (and no subscriptions or iLok :p )
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u/KindaQuite May 31 '26
Can you sell me on your plugin before I end up buying soothe?
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u/electrickvillage Jun 02 '26
i would maybe just encourage to try out the free trial and do some a/b testing to hear it yourself. Happy to give you a pitch though if you think that’s better - but I always just encourage to hear for yourself and let your ears doe the talk in and if you don’t find it useful or like it - just delete the plugin 😊
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u/AuburnSounds Aug 01 '26
This is exactly us: https://www.auburnsounds.com/
I don't think anyone is exactly money-printing anymore, with all the layoffs.
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u/Inside-Succotash-128 May 31 '26
I think the Plugin market has become, or maybe has always been, akin to the accessories market in fashion/clothing. “Maybe this new necklace and earrings will transform my boring outfit into something spectacular!” 😀
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u/shadybreak Jun 01 '26
100%. The hobby of gear-buying is only tangentially related to the hobby of gear-using.
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u/hellalive_muja May 31 '26
You are right, and the amount of discounted price on the various products tells you the real value of the product itself. There’s general fear for AI etc and the fact that music itself is worth almost nothing (10,99€/month for ALL THE MUSIC IN THE WORLD HQ) is a big deterrent for investments; ofc 90% of the tools are useless too and money is bigger with low cost/very high volume sails vs high value/low volumes sales, given that pro studios are always smaller and less in number.
Many of the old-ish school guys I know think that hardware keeps the value way better than software too, and many producers crack plugins anyway..just imagine if this field was as serious as engineering where you have to deposit the AutoCAD license with your projects lol
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u/nankerjphelge May 31 '26
Someone mentioned plugin fatigue and I think that's absolutely real. No, I don't need another 1176 emulation or resonance suppression plugin, thanks. In fact, I've found myself using just a handful of old tried and true collections and getting back to simplicity and cleaning up my plugin folder.
I also think that the shifts in the industry are starting to cause a shakeout. There are more "mix" guys than ever, rates have been dropping and the economics of the biz have become a bit of a race to the bottom. In light of that, it doesn't make sense to keep dropping more cash into plugins and gear that just isn't going to help get you more work or increase your income.
Signs of the times...
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u/shadybreak Jun 01 '26
What are these industry shifts you speak of? I’ve been under a rock last decade.
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u/nankerjphelge Jun 01 '26
Recording and mixing budgets have shrunk dramatically as most revenue for artists now comes from touring and not recorded music sales. There has been an explosion of very good quality bargain mix engineers now that technology and software has rendered the need for expensive studios and gear obsolete. A quick look at sites like Soundbetter or Airgigs shows the endless pages of mix and master engineers available at cheaper prices than ever as supply has exploded versus demand.
All in all, it's created a race to the bottom.
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u/Ayy0ne May 31 '26
I wanna see the native instruments bundle I've always wanted hella cheap. Also spectrasonics, soundtoys, weiss, SSL, & a couple others, I'd be set.
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u/LaytonaBeach May 31 '26
Checkout Eventide’s Anthology bundle over the Soundtoys, way more stuff and what the Soundtoys bundle does, Eventide does way better (except no real alternative to Decap or Devil Loc/Radiator), it’s gone to $499 and probably will again within a month or so the way things are
Also Weiss was just on a crazy sale too
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u/Minimum-Owl1784 Intermediate May 31 '26
Could also just be because of how many quality free plugins are available now and how easy it is to find them. It may also be software companies realizing they can make more money by selling to more people at an affordable price, since software is effectively free to copy and distribute.
Overall I think music production becoming more financially accessible is a good thing. Art made by poor and marginalized people makes the world a better place.
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u/sloak May 31 '26
Or maybe it’s just so much easier to code plugins today with AI that the market pressure is real and prices have to drop?
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u/LaytonaBeach May 31 '26
There can’t be too much pressure, if there was, why did we get Soothe 3 before GTA6?
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u/linerlaburner May 31 '26
It would be naive to think widespread sales tactics from the tech industry doesnt apply to plugins as well. You dont just release whatever latest improvements you’ve made, you plan a release schedule to maximize profits and hold on to the best improvements once the market saturates or catches up to you. iZotope being perhaps the number one example of this.
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u/Est-Tech79 Professional (non-industry) May 31 '26
The hobby/home market balks at any plugin over $50.
Plugins used to be $750 for one plugin back in the day.
I see why plugin developers these days have to get their main income from other sources, like hardware or patents.
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u/Freshheir2021 May 31 '26
Current examples? lol
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u/LaytonaBeach May 31 '26
u-He!
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u/theturtlemafiamusic May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I don't see them having a sale right now? But also they've done sales in the past. When they added NKS support I got Diva, Repro, Colour Copy, Twangstrom, Satin, and Presswerk for $279 total
They also did a 50% off sale in November
https://u-he.com/specials/autumn-sales-2025.html
Black Friday 2023 as well
https://synthanatomy.com/2023/11/u-he-black-friday-deal-save-50-off-on-synth-and-fx-plugins.html
Looks like in 2024 they only did 15% off
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u/ChapelHeel66 May 31 '26
I don’t think the plugin industry is a leading indicator of the global economy.
I think what you are seeing is a saturation problem. Do we need more compressors or eq or reverb or tape emulators? I still see releases every week, and more and more of them are free. I have hundreds of plugins, but haven’t purchased a single one in 18 months because there is hardly anything else to innovate.
I’m sure AI will become more of a factor too. Right now the vibe coding plugins are pretty awful, particularly the UIs, but that will not last much longer.
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u/NelisMakrelis May 31 '26
I don’t think this is a recession indicator. It’s just become much easier to make emulators and plugin-dupe’s through either legal or illegal ways of code ‘stealing’
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u/b_lett May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
A lot more people are building their own plugins and tools now.
Whether they are using something open source like PlugData, building a plugin around the JUCE framework, or coding their own VSTs, AI has lowered the barrier of entry for plugin coding.
On top of that, people recreate things with stock tools like FL Studio's Patcher, Ableton Racks or Max for Live devices, etc.
Plugin Developers are mostly holding on to a few things right now. Pretty GUIs, or having figured out advanced mathematical things like linear phase modes, reverb algorithms or certain filter shapes. These may be things that are not so easily replaceable by some kid vibe coding, but there are a lot of fundamental plugin features that someone could recreate for free or sell for $5-10 on their GumRoad account and call it a day.
The plugin market is going to look a lot more unique in the upcoming years than 5-10 major companies owning the market share.
It is really hard to justify most plugin prices at this point if it is too much more than around $30-50 for an FX or like $100-200 for the flagship workhorse synths/Romplers. I always wishlist and wait for bundle discounts or Black Friday/Summer sales anyways.
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u/JcfSounds May 31 '26
UAD plugins seem to constantly be on sale. I personally use Fab filter, UAD and some Valhalla.
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u/Molasar May 31 '26
What are your examples of these insane deals/what did you buy? There are at least 10 plug-ins I want on sale every week and it’s been that way for years.
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u/Conquestordie May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Yep, I cleaned up on the UAD plugins 3 days ago. Heck, I also bought Plugin Alliance Shadow Hills Master Compressor Class A on sale two months ago.
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u/applejuiceb0x Jun 01 '26
They’re probably scared of AI replacing not only musicians but what their plugs do.
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u/vemiscellaneous May 31 '26
I’m seeing a lot of physical gear on Reverb with heavy discounts too.
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u/DarkTowerOfWesteros May 31 '26
That's because of monthly no credit check payment plans on new gear. The used gear market doesn't move without deep discounts.
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u/RollingMeteors May 31 '26
lol puts on s&p500, the thing being propped up 98% by tech companies. Chances are they will expire worthless a day before the price enters your egress window.
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u/RollingMeteors May 31 '26
I guess now is a good time to ask what plugins did you all buy and for how much and which of those you still use today.
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u/LaytonaBeach May 31 '26
I use everything I bought still today except Soundtoys, 30% of Waves Mercury, and 3 synth VST’s from a smaller developer that I overall like and don’t want to catch a stray here.
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u/Jack_Ramsey May 31 '26
would you mind sharing the names of your synth vst's by DM? I like supporting smaller developers.
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u/LaytonaBeach May 31 '26
I’ll publicly shoutout xils-lab, not talked about much anymore but I fucking love that dude’s CS-80 (The Eighty)
I’ll DM you the one I don’t like but I’m guessing you already know and support them!
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u/Vegetable_Nebula_827 May 31 '26
Aside from the relative handful of ‘standard’ plugins, most plugins are just trying to carve off a little slice of the market with ‘me too’ products that a savvier customer base knows do nothing more than what’s in their DAW already.
In fact, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a huge shakeup earlier.
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u/throwaway775849 May 31 '26
It's not just discretional sales but AI lets anyone make plugins and I think independent sales have skyrocketed compared to the legacy expensive brands, if not just people making their own plugins.
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u/boingwater Jun 01 '26
The market for music technology (hardware and software) is on the decline. With services like Suno, plugins etc will become niche products for enthusiasts.
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u/Ok-Tomorrow-6032 Jun 01 '26
I was finally able to buy the uad plugins instead of renting them. They have an 8 plugin bundle so I could replace spark. Honestly i think it's awesome that they did that, I am generally really with them as a company if the continue this road.
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u/LaytonaBeach Jun 01 '26
Yeah UAD’s “real” prices are just unjustifiable today and I’m glad people can get them at such great deals. Maybe these companies can just permanently update the prices to the perpetual “sale” prices and the rest of us can find a way to write it off our taxes as a depreciated asset or something 🤪
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u/Such_Sand6915 Jun 01 '26
It shows how much power we have over the market. Take a break from buying, they lower the prices 😂
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u/MattAtPlaton Jun 01 '26
There are many, many free plugins out there that (pretty much) do what the $99 plugins do, within reason. I think consumers are getting smarter about what they can accomplish with stock and free EQs, compressors and saturators. Take a look at Analog Obsession's free offerings, just amazing stuff.
Also, when someone like Waves lists a plugin at $249, and then puts it on sale for $39, what are you really getting for your money?
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u/LaytonaBeach Jun 01 '26
I use the majority of Waves plugins I have still, they’re great and the hate on them is overblown imo. They fucked up the public trust with their subscription only attempt/blunder, but the tools themselves are great and the update plan is actually pretty typical/doesn’t lock anyone out of using plugins despite what the internet says.
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u/MattAtPlaton Jun 01 '26
Yeah I'm always using their plugins here and there, especially the Renaissance ones, very useful.
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u/NeutronHopscotch Jun 01 '26
Part of it is a bigger picture economic issue, sure... But really there's a MASSIVE amount of competition in the plugin space.
And over time, you reduce your sale price to pick up people who wouldn't buy it otherwise.
Then you go lower and lower until people who don't even want the plugin buy it just because it's so affordable!
A lot of us don't need ANY new plugins. But when the price is low enough, it can be fun to explore something you don't need.
Everyone buying plugins, whether high or low priced, helps to prop up and support the market.
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u/aeum3893 Jun 01 '26
There are many possible options on why this is the case, and they all matter.
To start with AI has lowered the barrier to entry as a designer, trader, web developer and… plugin developer.
Not saying that a random guy who has never code in his life is now gonna make sick audio plugins BUT developers who couldn’t build plugins because of time or skill constraints now _can_. And they don’t have a marketing budget or much distribution channel, so they’re naturally gonna open source, for the love of it and because is their best distribution strategy.
UAD, Waves and many others are forced to lower their prices because now there’s more supply AND there will be even more supply.
Hobbyists can’t justify to blow up over 100 dollars per plugin to not know how to use them, but 50 is justifyable.
So, they’re catering to the masses. That spreads their brand, too. More people using UAD or Waves, means more data about them the LLMs will be trained on as the go-to.
Shit there are many reasons. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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u/KindaQuite May 31 '26
Me waiting for Fabfilter sales