Zolton

This blurb is right under the "Formats" section on the page linked above:

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FOR REPLICANT 2 OWNERS

If own Replicant 2, you can use the code REP3UPGRADE at checkout to get a US$49.00 discount on Replicant 3. Must be logged in to the account that owns Replicant 2 to receive the discount. 

I found this explanation (evidently blessed by Melda) explaining the differences between MAutoDynamicEQ and MDynamicEQ in a KVR thread from a few years ago:

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The difference between those two specific EQ's is that MAutoDynamic has the following that MDynamic doesn't:
-Auto-equaliser (allows you to mimic the frequency curve of another sound)
-Modulators (though they both have multiparameters)
-7 bands as opposed to 5

MDynamic has nothing that MAutoDynamic doesn't have.

Also, a note for anyone considering the BOCS bundle at Loot -- from what I understand, Retcon (also on sale at a steeper discount %, but 10GBP rather than 6 for the bundle) is the BOCS 2.0 version, with all the functions of the three apps in the bundle, and other bells and whistles besides (in an interface that's both unique and may require some digging through the manual, according to the SampleCast review embedded on the product page).

Not affiliated in any way, but intrigued enough by Retcon to try to suss out the package differences and fiddle with putting it into the cart a time or two.

Also from Cymatics, and free for a limited time:

https://cymatics.fm/products/mystery-sample-pack-vol-4-v1

(They say for 24 hours, but the link where I initially saw it is a couple of days old and the code worked this afternoon, so... ??)

One quick note/caveat: Unless I'm seeing it wrong (or it's just me), the "ridealong" gift for MGranularMB is MBitFun (also part of the free FX collection), and not MBitFunMB.

I was thinking of jumping on this if both were MB, but I already have the (free) BitFun, and I've seen MGranularMB lower at least once, so I might wait it out a bit longer.

I do wonder if the non-MB currently showing on the page is an error, though -- a freely-available effect isn't so much a "gift", and the other three deals say you "get M(whatever) worth $(value) for free", while the MGranularMB page says this:

Maybe they'll switch it up at some point, to match the other current deals. Especially if Larry's copy above came direct from Melda, and they've just horked up their own plans a bit.

Edited to add: It appears the same set of deals is also available via AudioDeluxe, where they (hopefully correctly?) list MBitFunMB as the MGranularMB freebie. The second plugin doesn't show up in the cart, so I'm not sure where exactly it gets included -- but MGranularMB is a buck cheaper there, another 10% gets auto-knocked off and WAProd Imprint is auto-included in the cart for free, so it may be worth a look at AD if you're interested.

I was intrigued when I saw this a day or two ago. I'd advise anyone thinking of grabbing it to kick the tires pretty thoroughly; everyone's mileage will vary, but the recent feedback I saw -- including a post here from last January and several other posts and reviews on various sites -- led me to personally give it a pass.

It may also be helpful to know that, according to MSD, it appears PB had Composer Pro S 1.5 on sale at $40 for all of December. The chart suggests it was on sale for $85 multiple times through most of 2022, so if $40 is the new going rate, you might expect to see this one come around again (and again, and again...)

Ah, nuts. I saw some folks also sharing it on VI-Control earlier today, so I hoped it was still valid. (Especially since I hadn't used it yet, either!)

The code I'm aware of (from this thread, among others; end date unknown) is:

$5 off any product at APD - APD-NWVBBYY9-5-OFF

Looks like APD's newest deal is Sugarbytes Egoist -- 60% off at $39.99 (minus $5, if the recent coupon is still active).

This is the lowest it's been at least since MSD started tracking, though APD had the same deal back in May of 2020.

I'm well intrigued at this price, though I'm also still learning my way around Loopmix and not sure how well Egoist holds up after nine years. I know Fleer's a fan, from past comments. Anyone still/recently using Egoist and having a good time?

4 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

SYNTH-1 Mini Collection seems to have a broken link.

Yeah, that one oddly seems lost to time, at least officially.

From what I gather (from, e.g., BPB), it was a set of 7 Kontakt 5 presets and associated samples originally released in early 2018. At that time, Karanyi Sounds was Karanyi Music, with a different domain name to match, which is now defunct and not so obviously Wayback-able, so the links from contemporary posts are fubar'ed.

The SYNTH-1 item in the NI "Best of 2023" post cribs the description verbatim from an earlier NI blog post "5 free 80s-inspired synth libraries for KONTAKT", from May of last year. It's possible that the direct mega.nz link was active when that original post was written, but went stale in the interim and the (same) guy who went back and copied his old text for a new blog item didn't bother to check it. Pretty sloppy and/or lazy -- unless the link did work for a while recently and Karanyi noticed and decided they didn't want to serve the files any longer. 

For what it's worth, it seems the SYNTH-1 material was a precursor/inspiration for Karanyi's Synths DX product. The SYNTH-1 patches, released in February 2018, came from the OB-6, Roland Super JV, Oberheim Matrix 6 and Matrix 1000, Yamaha DX7 and Moog Minitaur. And the Synths DX description says (emphasis mine):

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This boutique library contains 9 analog and pcm synth gears such as DAVE SMITH OB6, MOOG MINITAUR, MOOG SUB 37, NOVATION X STATION, NORD LEAD 2, OBERHEIM MATRIX 6, OBERHEIM MATRIX 1000, ROLAND SUPER JV & YAMAHA DX7. We recorded and designed these synths in Budapest and Los Angeles during the summer of 2018.

So maybe they improved their techniques on the same equipment and didn't want the first-try stuff lying around. Unfortunately, DX is still for Kontakt full only, the samples are encoded rather than SYNTH-1's raw WAVs and it ain't free -- though it was on sale for three bucks in December.

2 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

I wonder how many of these require proprietary installers.

Having dabbled with nearly all of these at some point, it's not terribly many, depending on how you count.

Heavyocity definitely uses its own installer/portal, as does 8Dio. Impact Soundworks uses Pulse downloader, so that's more or less of an issue, depending on whether you have it installed for other purposes.

The Strezov freebies are/were directly downloadable, but you do have to register those in Native Access, so it's an extra step. Ditto for the Heavyocity Foundations Piano, so that's a double-dip of extra finagling (though lovely once set up, by most accounts).

(Not for nothing, but if you're already knee-deep in Native Access fiddling, both Strezov and Heavyocity have other very nice if sometimes niche freebies available. It's a lot easier to grab a few and configure them assembly-line style, rather than all at once, if you're interested in more than one.)

When I grabbed it a while back, XPERIMENTA Preparato Piano was a simple download, but they've moved to Pulse for their newer Minima 2 freebie, so there's a possibility that's been Pulse'd as well.

So far as I know, Karanyi, Rhythmic Robot, Pianobook, Pettinhouse, Samplephonics and the others on the list all support direct downloads -- though for most, they'll ask for an email address and/or an account setup.

For anyone who may be interested in New Nations offerings, this free collection also comes with a $25 gift card in the "Bonus" download file. The text file states that the minimum cart value must be $25 to apply the coupon -- I was able to add the coupon with a lower total, but I didn't try checking out in that state.

The free bundle is made largely of construction kits (20 total), drum kits (20 with hits, loops and MIDI) and MIDI (chords and melodies), with bonus generically-named "drums" and "instruments" VSTIs that I haven't tried out. (Samplers from their range of VSTIs, perhaps?)

With the $25 code, it's possible to additionally get one of their "ultimate MIDI" packs for free, or one or two sample packs/VSTIs in some combination for $1 or less, depending on your interests. Or, obviously, $25 off something pricier. The NN store includes a few products from other developers (Infinit, Pyrit, Double Bang, possibly others), which appear to be eligible under the code, as well.

A lot of the music-related bundles from Humble and Fanatical can be sort of 'meh', where the standalone sample packs are concerned. (And that aspect of this one isn't terribly exciting personally, to be honest.)

But if you're invested in the AAS universe, this is effectively a sale on selected AAS sound packs:

For $1 or more:

Synbiosis for Chromaphone 3 (or AAS Player; all packs work in the free player)
Masala for String Studio VS-3

For $10 or more, add:

Cardinals for Chromaphone 3
Low End Theory for Ultra Analog VS-3

For $20 or more, add:

Abstractions for Ultra Analog VS-3
plus the AAS Session pack (Strum, Lounge Lizard, Ultra Analog VSTs) and Objeq Delay

Not too shabby, considering single sound packs are $19 on frequent half-off sales.

For those interested, it looks like the offer/server is back up. I was just able to order it using the link above.

1 hour ago, kitekrazy said:

We seem to have ignored the pianobook advent calendar.  Hopefully someone will remember to post this daily.

I thought about that, but unlike some of the other calendars and holiday deals, the Pianobook advent items should be available free for the foreseeable future. They've just saved up releasing a couple dozen libraries, so they can dazzle one day at a time. 

The calendar on the front page looks nice and is fun, but I actually prefer to check the list on the main sample packs page:

https://www.pianobook.co.uk/packs/

These are up to date and in chronological order -- and you get a short description for each pack, unlike the calendar; everything after the Guitarron 22 is also on the calendar.

Nami Audio has released a new free Kontakt (full required) library called Childhood Memories featuring a sampled kalimba, glockenpiel and flute:

https://namiaudio.com/products/childhoodmemories

The new one is the only freebie currently listed on their site, so far as I can see, but CM as well as their previous freebies (including an upright piano that also works in Decent Sampler) are also available via Pianobook, if you prefer:

https://www.pianobook.co.uk/profile/namiaudio/

The big news in this update is the new GranularSampler, for those who are interested:

On 11/21/2022 at 3:41 PM, Zolton said:

Loot swings through these freebies pretty rapid-fire, so I'm not sure how long Bubbles will be among the swag.

Edited to add: r/APD says the current batch of Loot Audio freebies should be active through the 30th.

Well, drat -- and so much for trusting posted expiration dates.

I was waiting a few days to see whether the other current Loot freebies (MFreeformAnalogEq and Apocalyptic Visions) might cycle out for something I preferred. Instead, Bubbles is no longer in the cart as a freebie, and the two above remain. Unless it's some temporary glitch, it seems the window to get Bubbles free at Loot has closed earlier than expected. 

In case anyone else was considering Loopmix and keeping an eye out for the best price, it just got slightly cheaper at JRRshop, which seems to be the best deal all around (at least for those in the US).

Previously (and currently, in musicsoftwaredeals scraped data), it was listed at $49 at JRR, like most other shops, but dropped to around $40 with a discount code. Today the codes don't work, but the list price is $38.99.

That's ever-so-slightly higher than the lowest price for Loopmix reported on MSD, which was at Loot Audio a couple of weeks ago. So far as I can tell, Loot hasn't changed their price in Euros, but their price in dollars must be dictated by exchange rates, as it's slowly crept up to ~$42.50 over time.

Edited to add: It looks like the lower price at JRR is a "blowout" deal. I've never been entirely sure how those work, but probably it's an important detail. And I hope I didn't just talk about fight club, or something.

The potential and possibly fabulous prize list is on the T&C page here:

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/pages/spin-to-win-terms-and-conditions

However, the prize changes every two hours and you can spin once a day, so this doesn't tell you which thing you just lost out on, nor which 11 other things you'll miss out on or already did by spinning when you chose to spin. It's a little convoluted.

I miss the tombola already.

14 minutes ago, Brian Lawler said:

Drat- I got MFreeformAnalogEQ as a freebie last BF.  Was hoping to bring my Melda Complete price down from several hundred to- Mmm- I guess STILL several hundred.  Oh well.  Thanks for the tips!

Absolutely -- I'm doing the same thing with Melda plugins.

If you don't have it already and missed the thread (way down on page 4 already!), MTransient is free with purchase at AudioDeluxe until 12/3:

That'd shave a few bucks off MComplete, at least. The cheapest way to get it would be one of the SoundIron one-trickers for $3 if you have Kontakt, or a bunch of stuff to pick from if you go up to $10 or so. Or at $19, there's a bunch of other Melda plugins on sale, though I don't know whether buying at "only" 50% off from a 3rd party is the most efficient way to chisel down the Melda bundle prices. Still, if ya need something, maybe it works out.

14 hours ago, simon said:

I think UJAM Drive is free directly from UJAM ?

Indeed, I believe it is -- so it's a freebie, but definitely not exclusive to Loot.

Two new freebies are added to the cart this afternoon, though, so the total haul with any order is currently:

AudioThing Things:Bubbles (until 11/30, reportedly)
UJAM Usynth Drive (unknown end date, available free elsewhere)
Melda MFreeformAnalogEq
Xenos Soundworks Apocalyptic Visions presets for Massive

The last two appear to rotate every couple of days, so there's a chance they'll cycle again before the Bubbles offer is up, if this batch doesn't totes float your boat.

Ditto for Arca, if you have the v1 library. 

I had some tangly issues previously with sorting out libs and installations, but (with Mntra's assistance) got my v1 and v2 properly set up a few weeks ago, and the Pripyat and Arca registrations and installs went off here without a hitch.

YMMV, of course, but I'm very encouraged that the growing pains of rolling out v2 may be largely sorted.

On 11/21/2022 at 3:41 PM, Zolton said:

If you're shopping for items in addition to Audiothing's, Bubbles also appears to be free with any purchase (along with Cloudy Samples Cinematic Timelapse, Vicious Antelope Arctic Pigments 3 presets and UJAM Usynth Drive) at Loot Audio (should be automagically added to the basket):

https://www.lootaudio.com/

Loot swings through these freebies pretty rapid-fire, so I'm not sure how long Bubbles will be among the swag.

Edited to add: r/APD says the current batch of Loot Audio freebies should be active through the 30th.

Just FYI for anyone perusing Loot's site over the weekend to muse possible purchases (like me):

It appears that AudioThings Bubbles and UHAM Usynth Drive are still free with any purchase, the Cloudy Samples and Vicious Antelope offerings auto-added to the cart earlier are now back to their usual prices. 

Not sure whether they'll be replaced by other goodies at some point, but Bubbles along (and Drive, if you didn't snag it earlier) are probably still worth a look at a cheapie, if you're into any of those sorts of things. Just be sure to remove the expired freebies from your cart before sealing any deals.

It's much more niche, and not orchestral, but the best buys in this sale (especially if you're in a smaller budget range) may be the components of the "Classics Bundle":

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/classics-bundle

If you (somehow) have a need for all of the various bits, the bundle is >$1000 off, apparently. But each library is selling on its own at 80% off -- several as low as $19, which is pretty unusual for Spitfire, I think.

I've got a ten-buck coupon from a deal a while back, and thinking of taking a $9 flyer on the electric cello. There's some interesting stuff in the classics, if not so traditionally "Spitfire-y".

2 hours ago, Brian Lawler said:

Good way to pick up Bubbles @Zolton!  Some useful choices (if you have Kontakt Full) for  $5 or less to get the freebies.

Yeah, I've really been a fan of Loot Audio lately, particularly for "boutique" Kontakt libraries. They even have a few sub-$5 Decent Sampler libraries in the plugin section and a bunch of sub-$2 sample packs, for non-Kontakt users looking for a cheapie.

I'm waiting a couple of days for the deals to all shake out, but several of the discount Kontakt libs from Atom Hub, Iamlamprey and SoundIron look intriguing, especially for the price.