Best deals for instruments and tech: December 2024

Cyber-week sales are over – here’s a rundown of appealing discounts you can pick up in 2024

• Thomann bundles and deals that continue to the end of 2024
• Amazon discounts and instalment offers
• Time to upgrade your software? Wait for promotions

This is the page I didn’t want to create, but at the same time I’m always looking for bargains, discounts and deals on musical instruments. However, we all get bombarded with these things (if you own Universal Audio gear or software you’ll know what I mean – DFS has nothing on UA’s plugin sales!). I didn’t manage 30 years of having a seriously diverse and powerful studio that rarely generates any income for me, without a nose for a bargain.

This is the GeeXtreme list of “stuff that is good value” that I’d buy for myself. It is a fairly diverse selection of deals, and will usually be updated for regular sales such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day or whatever – but it’s not linked to retailers and it’s not just a roundup of gear. Because it’s manually curated, I’ll know how much that discount is really worth.

When should you buy new instruments or studio equipment?

Keep reading for a few tips for making your money go further if you’re setting up a studio or upgrading on a budget. It’s important to remember that these are creative tools, and getting into a cycle of always being tempted by new kit and discounts can actually be disruptive. The ‘sales’ and ‘discounts’ during promotions such as Black Friday create a sense of urgency that is easy to succumb to, but looking at prices after the sales are finished, in most cases you’re saving £10 or £20 – not hundreds – by buying immediately instead of waiting.

Current deals: real-world discounts, gear worth having

Some of these deals are still applicable until 2 December 2024, others may last longer.

1. Novation Circuit Rhythm for £209 – Amazon. The official RRP is £359, it’s usually £269-299
2. Behringer MS-5 for £389 – Thomann has put the price up to £399 from the Cyber Week deal, but Andertons are now selling it for £389 – the RRP is around £489
3. Cubase Artist Starter Pack – £149 from Thomann (buy this, upgrade to Cubase Pro 14, sell the hardware!)
4. Arturia V-Collection X (full version, not crossgrade or upgrade) for £225 (normally $599)
5. Arturia Pigments for £79

Some products that are just really good and a good buy at any time are often discounted. Here’s what I’ve recommended in the past, but may not be on sale right now. If there’s a good deal, I’ll highlight it anyway – but if I miss a promotion, you’ll find the best current price from the retailer here.

• Novation Circuit Tracks – Amazon. The official RRP is £359, it’s usually £269-299. This was reduced to £198 for Black Friday week, and then £209, so if you want one add it to your wishlist. Amazon will usually notify you of good deals. Thomann’s price for Circuit Tracks was £266 in December 2024.

Pretty much every affiliate-earning blog or website going is going to have the hugest list of Black Friday deals being frantically updated to link to everything. I don’t care about doing that. I’m only listing bargains that I would buy myself, that are real discounts over prices I’ve seen during the year.

We all get itchy to buy tempting new gear when there’s so much push and marketing on (not just music gear, how many times do you consider upgrading your TV because of a deal?) – at these prices, you can justify the impulse purchase for the saving and in many cases, if the gear doesn’t work out after the return window is closed, you’ll still be able to resell it afterwards and not lose much money.

Buying tips to make GAS* less uncomfortable

Buy stuff you already wanted, when it’s discounted, rather than just grabbing any gear – particularly if it’s not a brand you already trust (Amazon is full of discounted drop-shipped stuff).

You can get more savings when dealing with some online retailers using referral sites, such as TopCashBack – I’m recommending it because over the last year I’ve had over £200 cashback excluding any referral fees, just from needing new car tyres, car insurance and buying synths and stuff on eBay.

Not every retailer is on there, but PMT online (which as a bricks and mortar store, I rate very highly – I was a regular customer at the Northampton branch) is offering between 2% and 5.25% cashback through TopCashBack as an example.

Interest-free finance for instruments – a good idea?

If your monthly budget allows it but you don’t have the cash for the whole purchase, interest-free finance is a sensible way to pay for that must-have deal. It’s better than using a credit card unless you pay the full amount off quickly, and the packages provided by third-parties such as V12 Retail Finance count towards a good credit rating when you complete the payments.

Be aware of any penalties if you miss payments (which will also affect your credit rating, of course) or run out of interest-free periods on ‘buy now, pay later’ offers. The interest will apply from the date you took out the finance if not paid in full during the initial period on those packages.

For many purchases, including buying secondhand items from eBay, PayPal Pay-in-3 is an excellent choice. It can only be funded by debit card or bank account, it doesn’t affect your credit rating, and if it’s offered to you you know you are approved.

It’s worth looking at the interest-free deals often available from resellers – online and in-store. V12 finance is offered through Andertons, PMT has V12 and other interest-free options, and many similar stores offer the same range of packages. Remember to compare the purchase price for the item you want first – not all items on a promotional sale will be offered with interest-free finance. There is often a minimum amount needed for a package, and you usually need to pay 10% or more on the day.

There’s no sense snapping up a bargain when the only funds are high-interest credit cards.

Amazon Monthly Payments

Amazon Monthly Payments sometimes offers interest-free, no credit check instalments on selected products – this is not the same as the finance offered via Barclays, which is a third-party finance agreement and while it sometimes offers interest-free periods, usually there is a relatively high APR and credit check process.

Look for ‘Pay in five’ or on higher-priced items, ‘Pay in twelve’ promotions. If it just stays ‘instalments are available’ then it’s likely to be third-party finance, with credit check and interest.

Remember that the instant gratification of clicking ‘checkout’ may not be instant, Amazon Prime generally offers free next-day/same-day delivery for its own items, but resellers may take longer (Thomann is based in Germany, so UK buyers can expect to wait a week or so – but don’t face additional charges other than £10 shipping on orders below £149).

If you’re impulse buying this can mean you don’t get that same dopamine kick and have time to regret the purchase before it arrives, so please – buy stuff you know you need, then stuff you know you’ll use or enjoy, before going for the amazing distraction.

*gear acquisition syndrome – where a musician is so obsessed with new kit and better tech, they spend more time buying and trying new stuff than they do making music…

Cut-price synthesizers and sound modules to buy ahead of Christmas

Novation Circuit Rhythm for £209 – Amazon UK

(If you want a sampler and drum & beat focused machine, Amazon dropped the Circuit Rhythm from £359 rrp and typically, £269-299 to £198 for Black Friday, and it’s still only £209 now.

I haven’t used one, so I can’t be as enthusiastic as I am about the Circuit Tracks, but it’s a similar workflow and integrated, portable sampler, sound module and controller so I suspect it’s a a bit of a bargain – particularly if you don’t already own that class of device. The reason I haven’t bought one is already having an EP-133 and Elektron Model: samples… but the Circuit Rhythm offers features not available in either of those.

Novation Circuit Tracks: a safe buy any time of year

• Two six-voice Nova virtual analogue synth engines
• A four-track, sample-flipping drum machine
• A MIDI sequencer and effects unit

While the deals are not running at present, if you’re thinking of giving a groovebox for Christmas the Novation Circuit Tracks is affordable, intuitive and very satisfying to play. It sounds good, and it has strong educational value – yet it’s also very much at home in a professional environment, with MIDI sequencing, powerful web-based sound editor and librarian, and a convenient desktop-sized shape that makes it an excellent quick controller.

Circuit Tracks is a portable (rechargeable battery built-in) all-in-one production tool and inspiration box that includes professional touches such as full-size MIDI ports, proper 1/4-inch jacks for audio in and out (plus separate 3.5mm headphone out) and an excellent sound editor for the dual six-voice “Niova’ virtual analogue synth engines. It also features expandable microSD storage for samples and patch, song and pattern data.

Unlike the Novation Circuit Rhythm, the Circuit Tracks’ audio inputs are not for sampling – but you can use your own samples with ease now thanks to the removable microSD storage. The inputs allow it to act as an effects processor for external signals, or just saving time if you want to use it alongside a keyboard or other instruments.

The Novation Circuit is one of my all-time favourite cheap electronic instruments, an excellent learning tool, robust and kid-friendly as well with the rubber pads and plastic construction. With the slimmer, battery-powered revision of the Circuit Tracks it’s an incredible, self-contained inspiration station that any kid you’d hand an iPad to will have no problem getting creative with.

Korg Nu:tekt NTS1 MkII digital kit – £130 on Amazon UK

I wouldn’t say the NTS-1 was my favourite DIY synth kit, but most of the candidates for that position have been discontinued or are not currently available. It’s easy to build and the end result is well worth it, however, and it goes beyond just hardware as you can download a software development package and write your own modules.

The new generation of NTS-1 is more powerful, has a better keyboard, and much greater scope for synthesis and effects. It’s no harder to build, but the price went up – this deal brings it down to £130 from £164 according to their deals, but the Nu:tekt NTS-1 Mk II is £133 from Thomann without any promotion. Amazon does mean next-day delivery however, whereas you’ll pay £10 shipping if you don’t add items to spend over £149 with Thomann.

The original NTS-1 is still a fun DIY synth kit – and it’s £75 from Thomann, £82 on Amazon UK.

MS-5 – Roland SH-5 keyboard clone – £399

The Behringer MS-5 is a relatively new release, and it’s a clone of the Roland SH-5 synthesizer. That’s a powerful analogue monosynth with dual VCOs, two LFOs, two envelope generators (ADSR and AR, similar to the Odyssey and CAT), ring modulation and a robust wood and metal case. It’s a powerful, playable synth with a lot of modulation and sound shaping possibilities, easy interface, and a distinctive sound suitable for a wide range of genres.

Unlike the Oydssey, it does without a pattern sequencer. But the knobs and faders interface with footage range selection for oscillator pitch is more user friendly than the Odyssey’s full-range pitch sliders and thin faders for everything approach.

Behringer DeepMind 6 – £389

This is Behringer’s original analogue polyphonic synthesizer. It’s a six-voice keyboard a little like a Roland Juno in sound and feel, but with some original features. As a cut-down version of the 12-voice DeepMind 12, it’s not always good value, but with an 18% discount adding space between the models it’s a good keyboard for less than £400.

Not a discount – Behringer UB-Xa – £735

But the one that isn’t a deal, is the UB-Xa. The Oberheim OB-X clone with poly-aftertouch keyboard as £1199 originally – it’s now £735 for a polyphonic analogue synthesizer. I have no idea what the keyboard is like to play, but it’s bloody cheap for an OB-X recreation no matter how you look at it.

Do Black Friday/Cyber Week deals sell out? Yes!

This is a quick page and I entirely blame Thomann – they opened Cyber Week with some amazing real-world discounts including offering a serious desktop analogue synthesizer for a bargain price. My website has no adverts or pop-ups, and costs me more to run than it will ever make back (let alone the time spent writing stuff, taking pictures, and money on kit!) so I use affiliate links to offset the costs slightly, but I wasn’t going to do a deals page until I saw this:

By actual Black Friday the K-2 deal had sold out…

That’s the Behringer K-2 desktop synthesizer, a clone of the MS-20 that is pretty good in its own right. This is the original – the Behringer K-2 has been refreshed. The K-2 Mk II model released earlier in 2024 adds PWM, FM and sync for the oscillators, and V/oct CV support, it also has white on black graphics instead of the yellow scheme which is hard to read under some lights.

None of those changes make the original less appealing or useful than it was before the Mk II, and it’s considered one of Behringer’s better clones. Thomann’s Cyber Week deal for 2024 made the K-2 £114; I couldn’t resist, and I already have too many similar synths. It doesn’t help that used ones on eBay have been selling for slightly more – without the three year warranty Behringer offers on registration (or Thomann’s extended one).

There’s a lot of fake discounting and pointless purchasing encouraged around this time of year, but for £114 you will not get a better true analogue synthesizer. Deals like this make a great purchase for anyone who has kids curious about electronic music and creating their own sounds, as the MS-20 is not only a very capable synth, it was a cornerstone of teaching electronic music (the mods in the Mk II are taken from the ‘schools’ version of the MS-20, in fact).

While the K-2 was the best discount from Thomann on Behringer kit (and as far as I can see, reasonably-priced synths in general – Andertons still list it for £199 discounted from £279!) there are a couple of others that got a price cut for this promotion, which runs until 2nd December 2024.

If you do want the updated Behringer K-2 Mk II, the £162 price is still impressive value, but there’s no stock for a couple of months it seems – you can get one from Andertons (not affiliate link) for £169 with delivery suggested before Christmas.

Effects pedals and outboard Deals 2024

Steinberg Cubase Artist Starter Pack

The essentials for recording at home or on the go are excellent value even after Black Friday

Cubase Artist Starter Pack – £149 from Thomann (rrp £225 – plus bonus software)

• Steinberg UR-12 USB recording interface
• ST-M01 studio condenser microphone
• Stand, cable and pop shield for the microphone
• Cubase Artist and Wavelab Cast software

This package comes with the latest version of Cubase Artist applicable when registered – worth £207 alone and rather better than the usual Elements, AI or Cubasis LE bundles. Cubase Artist usually allows a 50% discount on the full price for Cubase Pro – currently, upgrading to Cubase Pro 14 from the bundle would cost £207, and you could probably sell your interface and microphone for around £100 – meaning you get a full version of Cubase Pro for around £250 instead of £413.

Not that you need to, unless you’ve got a serious studio setup. You can compare Cubase versions here – it’s likely that Cubase Artist will meet the needs of most users right up to handling a full band or performance.

If you’re just getting started and want to record and arrange both MIDI/software instruments and your own vocals and instruments, then this is amazing value. The Steinberg UR-12 offers a straightforward two-channel USB interface with high-quality 24-bit/192kHz audio conversion, and uses RCA phono sockets for output making it ideal for use with DJ-targeted gear and mixers, or plugging into a home HiFi system. It features one mic pre-amp and one Hi-Z 1/4-inch jack input which can be used for direct recording of electric guitar/bass and similar instrument-level devices.

Although this package offers excellent value when discounted, if you already own Cubase for a little more you can get the older UR-22 Elements Recording Package for £219 – (not a Cyber Week discount) or the distinctive red UR-22 version for £144 (standalone, without Cubase Elements or bundled mic and headphones). Until 15th January 2025, the UR-22 bought through Thomann qualifies for a bonus software pack comprising Native Instruments Komplete 15 Select and iZotope’s Ozone 11. It does not come with Cubase Artist, though – the bundle comes with Elements, Cubasis LE, Wavelab LE and Cubase AI, standalone just Cubase AI/Cubasis LE.

The older interface offers more flexibility, featuring two mic pre-amps on combo-jack inputs, one of which also offers Hi-Z instrument input, standard 1/4-inch jack monitor outputs, and MIDI I/O. You also get a set of headphones in addition to the SM-01 microphone, but Cubase Elements is very limited and doesn’t qualify for a useful discount on Cubase Pro.

Both interfaces are compatible with iPad and iPhone devices with suitable camera connection kit or USB hub. However, for newer iPads and iPhones, and laptops, the Steinberg IXO series features single-cable USB-C simplicity. Prices have been reduced for Steinberg’s 40th anniversary, so these should be available for longer than just ‘Cyber Week’.

You can get the dual-preamp, balanced line output IXO-22 Podcast Pack for £144. Want the interface capabiluty of the UR-12 Artist pack, but don’t need the extras? The IXO-12 is £58.

IK Multimedia Tone X guitar effects and modelling

A small saving on a big guitar effects pedal system and USB audio interface combined…

IK Multimedia Tone X – £249 from Amazon UK (real world saving around £50 – not 41% as implied). This limited sale promotion seems to be extended for now.

In a similar manner to the Eventide H9 or UAD Apollo, the Tone X ecosystem offers smart guitar pedals that work with Amplitube amp, effects and cab models from IK Multimedia and created using your own IR models and ‘AI’, You can get a small, pocket pedal with 20 preset slots (the ONE), or a full-size stompbox and USB audio interface with space for 150 presets.

As with an Apollo desktop, the Tone X applies the signal processing on-board rather than using your computer, and you only need the computer to create and load models – your ‘virtual rig’ is in the stompbox for live performances.

Ignoring discount distractions, for £249 what the Tone X claims to do is pretty impressive value. However, it may not be a bargain you need to rush for.

According to Amazon, the Tone X Pedal has an RRP of £425 which makes £249 look like a steal, but I’m not convinced this is QUITE the deal it seems. There may be a reason, such as software bundles – it’s not clear which sounds this comes with. Thomann does list a Tone X pedal for over £400, the Anniversary Edition (£449 from IK) which clearly states that it comes with 150 extra, unique models.

Thomann has the more convenient Tone X One pedal for £118 – reduced from £148 – which is a single button but can have sophisticated models loaded, and 20 presets on board to choose from. Thomann also list the Tone X Pedal without promotions for £275 – albeit, not in stock currently – and have a stated RRP of £299, which makes me wonder if Amazon’s version has more included software or something. There is also a limited edition silver Tone X pedal for £289,

Checking the other dealers, the nearest new offer on Amazon is £339 (also discounted for the annual consumer frenzy), and if you want to save even more Amazon Warehouse offers start from £232 for used – like new (usually product returns).

Software upgrades and expansions – November-December 2024

A random selection of software deals, frankly, and I can’t keep up with the discount plugin places so these are either from stores, or direct from the publisher.

Arturia – Black Friday deals

• Most plugins or collections are 50% off
• Existing users get discounted upgrades and crossgrades
• Some prices depend on what existing products you have registered

(Arturia’s website was down when I wanted to do this at first!)

There’s one distinctive hardware offering from Arturia getting a discount – the Thomann 70th anniversary MicroFreak, £249. This limited edition with unique graphics gets a small extra discount, but if you’re buying from Thomann, the price for Arturia V-Collection X is also pretty good, at £225. That’s not an upgrade, it’s for new users too, so quite a discount from €/$/£599.

Existing customers get promotions to upgrade or crossgrade – as a V-Collection 9/X and FX Collection 4 owner I saw FX Collection 5 for $49 (but the upgrade extras really weren’t worth much more than that anyway, since a couple of bundles also included FX plugins I had). Upgrading V-Collection 9 to X plus Synthx-V was offered for $169 before Black Friday deals were a thing – the Synthex emulation was the main reason for upgrading for me and it isn’t a regular part of V-Collection X.

Pigments 5 – £79 from Thomann – $99 on Arturia, normally $/£199.

(Buying from a retailer is still an instant download, not boxed software).

Existing Arturia customers often get deals on Pigments, but if you don’t own anything from this brand yet and you want a powerful, versatile and easy to use software synthesizer with an impressive sound library, Pigments is hard to beat.

With selectable oscillator models and flexible routing, all visually mapped out with animations that make it clear at a glance what you’re creating (it is an excellent learning tool as well), it would be fun even if it sounded terrible. But it doesn’t. The Pigments sound engine is really impressive, capable of matching pretty much any hardware synth from the 1970s to the 21st century.

In a rational world you’ll buy it, learn it, and use multiple instances to make almost anything. But since when have humans been rational.

Eventide plug in deals for December 2024

The stand-out deal for this year is the full H9 plug-in suite for $199. This is a great bundle if you don’t already own any effects software, the H9 is an excellent pedal but having the algorithms in the box is even better and cheaper, in many ways.

You may already have some plugins from Eventide from past deals – I do, and the offer was $149 as an upgrade/crossgrade (I have Blackhole already, which may be a factor). Very tempting…

Keeping track of deals – where to look?

It’s worth following the Gearspace community if you want to find a diverse range of deals and promotions. Naturally most retailers and companies you have interacted with will send email after email, and if you maintain a wishlist on Amazon and don’t mind getting notifications, an Amazon Echo will happily pop up and tell you if something you actively wanted is on sale.

In some ways that seems like a better approach than endless scrolling and window shopping, and potentially being tempted by irrelevant things. However, Amazon’s musical instruments category is relatively limited and even if an item is on sale, it may not be the best price.

One thing I do not trust: Google’s shopping results and ads. Lately they’ve been full of things like high-end Elektron or similar gear from AliExpress, or scam shopping sites for unbelievable prices, alongside the usual ‘ended already’ eBay items and other nonsense. Until Google sorts out its willingness to support and feed these misleading sellers (in another aspect of my life, I absolutely detest Autodoc and its clones for what they’ve done to finding car parts and repair guides via their aggressive multi-site SEO), I’d treat Google sponsored deals as a source of last-resort.

I will add more genuine discounts and deals as I find them – this page will never be like the typical ‘music tech site’ link to every promotion by any means, only the things that I know are both real discounts, and products or upgrades worth having at the price. There are probably a lot of things that fit that criteria that I don’t get to see.

Did GeeXtreme get good deals in recent sales?

The inspiration for making this page was Thomann offering the Behringer K-2 (original) for £114. I didn’t want another Behringer analogue synthesizer module, as I already have a 2600 Blue Marvin, a Kobol Expander and a WASP Deluxe alongside an Odyssey, MS-1 Mk II and CRAVE, but for that price it’s a lot of synthesizer for the price of a plugin.

Do I regret it? Not at all. Was it a bargain worth grabbing then? I think so – the K-2 Mk II at £162 is almost 35% more, and it actually looked like this was the last of the K-2 Mk 1 models. The Behringer K-2 is now back on Thomann for £122, so I saved a whopping £8, but it is a discontinued product so I suspect they either have some returns, or found some overlooked stock.

The other item I got was the Behringer RX1602, now £95. It was discounted to £81, and I had been looking at secondhand RX1602s for £60-75 and UK dealers asking around £125. The Cyber Week price represented a real discount, and it’s an immensely useful bit of kit. I wish I’d bought two!

This is not an expensive item normally, though Thomann is probably the cheapest of all the music retailers. Used values of original, rather than V2, RX1602s aren’t much lower than the Cyber Week £81 deal though!

The RX1602 is a 16-channel (8 stereo pairs) line mixer in a 1U package. No bells or whistles, just simple mixing that is ideal for synthesizers, drum machines, computers and guitar/bass processors like the Tone X above. It’s a good return bus if you run a lot of effects you want to record wet and dry tracks from without patching, and naturally it’s a really space-efficient submixer.

it works really well, with low noise, easy, positive controls for setting gain (they have a detented action so don’t shift if you brush them) and easy to use VU meters. Each stereo pair can be set to dBv or dBu, so you can mix DJ/home audio and pro gear, and the 1U rack is perfect for dropping into a set of synths such as Modal Electronics Cobol8M or Argon8M plus analogue modules, where you need to make per-patch gain adjustments. There’s a mono send which I use for a rack tuner – it can also be assigned to the headphone socket if you want to plug something in on the front panel for effects or monitoring.

Alongside this I use an RX1202FX which has effects and long-travel faders, takes up 3U of space, and only offers 12 channels. It’s both limiting and overkill for what it does. Used sellers really don’t seem to keep up with new prices well…

For the small synths I’ve got some of Behringer’s £17-on-Amazon MicroMix 400s but those are just four mono channels into one. From Thomann the MX400 is £21… by the time I’ve bought 16 channels of them… I’ve paid for an RX1602V2 with better preamps and rack mounted convenience. Like I said, I should have bought two!

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