Black Friday 2025: A Yearly Festival for Music Producers

Black Friday 2025 Recommended Products Sheet

Before I get into the recommendations by type, I know some of you will want time to think things over. So I put together a sheet featuring the products that caught my eye this Black Friday!
Bookmark it and use it if you like.

Suriko's Black Friday 2025 Watch List

What Did Music Producers Buy in 2024?

Let's start with some research. Here's how the sales rankings from major Japanese music-production retailers looked last year!

It looks like the established go-to synths and reliable reverbs were popular choices.
All the top instrument titles were from Toontrack. In particular, the piano and bass tools include AI or composition-assistance features, suggesting strong demand for instruments that save time.

Market Trends in 2025

So what's happening in 2025?

• Established products such as Serum and FabFilter remain popular.
• Interest in tools with AI features has surged.
• More products offer a path from a free edition to a paid one.

For example, iZotope offered Nectar 4 Elements free for a limited time this year as part of its "Singing & Playing Bundle."
The idea is to try the AI features for free first, then upgrade if you like them.

This year, it feels to me like AI features are becoming the norm.
Using AI to save time while improving quality can be a good option!

Which Type Are You?

From here, I'll share products that I personally think look promising, divided into four types of music maker.
Which type are you?
Use the type that sounds most like you as a guide!

Um... They all sound interesting, but where should I start?

Choose based on how you normally make music—or how you'd like to make it!

Band-Sound Producer

Let's start with tools for people who make, or want to make, band-style music.
Drawing on the research, I've mostly picked beginner-friendly tools that help with the production process!

Toontrack SUPERIOR DRUMMER 3

• An established acoustic-drum instrument used in professional studios.
• Its carefully recorded drums deliver a powerful, realistic sound.
• It's easy to create a human feel even with programmed parts, and it works especially well for pop and rock.
• A good choice if you want one dependable drum instrument to start with.

Toontrack EZKEYS 2

• Import audio or chord MIDI, and its AI suggests accompaniment phrases suited to your song.
• Drag and drop the included MIDI patterns to create usable piano phrases quickly.
• Even if chord theory isn't your strength, you can put together convincing progressions and phrases.
• A reassuring songwriting partner for anyone who doesn't play keyboard.

IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2

• A lifelike bass instrument that recreates the way a real bass is played.
• It includes bass models that work across a wide range of styles, from J-pop to rock.
• A practical, versatile bass instrument.
• It often receives substantial Black Friday discounts, making it appealing if value matters to you.

Toontrack EZ BASS

• A bass instrument that generates bass-line ideas from drum or chord MIDI.
• Even if coming up with bass lines is difficult, you can quickly build a low-end foundation.
• It also has plenty of genre-specific phrases and grooves to spark arrangement ideas.
• Paired with MODO BASS, you could use MODO for tone and EZ BASS for phrase ideas.

AMPLE GUITAR SC 4

• A guitar instrument modeled on the famous Fender Stratocaster, covering classic clean tones through lightly overdriven sounds.
• Designed for people who can't play guitar but want guitar in their band-style productions.
• It can generate riffs and play backing parts from chord names—handy when you can't think of a guitar phrase.
• Amps and effects are built in, so you can make convincing guitar tones without buying separate effects.

People who can play instruments are so cool!

Right! Suriko wants to learn guitar too!

Cover Vocals & Mixing

Next are tools for people who mainly process vocals or bring a mix together.
Even if you fit one of the other three types, take a look if you make vocal music or want to finish your own tracks!

iZotope Ozone 12 Standard

• A mastering staple with an AI assistant that analyzes your audio automatically.
• Its preset-like workflow can bring you closer to a finished sound even without specialist knowledge.
• It brings together loudness, balance, width and other essential finishing tools.
• A great first choice if you're wondering where to start with mastering.

For now, it looks like only the crossgrade, upgrade and update editions are on sale!

iZotope Nectar 4 Standard

• A dedicated vocal tool with EQ, compression, de-essing and other essential processing features.
• Its presets and assistant make it easier to bring a vocal forward in the mix.
• You can also step up gradually from Nectar Elements to Standard.
• Recommended for improving the quality of cover-song vocals and streamed performances.

For this product too, it currently looks like only the crossgrade and upgrade editions are on sale!

Synchro Arts RePitch 2

• A tool for correcting vocal pitch and timing while keeping a natural sound.
• Its clear interface makes it relatively approachable for first-time users.
• It can also align backing vocals and clean up timing differences between layered parts.
• A realistic option if you need precise pitch correction but can't justify a very expensive tool.

The RePitch 2 sale is reportedly scheduled to start on November 28!

I wonder if it will have started by the time this article goes live.

Beatmaker & Trackmaker

Next are synths and effects for making beats and tracks such as EDM and lo-fi hip-hop!

Xfer Records Serum 2

• A go-to synth used by professionals around the world.
• With so many presets and tutorials available, it's easy for beginners to study sound design.
• The synth itself rarely goes on sale, but preset bundles often get big Black Friday discounts.
• A leading choice if you want to invest in just one serious synth.

Reveal Sound SPIRE

• A staple EDM and dance-music synth often mentioned alongside Serum.
• It makes familiar EDM leads, plucks and pads easy to create, giving you useful sounds quickly.
• It often gets a substantial Black Friday discount, lowering the cost of entry.
• Also a good starter synth if you want to begin with just one.

Baby Audio Super VHS

• An effect that quickly adds the warmth of a cassette tape.
• Handy for giving lo-fi hip-hop and chill tracks an instant sense of atmosphere.
• Its simple controls make it easy to change a sound's character quickly.
• It often falls to around half price during sales, making it an affordable flavoring effect.

Weekend Music Maker

The fourth type is all about saving time!
If you're busy during the week and only make music on weekends, I've picked presets and assistive tools that help you create quickly.

reFX Nexus 5

• A preset-focused synth with a huge library; choosing a sound can quickly establish a track's character.
• It comes with plenty of presets even in its standard form, so you can start creating just by choosing sounds.
• If sound design isn't your strength, it's easy to browse for a sound that fits your mood and start writing.
• For a busy weekend music maker, it's like a dictionary of preset-based inspiration.

Vengeance Sound VPS Avenger 2

• An all-in-one synth with built-in drum kits and arpeggios.
• A versatile tool covering everything from beats to leads and pads.
• Its sound-design flexibility suits both preset users and those who like to build sounds from scratch.
• It already had a sale close to half price earlier this year, so another Black Friday offer may be worth watching for.

Scaler Music Scaler 3

• A composition aid that detects the chords and scales you play.
• It suggests possible next chords, helping you build progressions even if you don't know music theory.
• Load chord sets and styles to try polished-sounding progressions right away.
• An ideal companion on days when you just want to settle on the chords!

UJAM Beatmaker series

• A series of virtual drum machines tailored to different genres.
• Press keys to trigger beats and fills suited to the genre automatically.
• It can greatly reduce drum-programming time while maintaining quality.
• You can pick only the genres you like, which helps avoid unnecessary purchases.

sonible smart:bundle

• A suite that analyzes audio with AI and suggests useful EQ and compressor settings.
• Even with limited mixing experience, one click can help you get to a reasonably polished sound.
• You can use its suggestions as a starting point and fine-tune the details yourself.
• A time-saver for weekend music makers who don't want to spend ages mixing but still care about quality.

Wrapping Up

We've looked at a lot of products. What did you think? Did you both find something interesting?

Yes! Serum, Nexus 5 and the AI mixing tools caught my eye. I took notes, so I'll check the sale prices later!

They all sounded amazing, but my head started spinning halfway through... Maybe I want them all.

You're getting lost because you're trying to buy everything at once! F, let's work out which type you are first.

S, you're always so helpful! I also drew on advice from the Sleepfreaks team when choosing these products. I hope this helps with your shopping. Prices and offers can change, so check each store's latest information before you buy. Have a great Black Friday!