Moog, Sonnox, Slate Digital: 3 Plugin Deals for Fat Basslines, More Loudness, and Analog Tape Sound
A Modern Moog Bass Synth, the Most Famous Loudness Plugin Around, and Classic Tape Saturation on Sale
Moog, Sonnox, Slate Digital: 3 Plugin Deals for Fat Basslines, More Loudness, and Analog Tape Sound · Source: GEARNEWS
Moog opens this week’s deals with Mariana, a modern bass synthesizer that draws from the architecture of the Minimoog Model D and the Minitaur and wraps it all in a dual-layer design. For €35, that’s more than just a bass synth worth a look. Next up is the Sonnox Oxford Inflator Native, one of the best-selling dynamics plugins out there for years now, down to €39. Rounding things out are the Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines, a detailed emulation of two classic Studer tape machines, at €75.
Software Deals of the Week
Moog Mariana: Now 63% Off
Moog released Mariana as a software bass synthesizer that carries forward the sonic character of classic Moog bass instruments like the Minimoog Model D and the Minitaur and wraps them in a dual-layer architecture. That means two complete synthesizer instances stacked on top of each other, playable as a mono bass or as a duophonic instrument with two independent voices.
Each layer runs two oscillators with hard sync, adjustable phase offset for OSC2, pulse width modulation, a sub-oscillator, and a noise generator. Two resonant Moog filters per layer plus a third filter dedicated specifically to the sub-oscillator give the filter section more depth than you’d normally expect. Stereo oscillators and crossover filter functionality let you build wide stereo content while keeping the low end anchored in mono, so the bass sits properly in a mix.
The modulation section brings three LFOs, three envelopes, and two random generators per layer, all freely routable through a deep mod matrix. Moog Mariana also connects to the Moogerfooger Effects Plugins via virtual CV, which lets you build a modular Moog setup right inside your DAW.
In practice, Moog Mariana works best in productions where the bass does real work. The dual-layer setup lets you stack two distinct bass sounds, say a clean sub on one layer and a character-heavy mid-bass on the other, and blend them dynamically. Tube, tape, and overdrive saturation plus a built-in compressor and real-time metering mean you can shape and balance the sound before it even hits the mix. Moog Mariana is one of the more interesting deals this week.
Moog Mariana is available through August 2nd here at Thomann* for €35.00 instead of €95.00 with 63% off.
Sonnox Oxford Inflator Native: Now 76% Off
Sonnox built the Oxford Inflator into one of the most talked-about and best-selling mixing plugins around, and it has been showing up in the signal chains of professional mix and mastering engineers for years. It originated in the Oxford Digital Console and does something conventional compressors and limiters simply don’t: it raises the perceived loudness of a signal without introducing the pumping artifacts that come with heavy dynamic processing.
The Inflator uses a statistics-based algorithm that rebalances the level relationships within a signal without audibly squashing the dynamics. A single Effect Level knob controls the intensity of the processing, and a Curve knob shifts the character anywhere from transparent loudness increase to warm, tube-like saturation. Band-Split mode lets you treat lows, mids, and highs independently for more surgical work than the global Direct mode allows. The Clip 0dBr function engages a soft headroom zone above digital maximum, which is a big part of why the Inflator has a reputation for getting more loudness out of a signal than should technically be possible.
Day-to-day, the Sonnox Oxford Inflator tends to live on the master bus, drum groups, or vocals that aren’t cutting through. First-time users usually figure out pretty quickly that it’s not a compressor replacement; it’s its own thing. Light use makes a mix sound fuller and more present without anyone being able to point to what changed. Push it harder and you get that tube-like character that adds a kind of warmth to a source that’s genuinely hard to get any other way. An absolute no-brainer at this price.
The Sonnox Oxford Inflator Native is available here at Thomann* for €39.00 instead of €159.99 with 76% off. The deal is active through July 15.
Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines: Now 48% Off
Slate Digital has spent years building detailed emulations of classic studio hardware, and the Virtual Tape Machines are among the most consistently praised things they’ve put out. The plugin models two specific Studer machines: a 2-inch 16-track machine from NRG Recording Studios, the kind you’d use for tracking individual instruments, and a half-inch 2-track from Howie Weinberg Mastering, the kind that shows up at the end of the chain. Both were measured and modeled carefully.
The interface is deliberately minimal: input, output, bias, tape speed (15 or 30 ips), tape width, and tape type. Tape speed makes a real difference to the low end — 30 ips is tighter and more defined, 15 ips is rounder and fuller. Two tape formulations with different headroom characteristics and saturation behaviors are available per machine. The settings panel goes deeper: global calibration levels, noise reduction, wow and flutter, bass alignment, and VU meter ballistics can all be dialed in.
The Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines work on a few different levels depending on how you use them. Put the plugin on every track in a session and the mix starts to feel like it was recorded through actual tape: better cohesion, softer highs, subtle saturation that rounds off transient peaks without compressing. On the master bus or in mastering, the half-inch emulation adds warmth and depth that digital mixes often lack. At €75, it’s a solid pick for anyone who wants that analog feel without the hardware.
Through June 22, grab the Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines here at Thomann* for €75.00 instead of €145.00 with 48% off.
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