1. Quick links
2. Editor's picks
3. FAQ
4. Shopping tips
Officially Black Friday is now over, but you can still get some last-chance deals if you know where to look. I've reviewed 15 audio interfaces in the past year alone and conducted intensive latency testing on all of the entries in our best audio interfaces guide. That puts me in a great position to recommend the very best Black Friday audio interface deals, no matter what kind of music you make.
There are still some select deals around whether you want something as your first audio interface or you're looking for something more 'pro'. Over at Guitar Center, you can still grab the first saving I've seen on the Focusrite 2i2 4th Gen, which currently holds the best overall spot in our audio interfaces guide. Feature-packed with crystal clear preamps, it's a brilliant choice no matter what your level of recording experience.
You can also still grab a discount on our budget recommendation, with the already dirt-cheap Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 reduced to a mere $39. Phenomenal value even at full price, it's basic, but will absolutely do the job if you want to record on a budget.
We're not sure how long all of these deals will be live, so if you're looking to make some savings we'd recommend acting now. Below you'll find a selection of sales that are still live, as well as some recommendations from the team here at MusicRadar.
⚡ Quick links
Amazon: Save big on home recording
B&H Photo: Save on pro audio
Guitar Center: Up to 50% off interfaces
Musician's Friend: Up to 50% off sale
Reverb: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
Sweetwater: Save up to 70% on recording
Andertons: Huge BF recording sale
Gear 4 Music: Tasty BF studio deals
PMT: Studio & recording blowout
🥇 Editor's picks
❓ Black Friday audio interface deals FAQ
When do the Black Friday audio interface deals start?
For 2024, the Black Friday audio interface deals will officially arrive on Friday, November 29 - less than a month before Christmas Day. As always, the deals will extend across that weekend (also known as Cyber Weekend), before finishing with a final flurry of Cyber Monday music deals on Monday 2 December.
Deals are launched at all sorts of random times – sometimes in the middle of the night – so savvy shoppers will need to keep a close eye on their favorite retailers to ensure they grab the bargains they're after. Some Black Friday audio interface deals may stick around for the whole of Cyber Weekend, while others may only be live for a matter of hours, or could be stock-limited. So, if you're looking for a bargain, you need to be ready to pull the trigger.
If you're using Black Friday to save money on Christmas gifts, our guide to the best Christmas gifts for musicians is great for inspiration.
How long do Black Friday sales last?
Whilst Black Friday is traditionally limited to one weekend, the deals won't be isolated to this concentrated four-day period. Many of the best Black Friday audio interface deals will emerge in the weeks leading up to the big day and many deals stick around well after the event and into December.
What deals should I expect?
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the big music retailers throughout October and November. Based on last year's evidence, the Guitar Center Black Friday deals, Sweetwater Black Friday sales, Musician's Friend Black Friday deals, and Thomann Black Friday deals will be the place to find the very best Black Friday audio interface deals.
In the past, we've seen offers on killer interfaces from Focusrite's Scarlett and Clarett ranges, and this year we're hoping to see discounts on the brand-new Scarlett 4th Generation. Last year's biggest highlight was money-off bundles, with both PreSonus and Universal Audio delivering fantastic value deals.
Talking of bundles, Black Friday is often the best time of year to save big on collections of recording gear, which usually comprises a quality interface, studio headphones, a condenser microphone, and possibly some software too. This is a really economical way of getting into recording. All you need then is a decent laptop for music production.
We've been covering the Black Friday music deals for years now, so you can rest assured our teams will be hunting down the best offers before anyone else and sharing them with you first.
Can I get free stuff on Black Friday?
Whilst there is unlikely to be any free audio interfaces going, most home recording hardware will come bundled with plugins. As part of the Black Friday deals manufacturers may offer a greater than usual set of free plugins with their interfaces to tempt you into purchasing, as you can see right now with many Universal Audio interfaces.
Retailers may also offer multi-buy deals, where if you add two separate items to your basket and get one of them for free, or at a reduced price.
🛒 Shopping tips for Black Friday
1. Make some room - Consider ahead of time whether you have enough space on your desktop to account for additional gear. We're all guilty of hoarding items we never use, and having a clear-out can also open up more funds for a new purchase.
2. Consider your music-making goals - Are you a solo producer making EDM? Do you want to record a rock album with your band? These are all great questions to ask that will inform your purchase, making sure it's the perfect match for your needs.
3. Work out what you actually need - Perhaps you're looking to get your first audio interface, so an all-in-one bundle with an interface, headphones, and microphone might be handy. On the other hand, you might be looking to expand your current setup so an interface with ADAT is a must. By working out what you want beforehand, you'll save yourself time and money when the big day comes.
4. Create a wishlist early - To save you from scrolling endlessly through a list of discounted items, it's important to know what it is you both want and need before the big sales start. Making a list will help keep you focused as there will be so much noise around Black Friday it's easy to get distracted by the next shiny thing that appears on your feed.
🧐 How we choose the best Black Friday audio interface deals
I've been using audio interfaces for the last twenty years for my own recordings, so it's fair to say I've got a good overview of what's out there. I review audio interfaces regularly and alongside the MusicRadar team, we've covered all the latest releases of the last 17 years.
When choosing a deal for our readers, it has to meet a few different criteria. The most important is that it's something we'd use ourselves. You won't find any knock-off red boxes from Temu here, because unless something is good enough we wouldn't recommend it.
Next up, the price has to be right. Because I'm constantly immersed in the world of audio interfaces, I know full well the market value of what's out there. This means I can see beyond certain retailers raising the RRP right before a sales event to make the discount look bigger than it actually is.
Finally, I have to be sure that I'm linking to a trusted retailer, someone I know will deliver excellent customer service to our readers. I'd only link to a retailer I would feel comfortable buying from myself, so you can rest assured you'll get your items exactly as described, and on time.
🤔 Why you can trust us
Despite Black Friday only happening on a specific weekend, I actually spend all year looking for fantastic deals on audio interfaces, and many other bits of recording hardware and software. It's my job, alongside the MusicRadar team, to research and recommend the best music gear for our reviews but as gear hounds ourselves, we're also always on the lookout for a great deal.
We cover loads of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, 4th of July sales, and Amazon Prime Day, so we've got our finger firmly on the pulse of what's going on in the music gear industry. We know the prices they've been in the past too, so we can tell you whether the deals we recommend are genuinely worth it.
📅 Last year's Black Friday audio interface deals
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