The Best Educational Discounts for Music Production Software

We explore the top student and teacher discounts on DAWs, VST plugins, samples, and music production tools from leading audio software brands.

As far as hobbies go, music production isn’t the most expensive one out there, but investing in all the latest and greatest music production tools can quickly add up. One group that might feel this more than others, is students. While the next generation of audio professionals are studying their craft, it may be difficult for them to justify the cost of full-price audio tools.

With this in mind, many leading audio software developers offer a generous educational discount. In this article, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best educational discount offers from some of the industry’s premium software manufacturers, including VST plugins, DAWs and more. Please note that each developer’s specific terms and conditions may vary, and you should always check the most up-to-date details directly on their website.

Educational Discount on VST Plugins

First up, we’ll take a look at four VST plugin developers who offer huge discounts for those in education.

zplane

Of course, we had to kick off this article with our own educational discount. Our suite of powerful plugins are designed for music producers of all backgrounds, skill levels and musical styles, including those in education. For that reason, we offer a 40% educational discount to students and staff of government-certified educational institutions.

Our music theory and song deconstruction tools are particularly relevant to those in musical education. TONIC is a real-time key and scale detection tool that allows you to accurately analyze samples, recordings or other audio sources.

DECODA is TONIC’s big brother, and also analyzes tempo, song structure and even melodic content. This versatile standalone app lets you deconstruct your favorite songs to discover how they’re made, and you can even extract MIDI to further explore the compositional qualities of any track.

Similarly, our real-time stem separation plugin, PEEL STEMS, can be used to visualize and extract the individual elements within any song. The built-in spectral analysis tool empowers you to isolate individual instruments based on their frequency and stereo content.

Finally, our industry-leading pitch plugins, ELASTIQUE PITCH and RETUNE are absolute staples in the world of professional audio engineering. Our educational discount scheme allows students to acquire these tools at huge discounts, and keep their license for life.

Head to the zplane Educational Discount portal for full terms and conditions, and to apply for the 40% discount.

Native Instruments and iZotope

Next up are two giants of music production technology, who now operate under the same umbrella. Between them, Native Instruments and iZotope cover almost any type of music software you might need, from software-based synthesizers and sample libraries to advanced audio effects suites and mastering tools.

While both companies are part of the same wider group, their educational discount schemes do differ slightly. Native Instruments offer 50% discount on their 360 Plus and 360 Pro bundle subscriptions, while iZotope offer 50% discount across their entire product range.

In each case, you'll need to submit a form to prove your student or teacher status in order to access the discount.

FabFilter

This Dutch audio software developer are responsible for some of the industry’s most powerful and transparent audio tools available today. Whether you’re looking to save big on advanced dynamics processors, creative effects or even synths, FabFilter offers 50% educational discount on their entire product range.

To take advantage of these savings, you’ll need to submit a request along with proof of academic enrolment or employment.

D16 Group

While perhaps not as well known as some of the other audio software developers on this list, D16 Group are responsible for a growing catalogue of powerful audio effects and instruments. From drum machines to 303-emulations and analogue-modelled effects units, D16 Group is home to some truly unique audio tools.

To apply for educational discount and save up to 50% on D16 Group software, submit a support ticket and provide the necessary information.

Educational Discount on DAWs

We’ve identified four plugin VST developers who offer educational discount, but plugins are no use without a DAW to load them into. Thankfully, a number of leading DAW manufacturers offer savings to students too, and we’ve highlighted four of them below.

Ableton Live

This legendary software is arguably the go-to DAW for electronic music producers around the world, and is hugely popular in other styles of music too. While it’s not the cheapest DAW out there, regular updates and a huge suite of included tools do make it one of the most versatile.

Ableton offers a 50% educational discount on perpetual licenses of Live Intro, Standard and Suite. Alternatively, you can now take advantage of their Rent-to-Own scheme for the Suite version, making it even more accessible to students on a budget.

Avid Pro Tools

If Ableton Live is considered by many to be the popular choice for electronic music producers, Avid’s Pro Tools is the popular choice for recording and mixing engineers. Over the years, Pro Tools has earned its reputation as the industry-standard DAW for professional work, and as such, the majority of educational institutions teach with this audio workhorse.

A significant educational discount is available on yearly Pro Tools licenses, but the exact percentage varies according to whether you opt for the Studio or Ultimate tier of the DAW. Head to their website to check the prices for students and teachers.

Bitwig

While a lesser-known DAW than the others in this article, Bitwig is growing in popularity thanks to its unique modular architecture that rewards experimentation and sonic exploration. On top of that, it’s also one of the cheapest DAWs covered here, even before you take the educational discount into account.

Like other DAWs, Bitwig comes in a range of tiers to suit all levels of music producer. Their most advanced tier, Bitwig Studio, is available with approximately 30% educational discount, and they often apply further discounts during other sales periods. Simply purchase the EDU version, then submit proof of your educational status to verify your purchase.

Steinberg

You may not have heard of Steinberg, but you’ve almost certainly used their audio technology. This German company is responsible for developing the VST plugin format, thus revolutionizing modern music production as we know it. They’re also the company behind the popular DAW, Cubase, the post-production suite, Nuendo, and other popular audio software workstation.

Steinberg offer up to 50% educational discount across their entire product range, and they even offer competitive crossgrade pricing if you’re currently using a competitor’s product. Just buy your chosen software from the Steinberg Education Shop, then submit your academic proof for approval.

Educational Discount on Other Products

Educational discount isn’t just limited to software products. Below, we’ve listed two other developers who offer discount on products that don’t fit into the category of traditional audio software.

Novation

While the UK-based company Novation does have a few audio software products, they’re best known for their range of physical music production tools, which includes MIDI controllers, keyboards and synthesizers. Students can save 25% on brand new full-price products by signing up for an account with an .ac.uk or .edu email address.

While 25% discount might not seem as generous as other discounts on this list, when you consider you’re getting a physical product that can be resold in the future, it’s a saving not to be sniffed at.

Splice

Finally, students can even save money at the popular sample subscription service, Splice. With over two million royalty-free samples, presets for popular synths, sample instruments and even access to rent-to-own on a range of leading plugins, Splice is a core service for all-manner of musicians all over the world.

Simply sign up to Splice with a valid .ac.uk or .edu email address, and you’ll receive a discount code to save over 30% on the Sounds+ plan.