Output plugins are high quality, but also high priced. The popular Output Exhale, Signal, REV, Analog Brass & Winds, Analog Strings, and Substance, cost $199 each. If you want all Output instruments and effects, the Output Complete Bundle will set you back nearly $1,000.
Output Arcade is a subscription plugin that regularly extends sample libraries.
In 2018, the software creator released Arcade Output, a subscription-based instrument. The subscription costs $10 a month, or $99 if bought for one year. Output Arcade is regularly expanded with more features and new sample packs. We researched several ways to save money - including a 100 day free trial of Output Arcade, and the Output Arcade "give 1 month, get 3 months free" Referral Scheme.
Output Studio Gear (Platform, Sidecar, Stands, Frontier Speakers)
Output Platform was the first foray of Output Inc into studio hardware.
Unfortunately, we have not found any discounts on Output Studio Gear, such as the studio desk Platform, the Sidecar, Speaker Stands or Frontier Speakers. You can try to find the studio gear second hand on market places such as eBay* or Reverb*.
Did you know that Native Instruments Kontakt is the sampler behind most Output plugins? How about saving up to 66% on Native Instrument plugins, including a huge hack on buying Komplete 13 for $200? Read our brand new guide on the cheapest ways to buy Native Instruments and find out how.
Step by Step guide to buy Output at the lowest price
We researched all options to save money on trying and buying Output software we could find, and listed them in order of savings. Just follow the decision tree step by step, from top to bottom, and you should find the best choice for you.
Step 2 Free Trial: Try any Output plugin for free for 14 days, try Output Arcade for free for up to 100 days
How can you try Output plugins for free?
Output don't offer demo versions of their instrument plugins, such as Output Exhale, Substance, or Analog Strings, or FX such as Portal or Movement. However, the company has a 14-day refund policy, which allows you to test the plugins for 14 days.
Can you try Output Arcade for free?
Yes, Output offers a 30 days free trial of this excellent subscription based plugin on their website. In our research, we discovered a 100 day free trial, so I tested it myself and can confirm it works.
Step 3 Student: Students, teachers and military save 30% buying Output - and up to 39% at the cheapest retailer
Are you a student, teacher, or in the military?
Then you can use the Output educational offer to save 30% on Output plugins. We explain the limitations and how to check if you are eligible - not just students, but also teachers, students' parents, and military personnel.
TOP TIP: You can save even more at the cheapest official Output retailer we found. Thomann offers 39% discount* off the full prices charged by Output.
Step 4 Second Hand: Buy Output second hand, then officially transfer the license to save 30 to 60% (only if you are EU/UK based)
Are you comfortable buying a license from someone else?
Then buy a "used" license and follow the Output guidelines for the seller to officially transfer the license to your account. Our research shows you could save between 30% and 60%.
However, the official Output license transfer is only permitted by sellers based in EU countries and the UK.
Then you can buy or upgrade to the Output Complete Bundle to save 65%, compared to buying all Output plugins individually. You can also get discounted prices to the Output Complete Bundle if you already own a few plugins, using your personal Output discount.
What if I don't want to spend that much and only want to buy the Output Inc instruments, not the expansions or effects?
You are in luck. Native Instruments offers a special Output Essential Engines bundle for $599, a saving of 53% compared to individual prices. Output Exhale, Analog Brass & Winds, Analog Strings, Substance, Rev, Signal and Rev X-Loops are included.
Output Inc often has its range of products on sale in their own shop. Music retailers have additional offers throughout the year. We researched sales offered in recent months by both Output and retailers, so you can see where and when future sales might be offered.
1. Get Output Signal Free and free Output sample packs
Output Signal Free: A free Pulse Engine VST instrument
Output offers the Signal VST plugin in a free version.
Output Signal is a sample-based instrument plugin run by what the company calls a pulse engine. The Output Inc plugin was launched in 2015, but still holds strong many years later.
The great news is that you get a light version of Output Signal VST for free. Output Signal Free has the same sound engine with 4 sound sources, LFOs, Step, Arpeggiator, Looper, Basic & Advanced modes.
However, there are of course limitations of the light Signal to the full Signal plugin:
2GB of content (vs. 40GB in full Signal)
25 Pulse Instruments (vs. 500 in full Signal)
There is no time limit if you own Kontakt 5 Full Version, and a 15min time limit if you run Signal in the free Kontakt Player
I think this is a quality free plugin I have used in my productions. It's worth adding to your collection, if you don't own Output Signal yet.
Output Inc does not offer any demo versions of their products. However, Output confirmed to me that "we don't have demo versions of our products, but have a 14-day return policy. If you purchase any of our software engines and are unhappy, we'll refund the order."
This is not as convenient as a free demo version, as you have to outlay the purchase price first. But effectively, this gives you a way to try Output products for 14 days, after you have received the refund.
Output Arcade is a subscription based instrument plugin
Output Arcade is a subscription instrument plugin. For $10 a month, you can download 40 product lines. Each product line consists of samplers and instruments.
Samplers: Custom samples mapped across the white keys of your keyboard, with black keys mapped to modifiers that chop and change the samples in real-time.
Instruments: Sample based playable instruments, from bass, to synths, drum kits, and more.
Output Inc offers a 30 days free trial of this excellent subscription based VST plugin on their website.
In our research, we discovered a 100 day free trial for Arcade Output for Soundcloud users. I tested it myself and can confirm it works, and it does not verify Soundcloud membership.
3. Students save 30% buying Output - and up to 39% at the cheapest retailer
If you are a student, teacher, or in the military, you can buy Output Inc plugins directly from Output for 30% discount.
Or you can save even more by buying from an authorised retailer. The cheapest Output Education prices I found were at Thomann*.
Thomann - save up to 39% on Output VST plugins
USA - save up to 39% when you buy Output plugins at Thomann
As a student, you can buy the Output Movement effect plugin at 30-39% discount.
Output - save 30% directly buying from Output
All main Output VST engines, both instruments and effects, are offered with a 30% student discount.
I don't know why you would want to spend more than buying from the cheapest retailer Thomann. But I can't stop you if you would rather buy from Output directly, go ahead 😁.
4. Buy Output second-hand, transfer the license to you, and save 30 to 60% (only if you are EU/UK based)
With Output Analog Brass & Winds you can blow your own horn.
Does Output allow license transfers?
Yes, Output Support confirmed to us that it facilitates the transfer of licenses from one person to another. This means you can buy a second-hand/"used" license from someone else, and Output facilitates the official transfer of the seller's license to the buyer. In the end, the new owner will have the acquired Output licenses in their account.
Are there any limitations and watch outs?
There is one main limitation. You are only allowed to transfer licenses if both buyer and seller are based in the EU or the UK. That is annoying and limiting, but better than not allowing license transfers at all, like Spitfire Audio or Spectrasonics.
The other limitation we found is that Output can only transfer ALL licenses purchased in one order. They cannot transfer an individual license purchased with others in one order.
What steps do I need to take to transfer Output licenses?
Here are the instructions we received from Output in June 2022:
When the seller finds a buyer, they need to contact Output Support to initiate the license transfer.
Output Support can then confirm on their server the licenses have been uninstalled, and finalise the license transfer to the new buyer
The new owner can then install the Output software bought using the Output Hub.
How do you uninstall Output software?
Here are the instructions we received from Output Support on uninstalling their engines on macOS.
Move yourENGINE (Exhale, Signal, Substance, etc) library folder to the trash on your computer's drive.
Quit Native Access.
Next, open an instance of Finder, and go to the following location: [Your Computer] > Library > Preferences.
In this folder, search for the name of the instrument, such as 'SIGNAL' (the full file name in this case should be 'com.native-instruments.SIGNAL.plist').
Please remove this .plist file for SIGNAL by moving it to the trash.
You will need to enter your computer's password in order to authorize this change.
Where do I find used licenses offered for sale?
First of all, there is an element of risk involved in buying used licenses. So it makes sense to reduce the risk by checking the seller's credentials before you part with your money.
Here are some places where our research uncovered that second-hand Output licenses are being offered.
Forums
You can find offers to sell and transfer Output licenses on forums such as KVR, VI Control, or Sound on Sound. Asking prices by sellers typically offers at around 50% discount.
Examples of offers for I found at the time of writing (December 2021) included:
eBay obviously is a vast market place to buy pretty much anything. This includes used music software. You should find Output software licenses on auction.
Here are some recently completed sale of Output licenses we have discovered:
Output Bundle sold for $491
You need to take some precautions, such as checking out the listing detailed description, the buyer's feedback, confirming with the seller they own the full version (not an update version or not-for-resale version), and that the seller follows the official Output license transfer process.
You could also try out knobcloud, a website that facilitates the buying and selling of plugin and DAW licenses. It is a marketplace where sellers can list their licenses for sale, and buyers can purchase them using PayPal. knobcloud does not charge a fee for the service, but the seller is still accountable for the accurate description and smooth transfer of licenses. That means the vigilance I advised above still applies.
I have not used knobcloud myself but it looks like an interesting concept, saving some effort to trawl through forums. Reviews on KVR generally report a positive experience from both buyers and sellers, but prices seem a bit more expensive than less what sellers ask for on forums.
I found the following offers for Output at the time of writing (June 2022):
Output Analog Strings + Substance: offered for €99.
Output Movement: offered between $20 and $90.
5. Buy the Output Bundle to save up to 69%
It's not surprising that bundles can save you money. Well kind of. The total outlay is high, but if you calculate per plugin prices, you can save a lot from the likes of Output.
The Output Bundle includes 10 Engines and 22 Expansions.
Output Bundle: All 10 Engines and 22 Expansions for up to 69% off
With Output, you can buy the Output Bundle to save 65%, compared to buying all Output VST plugins individually. The Output Bundle includes 10 Engines and 22 Expansions.
Log in to your account, if you already own an Output plugin, and get a personal upgrade price to the full bundle. This is lower than the Full Output Bundle. As an example, I own 3 Output Engines, and the personal offer I have is about $630.
Output REV: a VST plugin great for creating effects and rises.
6. Save up to 67% during an Output sale
Output Instrument & FX Plugin Sale
Output often has its range of products on sale in their own shop. Music retailers have additional offers throughout the year. We researched sales offered in recent months by both Output and other retailers, so you can see where and when future sales might be offered.
We found that Output FX plugins (Movement, Portal, Thermal) are offered at a higher discount of up to 67%, compared to Output Instruments, which are typically discounted by 35%.
Output Arcade for 50% (or $5 a month) for 3 months
On the last day of our Output Arcade free trial, we received an email inviting us to subscribe for 50% off.
Output in 2021 repeated pretty much the same deals as it offered in 2020 and 2019, with around 35% off. Hardware is excluded, as well as Arcade 2.0. This is a decent deal, but not spectacular. The instruments including Output Exhale, Analog Strings, and Substance are all 35% off, with Output Expansions 37% off.
Output Black Friday 2021: Output continued to offer 35% off individual Output instruments and effect plugins, and Expansions 37% off. Arcade 2.0 subscriptions and studio hardware were not included.
Output Black Friday 2020: Output increased its savings to 35% off individual Output instruments and effect plugins
Output Black Friday 2019: Save 25% off individual Output instruments and effect plugins
Predicted Output Black Friday Sale 2022
We predict that Output will continue to the same offer as in 2020 and 2021:
Output Black Friday 2022 Prediction: 35% off individual Output instruments and effect plugins, and Expansions 37% off. We don't expect Arcade 2.0 subscriptions and studio hardware to be discounted during Black Friday.
We estimate the deal will start from 1st November 2022 until Cyber Monday 22nd November 2022.
Output Arcade Sale
Output Arcade is a subscription-based instrument regularly expanded with more features and sample packs. You can try Output Arcade for free for up to 100 days, but we have not found any discounts on the subscription price.
We have not yet seen Output Arcade on sale. We don't expect an Output Arcade Black Friday Sale.
7. Choose the cheapest Output retailer to save 10% on all plugins all year
We compared the biggest music retailer's websites, based on Google Search. Our extensive research showed that you can save 10% on all Output plugins all year at Thomann*, the cheapest Output retailer.
The list of retailers which sell Output plugins included:
Here are the latest live prices from Thomann for Output products.
Buying Output Software: Questions and Answers
What is Output Inc?
Output Inc is a music software and hardware company formed in 2002 in the USA. It is most well known for VST plugin instruments like Output Exhale, Signal, REV and Substance, based on the Native Instruments Kontakt sampler platform.
Does Output offer a student discount or educational discount for students and teachers?
Yes. You can apply for an educational discount if you are a student, teacher, or in the military. The education discount is 30% on all O plugins directly from Output. When you buy at retailer Thomann, you can save even more, up to 39%.
When can I get a deal on Output? Where can I find an Output coupon code?
musicmanta.com is a great place to find the cheapest deal on Output VST plugins. Using the comprehensive guide to help anyone find the cheapest deal to buy Output, you can save up to 69% on buying Output instruments and effects plugins.
This guide includes Output coupon codes and discounts, which change frequently from Output directly, and third party retailers. If you sign up to the musicmanta newsletter, we will let you know of future sales and discount codes.
Does Output have Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales?
In the last years, including the most recent 2021 Black Friday, Output had offered 35% off individual plugins, and 37% off Expansions. We predict that Output will continue to the same offer as in 2020 and 2021:
Output Black Friday 2022 Prediction: 35% off individual Output instruments and effect plugins, and Expansions 37% off. We don't expect Arcade 2.0 subscriptions and studio hardware to be discounted during Black Friday.
We estimate the deal will start from 1st November 2022 until Cyber Monday 22nd November 2022.
Do you have a question not covered here, or found another way to buy FabFilter plugins at a discount? Help us help others by letting us know.
Christof Baer
Trained in classical and jazz piano, Christof has over 30 years of experience in songwriting and music production. In 2021, he founded musicmanta and is now its Editor-in-Chief. Christof has worked in marketing for 25 years in Unilever and Kimberly-Clark. He is now the Head of Performance Marketing UK for Andrex, Kleenex, and Huggies, leading a team of 10 to create award-winning marketing campaigns, writing effective content, reaching millions of people.
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