COLUMN: I’m back with our “final” batch of super end of the year deals for musicians, most of which expire very soon, or by end of the month (Dec. 31). Some are “while supply lasts,” so jump on them while you can. Today I have some great buys on virtual drum kits, a free download from SoundsOnDemand, and the latest “no brainer” deals from AudioMIDI.

VIRTUAL DRUM DEALS: First, the really great deal is on the “group buy” from the folks at eSoundz, who have put together a killer deal on ULTIMATE STUDIO DRUMS, which is a package normally $499, now $99, with extras if more people buy the package this month. What do you get? A lot, really. This bundle comprises a Kontakt Player-based expandable plug-in, 27 drum kits and convolution rooms from amazing studios around the world, including the highly regarded Ocean Way Drums kits, and Drum Masters 2. To learn more go here: http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=4118&refcode=USDNL2 .

For the ridiculous price of $99, you will get 12 different Ocean Way Drums DL, 15 Drum Masters 2 Signature Drum Kits (including Led Zep kits), and ambient responses from some of the best studios in the world; plus bonus MIDI grooves. If you can’t afford the big Ocean Way package, or perhaps want something less expensive than other packages like Superior 2, or BFD, then Ultimate Studio Drums Group Buy is a killer deal (expires 12.31.09 – see link in above paragraph for the scoop).

MORE FROM CRYSONIC: If you’re into trying new sound enhancement plug-ins, like spectral audio vitality enhancement processors, stereo wideners, analog harmonic saturation, physics based audio limiter, bass enhancer, vintage compressor, or look-ahead mastering limiter, checkout the products from Crysonic, which are 50% off, and 60% off in bundles, through Dec. 18th. www.crysonic.com – the best deal is the “Everything Bundle” for $249, which is an amazing price for some remarkable audio enhancement tools.

FREE CLASSIC COMPOSER SOUND LIBRARY: SoundsOnDemand are rolling out a new download shop (parent company is Best Service), and in exchange for customers helping them tweak and finalize the shop, they are offering customers a FREE (!) 408MB sound library in either Kontakt or .wav formats. The free library is “Advanced Media Tracks 2: Classic Composer,” a collection of classic sequences, phrases and arrangements, optimized for remixes and film soundtracks.

To get the free download (expires Jan. 5, 2010), go to this link, add to cart, then enter the discount code to bring cost to zero, check out, and then you will get the download link: (note the different promo code for either the wav or Kontakt version) — http://www.soundsondemand.com/news.asp/en . As you might expect you’re opting-in to their e-newsletter by creating an account.

SoundsOnDemand offers now a variety of more than 800 professional soundware titles for instant download. Available are virtual instruments and sound libraries by more than 50 suppliers, covering all genres.

AUDIOMIDI: if you haven’t done so yet, be sure to check out the smokin’ no brainer deal at AudioMIDI (http://www.audiomidi.com/searchresults.aspx?SearchQuery=nobrainer1209) for the virtual synth, The XILS 3LE, a virtual instrument based on the of the architecture of a classic matrix based modular synthesizer. VST, Audio Unit, RTAS, $20.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS FROM EVERYONE AT MuseWire AND NEOTROPE.