Whether you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas gifts for musically-inclined friends or family, or you’re the musician deciding what you’re going to ask for, here are our suggestions for a cross-section of the most awesome gear currently available, including absolutely new cutting edge releases, a few “modern classic” favourites from the last couple of years, as well as some studio must-haves that we’re confident producers of any budget will get genuinely excited about. Happy Holidays!
If you’ve already narrowed it down and are looking for the best music-making studio software and DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), your first stop might be to check out our buyers guides on the Best DAWs and the Best Music Production Plugin Bundles available right now.
(For more info on each item, just click the product thumbnail to check out the product descriptions, specs and Amazon user reviews).
The Beginners Ideal Studio Producer Kit
For those just putting their first toe into music production, it can be difficult to figure out what you actually need and what the best options are. Allow us to suggest what we would get if we were starting out from scratch today.
Many if these items are streamlined versions of higher-end or pro gear, meaning while they are affordable for the budget-conscious, they will still hold up well and continue to be useful as the user develops their skills and demands.
-
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface
$149.99(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:42 UTC) -
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Headphones
$149.00(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:35 UTC) -
Rode NT1-A Cardioid Condenser Microphone Recording Package with Tripod
Too low to display(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:31 UTC) -
Auralex MoPAD Monitor Isolation Pads, Pair
$33.93(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:40 UTC) -
Native Instruments Maschine Mikro Mk3 Drum Controller
$269.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:25 UTC) -
Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A25 Controller Keyboard
$169.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:17 UTC) -
Ableton Live 10 Intro
$99.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:11 UTC) -
Korg Volca Bass – Analog Bass Machine
$149.89(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:38 UTC) -
Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitors (Pair)
Too low to display(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:52 UTC)
For Producers Looking To Level Up Their Existing Kit
If the person your buying gifts for is already established with a basic setup with a few key pieces of gear, it’s highly likely that they already have their eye on at least one of these items: next-level equipment that extends the capabilities of their setup, provides greater depth of features, flexibility, build quality and audio fidelity.
-
Sennheiser HD 650 Studio Headphones
$369.93(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:35 UTC) -
Ableton Push 2
Too low to display(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:45 UTC) -
Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.6
$479.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:45 UTC) -
Ableton Live 10 Standard
$499.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:26 UTC) -
Native Instruments Maschine Mk3 Drum Controller
$649.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:26 UTC) -
Akai Professional APC40 MKII | Ableton Performance Controller with Ableton Live Lite Download
$299.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:17 UTC) -
PreSonus Studio One 4 Professional
$299.96(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:12 UTC) -
Novation Circuit Groove Box w/ Sample Import: 2-Part Synth, 4-Part Drum Machine and Sequencer
$329.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:03 UTC) -
Native Instruments Komplete 12 Software Suite
$599.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:48 UTC) -
Propellerhead / Reason Studios Reason 11
$399.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:49 UTC) -
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X DUO Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
$862.13(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:43 UTC) -
Novation Launchpad X Grid Controller for Ableton Live
$199.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:40 UTC) -
Anker 10 Port Powered USB Hub
$36.59(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:39 UTC) -
Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer Drum Machine
$699.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:34 UTC) -
Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder
$329.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:16 UTC)
Analogue And Advanced Kit
If your producer gift-receiver has been in the game for a while, they will certainly have their sights on expanding their studio sound sources beyond the confines of their computer (what we call “ITB”, or In The Box production), if they haven’t already done so.
When expanding OTB (Out of The Box) and beyond basic software-controlling MIDI controllers, a great place to start is with one of the excellent range of analogue synthesizers and drum machines that are now on the market. While (generally) pricier than software, these devices are real musical instruments that will prove their value for years to come, and take pride of place in any producers studio setup.
Under $300 range:
-
Arturia MicroBrute Analog Synthesizer
$299.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:57 UTC) -
Behringer Model D Analog Synthesizer
$295.70(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:50 UTC) -
Behringer Neutron Semi-Modular Analog Synth
$289.99(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:49 UTC) -
Korg Volca Beats – Analog Rhythm Machine
$149.80(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:37 UTC) -
Korg Monologue – Monophonic Analog Synthesizer
$344.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:38 UTC) -
Arturia MicroFreak Hybrid Analog/Digital Synthesizer
Too low to display(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:36 UTC)
$300 – $500 range:
-
Arturia DrumBrute Analog Drum Machine
$349.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:45 UTC) -
Roland Boutique Series SH-01A Synthesizer
$389.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:02 UTC) -
Korg Minilogue 4-Voice Polyphonic Analog Synth
$499.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:02 UTC) -
Roland SE-02 Boutique Designer Series Analog Synthesizer
$399.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:02 UTC) -
Moog Mother-32 Semi Modular Analog Synthesizer
$649.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:01 UTC) -
Moog DFAM (Drummer from Another Mother) Semi Modular Analog Percussion Synthesizer
$649.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:59 UTC) -
Roland TB-03 Boutique Bass Line
$389.97(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:50 UTC) -
Novation Bass Station II Analog Mono-Synth
$349.99(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:45 UTC) -
Arturia MINIBRUTE 2S | MIDI USB Desktop Analog Synthesizer/Step Sequencer
$449.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:35 UTC) -
Behringer K-2 Semi-Modular Analog Synth
Too low to display(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:10 UTC) -
Behringer MS-1-BK Analog Monosynth
$328.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:09 UTC)
$500+ range:
-
Moog Sub Phatty Analog Synthesizer
Too low to display(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:39 UTC) -
DSI Tempest
$1,999.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:42 UTC) -
Moog Grandmother Semi-Modular Analog Keyboard Synthesizer
$999.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:01 UTC) -
Moog Subsequent 37 Analog Synthesizer
$1,599.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:01 UTC) -
Korg Prologue 61-key 16-voice Analog Synthesizer
$1,499.99(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:56 UTC) -
Dave Smith Instruments Prophet Rev2 8-voice Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer Module
Too low to display(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:54 UTC) -
Behringer Deepmind 12D
Too low to display(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:49 UTC) -
Novation Peak 8-Voice Desktop Polyphonic Synthesizer
$1,399.99(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:39 UTC) -
Korg ARP Odyssey Duophonic Analog Synthesizer
$829.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:33 UTC)
Computer Hardware
iPads are great for making music on the go, and also for controlling synths and FX parameters in your desktop DAW with apps like TouchOSC.
We also had to include our favourite spec version of the latest Mac Mini, which we’ll contend is one of best studio workhorse computers for music production that seems to get overlooked by many people in search of a great desktop. Of course, it is fairly easy to get distracted by things like the brand new 16-inch Macbook Pro: the ultimate creative laptop solution for 2020 and beyond…
-
New Apple iPad (10.2-Inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB) – Space Gray (Latest Model)
$279.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:28 UTC) -
Apple Mac Mini (3.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage) – Space Gray
$1,649.00(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:27 UTC) -
New Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage) – Space Gray
$2,286.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:12 UTC)
Accessories
-
PYLE-PRO PLPTS25 Laptop DJ Computer Stand
$12.36(as of 03/15/2020 at 17:33 UTC) -
Moog EP-3 Expression Pedal
$49.00(as of 03/18/2020 at 17:59 UTC) -
SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16GB (5 pack) USB 2.0 Flash Drive
$23.82(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:39 UTC) -
SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable External SSD – Up to 550MB/s – USB-C, USB 3.1 – SDSSDE60-1T00-G25
$169.68(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:39 UTC) -
Hosa CMM-890 3.5 mm TS to 3.5 mm TS Unbalanced Patch Cables, 3 Feet
$23.45(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:33 UTC) -
Vibes High Fidelity Concert Earplugs
$23.98(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:11 UTC)
Music Books
For stocking fillers and small gifts for musician friends, the 33 1/3 series of books, each about a particular classic album, are always a great choice.
Below we’ve also put together a few of the music-related books that captivated us the most recently, from alternative takes like David Byrne’s How Music Works and Sylvia Massey’s Recording Unhinged to more straight-ahead technical books like Mixing Secrets… and, of course, our own Ultimate Guides!
-
The Ultimate Guide to Mastering
$14.99 -
Sale!
The Complete Bundle: Ultimate Guides to Compression, EQ, Reverb, Bass, Mix Checklist & Mastering
Original price was: $89.94.$54.99Current price is: $54.99. -
Unlocking Creativity: A Producer’s Guide to Making Music & Art
$24.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:24 UTC) -
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
$40.80(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:24 UTC) -
Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques
$29.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:23 UTC) -
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
$11.89(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:22 UTC) -
How Music Works – David Byrne
$16.99(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:22 UTC) -
Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 (33 1/3)
$9.29(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:20 UTC) -
Björk’s Homogenic (33 1/3)
$11.59(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:18 UTC) -
Angelo Badalamenti’s Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (33 1/3)
$11.60(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:18 UTC) -
1000 Record Covers (Bibliotheca Universalis)–multilingual
$23.73(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:16 UTC) -
How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician (Second Edition)
$19.86(as of 03/19/2020 at 17:16 UTC)
If you liked this post, you’ll definitely find these useful too:
What’s The Best DAW Music Production Software, Really? An Essential Buyers Guide
20 Of The Best Music Production Plugin Bundles In The World 2018