Prime Day might be over but these 38 super savings are still around - including a ridiculously cheap MacBook Air perfect for production

The MacBook Air M1 is a truly amazing bit of kit. The first of the next-gen Apple Silicon chips it’s a brilliant laptop for music making on a budget, and I’m honestly surprised you can still pick them up new. For just shy of $600, the M1 chip will more than hold up to the demands of the home producer, letting you run a DAW, soft synths, and plenty of effects without any noticeable stutter or lag. Having owned one before I upgraded to a MacBook Pro, I can assure you that for the majority of music makers, an M1 will do just fine.

If you’re in the market for a new Fender or Squier guitar this summer, then this is the guitar I think you should go for. With a massive $240 discount, it’s superb value for money, largely thanks to the addition of a series circuit that unlocks humbucker-esque tone. With rounded fingerboard edges and a set of locking tuners, you’ve got yourself a proper gigging workhorse for less than a grand.

Over at Sweetwater, you'll find my top deal on guitar gear, with the Electro-Harmonix x JHS Lizard Queen octave fuzz getting a massive $59.40 reduction, taking it to below half price. At just shy of $40, it's a no-brainer if you're looking for a new pedal, delivering an excellent fuzz tone with an adjustable octave for additional flexibility. It looks super cool too!

If you want to outfit your pedalboard for less, then this is a great deal that beats anything I’ve seen at Amazon during the whole of Prime Day. With a gigantic discount of $104.99 on the large cable kit, you’re getting 15 patch cables of great quality and varying lengths for just $3 each. It’s the perfect way to neaten up that pedalboard ahead of any summer and autumn shows, or just make life easier for you practicing at home.

External hard drives are a critical part of my workflow, because they allow me to bring my project files from studio to studio. I often take things I’ve worked on in an analogue studio home, and vice versa, so a portable SSD is a must-have for me. I’ve been using the 1TB version of this Crucial X9 for a few years now, and it's always been reliable for me. It’s nice and lightweight, so easy enough to pop into my backpack and take it wherever I need to, and delivers super-fast read and write speeds that make transferring large project folders a breeze.

Roland's FP range is one of my favourites when it comes to affordable beginner-friendly instruments, so naturally, I got very excited when I saw one with a healthy discount, even though Prime Day is over. Right now, you can still save $150 off this superb keyboard with its excellent grand piano-style action and sleek design.

Still one of the best guitar plugins in the game, IK Multimedia's Amplitube 5 Max is jam-packed full of ultra-realistic amp models, and with over 430 amp and effects models in this version, it's one of the most complete offerings available. It's got a gigantic $200 reduction at the official IK store at the moment, which makes it incredibly good value for money.

The MacBook Air M1 is a truly amazing bit of kit. The first of the next-gen Apple Silicon chips it’s a brilliant laptop for music making on a budget, and I’m honestly surprised you can still pick them up new. For just shy of $550, the M1 chip will more than hold up to the demands of the home producer, letting you run a DAW, soft synths, and plenty of effects without any noticeable stutter or lag. Having owned one before I upgraded to a MacBook Pro, I can assure you that for the majority of music makers, an M1 will do just fine.

If you prefer a Windows machine but don’t want to spend loads then this is a great deal. While it’s not quite as good as the M1 chip, the Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU alongside 32GB RAM will handle intermediate-level music production tasks, giving you plenty of power to run a good number of tracks and software instruments. Dell laptops are known for being particularly robust, and the 2.5K screen will ensure it looks great while doing so.

For those who love MacOS and want optimal power for more complex projects and scoring, you’ll want to look at the MacBook Pro M4. Apple’s latest chip is packing some serious heft, and it’ll put up with the most rigorous strain from projects with hundreds of tracks in its stride. I have the MacBook Pro M3, and so far, I’ve yet to find anything beyond its capabilities, despite running some huge sessions recorded on a 48-channel desk.

It ain’t cheap, but for those who want one of the best laptops with the most power possible, the Asus ProArt P16 is an absolute beast. I recently reviewed one, and it survived up to the 400-track mark using the D-Verb test in Pro Tools, so I can’t imagine many musicians running into the limit of this machine any time soon. It’s got a gorgeous screen, and I really loved the aesthetic, which is minimal and very classy looking for a Windows laptop. It’s got an AI chip and an additional GPU, so it’ll multitask for any kind of content creation, video editing, and even gaming.

Read more: Asus ProArt P16 review

The Squier Paranormal Esquire Deluxe is a single humbucker guitar with some tricks up its sleeve. The three-way rotary switch gives you the humbucker, a coil split option, and an option to remove the volume and tone control from the circuit, making it much more versatile than you'd expect from its stunning looks alone.

It may look like a Strat, but this Squier Limited Edition Paranormal Strat-O-Sonic only really shares its looks with that most iconic of guitars. Instead of the single coil trio it has two alnico soapbar pickups for plenty of gritty tone. The wraparound bridge is another unusual bit of hardware to see on a Squier guitar, and series/parallel and phase switching give you loads of tone options.

If you're looking for something a little different, this Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster takes the best bits of the Tele and Fender's offset guitars and combines them into something totally unique. With the classic Tele single coil in the bridge and P90 style single coil in the neck pickup, you can get some incredible tones out of it, and with a $70.95 reduction at the official Fender shop, it's great value for money too.

At a reduced $1,099, you get a premium Epiphone that, thanks to the open book headstock, is as close as you'll be able to get to a genuine Gibson SG for a small portion of the price. Not only that, it’s styled after one of the most desirable SGs of them all, with a Maestro Vibrola and half-sized 61-style pickguard to boot.

If you’re in the market for a new Fender or Squier guitar this summer, then this is the guitar I think you should go for. With a massive $240 discount, it’s superb value for money, largely thanks to the addition of a series circuit that unlocks humbucker-esque tone. With rounded fingerboard edges and a set of locking tuners, you’ve got yourself a proper gigging workhorse for less than a grand.

Looking for a stunning guitar that sounds just as good as it looks? Check out the ESP LTD KH-WZ, inspired by Kirk Hammett’s iconic White Zombie guitar! It features killer artwork from the classic horror film and comes equipped with signature EMG Bone Breaker pickups. The lightning-fast 24-fret neck, stunning graphics, and Floyd Rose 1000 tremolo make it a must-have for any metal fan. Plus, it comes with a custom graphic case that's just as cool!

As well as being one of the biggest savings I've seen on an electric guitar this year, this Ernie Ball John Petrucci Majesty 8 is just straight up crazy. Capable of being tuned to a full octave below E standard, it's packing two DiMarzio humbuckers with magnetic and piezo options, coil tap, and a built-in 20dB boost circuit, making it surprisingly versatile when it comes to tone. Add 24 stainless steel fanned frets on an ebony fretboard and you've got one seriously good playing guitar.

Over at Sweetwater, you'll find my top deal on guitar gear, with the Electro-Harmonix x JHS Lizard Queen octave fuzz getting a massive $59.40 reduction, taking it to below half price. At just shy of $40, it's a no-brainer if you're looking for a new pedal, delivering an excellent fuzz tone with an adjustable octave for additional flexibility. It looks super cool too!

I've seen some cracking deals on EHX pedals over the course of Prime Day, and this one is still around thankfully. With a massive $121.95 off, you're paying relatively little for a top-quality overdrive pedal. It acts as a 2-channel pedal which gives you the possibility of both classic and modern overdrive tones, and a cab-sim output makes it more flexible than your average overdrive pedal.

Looper pedals are a great way to both enhance your practice regimen and your live shows. The Ditto+ takes everything great about the original Ditto and adds the ability to save your loops to the pedal. This means you can build a locker of sounds that you can bring into your playing, or just use it to save those moments of inspiration at the tap of a foot.

The EHX Soul POG is criminally underrated in my opinion. I've had one on my 'board for years now, sitting near the front of my chain to give me a tone boost through the Soul Food and, of course, that delicious octave guitar tone courtesy of the POG. It's super flexible as you can swap the order of the pedals, or use the send and return jacks to insert effects in between the two. With a ginormous $194.90 discount, it's cheaper than just buying a Nano POG by itself, so you're essentially getting the Soul Food for free. Bargain!

Buying used is a great way to save big money on your favorite gear, and this deal on the Death By Audio Fuzz War is my favorite used deal of the week. This mint condition pedal has got a $40 discount at the ProAudioStar Reverb store, giving you one of the gnarliest fuzz pedals going for a whole lot less.

One thing I’m a big fan of is creating an atmosphere in the studio. It really helps get your clients in the mood to create, and can make it a pleasing environment for you to spend hours in, aligning vocal tracks and phase-aligning your drums. A bit of lighting can make a huge difference to the feel of the studio, meaning you don’t have to rely on harsh household lighting when working into the night, and in the case of the LED Strip Lights, allowing you to change up the mood at will via the included remote or a phone app.

Another purchase I made years ago that I haven’t had to do again was some good-quality Velcro. This stuff is ridiculously strong, so much so that sometimes I genuinely struggle to get my pedals off my pedalboard when I’m reordering them. While I might have to put some elbow grease in every now and then to get them off, it does give me a lot of satisfaction that the pedals on my ‘board aren’t going anywhere, no matter where I take them. There’s plenty of length here to stick to a large assortment of pedals, and it's easy enough to cut it to size.

Tidy desk, tidy mind is a mantra for good reason, and at the start of the year I decided to sort my messy studio desk out once and for all. This cable management kit was key in making sure I had a nice clean desk to work with, allowing me to run various cables from my audio interface, studio monitors, MIDI keyboard, computer keyboard, and my second screen. With 192 different pieces, you’ll find something for any type of cable, and time spent doing this means more space for gear, and less time digging through clutter on your desk.

While purchasing fresh sets of strings might not be the most exciting thing, it's something all us guitarists need to do on a regular basis, so stocking up isn't a bad idea.

It might seem like an outlier for music production, but adding a notebook and a pen to my workflow has massively improved my mixing. The idea is that at various stages through my mixing, I’ll take my eyes away from the screen and play the track from start to finish, noting what I don’t like as I go. This keeps me focused on what I need to improve the mix, stops me mixing with my eyes, and really makes me think about the changes I’m making and why. It’s also useful for noting during the tracking phase if I’m trying new mic techniques and placements.

With the easy availability of smartphones with top-quality cameras and the addition of a cheap phone tripod like this one from Sensyne, I never want to see a badly angled guitar video again. If you like to post your playing on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or anywhere else, this phone tripod is a great way to get a more professional look to your guitar videos. It’s adjustable to 62 inches in height, so you can play standing up if you prefer, and it also doubles as a selfie stick, so you can take it on holiday with you too!

A decibel meter is useful for a few different reasons. Yes, you can get one on your phone but this is far more accurate. It means you can keep a reasonable and consistent listening level in your studio, which is crucial for a good mix. It’s also really handy in the tracking phase, as you can monitor the levels of loud instruments like drums and guitar cabinets, ensuring you’re not overloading any of the microphones in your collection.

For those looking to dip their toes into the IEM world, the KZ ZS10 Pro is a tried and tested option and with 20% off for Prime Day sales, there is not much at stake here. The Pros are an upgrade over the standard KZ ZS10s and with it, Linsoul has introduced four custom BA drivers, a stronger 2nd Gen 10mm double-magnetic dynamic driver and an improved 6N OFC cable. You cannot expect ultra-pristine sound at this price, but the clarity across frequencies is respectable and certainly enough to get you up and running. Plus, the sale runs across all KZ ZS10 Pro finish options to suit your tastes. And with an average user rating of 4.5 stars (from over 18,000 reviews), there’s already a serious chunk of satisfied customers.

If you want to outfit your pedalboard for less, then this is a great deal that beats anything I’ve seen at Amazon over the course of Prime Day. With a gigantic discount of $104.99 on the large cable kit, you’re getting 15 patch cables of great quality and varying lengths for just $3 each. It’s the perfect way to neaten up that pedalboard ahead of any summer and autumn shows, or just make life easier for you practicing at home.

If you use a MacBook like me, you’ll find a USB hub to be an incredibly useful thing to have on your studio desk. Even with a MacBook Pro, I’m limited to three USB ports, so when you start adding MIDI controllers, interfaces, and external hard drives into the mix, you can run out quickly. Laptop screens are pretty small too, so the ability to add an external monitor to your setup can really speed up the workflow and make it a lot easier to edit your waveform and really dial in your automation lanes.

External hard drives are a critical part of my workflow, because they allow me to bring my project files from studio to studio. I often take things I’ve worked on in an analogue studio home, and vice versa, so a portable SSD is a must-have for me. I’ve been using the 1TB version of this Crucial X9 for a few years now, and it's always been reliable for me. It’s nice and lightweight, so easy enough to pop into my backpack and take it wherever I need to, and delivers super-fast read and write speeds that make transferring large project folders a breeze.

The Linsoul 7HZ Timeless are lightweight, sophisticated, and demure and they don’t sound too shabby either. With $22 off in the Prime Day sales, now’s the perfect time to pick them up. Of course, not sounding too bad is underselling them. The 14.2mm planar driver delivers clear, balanced audio, and their lightweight build means you will barely notice you are wearing them. A selection of tip sizes is included for a better fit, and the aluminium packaging adds a nice premium touch.

The Linsoul x Punch Audio collaboration is ideal for those who need a bass upgrade with their IEMs. ‘Martillo’ – Spanish for ‘hammer’ – is all you need to know about the performance. The two 8mm DD drivers handle the bass in a powerful, yet musical way; however, by no means does it overpower the other important frequencies. The look and build quality are razor-sharp and for 10% off during the Prime Day sales, this will be a considerable and cost-effective upgrade to your current IEM rig.

At the core of this Roland stage piano is a stellar sound engine that delivers magnificent tones to suit any situation - and right now, you can save a whopping $100 at Sweetwater.

Roland's FP range is one of our favourites when it comes to affordable beginner-friendly instruments, so naturally, we get very excited when we see one with a healthy discount. Right now, you can save £150

Equipped with seven mighty sound engines, impeccable RH3 fully weighted hammer action, and advanced controller functionality, the Korg Grandstage is one of the most powerful stage pianos on the market - and right now you can save a whopping $500 off at Sweetwater!

With Casio's multi-dimensional AiR processing, 88 scaled hammer action keys, 26 additional tones and a very accessible playing action, this is a superb option for beginners and intermediates, and with $200 off, you really can't go wrong.

Another Andrew Scheps signature model, the Scheps Parallel Particles plugin is a brilliant option for enhancing the vibe of a particular instrument that isn't quite cutting it in the mix. Based on Scheps' parallel processing tools, it's a fantastic quick fix for any instrument you like, be it a synth bassline, a shaker, or a lead part that needs an extra push to the front. We found it incredibly easy to use thanks to the simple interface, and it's one of our top choice saturation plugins.

I first came across the Distressor when I was recording with a band in an analogue studio, and ever since then, I’ve loved using the software version of it on my drum busses. Part compressor and part saturation, it can mimic other famous compressors like the 1176 and LA-2A, as well as inducing harmonics into the signal for tape-style colour and various distortion effects. Although I mainly use it on drums, I have also used it on vocals, and other engineers I know like it on bass guitar. It’s a versatile tool to have in your armoury, and at this price completely worth the money.

Still one of the best guitar plugins in the game, IK Multimedia's Amplitube 5 Max is jam-packed full of ultra-realistic amp models, and with over 430 amp and effects models in this version, it's one of the most complete offerings available. It's got a gigantic $200 reduction at the official IK store at the moment, which makes it incredibly value for money.

When I’m recording guitars in the box, I love adding UA’s Sound City Studios to help bring them to life. Modelled after the real-life studio, it’s a subtle effect but one that can dramatically change the tone of tracks recorded in the home studio. It’s great for reamping less-than-stellarly recorded guitar tracks, and as well as modelling the legendary live room of the studio, it also replicates the desk and preamps, too. It probably won’t blow you away initially, but once you get it right, it’ll become an indispensable part of your setup.

I had to hold off upgrading from Superior 2 to 3 because even for software it’s so damn pricey. Over the past few years, it also seldom ever got a discount, no doubt due to its massive popularity. Over the last 12 months or so, I’ve seen it discounted quite a few times, so I finally picked it up at the start of the year, and safe to say I’ve been absolutely blown away by it.

I use it for creating drum tracks for my solo work, whereby I use programmed drums to save on studio time, but I’ve also used it for sample replacing live drum tracks, and stacking drums for that modern drum tone. The fact that you can import multi-track audio and the software replaces the hits automatically is unbelievably powerful, so despite it still being quite expensive even when on sale, I highly recommend it if you want to improve the quality of your drums or work entirely in the box.