Buying gifts for music producers is an incredibly tricky one. Music producers cover the breadth of the music world, and a producer who makes rock and roll is very different from one who makes trap beats. Lucky for you, I’ve been producing music across all genres over the last twenty years, making music in traditional recording studios as well as beatmaking entirely from home with my laptop.
The thing with producers and music-makers in general is that we have very specific tastes, and if you don’t know the genre of music we make well, it’s all too easy to get the wrong gift. A lot of producers I know also already have a lot of gear, which means there’s a high potential for doubling up on something they already have when you're gifting. In my experience, the best gifts are those that augment the music-making experience, those that may seem boring on the surface, but actually turn out to be incredibly useful.
Things like cable management kits, LED lighting, and desk storage solutions are typically much more useful to producers than getting them a budget audio interface or a MIDI keyboard, both of which they probably already have. The best gift of all, though? A gift card. Gift cards allow them to buy the things they really need, and save that embarrassing and guilt-inducing moment when you have to thank a relative for something you’re never going to use.
Of course, we all appreciate a gift card isn’t the most fun to unwrap around the tree. So, if you really want to get them something they can unwrap this Christmas, then I’ve outlined some essential items for you below that are sure to please all music producers, whether they’re just getting started or they’ve been beatmaking for years. If you want to find the very best deals on gear, check out our Black Friday music deals page for some hefty discounts.
Where to shop for producer gifts
Amazon: All instrument savings
B&H Photo: Pro audio deal zone
Guitar Center: 30% off Pre-Black Friday Sale
IK Multimedia: 33 plugins for the price of 1
Musician's Friend: Up to 50% Holiday Kick-Off sale
Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
Plugin Boutique: Save on SSL, IK, Tracktion
Reverb: New & used gear up to 70% off
Sweetwater: Major early Black Friday sale
Universal Audio: Get UAD Showtime '64 FREE
Waves: Buy 2 plugins, get 2 free
Gear4Music: Today's top 60 deals
IK Multimedia: 33 plugins for the price of 1
Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
Plugin Boutique: Save on SSL, IK, Tracktion
Reverb: Huge 70% off used
Thomann: Shop Hot Deals on everything!
Universal Audio: Get UAD Showtime '64 FREE
Waves: Buy 2 plugins, get 2 free
Under $20/£20
Sweetwater (US)
Thomann (UK/EU)
Guitar Center (US)
Musician's Friend (US)
Price: Any
Gift cards are absolutely the best gift you can get any musician this Christmas. They allow your giftee to pick the thing they really need, and prevent you from wasting your money on something unwanted.
Most major retailers now offer software, which will cover those who make music exclusively with a computer. On the other hand, if you have a more traditional producer on your hands, they can pick up equipment like microphones, interfaces, speakers, headphones, and more with a gift card from any of the following retailers.
Price: $13.89/£17.99
Creating a vibe in the studio can really help with the experience of music production, and it can make the studio a much more inspiring place to work. These Ksipze LED Strip Lights are perfect for customizing the music-making space, providing a hefty 100ft length for relatively little money.
They come with a remote control and a smartphone app, which means they’ll be able to wirelessly change the vibe of their studio at an instant, or use some nice color change options like synchronizing lighting changes with the music playing out of their studio monitors.
Price: $19.99/£30
Yes, it’s the most boring of gifts on the face of it, but actually, sorting cable management in a studio can be an incredibly powerful way to speed up your workflow. Producers tend to have a lot of gear, and with a lot of gear comes a lot of cables, so going by the ‘tidy desk, tidy mind’ mantra could be just the thing to enhance their music making.
This N Norocme Cord Management Organizer Kit features a full 182 pieces of cable management kit that will allow them to neatly run cables under and across their desk space. It’s cheaply priced and makes a great low cost gift that they’ll actually end up using this Christmas.
Under $50/£50
Price $49.99/£49.99
One critical mistake a lot of home studios make is leaving their studio monitors on their desk. To get the best sound out of a set of speakers, you need to decouple them from the desk to prevent any sympathetic vibrations from clouding the sound of your mix, which is exactly what these Perlesmith Studio Monitor Stands do.
They also enable you to create the perfect equilateral triangle between your two speakers and your listening position, which ensures you’re hearing the full sound of a production. They’re adjustable in height, and handily you can adjust the width of the monitor stand portion, which means they’ll fit pretty much any set of speakers.
Price: $49.99/£49.99
Trackball mice are used a lot in music production because typically there’s very little space to move a mouse around in a recording studio. A trackball also allows for more precise movements, which can be crucial when editing waveforms and writing automation. The Logitech Ergo M575S combines both traditional mouse and trackball, making it a great option for music producers.
Editing tracks can be a laborious process, so having an ergonomically shaped mouse can really help with fatigue reduction and keep you producing for longer. It’s wireless so reduces cables on the desk, and it features additional buttons which can be mapped to whatever function you want.
Price: $40.99/£25.25
Another gift that falls into the category of being super useful despite being boring, this Pyle Dual Laptop Stand offers a lot of flexibility for music makers who work at a desk. A stand gets a laptop off the surface of the desk and up at eye level, which reduces neck strain and helps improve posture.
It can support a laptop and a device like a MIDI keyboard, making it great for working standing up or for producers who need to take their setup to live shows. It’s also good for enhancing the space they have to work with at a desk, allowing them to place peripherals underneath and get more out of smaller setups.
Under $100/£100
Price: $99/£94
If you’ve got a budding music producer taking their first steps, this Akai Professional MPK Mini IV is a brilliant gift option, just make sure you check they don’t already have one. The MPK Mini integrates with their recording setup seamlessly, allowing them to play in melodies and beats.
It’s got loads of functionality including rotary knobs that can control any parameter, and controls for their DAW that let them start/stop playback or start recording. It also comes with the Studio Instrument Collection, which gives 1,000 presets that are perfect for anyone starting their production journey.
Price: $99/£66
This is budget audio interface is another great gift for new music-makers, but once again be certain they don’t already have one before you buy. The M-Audio M-Track Duo HD is a great starting point for anyone who wants to make music, taking the heavy load of production off their computer.
It’s a 2-input interface compatible with both PC and Mac, so it’ll work well for any music production task, whether they’re recording instruments or just working with software. It’s ruggedly built too, so it’s great for taking on the road to mobile recording sessions.
Price $89.99/£99.99
This low-cost field recorder is a little left-field, but can add a unique touch to any producers music-making. The Xvive XV-1R records in really high quality via two XY microphones, which capture stereo recordings in extremely high quality.
Even for the producer who works entirely with software, the XV-1R can be an amazing tool for creating their own samples, whereas more traditional producers can use them for a variety of cases, whether that’s another microphone in their arsenal or just for capturing ideas on the fly.
How to choose
Music producers are extremely difficult to choose gifts for, and as someone who’s received more than their fair share of duds over the years, this is my handy guide to ensure you get them the best possible gift this festive seasons.
1. What kind of producer are they?
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The first thing you need to identify is what sort of producer they are. Music-makers typically fall into two categories, the modern producer, and the traditional engineer. The modern producer usually works with a laptop and software, creating electronic music like dance or hip hop.
Traditional producers, more likely to be called engineers, work with physical instruments like guitars, drums, pianos, and other instruments that make sound. They often work in rock, metal, funk, jazz, and other genres that use more traditional instruments.
Buying a gift for these two producers will be very different, but one thing they have in common is that they will both work on a desk at some point, so you can't go wrong with something that makes their life easier.
2. Strongly consider gift cards
I’d always recommend a gift card for a music producer, just because it’s really tough to buy for them if you don’t know anything about music-making. Chances are the thing they really want is quite expensive, and specialist to the particular genre they work in. A gift card lets them make the decision, ensuring they can get something they really need or want instead of something they already have, or have no use for.
3. Ask them
It's obvious, but asking them what they want is a surefire way to ensure your gift lands. They might surprise you with wanting something seemingly unrelated to musical instruments, but instead would end up being really useful for their production workflow while working at their desk. Or they might say they're saving up for something pricey, so you can contribute that way.
4. Do your research
If you live with your giftee, taking a sneak peek at their setup or showing some interest when they’re working on something can often give you clues as to what they might need. You could also try asking friends, a partner, or other family to get more clues on what you could potentially buy.
We have loads of buyers guides and reviews that can help you make a good buying decision on a fresh piece of gear. So make sure to check those out as part of your research before you pull the trigger on something.
5. Wait for deals
Although it doesn’t hurt to identify a potential gift early, waiting for sales is a great way to enhance your budget. It means you could get them something extra to sweeten the deal, or just help your overall budget at what is a very expensive time of the year.
Gifts to avoid
As a musician I’ve received so many unwanted gifts over the years from well-meaning relatives. I appreciate the thought, of course, but ultimately it’s a waste of money for the gifter, and it can leave the giftee feeling guilty for being unappreciative of something. To help you avoid these pitfalls, here’s a list of what you should avoid gifting for Christmas this year:
- Producer t-shirts: Take it from me, these will never be worn outside of Christmas Day or when there’s nothing clean in their wardrobes.
- Novelty mugs: There’s loads of these online, and while a mug can actually be useful, most producers will probably be wondering why you didn’t get them something they could actually use in their productions, like a gift card for software.
- Wall art: Getting a sign that’s the right vibe for their studio will be incredibly difficult to judge, so avoid getting them something that will have them cringing inside.
- Headphones: You might think you’re being well meaning getting them a set of studio headphones, but music-specific cans are very expensive, and it’s very much a matter of personal taste. Get them a gift card they can spend at their favorite music retailer instead.
- Generic ‘producer’ gifts: Avoid things like custom DJ bobbleheads, keychains, coasters, and other bric-a-brac that will never get used.
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