Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist (opens in new tab)
  • Guitar Techniques (opens in new tab)
  • Total Guitar (opens in new tab)
  • Bass Player (opens in new tab)
More
  • Lennon on Eleanor Rigby
  • Jimmy Page demos classic Led Zep gear
  • Classic rock riffs for beginners
  • Omnichord @ 70
  • SampleRadar: 163 tape loops samples

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News

Christmas/holiday gift ideas for hi-tech musicians

By MusicRadar
published 18 December 2018

Gifts for musicians, producers and DJs

  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)

It’s that time of year again, and the responsibility is upon us to search high and low for things our loved ones might like, while hoping to receive something that we might find mildly useful in return. It’s a minefield of decisions, assumptions and expectations that can go wrong with a single misstep.

As a hub for music-making professionals, we can make the exchange much easier, though. Whether you’re looking for a kids’ creativity booster, making a decision for the musician in your life, or racking your brains about what you want yourself, we’ve got 18 options across a number of price ranges that can help.

So, wander through this winter-wonderland of consumerist joy to find the perfect festive gift for musicians, producers and DJs.

Page 1 of 18
Page 1 of 18
littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit
$99.99

littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit

littleBits has garnered praise for its modular approach to learning electronics, with a diverse array of components that can be combined to make everything from alarms and lights to games and bionic forearms. But it’s this year’s music-oriented littleBits beginner pack that’s got us especially excited about the platform.

The Electronic Music Inventor Kit comes with an accelerometer, micro sequencer, 9v power supply, speaker, keyboard, oscillator and more - the building blocks necessary to create your own guitars, synths or more. 

And at $99, littleBits is not only a learning experience but an investment – thanks to the intellectual property laws in most countries, the cash from the future corporate buyout of your little angel’s boutique instrument manufacturer will legally be yours!

Read more: littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit (opens in new tab)

Page 2 of 18
Page 2 of 18
Skoog Skwitch
$49.95/£44.95

Skoog Skwitch

For what looks for all the world like a mere rubber ball, the Skwitch actually turns out to be far more technologically advanced, yet nearly as easy to use. With a Skwitch plugged into your iPhone, it can act as an MPE-enabled MIDI controller for music-making apps, with note and controller data conveyed by assorted types of ball palpation.

While it’s primarily sold as a musical control device, the Skwitch is advertised as being extremely accessible, and even as a tool for coding musical instruments on your phone via the Swift Playgrounds app.

Read more: Skoog Skwitch (opens in new tab)

Page 3 of 18
Page 3 of 18
ROLI Beatmaker kit
$299/£249

ROLI Beatmaker kit

ROLI is hoping to shrink your music-making experience with its portable studio setup, which uses flexible ‘five-dimensional’ touch control to generate sounds expressively inside their Noise app for iOS or within your desktop music-making environment.

The Beatmaker Kit comes with Roli’s Lightpad Block and Loop Block hardware, the first for performance and the second for controlling and navigating your projects. There’s plenty of software included, too, including a copy of Ableton Live Lite, a six-month subscription to online music-learning website Melodics, and Player versions of three synths: ROLI's own Equator, and FXpansion’s Cypher 2 and Strobe 2.

Read more: ROLI Beatmaker kit (opens in new tab)

Page 4 of 18
Page 4 of 18
Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators Steel Series
$89/£85

Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators Steel Series

Teenage Engineering’s line-up of diminutive Pocket Operators continues to grow with these new additions, which feature both an in-built mic and Line In port to enable the recording of samples ready for sequencing and processing.

The K.O! Pocket Operator houses 40 seconds of memory, shared between its 16 sample slots, and offers 16 pattern sequences to switch through. With adjustable tempo, swing, and punch-in effects, this is seriously powerful for its size.

Speak, meanwhile, is specifically built for sampling vocal sources and performing vocal processing such as vocoding and digitising. There’s also an implementation of Teenage Engineering and Sonic Charge’s Tonic drum machine tech onboard to give some backing rhythm to your creations.

Read more: Teenage Engineering Steel Series (opens in new tab)

Page 5 of 18
Page 5 of 18
Korg Volca Mix
£126

Korg Volca Mix

Korg’s fun-size Volca range includes synthesis, sampling and sequencing, but what’s the point in building up a collection of miniature studio essentials if you can’t pipe them all together? The Volca Mix unit answers that exact question.

With three channel inputs (two mono and one stereo), the Volca Mix offers channel faders, filtering and an auxilliary Send control for each, as well as a synchronisation signal for controlling timing for one Volca unit.

As well as mixing your assorted Volcas and outputting their sounds on its built-in speaker, the Volca Mix goes one step further, acting as a DC power distributor for three units.

Read more: Korg Volca Mix (opens in new tab)

Page 6 of 18
Page 6 of 18
Audio-Technica M50xBT
$199/£179

Audio-Technica M50xBT

The classic studio headphone design hits the Bluetooth trail, offering 40 hours of battery life for in the studio, at home or anywhere else.

There’s not much to be said about Audio Technica’s closed-back M50 range that hasn’t already been said, spread and verified time and time again by countless users since this model’s first outing in 2007.

The ATH-M50x saw these classic cans updated in 2014, increasing the size of the speaker driver for a higher-quality result. The addition of wireless functionality with the Bluetooth 5.0 protocol, though, should prove a draw to anyone who wants to roam free… or at least as free as your connected sound source will let you.

Read more: Audio-Technica M50xBT (opens in new tab)

Page 7 of 18
Page 7 of 18
Nintendo Labo
£55

Nintendo Labo

As if Nintendo’s Switch wasn’t fun enough already, its Labo kits bring the experience back into the real world, providing the materials and the know-how to build cardboard creations that can turn the console into something completely different. 

The Labo ‘Variety Kit’ has you building a fishing rod, a house, a remote-controlled car, a motorbike and – importantly for us – a piano: a one-octave cardboard musical control device replete with knobs and levers to change the sound.

When built, the piano gives you a resting place to insert the console, which runs software that creates and records the sound itself. The 13 keys play notes, as you’d imagine, with the lever on the side changing the octave; three dials each have their own effect on the sound and can be turned to fine-tune it; you even get actual cardboard waveforms to insert to change the oscillator’s tone.

Read more: Nintendo Labo  (opens in new tab)

Page 8 of 18
Page 8 of 18
Vibes Hi-Fidelity Earplugs
$24/£21

Vibes Hi-Fidelity Earplugs

If you’re a professional musician of any sort, your ears are something you should take very seriously. Not only are musicians likely to be exposed to loud environments, but any significant hearing damage will have an immediate impact on your ability to do your job.

Vibes earplugs offer protection in loud environments, but they claim to go further than the cheap and cheerful generic foam earplugs, isolating the entire frequency range as equally as possible - just watch out for the linear-scale frequency chart in their marketing materials, though.

Vibes comes complete with three sizes of earplug, and both a hard case and a bag for keeping them together.

Read more: Vibes Hi-Fidelity Earplugs (opens in new tab)

Page 9 of 18
Page 9 of 18
Blue Yeti Nano
$99.99

Blue Yeti Nano

A decade ago, few would have considered a microphone that connected solely via USB, but in the age of YouTube and podcasting, mics with in-built A/D converters have found a real use case, and Blue Mics have been at the forefront of ensuring that everyone can lay their claim to high-quality recording without the need for an external audio interface.

Blue’s 21cm-high Yeti Nano is just one in the company’s range of USB mics, offering 24-bit audio quality, a headphone output jack for monitoring, and a choice of four colours. In a pinch, the Yeti Nano could also feasibly stretch to recording vocals and other instruments in a project studio, the only limit being the length of your USB cable extensions.

Read more: Blue Yeti Nano (opens in new tab)

Page 10 of 18
Page 10 of 18
Numark PT01 Scratch Gold Edition
€509

Numark PT01 Scratch Gold Edition

Numark’s PT01 Scratch is a portable mini vinyl turntable designed for playing, with a DJ scratch switch instead of a crossfader. It’s also got a jack input for accompaniment and a built-in speaker for subjecting others to your experimentation.

The bog-standard PT01 unit is $130, but if that seems too reasonable and thrifty, how about the Gold version? This comes from DJ modification and accessories company Portablism, featuring a brushed gold faceplate and control panel, and optional gold/silver bullet adapters for changing to 45-speed records. 

While you’re stopping by the Portablism website, its range of designer components, mods, stickers and apparel is also worth a mention on this gift list.

Read more: Numark PT01 Scratch Gold Edition (opens in new tab)

Page 11 of 18
Page 11 of 18
Joseph Joseph Vinyl worktop saver
£14

Joseph Joseph Vinyl worktop saver

Music isn’t the only pursuit that lets you chop, slice and create tasty new cuts - kitchen tool mogul Joseph Joseph has designed the ultimate crossover for the muso-foodie in the form of these glass chopping boards and worktop savers.

Whether you’re cooking up trout a la creme or simply a good old-fashioned turkey bolognese, you can show your true musical artistry with the aid of four designs: Tomato Vinyl, Banana Vinyl, Gold Record and Record Player. And unlike most of your existing music gear, these boards are dishwasher-safe - what’s not to love?

Read more: Joseph Joseph Vinyl worktop saver (opens in new tab)

Page 12 of 18
Page 12 of 18
Cassette Desk Tidy
£11.99

Cassette Desk Tidy

The Cisixin Cassette Desk Tidy is where your love for nostalgic but objectively bad sound quality meets your desire to keep your desk tidy.

There are large compartments for pens and pencils, and a shallow one for pins, paperclips and the like, but perhaps the most practical feature of this moulded, refined-hydrocarbon-derived product is its sellotape dispenser. 

According to Amazon reviews, the Cisixin Cassette Desk Tidy is “Robust enough for pens, pencils etc”. You’d certainly hope so.

Read more: Cassette Desk Tidy (opens in new tab)

Page 13 of 18
Page 13 of 18
Jack converters
£5.69

Jack converters

Always losing, lending or misplacing your audio jack converters? Do yourself a favour and sort the problem out once and for all. If you’re completely unsure what to ask for from family or friends, stock up on 1/4-inch-to-3.5mm jack converters, audio cable extenders and splitters, and you’ll never be caught short again. That or you’ll become known as 'that person who’s always got a jack converter to borrow.'

Stocking up on the little things in life is a great (if slightly boring) strategy for everyone - guitarists could grab a few years’ worth of plectrums, and writers can make sure they’ve got enough pens to last through a nuclear holocaust. 

Read more: Jack Converters (opens in new tab)

Page 14 of 18
Page 14 of 18
Bluetooth Shower Speaker
£15.99

Bluetooth Shower Speaker

Most musicians would listen to music everywhere, given the chance, but there are some places where it gets harder to do so. That doesn’t mean there are no musical solutions for your ablutions, though – the magic of Bluetooth has you covered even when you’re taking your morning shower.

Not only is TaoTronics’ shower speaker water resistant for playing audio, it also offers play/pause/next/previous control features for your music, plus an in-built microphone for taking calls in the shower, if you don’t think that’s an incredibly weird thing to do.

Read more: Bluetooth Shower Speaker (opens in new tab)

Page 15 of 18
Page 15 of 18
Cats on Synthesizers in Space merch
£7.80-£20

Cats on Synthesizers in Space merch

Combine the three coolest things in existence with this line of merchandise in Kieran Heather’s Etsy shop. Take classic Rolands, Moogs and modular gear, mix with black cats, tabbies and tortoiseshells, blast it all out into the solar system, and stick the results on a t shirt, a tote bag or a badge. Voila: you’ve got one of the most purrfect gifts for any clothes-wearing electronic musician!

With prices ranging from £7.80 to £20, you can even double up and get one for someone else.

Read more: Cats on Synths in Space merch (opens in new tab)

Page 16 of 18
Page 16 of 18
Sequence Album Print
£45+

Sequence Album Print

Turn your favourite albums into art with this Kickstarter project initiated by a design artist and a data visualisation expert. 

Half infographic, half artistic homage to your strongest influence, a Sequence is a piece of art derived from your chosen album, the track lengths of which will be broken down and represented in a rectangular or spiral form, in a colour scheme and size of your choosing. The creators are keen to stress the quality of material and the processes behind creating the works. You’ll have to sort a frame for yourself, but with prints available in standard A1 or A2 sizes, this should be a simple task.

The Kickstarter pledge goal of £3,000 has been reached, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that time is limited, as each work is created to order.

Read more: Sequence Album Print (opens in new tab)

Page 17 of 18
Page 17 of 18
Magazine subscription

Magazine subscription

Very much the gift that keeps on giving, a subscription to one of our sister magazines will ensure that your giftee is kept abreast of everything that’s going on in the world of music technology for an entire year.

You can choose from print, digital or print plus digital options, and there’s shipping to more than 100 countries.

If you think Computer Music, Electronic Musician and Future Music will make a perfect gift, or any other of our music titles for that matter, then head on over to our MyFavouriteMagazines subs page (opens in new tab).

Page 18 of 18
Page 18 of 18
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
MusicRadar
MusicRadar
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts. TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.
More about tech
Chompi sampler

The Chompi sampler has munched through its funding target and raised a whopping $1 million on Kickstarter

james holden

James Holden: "I got really bored of making music. But the moment I discovered modular and Live and Max/MSP, it all opened up again"

Latest
Close-up of hands on a DJ mixer and controller

9 essential DJ accessories for the studio to the booth

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Jackson and Anthrax’s Scott Ian join forces for a signature X Series King V that pays tribute to Dimebag Darrell

By Jonathan Horsley30 March 2023

This is Wikipedia’s new audio logo, which is designed to be ‘The Sound of All Human Knowledge’

By Ben Rogerson30 March 2023

Marshall has been sold to Swedish speaker company Zound, ending over 60 years of family ownership

By Jonathan Horsley30 March 2023

Soundtracking secrets: How to get started writing music to picture

By Andy Price30 March 2023

Spectrasonics’ Keyscape 1.5 includes a Double Felt Grand piano, and existing users get this “#1 most requested sound” for free

By Ben Rogerson30 March 2023

Best hardware vocal compressors 2023: analogue studio hardware to suit all budgets and styles

By Simon Truss30 March 2023

Gear Expo 2023 is coming - tune in on 28 April

By Gear Expo 202130 March 2023

Hear the oldest guitar effects pedal demo ever from 1962

By Rob Laing30 March 2023

A drummer has recorded 75 new versions of the Amen break for you to use in your music

By Ben Rogerson30 March 2023

DW announces Alex Gonzalez ICON snare drum

By Stuart Williams29 March 2023

Take a deep dive into drum recording at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 courtesy of Lauten Audio's in-depth video

By Stuart Williams29 March 2023

  1. Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1966
    1
    John Lennon on completing Eleanor Rigby's lyrics for Paul McCartney: "It's his first verse, and the rest of the verses are basically mine"
  2. 2
    The DrumSynth from the MPC Standalone is now available as a plugin for your DAW
  3. 3
    Waves Audio reverses its decision to adopt subscription-only model: "We are genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused"
  4. 4
    Take a deep dive into drum recording at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 courtesy of Lauten Audio's in-depth video
  5. 5
    How to use the '3 reverb approach' to nail reverb in almost any mixing scenario
  1. Choosing and adding reverbs can seem daunting, but this simple technique should get you up and running in no time at all
    1
    How to use the '3 reverb approach' to nail reverb in almost any mixing scenario
  2. 2
    An audio engineer shows you "how the pros mix vocals" and get that ‘glued-in’ sound
  3. 3
    Thom Yorke on his 'executive producer' role for Clark's new album Sus Dog: "I ended up being a kind of backseat driver"
  4. 4
    Take a deep dive into drum recording at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 courtesy of Lauten Audio's in-depth video
  5. 5
    Sheryl Crow joins John Mayer onstage for a duet on "one of his favourite songs of all time" in Nashville

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).

  • About Us (opens in new tab)
  • Contact Future's experts (opens in new tab)
  • Terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
  • Privacy policy (opens in new tab)
  • Cookies policy (opens in new tab)
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers (opens in new tab)

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.