If you’re aware of this blog, it’s likely that you already have gear, and it’s also likely that you are addicted to buying more. We obviously are perfectly fine with that, and would like to introduce more people to the habit, which unlike most habits, is beneficial to society because it allows people to create. So as we enter this holiday season, we’re going to do a few holiday gift guides at different price points.
This first blog is for the entry level, or more of the fun widget level, under $300. It’s for someone just starting out, or for someone who is looking for a stocking stuffer to augment what they already have. I realize that a couple hundred bucks might be pushing the whole idea of a stocking stuffer, but if you’ve been a good person, treat yourself, or someone else.
Also, just as a reminder, our Stands are under $300, and Santa loves speaker stands.
Now onto the rest.
1. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio Bundle ($189)
https://us.focusrite.com/products/scarlett-2i2-studio-3rd-gen
If you’re rocking an Apollo or an Apogee Symphony, this is obviously not for you. However, if you know someone who is just getting into music production and needs a start, this is a great bundle to start with for in the box production. The best teacher is to just do, and this is an undeniable upgrade over internal computer audio. It has everything you need to start tracking vocals or a single instrument, and because it comes from a legit company, you know you’ll have good future driver support, and a reasonable resale value when it’s time to upgrade, or (heaven forbid) if little Jimmy or Sally gives up.
2. Artiphon Orba 3 ($159)
https://artiphon.com/products/orba-3
We’re big fans of Artiphon and it’s not just because we know some of the folks who worked on this. The Orba is an incredibly fun instrument that is a lot more than just a toy. For novices, it’s a great entry into just making music, and for pros, it’s a powerful idea tool. We would be elated if Santa dropped one of these into our stocking.
3. Meinl Sound Hole Kalimba ($70)
https://meinlsonicenergy.com/en/products/kl1707h-m15471.html
These little acoustic Kalimbas are a ton of fun that don’t break the bank. They’re musical, and they sound good. They’re kind of fun to just fidget with, but good enough to be a serious instrument. They may sound kind of small, but mic one and sample it, and you can get some massive sounds out of it.
4. Otomatone Regular ($40)
https://otamatone.com/shop/otamatone-melody-kirby/
We went back and forth about whether or not we should include this one, because well, it’s not exactly new, and it’s a toy. However, it’s also a very fun toy, as well as our kind of ridiculous. Any time you have a saxophone looking thing with a face on it that you squeeze to adjust tone, and you’ll have our interest. Also, as crazy as this sounds, because the note generating strip is continuous, it does actually help with pitch recognition–at least that’s how we justify it…
5. Maschine Mikro ($199)
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/maschine/production-systems/maschine-mikro/
The Maschine Mikro is a beatmaking tool for both the novice and the pro, and the package comes with everything you need, both hardware and software to get going. It’s intuitive enough that if you’ve ever used a drum machine or other Native gear, you won’t have much of a learning curve, and if you’re just starting out, there’s a gigantic community of folks giving away tutorials all over social media.
6. Steven Slate VSX Essential Modeling Headphones ($299)
https://stevenslateaudio.com/vsx
We’re up against our budget with these headphones, but they are great if you have a terrible mixing environment you can’t fix, or if you have a great mixing environment, a great way to check your mix on a host of virtual playback devices in different environments. We were pretty skeptical about these until we tried them, and they’re an alarmingly good source of reference. While we would not want to do our main mix on these, or frankly speaking, any headphones, we do use them for mixing when not at home.
7. Korg Volca Keys ($149)
https://www.korg.com/us/products/dj/volca_keys/
We’re fans of Korg’s entire Volca line, but we’ll call out the Volca Keys specifically because it’s a great way to get into real analog synthesis. It’s got 3 note polyphony, so you can actually play chords with it, and it sounds really good. It’s a good place to start to learn both about hardware sequencing and analog synthesis, but it’s powerful enough to not feel like a waste if you already know how to do that stuff. This is a gift that would be useful to someone just starting out in their production journey all the way to the seasoned pro.
8. Output Arcade ($13/month)
https://output.com/products/arcade
Full disclosure, as you’re likely aware, we used to be part of Output, but we’re also musicians, and we’re under no obligation to put this on the list. We just use it a lot. Arcade is simply one of the most powerful all in one tools you can get for not only loop production, but instruments and sampling. It’s a beast that runs both standalone and in a DAW. It’s simple enough that you can be up and running quickly, but once you start diving, you find a very powerful instrument that you have a lot of control over.
9. Aturia Minilab 3 ($109)
https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/minilab-3/overview
This would be a great companion to the Arcade subscription, but also just a great controller to have around. If you’re just starting out, it’s an inexpensive way to get notes into a DAW, or if you already have a big controller, a portable companion you can take with you to produce on the road.
10. Universal Audio Spark ($149/year)
So we admit this blows the budget if you keep it for longer than two years, but this is a great bundle of plugins to take your in the box mixes to the next level. This gives you access to more plugins than you likely need, or will use, but will give you access to the same tools that the biggest producers in the world use. Whether or not you get the same results is up to you, but you’ll have the same virtual toolbox.
