The Best Gifts for Music Producers 2023

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If you’re looking for gifts for music producers, look no further. I’ve updated and combined a few of my gear guides together into one giant list for all of you to enjoy.

Whether you’re a musician looking for equipment for your own studio, or looking for a cool gift for your loved ones, this gift guide for music producers, musicians, and audio engineers is guaranteed to give you some great ideas.

How I Decide My Recommendations for this Gift Guide

Personal Experience – If I use something myself and really like it, you’ll usually see it on this list. If I’d want it as a present, chances are it’s a good gift for music producers.
User Reviews – If I don’t have experience with a piece of gear I try to find the highest reviewed gear. Crowdsourcing opinions via reviews is a great way to find quality pieces of gear.

I’ve found out that three separate types of people read Audio Issues:

The Home Recording Engineer – This is you if you have a completely separate room in your house that you call your studio. You have enough room to record multiple instruments at once and can allow yourself some flexibility regarding acoustic treatment and recording setup.
The Bedroom Producer – The Bedroom Producer is a little strapped for space and can’t drag drums into their room to record. You are more likely to record through the computer and mix with smaller monitors or exclusively through headphones.
On-Location Engineer/Live Sound-Tech – The On-Location Engineer is a cross between a live engineer and a recording engineer. You’re the person that bands call when they want to record in their rehearsal studios or onstage.

So what do we have for these three different personalities?

The Serious Home Recording Engineer

The Interface

First, a solid audio interface is key to getting the ball rolling.

You’d preferably want to record multiple things at once so you’ll need something that can handle multiple inputs, especially if you’re recording drums. I used to recommend the PreSonus AudioBox Recording Interface.

It’s still a good bet, but it’s a little dated so this year I think I’ll recommend the Focusrite Scarlett Octopre. It can record a full band with eight microphone inputs for drums and a bunch of line inputs to record scratch guitars, bass, and vocals.

Other Interface Recommendations:

The Monitors

Clear monitoring is crucial for the home studio. I loved my Yamaha HS5s and I’d recommend them to anyone.

They’re small enough to fit into any home studio situation but with a clear frequency response to make your mixes translate better.

They’re honest so you can rely on them to tell you whether your mix actually sounds good. Highly recommended. The only downside is the lack of sub-monitoring but I fix that by referencing with my bigger monitors and my subwoofer.

Other Recommendations:

Adam Audio A7X – I use these at a local commercial studio and they’re great.

In addition, I use the Behringer Behritone C50A and they’ve become an invaluable part of my mixing process. They’ve been discontinued but the Auratone C50A is a great alternative.

I start all my mixes with this monitor and mix in mono until the initial first draft of the mix sounds good. It’s great as a second reference monitor.

If your mix sounds good on these, you’re golden. I’m always blown away when I finish my initial mix on these and then send it to my other monitors and flip it to stereo. It’s a great tool for making it a little harder for you to mix to begin with but paying off dividends in the long run.

Finally, my last line of defense to make sure my mixes translate is my trusty Focal monitoring set-up with a dedicated sub.

The Microphone

No project studio is complete without something to capture the performance.

That’s where the versatile AKG 214 stereo condenser microphone set comes in.

Recording drums? No problem, just use the 2-mic Recorderman technique.
Recording guitar? Easy. They’ll give you a smooth condenser guitar sound. Acoustic guitar? It’ll be even easier.
Need stereo? Yep, they come in a set of two so you can mic anything you want in sweet stereo.
Vocals? This mic was practically made for vocals, so throw anything you got on it. It has a great frequency response with a slight dip in 1 kHz to avoid any stray “nasal” sounding vocal tones so you’ll have less EQ’ing to worry about when you’re mixing.

The 214s are a great recommendation. I also love their bigger brother, the 414 on vocals, acoustic guitar, and drum overheads.

Other Recommendations:

Update: I bought the Cascade ribbon microphones below in 2017, and I love them. It’s awesome to get a little different flavor for electric guitar and other random acoustic instruments I’ve been tracking in the studio so they come highly recommended. If you can’t afford the Cascades, a quick search for medium priced ribbons with 4 star reviews can still give you some good ideas.
Cascade Microphones Fat Head II – If you want something a little different, this ribbon pair can give you some diversity in your microphone selection. I’ve been eying these and will be looking to purchase them in the new year (don’t tell my wife).
If you’re looking for condensers, this Rode pair could be your next favorite thing. X/Y acoustic guitar, drum overheads or other acoustic instruments will fit well with these little guys.

I’ve used the Audix Drum Mic Pack to record a lot of drum tracks. The D6 is a great kick drum mic and the i5 easily replaces the Shure Sm57 in my mic locker.

The Acoustic Treatment

If you’re considering the empty garage or a brick-wall basement to set up your studio, you’ll need some acoustic treatment.

Bare garage walls might sound great when you’re recording loud rock drums, but you’ll need to control those reflections a bit more for mixing.

The Auralex kits have everything you need to control the area around your mixing area while balancing the sound bouncing around your recording room.

Acoustic treatment is incredibly important to get a fairly balanced room. Although Auralex might get a bunch of flak for selling foam, I think it’s more beneficial than having bare walls (or egg crates! Ugh…). I have a combination of Auralex and DIY bass traps that help me really hear what’s coming out of the speakers without the room coloring the mix.

I don’t have any specific new recommendations for acoustic treatment, except that I highly recommend getting Auralex’s free analysis and possibly making your own to keep costs down.

For more information on that, check out my article: How to Get Free Expert Advice on Setting Up Your Acoustic Treatment (And Save $300+)

Headphones

A project studio needs two pairs of good headphones.

In my studio I use my Sony’s for tracking in the studio and for general listening. When I’m recording drums, I use the heavy-duty Vic Firth isolation headphones.

Other options are to get one quiet pair for recording like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones and one open-back for mixing, like the AKG K712 PRO Open Over-Ear Reference Studio Headphones.

And for that last listening check, using your monitors, use both earbuds and your crappy computer speakers so you can take the ultimate mix translation test.

Other brands I personally like are the Sennheiser and Audio Technica headphones for their brand consistency. I’ve created a list of the highest-rated headphones with good sound isolation for recording right here.

The Bedroom Producer

As I said above, here are some recommendations for those of you who have limited space but still want to make the most of your music.

The Interface

You won’t record drums anytime soon in a cramped room, so all you need is a small interface to record vocals and the occasional instrument.

Something like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is all you need for the dorm room.

Two high-quality microphones at an affordable price is a pretty good way to make the Dorm Room Producer happy over the holidays and beyond.

The Scarlett is a great interface for recording in a limited space. However, if you have the cash, Universal Audio’s Apollo is a great alternative, giving you some great microphone inputs, converters, and access to the UAD plug-ins. I love mine and have to recommend it.

The Monitors

Smaller is better when you need every inch of your desk.

Looking at monitors in the under $200 price range with four-star reviews on Amazon, the Mackie CRX stand out. They get more reviews than the previously recommended Presonus Eris which you can still check out below.

They seem to be a great choice if you’re starting out or you need all the extra space you can get.

They probably won’t compete against high-end monitors, but they do the job well for this purpose.

Other Recommendations:

The Microphone

You’ll need a versatile condenser microphone to record both instruments and vocals.

The Rode NT1A Anniversary Vocal Condenser Microphone Package comes with a pop-filter, a cable, and a shock mount.

It’s great value for money and is more than enough to start producing in the bedroom.

The Acoustic Treatment

Because the walls will probably already be plastered with posters, there’s not much room for acoustic treatment on the walls.

Luckily, the Auralex MoPAD Monitor Isolation Pads can help decouple and isolate the sounds coming from the monitors to help you get clearer sounding mixes.

Another bet would be to get one of the many reflection filters available out there. I have the sE Reflexion Filter and I highly recommend AGAINST IT! It’s incredibly cumbersome and annoying to use. So much so that it stays permanently in my closet.

Other Recommendations:

The Headphones

Just like the serious home studio engineer, the dorm room producer needs a pair of great headphones.

But only this time, they need to be isolated so that he can record and mix while everyone else is asleep.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (Updated for 2016) serves this dual purpose nicely.

The On-Location Live Engineer

For the live sound engineer that also likes to record we’ll look at a hybrid setup that combines the best of both the live sound aspect of his work as well as the need for recording.

The Mixer

My all-time favorite business model that I’ve never tried out all revolves around the Presonus StudioLive 16-Channel Audio Mixer.

You can hook it up to a P.A. to do a live gig but you can also record everything that goes into it straight to you computer.

That means you could technically record and mix a full band playing a concert and then upload their set to their website within hours of them finishing their set. How’s that for a fast turnaround?

The Portable Recorder

For any quick and dirty on-location recordings, this killer Zoom H6 recording package has everything you need to handle small on-location recordings.

It’s got a built-in stereo microphone along with two extra mic inputs.

Technically, that’s enough to record a lot of things, from interviews, garage demos to string quartets.

Here’s a really cool video on how you can use the Zoom H4N to make any room, even the Italian Saint Mark’s square, your live room, and you can use any portable recorded for the same purpose.

Update for 2016: If you’re recording interviews or videos using your smartphone then I have a cool tool for you to use. It’s the Rode Smartlav that plugs straight into your phone and lets you record professional dialog instantly. Great for videos, podcasts or interviews.

The Microphones

For somebody on the go, a good microphone pack can be the on-location engineer’s best friend.

I told you about this earlier but it bears repeating: The Audix DP7 Instrument Dynamic Microphone, Multipattern is extremely versatile.

It has enough microphones to record a full drum-kit, but many of those mics, like the Audix i5, work wonders on electric guitars and rock vocals.

And it even comes with a stereo overhead pair that you can use for all your stereo microphone needs.

The Acoustic Treatment

When you’re constantly working in different rooms and spaces, the acoustics might be pretty unpredictable.

But if you have something portable like the Auralex ProMAX Stand-mounted Acoustic Treatment you can set up baffles anywhere to get the best room sound in any situation. These are great if you have the cash to spare but I’ll remind you of my acoustic treatment article above if you want to jerry-rig your own and save some money.

Somewhere to Put Stuff!

One thing about on-location recording is that you have to lug a bunch of stuff around. And to record a whole band at once you’re going to need a few microphone stands.

Ultimate Support JamStands has a bundle of mic stands that takes care of this problem. Not the most romantic gift of all time, but practical.

Update for 2016: I highly recommend having at least one heavy duty mic stand when recording awkward positions, such as over a drum kit. The extra weight of the stand makes it stay in one place without tipping over, something I’ve gotten very frustrated with when it comes to lighter stands.

Education

Finally, for anyone serious about improving their skills, new equipment is only going to take them so far. A great educational tutorial about music production is worth more than spending a year at an audio school and it will teach you to get more out of the equipment you already have.

Here are some recommendations for both tutorials from Audio Issues Approved training, great music production books or (shameless self-promotion) some of my own products that are guaranteed to help you out.

Must-Read Music Production Books

To add to my list of “Must Read Books on Music Production and Engineering” I wanted to give you a few more that I’ve read that I’ve found extremely helpful:

Unlocking Creativity: A Producer’s Guide to Making Music and Art – An absolutely AMAZING read. It’s fundamentally changed how I view my own production and how I listen to the art I’m creating. If reading’s not your thing take a listen to The Recording Studio Rockstars episode with Michael Beinhorn(Korn, RHCP, Marilyn Manson, Soundgarden). Fun fact and shameless name-dropping: I introduced them to each other so I’m taking credit for the creation of this episode 🙂
Behind the Boards: The Making of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Greatest Records Revealed – I’m still reading this one but it’s very insightful, full of fun stories and useful production insights.
Songwriters on Songwriting – I like writing songs and I identify with songwriters so it’s very interesting to read interviews with songwriters about their methods. Beware: you won’t learn how to write songs by reading this book. Everybody seems to have a different method but it’s a blast to read everyone’s story.

Audio Issues Training

Step By Step Mixing– Learn a step-by-step process to create powerful and punchy mixes using the tools you already have in your DAW. You’ll learn to create separation between your instruments; You’ll know exactly how and when to use each type of compressor; You’ll become a master of adding space with reverb and delay; and you’ll master the different styles of saturation to make your mixes stand out.
EQ Strategies – The Ultimate Guide to EQ gives you an overview over the frequency spectrum so you can find all those annoying frequencies that are making your mixes boomy, boxy, muddy or harsh. It also includes the Audio Issues EQ plug-in as a free bonus.
Master Your Mixes – Make Pro Records – If you are a home studio musician or bedroom producer struggling to make your mixes as punchy, clear, AND loud as pro records, Master Your Mixes will show you how. At the end of this course, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to create loud and powerful records, no matter what genre you’re working in.