It’s the season for gifting, and we’ve got a down-and-dirty gift guide for the Electronic music makers and fans in your life. Whether you are looking to buy for someone who’s just enjoys EDM or maybe need a new hobby, look no further as we’ve got the perfect list for you.
We’ve gathered our top 10 (and a few honorable mentions) headphones and devices at a few different price points to help guide your gifting. For the slightly more experienced producer/hobbyist, we provide an annual EDM buyers guide. However, it focuses solely on software, samples, and services to enhance your digital production tool belt. Not a bad place to look, but might require a bit more know-how in advance!
Let’s get started!
#10 – Akai MPK Mini MKII – 25-Key Keyboard
If you’re looking for a really simple keyboard to get started, look no further than the Akai 25-key. If you’re looking for some simple keys and programmable pads/knobs for production this should be the first on your list. I received this as a holiday present about a year back and really enjoyed it. Now, I’m super skeptical when it comes to these midi keyboards since a lot of them are a bit flimsy (especially at the low-cost tier). Concerns for things like USB lag and just general shoddy feel are prevalent with “entry level” midi products, but this mini keyboard was pretty flawless.
It has a ton of reviews on Amazon, but sifting through them is a mess. At $99.99 (on sale) it’s a steal. It comes in a few different flavors (black is shown here), but the white looks pretty solid as well. Don’t over-think it, take a look.
We didn’t need to install any special software, it was an immediate plug-and-play when we used it with Ableton.
Teenage Engineering, the company behind the OP-1 Portable Synth (AKA the device that created Swedish House Mafia’s song, “One”), came out with a handful of external synth/midi devices at a more… reasonable price point (read: not $1,000) for producers and musicians. For the low-low price of around $60, you can get yourself some pretty unique synths.
The Pocket Operator, comes in a variety of flavors for your production arsenal from drums, to sub-bass, to traditional/oldschool synths and arcade (8-bit) style samples. If you’re wondering what this means, think of them like guitar pedals. You start with one-two that fit your musical needs and start to slowly acquire a whole slew of them to fuel your live production addiction.
This is definitely a good starting point for someone who wants to buy some of the cool external hardware that production studios really lean into.
#8 – Wonderboom 2- Bluetooth Speaker
The Wonderboom is a best-in-class Bluetooth speaker that’s about the size of a fat beer can. This bad boy pumps out an INSANE amount of power for its size. Get your Beats Pills and Bose Bricks out the door, for under $90 you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better speaker. We loved the old version, we love the new version.
The thing is also a tank. I’ve dropped and drowned my original Wonderboom more times than i can count and the thing keeps on trucking. Take it to the beach, take it through the snow, take it in the shower, You charge it up via a USB plug and go forth in life with an incredible speaker. Perfect for people who are less-than-careful with valuable things in life.
Fantastic for musicians on-the-go!
#7 – Korg – Littlebits Synth Kit
Still with us? Good.
For the hybrid musician/engineers out there, we’re super intrigued by this DIY synth kit. Korg has attached their name to a brand built around bringing out your inner engineer (oh, he/she is definitely in there). Part engineering kit, part basics-of-coding, it seems like a very cool way to get your hands dirty with production tools.
It’s a little on the pricey side compared to the rest of the stuff in this list, but we thought it was too cool/funky to pass up. Never hurts to have more wish list ideas!
Sidenote, if you’re a fan of Rick and Morty, littlebits is just kind of a hilarious reference.
#6 – Stylophone Retro Pocket Synth
It’s funky, it’s old school, and it’s…. actually a really cool way to see a classic synthesizers at work. This classic-looking Stylophone is pretty simple, and a whole lot of fun. For $30 it makes for a cool desk gadget for musicians of all kind (at the very least a really cool conversation starter!)
So this is a really cool shirt company. They take the recognizable skylines of major cities, and turn it into a soundwave design or sort of a stylized chipped record. It’s a pretty unique set of designs and they have a ton of cities available, even Cleveland!
Really can’t go wrong with getting someone a solid T-shirt, and these designs aren’t something you’re likely to come across in the wild. They’re pretty minimal, and for $30 it’s a pretty thoughtful thing to give to a music fan in your life.
Stay tuned for the final 5, and a few honorable mentions!
