The best gifts for musicians in 2024
Browse the best gifts for musicians in 2024 to find the perfect gift for the musician in your life including home recording equipment, music production software, and more.
It can be hard to find that perfect gift for today’s musician. Guitars aren’t so hip anymore; drum sets are unyielding. Also, musicians, producers, and engineers purchase many of their own gear themselves, and it might seem like there’s nothing else to get them.
Fear not! Whether that someone in your life is a music professional or just getting started on their music production journey, we’ve outlined some of the best gifts for musicians in 2024.
Browse the best gifts for musicians in the following categories:
What is a good gift to get a musician?
The best gift for any musician is your full support: be a body at their shows so they can book bigger venues; purchase their music directly from them, as streaming services are taking bigger and bigger slices of the pie.
That having been said, musicians also prefer tools and goodies to make their work easier – or at least, more fun. The specific trinket depends on the kind of musician in questions, and with that in mind, we offer the following gift ideas divided by category.
Music production software
Music production software is one of the best gifts for musicians because it opens the doors for them to flex their creativity in new and exciting ways. Whether they’re a seasoned mix engineer, an aspiring producer, or just enjoy experimenting with designing sounds, these software options are some of the best gifts for any musician.
Music Production Suite 6
iZotope Music Production Suite has always been a great deal for anyone serious about production, mixing or mastering—but with the merger of iZotope, Native Instruments, and Plugin Alliance, Music Production Suite pays off like never before: Neutron, RX, Vocalsynth, Nectar, Ozone and more are on offer from the iZotope side, while Guitar Rig 7 Pro and Native Instruments effects are also on hand. Rounding off the bundle are multiple offerings from Brainworx.
Useful for literally every part of the music production process, Music Production Suite 6 is sure to bring a smile to the face of the engineer in your life. Purchase it in full, or gift it on a subscription basis.
Price: $599
Komplete 14 Select
Komplete 14 Select is an essential collection of high-quality virtual instruments, effects, and samples, making it a versatile and creative tool to create virtually any genre of music possible.
This bundle has cutting-edge synthesizers, high-impact drums, and many studio-grade effect plugins to help any musician, from bedroom beatmakers to professional sound designers, craft their unique sound. It’s one of the best gifts for music producers.
And if you're looking to gift a musician an always-updated version, check out the Komplete Now subscription.
Plugin Alliance MEGA Bundle
Plugin Alliance unites some of the best-known plug-in companies under one virtual roof, and their MEGA Bundle does not dissappoint. With the MEGA Bundle, the special person in your life gets 180 Plugins from over 40 brands, including fantastic offerings from iZotope and Native Instruments. While this is a subscription, it comes with yearly vouchers that allow you to keep your favorite selections in perpetuity.
Ozone 11
If the person in your life produces or mixes audio for a living, Ozone 11 is a must. Ozone is a famous name in mastering circles, as it provides everything one needs to polish a song for the world to hear. This iteration is the most advanced yet, with stem separation technology so that people can shape vocals, bass, and drum inside of the stereo track—without the need for a remix.
AI-powered tech is on hand to guide beginners into making choices suitable for their particular mix, and old-hands will appreciate the ability to process transients and sustain material independently.
Price: $199 (Standard)
RX 10
Post-production engineers working at the highest level and bedroom music producers working from laptops have one thing in common: iZotope RX will make their lives easier. RX is the industry standard in audio restoration and audio clean-up. De-noise vocals with ease, de-clip overloaded audio, and rescue nearly any track from sonic dysfunction with iZotope’s comprehensive spectral tools.
Newcomers benefit from the assistive technology that helpfully guides their hands in finding and correcting issues, while pros can pull off the magic trick of making unwanted sirens disappear from on-location audio.
Price: $399 (Standard)
Nectar 4
Nectar 4 is iZotope’s powerhouse production suite for vocals. With reverbs, delays, modulation effects, and automatic harmony generation, Nectar can turn any vocal performance into a stellar, attention-grabbing set piece.
Of course, like most iZotope plugins, Nectar comes stacked with AI-assistive tech to carve out the perfect starting place for any track. Then you can shape the proceedings into a truly polished result thanks to all of Nectar’s powerful modules.
Price: $199 (Standard)
Neutron 4
Neutron 4 is iZotope’s complete channel strip for mixing records. Compressors, gates, EQs, and transient shapers are on hand, as are more esoteric effects, such as spectral shapers and saturation modules. All of its modules can help gel each track in a production into one solid whole.
With inter-plugin communication, Neutron makes it easy to spot instruments clashing and fix frequency issues quickly. AI tech is on hand to get the musician in your life started in a major way—either for single tracks or for leveling the mix as a whole through the included Visual Mixer.
Price: $399
Home recording equipment
With the rise of technology, high quality recording gear has become more affordable. It’s no wonder why home studios have become increasingly popular in recent years. Studio time can be pricey, so many modern musicians opt to record at home in makeshift vocal booths. These next few gift ideas for musicians are sure to take the quality of their recordings to the next level.
Komplete Audio Interfaces
Komplete Audio Interfaces are stellar choices for the budding or established home-recordist in your life. Audio Interfaces allow people to record their guitars, basses, vocals, and other instruments straight into their computers – and these interfaces do so in style, with XLR inputs, ¼ inputs, headphone monitoring outputs, and more.
Consider the Komplete Audio 1 as the entry-level interface, Komplete Audio 2 a more intermediate offering, and Komplete Audio 6 a perfectly portable gift for someone who records multiple instruments at the same time.
For a limited time, the Komplete Audio series now comes with the Komplete 14 Select Bundle at no extra cost, providing curated instruments, sounds, and production-ready effects.
Price: $109 / $139 / $249
Gift Komplete Audio Interfaces
Shure SM7B microphone
A favorite among podcasters and musicians alike, the Shure SM7B is known for its versatility and crisp sound reproduction. It's a top pick for vocal recordings and works beautifully with a wide range of musical instruments – a great pick for a holiday gift.
Price: $399
Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone
For those looking for an exceptional quality microphone on a budget, the Audio-Technica AT2020 offers fantastic value. It's a solid choice for home studio setups, recording the singing voice, and capturing acoustic instruments.
Price: $99
Headphones and studio monitors
Headphones and studio monitors are critical to a musician’s ability to listen to what they’re recording and how their production sounds. We’ve rounded up several great choices to get them started or upgrade their current setup.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones are highly regarded for their durability and sonics. Musicians, audio engineers, and producers often choose them for their critical listening needs. They’re great for tracking instruments, mixing in a pinch, and listening to favorite records. The musician in your life will appreciate a pair!
Price: $149
Gift Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones
Sony MDR-7506 headphones
Sony's MDR-7506 headphones are a trusted companion for audio professionals. Renowned for their reliability, these headphones have been a staple in recording studios for years. They offer a crisp and detailed audio experience, making them ideal for podcasting and post-production in particular, as any possibility of sibilance will be clearly showcased.
Price: $99.99
Yamaha HS5 speakers
These inexpensive speakers are modeled on classic monitors from the 1970s, making them a great gift for a musician looking to improve their mix setup. These speakers deliver accuracy and transparency to ensure the listener is hearing a track as it truly is.
Price: $199.99 (each)
Kali Audio IN-8 V2 Speakers
Kali Audio took the world by storm when they entered the scene with their phenomenal sound reproduction, offered at unbeatable prices. The IN-8 V2 might just give you the best bang for your buck, as they’re trusted by bedroom producers and even a few select mastering engineers.
Price: $798.00 (pair)
Keyboards
Gifting a keyboard to a musician for the holidays can ignite their creativity and expand their musical horizons, offering them a versatile tool to experiment with different sounds and styles. It also provides the convenience of practicing and composing music in the comfort of their own space, enhancing their skills and dedication to their craft.
Kontrol S-Series Keyboard
If someone in your life is on the hunt for the perfect keyboard-based MIDI controller, surprise them with a Kontrol S-Series model, available in 49-key, 61-key, and 88-key configurations. These keyboards have been redesigned from the ground up to give players semi-weighted keys, polyphonic aftertouch, encoders and knobs galore, DAW transport controls, a touch-sensitive smart-strip, and MIDI 2.0 compatibility.
You might not know what any of that means, but the gift recipient will—and they’ll be happy you got them something so versatile, as well as something tailor-made for Native Instrument’s renowned Komplete software. Take the light guide, for example: this handy feature allows users to easily identify key switches, drum cells, and other integral features offered within many Kontakt patches.
Price: $749 / $849 / $1,299
Gift Kontrol S-Series Keyboards
Komplete Kontrol A-Series Keyboards
As gifts go, S-series keyboards are like an engagement ring: they imply a heavy commitment to the craft. For those looking to “move in” with the concept of music production, Native Instrument’s A-series controllers are a much more suitable fit.
These streamlined MIDI controllers cover the basics for triggering sounds in your DAW from a MIDI keyboard, including semi-weighted keys, control knobs, modulation wheels, and other goodies. You can find the A series in 25-key, 49-key, and 61-key configurations. And now, for a limited time only, the A series controllers come with the Komplete 14 Select bundle of software, a $199 value included for free.
Price: $169 / $219 / $279
Gift Kontrol A-Series keyboard
Komplete Kontrol M32 keyboard
Extending our above analogy further, the M32 keyboard is the perfect gift for the person in your life who’s just decided to “go steady” with the concept of music production.
These ergonomic and slim 32-key keyboards provide essential controls over virtual instruments in a DAW environment. For a limited time, these keyboards come with the same Komplete 14 Select bundle as the A-Series controllers.
Price: $169 / $219 / $279
Gift Kontrol A-Series keyboard
Komplete Kontrol M32 keyboard
Extending our above analogy further, the M32 keyboard is the perfect gift for the person in your life who’s just decided to “go steady” with the concept of music production.
These ergonomic and slim 32-key keyboards provide essential controls over virtual instruments in a DAW environment, and for the holiday season they come with the same Komplete Select bundle as the A-Series controllers.
Price: $139
DJ and MIDI controllers
MIDI controllers, mixing controllers, and DJ decks make great gifts for a certain kind of audio person, as they allow producers and engineers to control music software in a more intuitive way. Whether the musician in your life is a master at programming beats or they’re just starting to dabble in DJing, the following controllers are sure to provide them with hours of creative fun.
Traktor X1 MK3
This portable DJ controller is the perfect choice for the budding DJ in your life, especially if they plan to use Traktor Pro 3 as their software of choice. The Traktor X1 MK3 offers four rotary encoders, five OLED displays, and ways to control the music on the floor.
Plus, it's powered by a 15 VDC power supply or USB. Its onboard USB hub keeps everything tidy, allowing DJs to connect CDJs – or even daisy-chain more X1s as their rig grows. A welcome addition to any musician's gear collection, the Traktor X1 MK3 is a gateway to a world of DJing.
Price: $299
Traktor Kontrol S3
If you're on the hunt for the ideal gift for the working DJ in your life, look no further than the Traktor Kontrol S3. This pro-level controller boasts large jog wheels with three versatile modes: Turntable, Jog, and Beatgrid. Each of these have their uses on the dance floor.
This controller gives DJs everything they need in a familiar DJ mixer layout, including a dedicated cue section, a crossfader, and 16 RGB pads to trigger loops and beats. What's more, the mixer provides built-in effects and filters, providing DJs with a palette of 40 FX on each of the four deck effects. For the DJ in your life, the Traktor Kontrol S3 is an extraordinary gift that brings music to life.
Price: $549
Maschine+
Native Instruments' Maschine+ is a fantastic piece of production hardware combining the power of a computer with the convenience of a portable hardware unit. If the special person in your life is a music producer, beat-maker, or an electronic performer, Maschine+ is a premium gift.
Maschine + is truly portable, requiring no separate computer, and offering a vast library of sounds and instruments, as well as microphone and line inputs. With multi-color push-pads, touch-sensitive knobs, and a high-resolution color display, this mobile-production unit provides fun ways to create and perform electronic music.
Price: $1199
Maschine MK3
If Maschine+ is the kind of gift an established parent would give to a deserving young adult, Maschine MK3 is a present suitable for loyal spouses: This hardware controller, supplied with integrated software, is a combination sequencer, sampler, plug-in host, and multi-effects unit, catering to beat-making and live performance. With its intuitive touch-sensitive pads, color-coding, and an 8GB sample library, creating drum patterns, bass lines, and melodies is a breeze.
The hardware interface features a 24-bit/96 kHz USB audio interface, high-resolution displays, touch-sensitive rotary potentiometers, and more. MIDI ports allow for easy connecions to additional gear. Maschine MK3 bridges the gap between computer-based production and hands-on control, offering seamless handling of samples, effects, and plug-ins.
Price: $1199
Maschine Mikro
If the other two Maschines punch a little above your wallet’s weight class, check out Maschine Mikro for the electronic producer in your life. This more portable version of a Maschine interface provides many of the accoutrement of the previously mentioned model in a more cost-friendly package.
Price: $249
Free music gifts
If you’re on a budget for your musician gifts this season, we have a couple of thoughtful and useful options for free!
Komplete Start
This gift is no skin off your back, as it’s free. Give the music producer in your life over 2,000 studio-quality sounds including 16 synths and virtual instruments, loops, and more. This free bundle offers over 6 GB of sounds, which is a great way for any musician to expand their sonic palette.
And, even better yet, Komplete Start now includes the new standalone Ozone EQ plugin, along with tons of new software!
Ozone EQ
One of the best EQs in the game is now free if you have a Native Access account. The EQ from Ozone 11 provides clean, clickable bands for shaping the sound with mastering-grade accuracy. One of the few EQs that lets users move between minimum-phase and linear-phase operation on a per-band basis, Ozone is perfect for handling the stereo bus.
If the music person in your life knows what anything we’ve just written means, you should definitely give them this free gift.
Musicians will thank you
When it comes to gift giving, musicians can often be some of the toughest to buy for. But, hopefully this list will help you narrow down your search for the perfect gift for the musician in your life.
And if you’re looking for another free gift, tell your musician to go to iZotope’s Learn site or the Native Instruments blog to access free tutorials on music production, mixing, and mastering.
