Cool Christmas Gifts For Musicians And Engineers 2018

We could all use a little bit of shopping help when it comes to buying Christmas gifts for the people around us in the music and recording business. If you’re in a quandary about what to buy, you’re in luck as I have a list of recommendations that covers a wide variety of items and price ranges. All of these following products I use regularly.

1. Books by Bobby Owsinski
Okay, so I’m a little biased, but if you’re looking for a book for someone in the music business, you’ll hopefully find one of mine that will hit the sweet spot. There’s something for everyone, including books on mixing, recording,  mastering, music business advice, social media for musicians, and many more. From about $16 to $40.

  

2. Etymotic Research ER20 Hearing Protectors  I personally never go into a loud audio situation without these little gems. They are soooo much better than foam or wax earplugs in that they cut the level down without affecting the frequency response, plus you get an extra one with each pair! Since I found these ER20’s, I feel absolutely naked and scared when I don’t have them on me. At around $14, you just can’t go wrong.

  

3. Blocklite  This goes under the category of “Why didn’t I think of that?”. Blocklite is a simple LED add-on to any 9 volt battery that turns it into a flashlight that’s perfect for checking all those dark spaces during a session or show. Cheap too at only $14.95 for a package of 3!

  

4. Radial JDI Direct Box
This is the best DI on the market, period. It’s built like a tank and will last forever, and captures the low end that those cheap DI’s could only dream about. You need at least one of these. At $199, it’s still a bargain and you will hear the difference immediately.

5. Monoprice 108323 Headphones  It’s shocking how good these phones are for $23. They’re pretty comfortable, have a really tight fit, and provide a surprisingly balanced sound. In fact, I would trust the low end on the 8323’s more than on a couple alternatives that I have that cost 4 or 5 times more. Don’t let the “DJ-style” in the description scare you, these are terrific for the price.

6. Golden Age Project Pre-73 Mic Preamp
Everybody wants a Neve preamp but a lot of us can’t spring for a couple of channels of 1073s. The Golden AgeProjectPre–73 was built to sound a lot like the 1073 and it does a pretty good job of it (and the latest MK III version is even better). It’s not the real thing, but for only $379 it’s surprising how close it gets. If that’s too expensive, get the Pre73 JR version for only $249. The Pre73 is what I use for my podcast voice.

7. Bobby Owsinski Courses If you want to either learn mixing from the ground up or increase your mixing skills, I offer the Music Mixing Primer and 101 Mixing Tricks course (along with a number of cool bonuses). There are also courses available on Music Branding, Music Production and Vocal Mixing, and monthly song critiques and Q&A webinars with my Hit Makes Club. Lots of free stuff too.

8. Warm Audio WA76 Compressor/Limiter
I happen to think that the 1176 was the best compressor/limiter ever invented, since it works on just about any source and even does things that no other compressor on the market can do. A vintage 1176 (or even a new UA model) will set you back a bundle, but you can get pretty close with the Warm Audio’s WA-76. I liked it so much I bought 3. An absolute steal at $599. Also check out their great API-style WA12 mic preamp as well.

9. Snark SN-1 Guitar Tuner  We’ve all gotten used to using software guitar tuners, but when you want to tune as fast as possible, this is the best tuner I’ve found. It clips right onto the guitar so you don’t even have to plug it in, and it even has a built-in metronome. At $14 each, it’s unbeatable.

  

10. Music Nomad MN205 String, Body, and Hardware Cleaning Tool  If you have stringed instruments in your studio (and I bet you do), this thing is great for keeping them clean with ease. Not only that, it will help keep the dust off your keyboards, computers, and just about anything else in the studio. A steal at less than $9.

These are some great last-minute gift ideas for a musician or engineer, or even for yourself.