Welcome to FutureMusic’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide. Below you’ll find our recommendations for everyone on your gift list (including yourself!) – All recommendations have been vigorously tested by the FutureMusic staff during the last year, so you can buy with confidence.
2022 GIFT GUIDE FOR ELECTRONIC MUSICIANS
STOCKING STUFFER
1010Music Nanobox Lemondrop
We’re not sure if 1010Music has their own Wonkavision shrinking machine, but their Nanobox Lemondrop is almost impossibly small for the amount of gravity-defying sound it can produce. The Lemondrop employs granular synthesis and features four voice polyphony, two granulators and an oscillator. Our evaluators raved about the diminutive synth in our 1010Music Lemondrop review, which scored a Power Award.
EFFECTS
Meris LVX
The Meris LVX came out of our long-term review with flying colors and left our staffers in awe of what Angelo Mazzocco, Terry Burton and Jinna Kim were able to accomplish. The LVX sounds absolutely amazing with true independent stereo processing, 24-bit AD/DA w/32 bit floating point DSP and the latest ARM processor. The form factor says guitar pedal, but with true stereo and MIDI I/O, this is “clearly not your Dad’s delay pedal.” If you can get one, buy it! – they sell out almost immediately.
MONITORS
Focal Alpha 65 Evo Monitors
In one of our longest evaluations to date, we subjected the Focal Alpha 65 Evo active monitors to a long-term test with six different reviewers, and found the Focal’s delivered on their promise to provide a quality near-field monitor at an accessible price. Focal has created a potent monitor in the Alpha 65 Evo that will appeal anyone looking for a quality, active near-field.
BEST VALUE
Røde
VideoMic Go II
Røde’s VideoMic Go II, a sequel to their popular compact shotgun microphone, was subjected to a long-term test and found to be a very versatile microphone that can improve your audio in a variety of real world scenarios. Highly portable, the VideoMic Go II is very lightweight at 33 grams, making it hard to find an excuse not to take it with you. Employing Røde’s proprietary annular line tube technology, the well-built mic is able to capture full sound with a wide dynamic range (20Hz – 20kHz). With the supercardiod pattern, side rejection was notable. Røde specs the VideoMic Go II’s electret condenser with Signal-to-Noise Ratio of 79 dBA and an Equivalent Noise Level (A-Weighted) at 15 dBA. Our reviewers all agreed that the VideoMic Go II exhibited a low noise floor and provided “clean, crisp recordings” in a variety of environments. If that isn’t enough to tip the VideoMic Go II in your favor, Røde comes through with an amazing assortment of included accessories.
MIXER
Mackie Onyx24
Our full Mackie Onyx24 review will be published in December, but we had to include this powerhouse 24-channel mixer in our Holiday Buyers Guide, since it received raves from our evaluators. Under their premium Onyx moniker, Mackie included so many features into this compact mixer that it would be impossible to include them here, but suffice to say for under $1000, if you can find one, the Onyx24 has tremendous value.
PLUG-IN
Baby Audio Crystalline Reverb
Baby Audio recently released Crystalline, an algorithmic reverb plug-in for Mac and PC. We subjected Crystalline to a long-term evaluation with a team of five reviewers and determined Crystalline to be a standout in a very crowded reverb plug-in market. For electronic musicians, hip-hop producers and even rock producers who are looking for a fresh take on reverb with outstanding sound quality, Baby Audio’s Crystalline is impossible to beat.
- 51% Off!
PATCHES
Ultimate Patches
You can’t go wrong with gifting someone Ultimate Patches. Nothing can infuse life into an old synth like some fresh inspiration from Scott-John Dougan. Now available for Korg’s WaveState synth, this expansive collection includes the genres of synthwave, cinematic, classic pop & rock, hip hop, jazz, country, disco, trap, chiptune, modern pop, orchestral, dubstep, vintage & modern house, trance, reggae, retrocade and more. Dig in!
INNOVATOR
SonicPlanet StarWaves
Dr. Sinan Bökesoy, of SonicLAB fame, recently released a new music composition / sound design paradigm for iOS and MacOS under the SonicPlanet umbrella called StarWaves. It is absolutely mind-bending and showcases Bökesoy’s unique imagination when it comes to pushing experimental music software into the future. StarWaves is a granular sample player with an audio visual interface like no other. It allows you to manipulate two key elements, an Emitter and a Platform Block in a 3D space. The Emitters, which look like orbiting satellites, spray either beams or balls. The Platform Blocks are visual representations of samples. In the simplest of terms, when the balls or beams contact the blocks, they trigger a sound. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg – read our StarWaves review to learn more!
SAMPLES
Ghost Samples
With tons of sample packs at insanely low prices, there’s something for everyone at Ghost Samples. Not only that, every genre, sub-genre and micro genre is represented. Need another excuse? They’re having a Black Friday sale with up to 90% off. What are you still doing here? Go!
- Up to 90% Off!
SOFTWARE
Native Instruments Playbox
This ground-breaking, sample-based Kontakt instrument from Nadine Raihani and her team at Native Instruments flew a bit under the radar this past year, but those willing to explore the whimsical interface were treated to a joyous experience.
- 50% Off!
BEST DEAL RIGHT NOW
JBL Clip 4
Like to irrate those around you with your bad taste in music? Then the JBL Clip 4 is your dream come true! Small, and if you get the black colorway, hard to spot, the Clip 4 is the first step in your 10-hour Annoyathon Special. It defies its small size by delivering surprisingly rich audio and punchy bass. The Clip 4’s is IP67 waterproof / dustproof rated, so you can dish out your special blend of torture on lift lines this winter.
- 44% Off!
BOOK
Revolution History Of Turntable Design
Interest in turntables and records is enjoying a renaissance as analog aficionados and new converts find their enduring style and alluring sound addictive. Gideon Schwartz’s Revolution showcases the fascinating history of turntables and vinyl technology from the 1950s to today’s latest models. This book includes 300 illustrations of turntables, from affordable to high-end, and everything in between…
LIVE PERFORMANCE
Samsung Freestyle FHD HDR Smart Portable Projector
Want to add some visual enhancement to your live show, but don’t want to break the bank? Check out Samsung’s Freestyle Projector. About the size of a coffee can, this very portable projector, which can be battery powered, provides HD resolution and a field of view up to 100″ measured diagonally. The Freestyle does make some compromises, but for the price it may be a great solution for your needs.
- 31% Off!
UTILITIES
OWC Thunderbolt Dock Gen2
The first generation of OWC’s Thunderbolt Dock won a Power Award five years ago, so when it came time to update their “Swiss Army Knife” of Apple laptop docks, they had to exceed expectations. The recently released Generation Two model met the challenge by not only upgrading the connectivity to the latest specs, but also reduced the size and adding a tasteful illuminated logo. We’ve been testing the latest model and haven’t come across an issue yet.
