Gift guides and buying guides, picked from our rankings with real prices.
Guides · Oct 28, 2026
To produce music you need a computer, a DAW and three pieces of gear: a MIDI keyboard, an audio interface and headphones. Monitors come later. A good starter kit costs about $440.
Guides · Oct 28, 2026
A harmonica costs from $3 to $1,777, but you don't need to spend much: half of the 905 at Thomann cost less than $62, and the classic Hohner blues harps cost under $40.
Guides · Oct 27, 2026
Every AudioFu gift guide in one place: 24 by instrument and role, 7 by person and 5 by budget, all picked from our rankings with prices that update every night.
Guides · Oct 27, 2026
The best music gift for a child is a real instrument at the right size, not a toy that's out of tune. Here's what works from preschool to about age 10, all from our rankings.
Guides · Oct 27, 2026
Synth people always want one more box. The best gifts add something their setup can't do yet: an acid bassline, a real Moog filter, a sequencer that drives it all, a reverb for long drones.
Guides · Oct 27, 2026
Every musician has a piece of gear they've looked at for years and never bought for themselves. These are the most common dream pieces, from studio classics to a $5,000 acoustic.
Guides · Oct 26, 2026
Under $100 is the sweet spot for music gifts: enough for a classic pedal, a real cymbal or a proper microphone. One pick for each kind of musician.
Guides · Oct 26, 2026
Twenty-five dollars buys more real music gear than most people think: a pocket guitar amp, a compressor pedal, a vocal mic. And for white elephant, there's always the Otamatone.
Guides · Oct 26, 2026
Teen musicians want gear that looks good on a TikTok, works with their phone and gets them making music fast. Here's one gift each for the guitarist, the beatmaker and the future DJ.
Guides · Oct 26, 2026
Viewers forgive a soft picture but click away from bad sound. That's why a microphone is the best gift for a streamer or YouTuber, from a phone mic to a wireless kit for two.
Guides · Oct 26, 2026
Songs start anywhere: on the couch, in the car, at 2 a.m. The best gifts for songwriters keep an instrument within reach and make it easy to record an idea before it's gone.
Guides · Oct 25, 2026
A music student lives with a laptop, roommates and a practice room booked for 50 minutes. The best gifts fit that: good headphones, a tiny keyboard for theory homework, a recorder for every practice session.
