10 Gift Ideas for Your Synth-Obsessed Friends

With so many great gift options for your musician friends and family right at your fingertips, it’s easy to catch a case of choice paralysis. Here’s where we can help.

We’ve already given our gift picks for your guitar-obsessed friends, so it’s time to turn in the other direction. Here, we’re shopping for the synth lovers. The synth community tends to be a varied bunch, with many different kinds of players favoring different kinds of instruments.

Below, we’ve brought you a diverse list of options that touches on a variety of product types at a variety of prices. Be sure to check it out, and let us know in the comments what you’re planning to pick up for your synth head.


Teenage Engineering PO-14 Pocket Operator Sub
$49 - $65

One of the raddest aspects of synthesizers is the fact that you can find a variety of exciting instruments and sounds packed into tiny packages. This is certainly the case with Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operator series, which you can grab on the site for as little as $45 used. The PO-14 is a handheld yet huge-sounding bass synth, but there are plenty other choices here.

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Teenage Engineering

Korg Volca Modular
$150 - $200

Don’t let the size of this little guy fool you—it offers complex sound design options for any budding modular player. One of 2019's additions to Korg's small and affordable Volca series of synths and drum machines, this Buchla-inspired model is the first modular synth of the bunch. If this is all Greek to you, don't worry—they'll love it. (Find more Volcas here.)

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Korg

ROLI Lightpad Block
$109 - $200

ROLI is one of the leading companies making MPE controllers. Without boring you with the details, these devices offer a musician greater and more sensitive ways to make sounds within music software. If your friend or loved one makes music with a computer, they'll appreciate this addition to their setup. The Lightpad Block is the entryway to ROLI’s Block line of connectable, dynamic, touch-sensitive playing surfaces.

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ROLI

3DWAVES Synth Accessories
$5 - $75

3DWAVES is a company based in Texas that specializes in 3D-printing synth accessories. You can find all kinds of stands, from general “desktop synth” stands to others built specifically for certain synths, like the dual-tier stands for the Korg Monotron.

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3DWAVES

Arturia MicroFreak
$259 - $299

If you don't know much about sound synthesis, you may think most synthesizers make music in a similar way. But there's actually a huge variety of types of synthesis, and Arturia's MicroFreak takes its cues from a large number of the more esoteric forms. If the synth player in your life already has a small arsenal of instruments, this will make a great addition that will bring new types of music to their fingertips. And they'll love you for it.

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Reverb

Korg Monotron Duo Ribbon Synthesizer
$49

If your synth lover is a fan of that retro ‘70s sound, look no further. This five-knob ribbon keyboard boasts two analog oscillators and X-Mod circuitry based on Korg’s vintage ancestor instruments. It also features built-in speakers for warm, analog sounds wherever you are.

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Korg

Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2 Interface
$99

This two-channel interface is the perfect companion to an electronic musician that's just beginning to get into digital production. If your synth-playing friend has great ideas but never seems to record them—gift this interface so those wonderful sounds can be captured and refined. New Komplete Audio interfaces come with entry-level versions of a ton of must-have music software, like Ableton Live and Native Instruments' own sound and effect bundles.

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Reverb

Analog Cases
$32 - $225

Have you noticed your synth-loving pal walking around with a bare keyboard under their arm? Help them protect their precious instrument with one of Analog Cases' stylish and affordable cases. Available in a variety of styles and sizes, you're sure to find one that can fit their needs.

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Analog Cases

Moog Werkstatt-01
$200

The Werkstatt-01 is great, whether you’re familiar with Moog or are just getting started. It’s a really affordable, compact, educational, and fun little synth that allows you to build out patchable circuits without having to solder.

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Moog

Bastl Instruments Klik Sync Device
$55

The Klik Sync is a super useful little tool that function as a synchronization device. With the Klik, you can make analog sync signals from your computer and hardware synths. You can even use the device to repurpose an unused headphone jack on your laptop.

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The Sound Parcel

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