For a truly unique and very much last-minute gift for anyone you know, look to CDM’s favorite game of year, the gorgeous, blood pressure-lowering title for Windows and – at long last – Mac. I may personally identify a little too much with the abstract protagonist of this game, as my holiday activities could well be described as floating around the universe, sucking particles into my gravity well as I grow in size. But whether or not I feel literally like an expanding bubble of matter, one of my favorite experiences this year was entering this ingenious physics-based game. It fuses visuals with a sparkling minimal electronic soundtrack by some favorite artists, from Gas to Loscil, and could be a perfect surprise hard drive stuffer for a Mac or Windows user – even if they’d be puzzled by, say, a sophisticated virtual analog instrument.

$10, Mac and Windows, instant download.

Osmos @ Hemisphere Games

I’m not doing this as an advertisement, either – I’m buying it and placing it on the hard drive of someone dear to me, who I’m fairly certain isn’t reading this blog and to whose laptop I have easy access.

Lastly, to help celebrate the holidays, we’ll have treats in the form of free downloads and tips leading from this weekend into the New Year. Among them, I’m pleased to offer the exclusive official Osmos soundtrack as a free CDM Sounds podcast. (I hoped to have that edited in time for today, but expect it by Monday. And yes, it’s the rare soundtrack that you’ll still want to hear after the game is over.)

Best gift I could have received: http://createdigitalmotion.com is back after a screw-up with our domain. It won’t happen again, and we’ll make it up to our visualist readers with extra content starting next week.

Thanks, everyone, and enjoy the season. Winter is, after all, a great time to bunker in and make music.

And nicely enough, there’s a strong emphasis on cheap and DIY projects, meaning these can be ideal even in tough economic times.

SX-150 button mod from Collin Cunningham on Vimeo.

MAKE: Blog > Music Makers’s Gift Guide

Assembled by our friend (and Handmade Music regular) Collin Cunningham, these are the geekiest DIY treasures you can find. I got hands-on with a couple of these recently. The plastic Theremin kit is fun, although you won’t get fantastic results out of it. My favorites: the awesome SX-150 synth kit (above), previously seen only in Japan, and the Thingamakit (which also got mentioned in our holiday guide). They’re both affordable and make some lovely sounds the moment you start using them, with hacks possible later.

For fans of the Arduino electronics/microcontroller platform, see Collin’s separate guide.

The monome didn’t make the guide this year, though it topped our list, but given that you have to basically preorder the moment a run is announced, that’s not exactly a slight.

wire to the ear > Five inexpensive Chistmas gifts for musicians

This small but neat selection is just perfect, I think, from the Moog schematic on a t-shirt (above) to flash memory earrings to Live sound packs from Puremagnetik.

Digital LoFi > The 2nd Annual Digital LoFi Holiday Gift Guide for the Disenfranchised

Digital LoFi has some fantastic selections: buy one, get-one-free offerings from Soniccouture (makers of fantastic Kontakt scripts, by the way), a pay-what-you-will EQ, and wonderful donationware plug-ins. The site also calls out CDM’s own Winter Guide print-on-demand – thanks!

Pt. I
Pt. II
Pt. III
Pt. IV

Honorable mention: The wacky scientists in residence at New York’s Eyebeam research center have introduced Hack Me Elmo. (Thanks, Chris Hahn!) That’s right: it’s a blockbuster holiday toy from years past, hacked into something very odd. Check out our own Mike Una’s how-to on circuit bending if you want to transform a toy into something musical and wonderful, also in our Winter ‘08 guide.

And yes, the rest is here:

Cheryl writes us:

interested in your dj11.My son who has the gifted ear for music has it on his x-mas list.Wondering if this is too much tecno for a precussor to a it guy with a great ipod at partiesand playing around at home

Is it too much techno? If you have the gifted ear for music, please share your advice, if you can think back to those innocent, young days when you were but a wee precursor to an IT guy.

In other news: what’s a dj11? Think I might want one, too.

It’s not too late. In the spirit of procrastination, I offer my last round-up of products. Mail order these suckers “rush” or stop by your local music store, and you’ve still got time. (Or, if you’re really lucky, you’re giving to someone like me with a January birthday and the “holiday season” just extends onward and onward.)

Here’s the rules: all gifts are about US$200 and under (street). Sound tough? Not at all: there’s lots of good gear that can be had on the cheap — cheap enough to buy yourself. (I definitely want a Rock ‘N Rhodes Christmas; more on the fantastic site this shot is from in a separate story.)

Now, we proudly present some of CDM’s favorite musical tools and toys of 2005, as part of our Gifts You Should Buy Yourself if No One Else Does:

Great Drum Pads

Everyone should have a MIDI drum control surfaces. They make sampling, sound triggering, drum programming, sequencing VJing, and countless other tasks absurdly more fun. And if you’ve got one, you should get another. (Two can be a productivity boon for some tasks, like controlling video or loop scenes and clips.) There are two can’t-lose 16-bad USB/MIDI drum pads available. Akai Professional’s MPD16 is my favorite for the feel of the pads, with the same pads and level switches as the legendary MPC series. M-Audio’s Trigger Finger feels great, too, though, and earns extra points for pre-programmed maps for Live, Reason, and drums, and assignable knobs and faders for real-time control. Street price: About US$200.

Great Drum Software

If you’re serious about sampled drums, one instrument stands above the rest. Native Instruments’ Battery is simply the most versatile, powerful drum instrument I’ve used. If programming percussion isn’t your idea of a good time, it includes 3.5 GB of samples on DVD to get you going. Street price: About US$200.

Fun Keys

Shrunken two-octave keyboards too often play like toys and cramp your style, but not the Alesis Photon X25. It’s small enough to throw in a decent-sized bag (I use the generously-sized Crumpler bags to fit both a laptop and the X25), but unlike some of its competitors, it’s actually a keyboard you can love. Everything feels great, from the key action to the high-quality pitch and mod wheels to the continuous knobs — even Alesis’ choice of materials makes this fun to touch. As if that weren’t enough, Alesis throws in an infrared AXYZ dome so you can control your sound by waving your hand in the air above the keyboard, plus a basic audio interface. Everything’s USB-powered, so this is the perfect programming synth on the road, or a fun mono / analog / bassline keyboard for the studio. Circuit bend your boring current controller, and buy this. Street price: About US$200.

One of the Greatest Synths Ever

Software recreations of analog hardware rarely live up to the original. The Way Out Ware TimewARP 2600 (distributed by M-Audio) is one of the rare soft synths that does. From its obsessive attention to detail (thanks to a painstaking collaboration with the ARP 2600’s original creators and players) to the inclusion of all the original factory patches, this synth will satisfy lovers of vintage instruments. But that’s not why it really matters: it’s simply a brilliant design (even decades later) that’s perfect for live performance. Having it in convenient software form you can actually afford is just all the better. It’d look great with a bow around it. Street price: About US$200.

A Great Dynamic Mic

It’s such a cliche, that I don’t have anything to say about the Shure SM58 and its higher-end sibling the Beta 58A (the latter being a personal favorite of mine). Simply put, these are the mics you’ll want to croon into onstage. And like some of the other categories here, the more you have, the merrier. Street price: About US$100 for the SM58, $150 for the Beta.

After-Hours Musical Fun

Okay, I’ll admit it: this list appeals largely to specialists. But I’ll finish up with a series of games that will remind everyone you know why music is fun. Our friends over at Harmonix Music have created some of the best musical games ever, and they’re still at it. Guitar Hero (PlayStation 2 only) is an insanely fun guitar-playing game, complete with hardware controller. It could overtake Dance Dance Revolution and whatnot as the best musical game ever. But what if you don’t have a PS2 — and/or guitars aren’t nearly enough to embarrass your friends? Karaoke lovers like me can be seduced by the equally brilliant Karaoke Revolution Party for PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Street Price: About US$80 for Guitar Hero (including the controller), $50 for Karaoke Revolution Party.

Have a happy holiday season, everyone. What will I be doing New Years’ Eve? Drinking champagne and playing with the TimewARP, that’s what!

There are plenty of Moog-labeled goodies deserving of special mention in our ongoing gift guide. It’s a bittersweet pleasure since we lost Bob Moog this year, but the Moog film (above) and accompanying film soundtrack are simply must-have, and a worthy gift even for those new to synths. They’re available from your local CD and video outlets, or as a set directly from Moog Music.

Some criticized the Moog film for eschewing narrative and history, focusing instead on modern interviews, but perhaps that’s the most appropriate: it’s a picture of the Moog synth and legend as it lives now, as seen through the eyes of artists ranging from Keith Emerson to Stereolab. Having lost Dr. Moog, it’s all the more heartening to see the living musical legacy in action. The two-CD soundtrack is just as essential, covering a quirky journey through new Moog-made grooves on disc one, followed by the obligatory “Lucky Man” and other classics on disc two. The result is better thought of as a film soundtrack than a survey of electronic music history; if you want some history, too, throw in a copy of the CD/book set Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music.

The CD and film are terrific, but you can’t wear them to the gym. To show your synth geek colors, check out the Moog Music site, which is shipping Moog track suits and belt buckles, among the usual t-shirt and hat fare. Cooler than my Alesis underoos. (Okay, I don’t actually have any Alesis underwear, so if you’re out there, Alesis, I want you making some by next month’s NAMM show. That’s my kind of swag.)

Music with Heart

In a year of trouble for many parts of the world, there are tracks in here that let us share solace.

Music for Sudan: ASAP: The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project, has already raised US$125,000 for an Oxfam-affiliated local charity in Darfur. Not only does it benefit people in the birthplace of Afrobeat, but each track is a treasure of rich music by artists like Antibalas, Kokolo, Akoya, and Tony Allen (featuring Fela Kuti). It’s the Live8 antidote, entirely assembled by African musicians. The spirit-lifting grooves cost only US$10. Read more on CDM, check out the official site, or buy it from iTunes and other music stores.

Music for New Orleans: For a reminder of why music is vital in times of hardship, cue up any of the tracks on Our New Orleans, a new benefit release from Nonesuch. This isn’t just another benefit album: these are New Orleans musicians, singing and playing their souls out. That’s a lot of soul: artists like Eddie Bo, Beausoleil, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dr. John . . . I could go on. Read the album cover, and you’ll know this is a must-have. Sounds like home. Buy it from iTunes and other music stores.

Indie Music Online: Our friends at Fake Science are rewriting the rules of online music purchasing: no DRM, low prices ($2 for a whole EP, $5 for an LP), and 60% of your cost goes directly to the artist or small label. If that sounds like music to the ears of someone on your list, the FS folks remind us that gift certificates are available in various denominations. How else will you hear Spycloud (below)? Gift certificates available on the right-hand side dropdown on the FS page.

Good Reading:

These books, all printed this year, seem tailor-made for the CDM audience (well, one by your editor-in-chief), so I can’t resist listing them here, especially as it’s nice sometimes to take a break from the pixels and look at paper.

One of my favorite reads this year was The Art of Digital Music by David Battino and Kelli Richards. (Backbeat Books) David, editor of the O’Reilly Digital Media site, and Kelli, an industry insider and business and technology guru, talked to 56 artists and industry figures about digital music production, ranging from Ableton visionary and electronica artist Robert Henke (Monolake) to Thomas Dolby, Roland founder Ikutaro Kakhashi, and Herbie Hancock. It’s a really unique glimpse into the creative life behind digital music, and it’s one of those books you can just open to any page. Order the book/DVD set on Amazon or go check out details on the official site.

We’ve taken a look inside your studios and other studios on CDM (try a search for studios for a rough idea). So it’s only appropriate that not one but two books for studio voyeurs would debut this year. First, there are the bedroom studios — see previous coverage on CDM of the new Bedroom Rockers book. For more serious studios, see Behind the Beat, a hardcover book plus CD that looks inside the creative spaces of hip hop producers from DJ Shadow to Young Einstein. (That’s the hip-hop version, not Yahoo Serious.) $30 buys you 320 color images, to inspire creativity and gear lust, plus musical tracks from the featured studio.

Lastly, while I’m heavily biased and hate to shamelessly plug my own work, I have to share this one: my book, Real World Digital Audio should be shipping by Christmas, and I couldn’t be more proud of it. It’s a 600-page reference on making music with technology, plus a DVD of extra software and tutorial content. I just got my copies in the mail, and I’m thrilled with the work our team has done it, particularly Jim Aikin, who served as technical editor, and the staff at Peachpit on our production team who stuck with it and put out a book I’m excited to own. The other good news is, because I’m not writing it, I get more time to spend on CDM — and, better yet, music. Now, that’s a gift. More on the book once we know it’s hit shelves (hasn’t happened quite yet but should any day now).

Want to shamelessly plug your book or album? Or tell us about some music or reading we’ve missed that you want? Hit comments, or email me.

And to everyone, happy holidays! (And don’t worry, I’ll bring you lots of stuff to buy all year long.)

Previously:

Holiday Gift Guide: Best Digital Music Picks from Femalemusician.com
Holiday Gift Guide: Best Gift Guides on the Web

Theresa brings us some of her favorite picks for musicians, including a book/video on breathing technique for singers, music lessons in Long Island, an inexpensive mic duo, mutable guitar cables that prevent pops and squeals, and iTunes music.

The Art of Breathing, US$29.99 (Book, DVD, or VHS)
“Breathe, breathe in the air, don’t be afraid to care”, said the 1973 Pink Floyd lyric, when Dark Side of The Moon was THE vinyl to have beneath the turntable needle. Well, today it’s Nancy Zi who’s making a living on breathing and encouraging us all to join the deep breathing craze, in a new art form she calls CHI YI. As a professional opera singer, Nancy provides this book for peak vocal performance, stress reduction, and everyday well-being.

One Month of Music Lessons from Femalemusician.com, US$105-210
Encourage your girlfriend, spouse, or child’s desire to shine! Now through January 31, 2006, FM Digital Studio in Northport (Long Island), New York is offering one lesson free with the purchase of a music lesson gift package ($105.00 OR $210.00) Singing, piano, keyboards, and recording sessions/make a CD, available as gift package. Call: +1 631 754 0479, email fm@femalemusician.com, or order via the Female Musician Digital Studio Website.

(Shown: Christina Corso, Age 16, currently works on her sophomore CD at FM DIGITAL STUDIO.)

Audio-Technica Condenser Mic Two-Pack, Model AT2041SP, street US$150
Audio-Technica (AT2041SP) hits home with this unbelievably-priced combo pack containing two condenser mics. The AT2020 records lush vocals and handles a wide range of instruments; the AT2021 small-diaphragm condenser is designed for direct instrument recording including acoustic guitars, drum overheads, pianos, and group vocals. Together, the two mics can handle a wide variety of recording tasks. The package includes a pivoting stand mount and mic clip. A real sweet choice for compact digital studios, leaving ears and wallets just tingling all over!

Perfect Guitar Stocking Stuffer: Mute-switchable Cables, US$30-50 depending on length
The Planet Waves’ Circuit Breaker™ cables have a built-in mute switch to save equipment from loud pops and squeals, making on-stage or in studio guitar/bass changes a snap. Once the cable is shorted, remove the cable from the guitar being used and plug the cable into the next instrument. Press the button again to re-activate the cable signal. Try bizrate.com for best price.

iTunes Music Cards, Any Amount
If your friend or loved one has an iPod, the gift certificate, music card, or allowance options available at iTunes.com will feed the need for more tunes. Apple makes purchasing these cards easy by using emails and codes. Purchase at iTunes.com or a nearby Apple Store.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!

Theresa Orlando is founder and editor of The Female Musician, and producer and host of the She Grooves Radio Hour, which can be heard on Long Island at 6pm Wednesdays on 88.9 FM WCVF-FM (SUNY Fredonia) or via podcast.

Music thing Gift Guide (pictured): Just in case your wallet escaped the first time, Tom is back to do more damage with goodies from the blogosphere. Some of my favorites are quite affordable: t-shirts, Dubstation plug-in, and a pipe organ you can make out of paper.

Make’s Mostly-Under-$100 Gift Guide Our favorite DIY magazine weighs in on (mostly) affordable gifts. Of course, a Make subscription is a great idea, but be sure to ask for their suggested soldering iron so you can start building your own synths!

Gawker’s Gizmodo / Kotaku Gift Guide: Wild gadgets and gaming goodness. And, of course, my suggestion that people go get a music keyboard.

Got a gift guide of your own? Post it on your blog, and then send me a link; if I like it, I’ll update this list!

You’ve seen something cool, and you want to evangelize it to your fellow readers.

You’re a developer or product maker and want to pitch your product. (Come on, don’t be too humble.)

You can send what you want to receive to me, then show your significant other / family member our gift guide as a not-to-subtle hint. (That’s my favorite reason.)

Fire away — either use comments (sorry, spam was getting thick so I had to turn registration back on), or email me.

By the way, CDM’s holiday present to you: a newly redesigned site that fixes all the problems that we’ve had, looks purty, and gives you more content and features. Coming soon.

Other Holiday Gift Guides: By the way, pick up the December Keyboard Magazine for a great gift guide. Okay, I’m partially biased by the fact that they have my book Real World Digital Audio in there, but also by the fact that I want half the stuff they list, okay? -PK