It’s that time of year again — time for each of us to pore over the Sweetwater website and/or our popular ProGear Directory to pick out that perfect piece of gear that we want Santa to bring. It’s ok to admit it. We all do it. In fact, we got the chance to speak to some of our favorite artists, producers, and engineers about the subject of their holiday wish lists. Each of them weighed in on the gear they have their eyes on for the coming season.

A-list Session Drummer
Kenny Aronoff is renowned as one of the foremost drummers in the world, with a resume that includes John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger, and countless others.

I would love Sweetwater to send me an AEA A440 ribbon microphone for Christmas for my personal recording studio — Uncommon Studios LA. I love ribbon mics because they are warm and give you an honest audio picture of what the mic is picking up. Ribbon mics make me sound expensive! The AEA A440 is one of the best ribbon mics out there.

DJ, Musical Director, Sound Collage Artist, Arts Educator

DJ Reborn is a trailblazing, international DJ who has graced the same stages as Lauryn Hill, the Roots, John Legend, Erykah Badu, and more.

DJ-505
I have my eye on getting the Roland DJ-505 2-channel Serato DJ Pro Controller next if possible because of its ability to DJ effortlessly with Serato and also its ability to essentially make your own beats on the fly and do spontaneous edits while spinning. It looks very user-friendly.
Jordan Rudess

Jordan Rudess
Dream Theater, Solo Artist, Music Entrepreneur

Jordan Rudess is one of the most respected keyboard and piano players in the world today. His mind-twisting work can be heard with his prog-metal juggernaut Dream Theater, his solo piano work, and the undying commitment of his company, Wizdom Music, to furthering technology in the arts.

The announcement of the Zoom H3-VR 360 has me wanting one. I’m really into spatial audio, and it’sexciting to see Zoom enter into this exciting and cool space in the commercial market.

Cory Wong
Solo Artist, Vulfpeck, The Fearless Flyers

Cory Wong is quickly rising to modern guitar hero status through the extremely funky rhythms he coaxes from his trademark Stratocasters.

There’s one piece of gear I’ve had my eye on for a while. I love the UA Apollo gear for recording, and I’ve just been waiting for the right time to buy the Apollo x8p. I finally got rid of my 2012 MacBook and upgraded to a brand-new MacBook Pro — so it’s time for the rest of my hardware to follow suit. I do a lot of recording from home, and it’s the perfect rig to record a small band setup. I suppose I’ll need some sort of monitoring system too. Dang it! I hope Santa will acknowledge all that metronome practice and be kind this year!

Josh Scott
Founder/Owner/Designer JHS Pedals

Josh Scott has built JHS Pedals into one of the most respected names in electric guitar effects, always striving to offer guitarists top-tier tone while pushing the sonic envelope.

Jag Stratocaster

I really want the Fender Limited Edition Parallel Universe Jag Stratocaster. As an offset addict and a Strat lover, this thing immediately caught my eye. It’s like both worlds melted into one!

Shawn Dealey
Production Manager, Producer, Studio Engineer, Front of House Engineer

In addition to being Production Manager at Fort Wayne’s Clyde Theatre, one of the most technologically advanced mid-sized music venues in the states, Shawn has years of experience on the road engineering bands such as Santana, Counting Crows, and more. Shawn knows a lot about what a live sound engineer needs.

I want a Crown Seating Stealth Pro Engineer’s Chair. It’s amazing how much difference proper seating makes! I’ve been lusting for one of these after mixing many shows on a bar stool! The comfort and ergonomics of this chair help keep you focused and on task while working.

Anna Sentina
Session Bassist, YouTube Personality

Anna Sentina is the new breed of Internet-based rock star. Her bass-focused YouTube channel has earned well over 400,000 subscribers, while she continues a successful career as a session artist.

A piece of gear I’ve been wanting for a while now is the Kala U-Bass! I’ve had my eye on these U-basses for some time. I think it would be really convenient to have a mini, acoustic version of a bass to travel with and come up with ideas on. They just seem like such a beneficial piece of gear for a bassist to have.

Jason Suecof
Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Producer, Toontrack, Audiohammer Studios

Whether it’s his work with Trivium, Job for a Cowboy, or the Black Dahlia Murder, when it comes to the sound of crushing metal, no producer nails it quite like Jason Suecof.

Red 8Pre

This year I bought some new Focusrite Red 8Pre I/Os for our new drum room. They are by far the best I/Os I have used. Two are simply not enough! For the first time ever my preamps clip before Pro Tools does. The headroom is insane. And having 16 channels of Red pre is super siq! I really need two more for my other room so I can tie them all together with the Dante setup.

Chuck Surack
Saxophonist for Sweetwater All Stars and PrimeTime, Sweetwater Founder and CEO

Not every music company can boast being overseen by a die-hard musician in his own right. From starting Sweetwater as a mobile recording studio to his continued busy schedule as a saxophonist, Chuck Surack is the real deal.

VE-500 Vocal Performer

I’d love to get the new BOSS Vocal Performer VE-500. It’s a 32-bit multi-effects pedal with harmony. Adding reverb, delay, and harmony to my saxophone would take my sound to a new level.

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