I'm a bedroom music producer — here's how I'd set up a cheap home studio for Mac with Prime Day deals

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 | $169 $135.99 at Amazon

I’ve used many USB interfaces over the last few years, which are pieces of hardware you plug into your device to run a guitar or mic into it. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3 is by far the easiest to use. It’s a simple interface – you can tweak small things like gain and input but, for the most part, it’s a great plug-and-play device. If you want to record vocals or guitar, this is one of the best ways to do so. As it has two different inputs, you can even record from two different input sources at the same time for more of a “live” feel. If your MacBook doesn’t have USB-A ports or you don’t have a USB-C hub, you will need a USB-A to USB-C converter, though you can get one here for $7 off too.

Fender Deluxe Series instrument cable (15ft) | $42.99 $22.78 at Amazon

Fender is one of the most recognizable guitar brands in the world, and for good reason. Producing products that look great, sound even better, and last a long time, they are well worth the money. This 15ft instrument cable has a custom-made tweed jacket that makes the wire immune to kinks. This means it won’t wrap and contort itself into weird angles as you put it away. It also comes with 24-karat gold-plated connectors that help carry sound without diminishing it. You only need to buy this once as it comes with a lifetime guarantee, too. It’s a bit more expensive than other cables but well worth it for those features. 

Blue Microphone Baby Bottle | $399.99 $163.49 at Amazon

A truly astonishing deal – you can get this Baby Bottle condenser microphone at a whopping $230  discount right now. Providing clear sound and a great look, this is an excellent microphone for any music production setup. The XLR connection means you can plug it straight into the Focusrite above, too. 

M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini | $119 $99 at Amazon

Though the M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini is somewhat limited in its 32-key range, this makes the midi keyboard easy to carry around and allows for more space on the board for super precise controls. Above the keys, you can store banks of chords with programmable buttons and it even has faders to get just the right tone from your music production software. With assignable knobs and buttons, you can activate arpeggiators, modulate the pitch and tone, and control effects on the fly, making for a much more dynamic sound. This is an excellent keyboard if you want to put synths or drums over your tracks. 

iPad Air (M2) | $599 $559 At Amazon

The iPad Air is a surprisingly capable music production machine, thanks to its beefy M2 chip and speedy storage. All the equipment above works with it, and GarageBand is a great free program to get started with. The great thing about getting an iPad Air is that it’s a great device outside of music production, too. It is capable of running some very impressive games and has a gorgeous screen for casual browsing and watching videos. 

MacBook Air (M3) | $1,099 $898.99 at Amazon

The iPad Air is a great music production choice but a MacBook Air just gives you more options overall. It’s more powerful (this particular model features an M3 chip) and has access to software that isn’t on the iPad App Store. Mac has its own App Store with unique apps and can run non-Apple applications more easily. This Mac also comes with 256 GB of SSD storage, 8GB of unified RAM, an HD webcam, and a wonderful screen. This is all helped by the fact it currently has a very nice reduction of $200 off its usual asking price too. 

Apple gift card

Though GarageBand is a decent music production program at the start, you will want to upgrade to something a bit more professional after some time, and Logic Pro is the next best step. If you are looking to encourage a friend to get into music production, an Apple gift card can go towards that purchase.