The Mac is an apparent candidate in case you’re on the lookout for a pc with which to make music. The selection could be overwhelming, although, with units starting from a couple of hundred {dollars} or kilos to 1000’s greater than you would possibly spend on a automotive. On this article we examine all of them and clarify which Mac is best for you.
There was a time when music manufacturing required hiring a studio, however expertise strikes quick. Through the Eighties, there was a revolution in analog residence recording equipment; then the Nineteen Nineties noticed residence computer systems steadily take over. Right now, you are able to do every little thing from recording pop songs to mastering film soundtracks on a Mac. However which Mac? That’s the query we’re right here to reply!
Why use a Mac for music manufacturing
Whether or not you select a Mac or PC for music manufacturing is essentially right down to the platform you favor and who you’re collaborating with. Nonetheless, there are a couple of the explanation why musicians who select to make use of Macs achieve this.
One purpose is the easy proven fact that Macs are extremely straightforward to make use of, so musicians don’t get sidetracked attempting to set issues up or repair issues. The latest addition of the M-series of Apple-made chips additionally signifies that they’re very highly effective, usually outperforming Intel-equipped PC equivalents. Mac laptops are additionally slim and lightweight, with very good construct high quality – a profit if you’re carrying them round to gigs in addition to utilizing them in a studio.
Finest Mac configuration for music manufacturing
If you’re going to make music with a Mac then there are a selection of issues that it’s good to think about. We’ll run by every of those beneath that can assist you make your closing resolution.
Software program
Apple
The software program you employ – your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) – is as arguably as necessary as the pc you select. There are many choices accessible on macOS, which you’ll examine in our round-up of the perfect music recording software program for Mac.
Two spectacular packages you may solely discover on Macs are Apple’s personal Logic Professional and its enthusiast-focused cousin GarageBand. (Learn our Logic Professional and Garageband critiques.)
GarageBand is actually an audio sketchbook, albeit a strong one in the proper arms. It’s nice for shortly getting down the bones of songs or compositions, with loads of help for plug-ins. We all know of a number of skilled musicians that use it for creating demos of concepts, which they’ll then share with different musicians within the early stage of writing. Better of all, GarageBand comes free with each Mac, simply one other good purpose for utilizing Apple’s computer systems to create your music.
Once they need to get critical although, there’s a superb likelihood they’ll change to Logic Professional X, which is the much more highly effective and feature-rich DAW.
RAM
Music software program is notoriously hungry for reminiscence. A scarcity of RAM (in Apple phrases that is known as Unified Reminiscence) turns into a critical bottleneck in any pro-level mission. You’ll have the ability to run fewer devices and fewer results; you’ll spend extra time rendering and fewer time doing issues reside.
Think about 16GB your minimal. This shouldn’t be troublesome, all Macs and MacBooks could be geared up with 16GB RAM – and we advocate that you simply do configure your Mac to at the very least this stage, if no more. Be aware that M2 and M1 Macs ship with 8GB RAM as customary. The M2 Macs could be up to date to 16GB RAM and high out at 24GB, whereas M1 Macs might solely help as much as 16GB RAM. For those who assume you would possibly want 32GB RAM then you will have to improve to the M2 Professional (an choice within the MacBook Professional or Mac mini), which comes with 16GB as customary and helps 32GB. For 64GB or 96GB RAM, you want the M2 Max (an choice for the MacBook Professional or Mac Studio). And for 128GB or 192GB RAM you’ll want to take a look at the M2 Extremely (within the Mac Studio or Mac Professional).
Storage
Storage is more likely to be an necessary consider your resolution. All Apple Macs use SSDs and have performed so for a few years now. This can be a profit as a result of onerous drives generally is a bottleneck because of their comparatively low velocity in comparison with SSDs, and they are often noisy.
Nonetheless, SSDs are far dearer per GB than onerous drives. Entry-level Apple notebooks have 256GB SSDs, however professional instrument and results collections when put in can require a whole lot of GB, and that’s earlier than you even begin to add your individual music recordsdata. So that you in all probability need a minimal of 512GB SSD along with your Mac. Another excuse to keep away from the lower-capacity Macs is that we’ve discovered the smaller SSDs to be slower than their larger-capacity counterparts.
You will need to determine what you’ll want, and whether or not property will likely be saved internally or externally. Exterior drives could be high-quality for giant pattern libraries and the like, particularly when related utilizing Thunderbolt, however you then want to find out easy methods to take every little thing with you in case you’re a musician who works with individuals in many various areas. Cloud storage may be a superb choice right here: try our Finest Cloud Storage Providers for Mac.
Portability
Talking of being at totally different areas, you have to determine whether or not you want the Mac to be moveable or not. For those who’re at all times shifting round, working with numerous musicians in several international locations, a Mac Studio in all probability gained’t slot in your hand baggage. However in case you’re a solo musician who solely ever creates music in a house studio, you may get extra bang in your buck with a desktop machine such because the M2 Professional Mac mini.
In case you are studio based mostly it’s possible you’ll assume that you simply want an iMac to be able to reap the benefits of the big show, however you may plug in an exterior show to any Mac, so even in case you had a laptop computer Mac you may fortunately use it with a 30-inch display when you’re at your desk.
Ports
You additionally want to think about the opposite equipment you need to use. For those who don’t have any additional equipment (if all your music-making occurs inside a Mac) then this gained’t be a priority, and, in concept, any Mac would possibly do. However if in case you have a pile of audio interfaces, USB devices, headphones, displays, and different very important {hardware}, attempting to get by the 2 USB-C ports discovered on the MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Professional fashions will drive you to despair. (Through which case you may want a USB hub to make use of along with your new Mac).
Fortunately in latest instances, Apple has added extra ports to its latest Mac laptops, so one can find SDXC, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and extra on the facet of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional. The Mac mini and Mac Studio even have a pleasant choice of ports.
Apple
Processor
Excessive-end audio work could be extraordinarily processor intensive, particularly when utilizing skilled plug-ins and results. In case your calls for are nice, you’re going to want a Mac with pretty critical processing energy. Ergo, whichever Mac you determine to purchase, keep away from low-end fashions that appear to lurk within the line-up to allow Apple to say ‘from’ and use a decrease price-tag in advertising and marketing materials. That stated, the present crop of entry-level Macs with their M2 Chips are proving to be fairly formidable.
For the last word choice flip to the MacBook Professional, Mac mini or Mac Studio with the M2 Professional or M2 Max. The M2 Extremely within the Mac Studio and Mac Professional may also attraction, however would possible be overkill.
Graphics
There’s additionally the query of the GPU. Traditionally, recording and enhancing audio didn’t make the most of many graphics card sources, not like 3D design and video enhancing. Issues are extra difficult today as some audio software program is GPU-accelerated. It’s additionally an element must you require extra shows. Apple’s M2 Macs supply 8 or 10-core GPUS and may suffice usually.
For those who assume you’ll profit from extra graphics prowess then look to the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Professional with the M2 Professional (16 or 19 graphics cores) or the M2 Max (30 or 38 graphics cores). The Mac Studio and Mac Professional go additional providing the M2 Extremely with 60- or 76-core GPU.
Show help
Talking of exterior shows, notice that if you wish to plug in a couple of extra show the usual M1 and M2 MacBooks gained’t formally help a couple of extra show (though there are methods round this, see: Methods to join two or extra exterior shows to Apple M1 or M2 Macs). The Mac mini, Mac Studio and all different MacBooks help a lot of exterior shows. This might matter in case you want to use graphics with the music you play.
Finest Mac for musicians
1. MacBook Professional, 14-inch, M2 Professional (2023)
If you would like a good-sized display, loads of ports, and loads of energy the 14-inch MacBook Professional, launched in January 2023, is an effective choice (and the 16-inch MacBook Professional if you’d like an excellent larger display). Each include the M2 Professional chip and 16GB Unified Reminiscence (aka RAM) as customary. This may, in fact, be upgraded on the level of sale, maxing out at 32GB for the M2 Professional (you may rise up to 96GB within the dearer M2 Max fashions).
You’ll get 512GB or 1TB storage as customary, with the choice to extend that to a mega 8TB. There isn’t any 256GB SSD choice for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional, which avoides the entire situation with slower SSDs that plagues the 256GB SSDs.
These are all good causes to decide on the bigger MacBook PRo over the 13-inch mannequin, one other is the M2 Professional, which brings additional GPU cores (16 or 19) that can be utilized to crunch the numbers wanted when utilizing a great deal of plug-ins, VSTs or rendering multi-channel compositions onscreen. Do you have to need essentially the most highly effective MacBook Professional you should buy, then you may take a look at the M2 Max, which maxes out at 38 GPU cores.
That is an costly Mac, however we frequently see excellent reductions so we strongly advocate that you simply store round to save lots of. Try these MacBook Professional offers for the perfect reductions.
2. MacBook Professional, 13-inch, M2 (2022)
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
Not each musician has the finances for Apple’s M2 Professional-powered MacBook Professional although. The excellent news is that even the 13-inch M2-powered MacBook Professional is worthy of consideration for music-making.
The 13-inch MacBook Professional, launched in June 2022, makes use of Apple’s M2 chip. The M2 is highly effective sufficient to supply nice efficiency and make brief work of initiatives with loads of layered tracks, results, VSTs, and provides easy playback with out stuttering or overloading. True, the baseline mannequin does solely include 8GB of RAM, so we’d advise upgrading this to both 16GB or 24GB on the time of buy, as you may’t make any changes afterward as a result of non-upgradable approach these are constructed.
The M2 MacBook Professional can be the final remaining MacBook to characteristic the Contact Bar, which could be actually useful for adjusting settings or scrubbing by a timeline. You do solely get a few USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, however these could be expanded through a USB-C hub in case you want extra connections for exterior peripherals or drives. If you would like energy and portability, then the 13-inch MacBook Professional with M2 is kind of the workhorse.
Learn our full
Apple 13-inch MacBook Professional (M2, 2022) assessment
3. MacBook Air, 13-inch, M2 (2022)
Value When Reviewed:
$1,099 (WAS $1,199)
The 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 is one other Mac laptop computer that may very well be thought-about in your DAW. By way of weight, it’s the lightest of the present crop at 2.7 kilos/1.24kg, however that doesn’t imply it’s a light-weight within the efficiency stakes. The M2 mannequin is claimed by Apple to be 1.4x quicker than the earlier M1 model, plus you additionally get a bit extra show area because it was elevated from 13.3-inch to 13.6-inch.
As a result of Air’s energy effectivity, the laptop computer additionally comes with out a fan, which may very well be a godsend in case you file close to the laptop computer. As with all Macs, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack so you may edit on the go with out worrying about latency.
The MacBook Air is rather less highly effective than the MacBook Professional, however you may select a mannequin that meets our necessities of 512GB storage, and you may up the RAM to 16GB or 24GB as we advocate. The 512GB MacBook Air, upgraded to 16GB of RAM, prices $1,599/£1,649 from Apple, which isn’t precisely low cost (however Apple did drop the worth by $100/£100 in June 2023. There’s a cheaper $1,099/£1,149 mannequin, however that solely has 8GB of RAM and 256GB, however may very well be usable in case your workload is mild.
To save lots of more cash you would possibly think about the M1 model, which remains to be accessible from $999/£999, we’d advise in opposition to this and counsel that you simply lower your expenses by buying round for a superb deal. See: Finest MacBook Air offers. You’ll be able to see how the 2 totally different fashions examine by studying our MacBook Air (M2) vs MacBook Air (M1) article.
Learn our full
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (M2, 2022) assessment
4. MacBook Air, 15-inch, M2 (2023)
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
Really feel just like the display on the 13-inch MacBook Air may be too cramped in your wants? In June 2023 Apple launched a 15-inch MacBook Air. It prices greater than the 13-inch MacBook Air, however really represents good worth for cash compared to the 14-inch MacBook Professional, which has a similar-sized display however prices much more. See: 15-inch MacBook vs 14-inch MacBook Professional for extra data.
Learn our full
Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (M2, 2023) assessment
5. Mac mini, M2 Professional (2023)
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
For those who don’t want the portability of a laptop computer the perfect worth for cash Mac for musicians is the Mac mini with M2 Professional, which launched in January 2023. For $1,299/£1,399 you will get the identical chip that can value you $1,999/£2,149 within the MacBook Professional. Positive you’ll want a separate display, mouse and keyboard, nevertheless it’s nonetheless going to save lots of you a ton of cash.
It’s small, quiet, and has nice connectivity choices, together with a further audio-in port that may very well be helpful for legacy merchandise. What extra might you ask for?
Learn our full
Apple Mac mini (M2 Professional, 2023) assessment
6. Mac mini, M2 (2023)
Value When Reviewed:
From $599
For those who don’t want the M2 Professional there’s a normal Mac mini with M2 chip, which begins at simply $599/£649. If you have already got a show, keyboard, mouse and are simply on the lookout for an engine on which to make some music, the Mac mini is a strong alternative.
It’s small, quiet, and has nice connectivity choices, together with a further audio-in port that may very well be helpful for legacy merchandise.
The Mac mini is at the moment accessible with the M1 chip and 256GB SSD for simply £649/$599. There’s additionally a 512GB mannequin for £799/$849. Double the RAM to 16GB, for one more £200/$200.
If funds are low, the Mac mini is a good alternative for making music. Listed here are the perfect costs for the Mac mini.
Learn our full
Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) assessment
7. Mac Studio, M2 Max (2023)
Value When Reviewed:
£1,999
These seeking to create professional-level music within the residence or studio will certainly need to take a look at the Mac Studio. Aimed on the Professional market, however nonetheless reasonably priced, this beefed-up Mac mini boasts the M2 Max SoC, with a 12-Core CPU and 30-Core GPU, or the M2 Extremely for 24-core CPU and as much as 60 or 76-core GPU. Each choices ship enviable ranges of efficiency.
Add to this as much as 64GB RAM for the M2 Max, or 192GB RAM for the M2 Extremely, and as much as 8TB of storage (all of which could be upgraded on the level of sale) and you’ve got an extremely potent Mac that may deal with something you throw at it. There are many ports accessible, together with 4x Thunderbolt 4 and 2x USB-C and 2x USB-A, so all your outboard equipment ought to have the ability to plug straight into the Mac Studio. As with the Mac mini, you’ll must convey your individual show, keyboard, mouse and audio system.
Try the perfect offers for the Mac Studio to see if it can save you on the standard worth of $1,999/£2,099.
Learn our full
Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) assessment
