Are you a Mac user already? Find out why I personally choose Apple's Logic Pro X as my digital audio workstation of choice! ua-cam.com/video/n4i829rYiFw/v-deo.html
I've been happy with Logic Pro since I began using it circa 2013. At my day job, we use Pro Tools almost exclusively (except for some scoring or stock music production tasks, where LPX is often the go-to). In my opinion, the best DAW is generally the one you're the most comfortable with. I've had enough experience with LPX and Pro Tools that I can essentially do whatever I need to seamlessly without technical roadblocks (that's not to say that I never learn anything new about these software-there's always something to learn in these incredibly deep programs).
Thankyou for directing me to this video. I went with the Mac mini M1 as soon as it became available, I bought it with a 2 TB SSD and Logic Pro pre-installed, has Mac's 3D sound card. I find it very fast and efficient, a bare bones system in which I use my LG 3D 48" TV, a PC wireless keyboard which works very well, has a scroll pad built in. I have a 24 channel mixer connected to the Mac via a Berhinger Zenyx 302 USB interface connected to my Yamaha 5.1 surround amp. I am using a Polk Audio speaker system which consists of 2 satellite 3 way speakers and a massive sub woofer, the centre speaker is a Pioneer designed as a centre speaker and 2 2-way Polk speakers for the rear channels. I've had this hobby for about 2 decades now, tons of software, now I have the JoueyPlay MPE keyboard system, works very well with the Novation miniNova. I also have Novation Circuit, Modal Skulpt, MOOG Theremini, Korg Volca Sample 2 and an older Casio CTK 601. For keyboards, I have the Arturia Keylab 88 Essential, Arturia Beatstep Pro and Arturia Keystep. I also have the Vhffoso portable drum kit. I have 2 guitars, the BC Rich Warbeast, an Ibanez Acoustic-electric, an electrified East Indian sitar, an Italia Modena electric sitar and a Radel digi-100 Plus Tabla machine. I usually spend about 6 hours daily just playing around with all the gear, great hobby. I am a retired Industrial electrician with an IT diploma in CIS (Computer Information Systems). I did take piano lessons while in high school, mostly I am self taught. My favourite instrument is the Novation miniNova, it's 3 oscillators are high quality and respond well to MPE which I am just getting into. Arturia Analog software is what I use most, as well as their FX bundle and preset bundles. I am very fond of UVI's WorldTour Suite2, especially the India and Australia programs. Cherry Audio synths, Imaginando's FRMS and Melda Productions software. Learning as I go.
I just bought a Mac Studio about a month ago for doing music with same config. I wish I have opted of the 4TB storage, but the 2TB will be fine. I did consider a M3 Mac and have looked the spec's for the M4 and I think for doing audio the M1 Max of M2 Max is good choice. With you talked about the Apple monitor I think you were mixing up the Apple XDR display that is very expensive and you have pay more for the stand. I am using the Apple Studio display with my Mac Studio and it's a little pricy compared to the usual 4K monitors on the market, but the Studio Display is 5K and that extra resolution really helps with DAWs that have lots of little things on the screen. Part of what got me to think about the Mac Studio is those USB-C ports on the front, it makes so handy for plugging in a MIDI keyboard or MIDI pads I just use a USB-A to USB-C adapter and so far the things I've plugged in using the adapter all work fine. I'm really happy with my decision. I had a Mac Pro "Cheese Grater" in the past I loved and I view the Mac Studio the 2024 version.
It’s certainly an investment! FWIW, this computer is holding up superbly well for mixing and, more importantly, production/recording sessions with numerous instances of CPU and RAM-hungry plugins/virtual instruments. I’ll be testing the limits for CPU and RAM in my Logic sessions in my 6-month “review”.
Not quite there on the monitors just yet. Only editing for this small UA-cam channel for now. I’ll have stronger recommendations once I get deeper into that portion of the gig! Currently using two inexpensive Samsung monitors, which work fine for my purposes (no colour grading/correction, and no huge need for 4K, though my camera and computer can handle 4K without issue).
Thanks so much for you honest reply, I have subscribed to your channel so look forward to looking through your videos, I haven’t been doing anything creative for too long so looking forward to getting back into it, I’m an old cubase user. Thanks again
Only major issue I've found is in the internal hard drive. Work off external SSDs and I think this machine will be a great fit for your music production needs.
@@ArthurFoxMusic I pulled the trigger and bought the M2 Max Studio with 2TB SSD and 64GB Ram, and I have my sample libraries & project dirs on external drives ( One Thunderbolt SSD, and 2 USB 3.2 SSD. ) Yes indeed, this seems like a very workable configuration.
Very good information. Finally someone is actually talking about practical things rathet than benchmark results. I also have a home studio setup with imac 2015. The ram on 2015 is upgradable and after I upgraded to 32GB it is still satisfying my needs. Do you know if focusrite 18i2 will work out of the box with mac studio. usb-A is definitely here to stay in the music world. One usb-A for midi controller and 1 usb-A for audio interface is a minimum requirement.
We have a spare Mac Studio at VillageWorks that uses a Scarlett 18i20, so I can’t imagine it’d be an issue. At home I have the Scarlett 2i2 plugged direct (usb-A) and then my Arturia KeyLab49 (along with my type keyboard and a few other usb-A connects) are bussed together on a usb-A hub that connects to the other usb-A connection. Glad to help. Not a big gear head (find there’s a lot of shilling on UA-cam) and yet this is my most popular video lol
Hello, thanks for the video. I am glad you love your Mac Studio. I will purchase one as well once decided on specs. It will also be an M2 Studio Max (not sure if 64GB Ram with 2TB Storage OR 96GM Ram with 1 TB Storage). I am using Pro Tools. I have a question please...what is your USB C to HDMI adaptor model that you talked about in the video? I need to purchase one as well before I get my Mac Studio and most of them that I found online only Mirror the Display and not extend it. I would like to Extend, like you did. One screen you have your Logic and the other screen the Mixer or whatever else. Thanks and talk soon.
Go with 96 Gigs of Memory and get yourself one or more external SSDs!!! Much more flexible that way. Keep the internal drive as empty as possible on these machines (and all computers, really). I grabbed a simple converter from Amazon to extend the display (more specifically: geni.us/Anker-USBC-HDMI). Will do more research if and when I upgrade to a 4k monitor ;) Hope that helps. Have a great day!
Hi! Nice to meet you. I am running pro tools ultimate (atmos mixing etc) in a Mac pro 5.1 with opencore. I have been using for over more than 10 years and i am considering to buy a Mac studio max to run pro tools , plugins and 6tB of kontakt libraries. With Some piano libraries i get clicks and pops and cpu overload and i have to increase buffer size to 1024 to run more than 16 kontakt instances in pro tools or kontakt standalone. Do you think i will notice the change? I usually work in music production and audio production into pro tools and vep. Thank you so much for your post and help!
We run a 2019 Mac Pro in the Dolby Mix Theatre at the studio I'm employed at-it's still running like a charm, though Pro Tools doesn't always play nicely with new OS versions (we typically hold off for as long as possible). I always recommend an external drive (SSD) for libraries. You may not even need a new computer if Opencore allows your machine to keep up IF you move all your libraries to a separate hard drive. That being said, 10 years is a lot for an Apple product (a sad reality). A new Studio Max would certainly be an upgrade. Hope that helps!
I just watched a video by @JamesZhan about how the Max and Ultra processors are over kill for music production. I already bought a Mac Studio, but a Mac Mini would have done the job.
That is an insightful video. Thanks for sharing! So far I’ve been able to breeze through even my densest sessions with this rig, so I’m very happy about that. Admittedly, future-proofing and video capabilities were part of my decision, though the vast majority of my work is being done in Logic Pro X.
I guess it depends what type of music production… If you wanna run a 1000 tracks orchestral template without any problems, with the necessary reverb, Eq and compressions. The M pro might not cut it, you would need more ram, min 64 to 128, and a really powerful cpu to handle the multiple players and plug-ins iterations.
The weird thing I found was that for my spec, max RAM, 2TB storage, the Studio actually worked out significantly cheaper than the Mini. Along with far better connections and better video out. Entirely not what I expected. Given I’m upgrading from a 2012 iMac, which isn’t able to manage some of my larger projects, I’m expecting something of a noticeable improvement. I found the whole Mac pricing for internal SSD was excessive, so I’m keeping all my libraries, samples and projects on external SSDs. And, yes, Apple’s monitors are insanely expensive for anyone who is not doing professional video work. For music production you can get by with far, far cheaper ones. And they’ll still look awesome.
Brother i have. Question I hope you can answer , this might be quite a big question I'm into music production for 6years (psychedelic trance ,)Ableton Live only now ,2 mc bk pros down the line ,both crashed ,lost all my projects ,now will have to start from scratch ,not a problem ,but because Mac Book pros are really expensive here in India ,I was considering the Mac mini M2 chip ,8 core cpu ,10 core GPU ,8 gig unified memory ,512 gb storage SSD , do you think the Mac mini will do the Job ?I will be using nothing but just Ableton ,just extremely for music production ,nothing else ,I have krk rokit 5 ,a focusrite scarlet audio interface ,and some novation midis and knobs ,and was also thinking of geting a 2 tb external hard drive ,do you think the Mac that i just described will do the job as I don't want any laggings ,,(Ableton ,)with some waves ,and some audio samples ,and some plugins ,( mostly my track consists of around 40 to 50 plugins or the same plugin used in 50 stems ,with a couple of automation and audio files around ,,i would really appreciate your answer as I'm considering buying the Mac mini ,,M2 , or if you could recommend me if this not what I should go for ,thanx i advance ❤
Mac Mini M2 with the specs you described would be more than good enough! The Mac Studio would actually probably be overkill for running your Ableton sessions - unless you plan on running large sessions with lot of live tracks being recorded, I think you'll do just fine. I'd recommend getting one or more external solid-state drives to go along with the Mini (at the very least for backup, as it seems you've been burned by crashes before). The 16GB Unified Memory is quite a jump up in price, but for projects with lots of virtual instruments running simultaneously, I'd want all the RAM I could get. Something to consider to larger sessions, at the very least (or get into the habit of bouncing your MIDI tracks to audio - I think it might be called "freezing" in Ableton). If you haven't had issues with your MacBooks other than the crashes, then similar specs would likely work just fine for you. Hope that helps!
@@ArthurFoxMusic thanx mate ,you can't even imagine how much this helps ,,thanx a lot and I've seen your replied to almost everyone here ,,just briliant,,,,❤️🙏🔥 much love
Very informative information. I have a 2017 27" iMac that I had souped up to 64 GB RAM. After having two of the four chips replaced (two third chips were a third party brand and faulty...) it's been running great for over three years. I also run Logic Pro X as well as the Affinity creative suite (graphic design) and it's handling it well. I regularly run Clean My Mac and it does remove s fair amount of clutter and increases the speed. I'm curious about your monitors. Does Samsung have good quality HD? Thank you!
That's one HUGE downside to the Mac Studio (being non-upgradable). I was talking with a few friends about doing a "Hackintosh" but needed something pretty urgently (the 2015 iMac really nosedived toward the end), so I believe the Mac Studio was the right choice. Those same friends seem confident that, regardless of the non-upgradable features, the machine should be a good studio brain for the next 7-10 years. About the monitors - I just found the most affordable options from a reputable company. The right monitor (LS22A338NHNXZA) was on sale when I was in the city, and I couldn't find it online for a second monitor, so the left monitor (LF22T350FHNXZA) was purchased on Amazon (geni.us/SAMSUNGT350Series22i) I'll likely upgrade the display monitors in the future. One thing at a time!
@@ArthurFoxMusic It seems the Studio can be ordered with custom options up front, so it stands to reason one can order it front loaded with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SS storage knowing it can't be changed from there. Thanks for the info on Samsung. LG apparently makes good monitors too. But the 27" 5K Apple monitor seems financially reachable if one can find an alternative to the $1,000 stand.
@@ub59 Indeed, the specs are locked in up front. Sorry if I didn't make that clear! I believe the 64 GB RAM, 12-Core CPU and 2 TB SS will suit me now and into the majority of this decade (if not beyond). I'll be looking for new monitors if I ever get into serious 4k editing. I think the 1080s are great for now.
Guess I'm going to grab the same Mac you have, Sorry If I missed it but can you tell us what external storage your using for your SD-3 and Opus Libraries, and what Hub? Thanks for good content on this..
Unfortunately, I'm only saving up for a SanDisk 4TB. RIght now I'm running limited libraries from the internal drive (only the ones I use regularly). I'll be getting a nice external drive some time soon.
i almost broght mac studio still wondering about the ram and the ssd but i plan go 32ram 2tb ssd or 64ram 1tb ssd but i think the best is 64ram and 2tb thats quite painful to me
If you're totally set on the Mac Studio (I'm not saying it's the best option for anyone - I can only speak for myself), and you're only able to choose between the first two options you mentions, I'd 100% recommend opting for 64GB memory (RAM + vRAM) and the 1TB SSD. You can always connect additional SSDs for storage and recall but you can't ever upgrade the memory on the M1 or M2 chips. If you're looking primarily for a music production computer, you likely won't be dealing with giant files (unless you plan of hosting massive sample libraries on your internal drive, which I wouldn't recommend anyway). Hope that insight is helpful! Cheers
@@ArthurFoxMusic thanks for the reply , yes i did plan of put massive sample libraries on my internal drive , but do you store your sample libraries on your internal drive?
I'll store my session audio on my disk (including the samples used in the session) until I offload them to an external SSD. I also store a few small folders of common percussion and transition effect samples on my internal drive. However, for my libraries (say for Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 or EastWest Opus), I'll put those on an external and have the virtual instruments grab for those drives. Those two libraries alone take up well over 1TB of storage.
These realistic virtual instruments have incredibly large sample libraries for all their different instrument options, articulations, round-robin sampling, etc. It adds up really quickly. Has nothing to do with Mac vs PC and everything to do with how robust the virtual instruments you use happen to be. If you're just accumulating a few samples from something like Splice each day, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
No doubt it can be tough to pull the trigger. I almost always run my gear into the ground before upgrading, though I typically splurge when it comes to such upgrades. In my case, I use the machine professionally, which means I’ll make that money back (and can write it off on my taxes), which helps.
Once popping starts happening in the audio and CPU percentages spike it's like AWWWW SHETT I need a new computer! Which dongle did you get for the dual monitor set up?
Yeah, I was having pretty severe issues running larger sessions, say 80+ tracks (which I regularly work on). Mixing with multitracks was alright, but my production sessions would bog down. Recording and editing video content because virtually impossible, which really got me to switch. As for the dual monitor setup, both monitors are connected via HDMI. One is going straight into the HDMI port of the Mac Studio. The other is converted to Thunderbolt 4/USB-C via an adapter and connected to one of the four Thunderbolt 4 ports of the Mac Studio. After working with one monitor for so long, the switch to two has been incredibly welcomed. I don't think I'll ever go back!
Indeed, I'd always recommend waiting out software updates, especially if things are working fine as they are! Had that drilled into my head working at a local studio - the one time my room's (Studio D) computer updated accidentally? Massive issues with Pro Tools that effectively killed a day of work with troubleshooting. That said, I have Sonoma on my Mac and, at least for me, Logic Pro X, OBS and Final Cut Pro seem to be working fine!
Good question. A proper audio interface is required for this computer (and I highly recommend getting one as soon as possible for anyone starting to produce music, regardless of the computer). The interface connects to and interfaces with the computer and acts as a hub for analog-to-digital conversion (sound going into the computer/DAW from connected microphones and direct-ins) and digital-to-analog conversion (sound coming out of the computer/DAW to the connected headphones and studio monitors). You don't necessarily need an external interface to get started. However, if you were considered dropping that much coin on a desktop for music production, an interface would be needed (and expected) for your setup. Hope that helps!
@@ArthurFoxMusic, Just bought Mac Studio, how can an audio interface be activated and deactivated Mac Studio speakers? I subscribed to your channel .. thank you in advance
Hi, I am considering buying a Mac Studio. Now that you have had yours since August how are you finding it. Are there any issues with fan noise, performance etc in your music production? Cheers.
I have yet to run into major performance issues with Logic Pro X SO LONG AS I keep data on external SSDs. I've found that as the internal drive fills up, performance starts to go downhill (especially at 70%+ full). The studio I work at (post production house called VillageWorks Content) uses a Mac Studio running Pro Tools for running sessions, and most issues there are Pro Tools centred.
I've long been mulling over getting an Apollo for the longest time - still haven't pulled the trigger on that, but have tried out UAD plugins natively and haven't had the best of times running a lot of them simultaneously.
If you truly want future proofing, get external drives for your samples now. The writing on the ssd is what kills the drives inside the Mac. You can apparently get the same size drives and swap them but will those drives be available when the time comes?
Thanks for the heads up! I've switched to storing all my libraries on external SSDs and am now moving all my projects to externals as I acquire them (along with HDD backups, of course).
Are you a Mac user already? Find out why I personally choose Apple's Logic Pro X as my digital audio workstation of choice!
ua-cam.com/video/n4i829rYiFw/v-deo.html
I've been happy with Logic Pro since I began using it circa 2013. At my day job, we use Pro Tools almost exclusively (except for some scoring or stock music production tasks, where LPX is often the go-to).
In my opinion, the best DAW is generally the one you're the most comfortable with. I've had enough experience with LPX and Pro Tools that I can essentially do whatever I need to seamlessly without technical roadblocks (that's not to say that I never learn anything new about these software-there's always something to learn in these incredibly deep programs).
Thankyou for directing me to this video. I went with the Mac mini M1 as soon as it became available, I bought it with a 2 TB SSD and Logic Pro pre-installed, has Mac's 3D sound card. I find it very fast and efficient, a bare bones system in which I use my LG 3D 48" TV, a PC wireless keyboard which works very well, has a scroll pad built in. I have a 24 channel mixer connected to the Mac via a Berhinger Zenyx 302 USB interface connected to my Yamaha 5.1 surround amp. I am using a Polk Audio speaker system which consists of 2 satellite 3 way speakers and a massive sub woofer, the centre speaker is a Pioneer designed as a centre speaker and 2 2-way Polk speakers for the rear channels. I've had this hobby for about 2 decades now, tons of software, now I have the JoueyPlay MPE keyboard system, works very well with the Novation miniNova. I also have Novation Circuit, Modal Skulpt, MOOG Theremini, Korg Volca Sample 2 and an older Casio CTK 601. For keyboards, I have the Arturia Keylab 88 Essential, Arturia Beatstep Pro and Arturia Keystep. I also have the Vhffoso portable drum kit. I have 2 guitars, the BC Rich Warbeast, an Ibanez Acoustic-electric, an electrified East Indian sitar, an Italia Modena electric sitar and a Radel digi-100 Plus Tabla machine. I usually spend about 6 hours daily just playing around with all the gear, great hobby. I am a retired Industrial electrician with an IT diploma in CIS (Computer Information Systems). I did take piano lessons while in high school, mostly I am self taught. My favourite instrument is the Novation miniNova, it's 3 oscillators are high quality and respond well to MPE which I am just getting into. Arturia Analog software is what I use most, as well as their FX bundle and preset bundles. I am very fond of UVI's WorldTour Suite2, especially the India and Australia programs. Cherry Audio synths, Imaginando's FRMS and Melda Productions software. Learning as I go.
Excellent presentation
I just bought a Mac Studio about a month ago for doing music with same config. I wish I have opted of the 4TB storage, but the 2TB will be fine. I did consider a M3 Mac and have looked the spec's for the M4 and I think for doing audio the M1 Max of M2 Max is good choice. With you talked about the Apple monitor I think you were mixing up the Apple XDR display that is very expensive and you have pay more for the stand. I am using the Apple Studio display with my Mac Studio and it's a little pricy compared to the usual 4K monitors on the market, but the Studio Display is 5K and that extra resolution really helps with DAWs that have lots of little things on the screen. Part of what got me to think about the Mac Studio is those USB-C ports on the front, it makes so handy for plugging in a MIDI keyboard or MIDI pads I just use a USB-A to USB-C adapter and so far the things I've plugged in using the adapter all work fine. I'm really happy with my decision. I had a Mac Pro "Cheese Grater" in the past I loved and I view the Mac Studio the 2024 version.
Thanks for sharing! 🙌 Definitely a way to go - Still struggling with a 40-GB 2015 iMac here... 😅
It was a tough call, budget-wise, but I think it's the right choice.
Working like a charm thus far! Taking notes for an update video 6 months in.
Thanks for sharing your views, I’m close to pushing the button on the same Mac
It’s certainly an investment!
FWIW, this computer is holding up superbly well for mixing and, more importantly, production/recording sessions with numerous instances of CPU and RAM-hungry plugins/virtual instruments.
I’ll be testing the limits for CPU and RAM in my Logic sessions in my 6-month “review”.
Thanks for the update, much appreciated, seems like the machine for me 😄
I am wanting to do some video editing too for weddings etc, can you recommend a good monitor ?
Not quite there on the monitors just yet. Only editing for this small UA-cam channel for now. I’ll have stronger recommendations once I get deeper into that portion of the gig!
Currently using two inexpensive Samsung monitors, which work fine for my purposes (no colour grading/correction, and no huge need for 4K, though my camera and computer can handle 4K without issue).
Thanks so much for you honest reply, I have subscribed to your channel so look forward to looking through your videos, I haven’t been doing anything creative for too long so looking forward to getting back into it, I’m an old cubase user.
Thanks again
Short n sweet🙂Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Exactly the spec I was considering jumping to. My intel iMac is struggling a bit.
Only major issue I've found is in the internal hard drive. Work off external SSDs and I think this machine will be a great fit for your music production needs.
@@ArthurFoxMusic I pulled the trigger and bought the M2 Max Studio with 2TB SSD and 64GB Ram, and I have my sample libraries & project dirs on external drives ( One Thunderbolt SSD, and 2 USB 3.2 SSD. ) Yes indeed, this seems like a very workable configuration.
Very good information. Finally someone is actually talking about practical things rathet than benchmark results. I also have a home studio setup with imac 2015. The ram on 2015 is upgradable and after I upgraded to 32GB it is still satisfying my needs.
Do you know if focusrite 18i2 will work out of the box with mac studio. usb-A is definitely here to stay in the music world. One usb-A for midi controller and 1 usb-A for audio interface is a minimum requirement.
We have a spare Mac Studio at VillageWorks that uses a Scarlett 18i20, so I can’t imagine it’d be an issue.
At home I have the Scarlett 2i2 plugged direct (usb-A) and then my Arturia KeyLab49 (along with my type keyboard and a few other usb-A connects) are bussed together on a usb-A hub that connects to the other usb-A connection.
Glad to help. Not a big gear head (find there’s a lot of shilling on UA-cam) and yet this is my most popular video lol
Great feedback! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful for you!
Hello, thanks for the video. I am glad you love your Mac Studio. I will purchase one as well once decided on specs. It will also be an M2 Studio Max (not sure if 64GB Ram with 2TB Storage OR 96GM Ram with 1 TB Storage). I am using Pro Tools.
I have a question please...what is your USB C to HDMI adaptor model that you talked about in the video? I need to purchase one as well before I get my Mac Studio and most of them that I found online only Mirror the Display and not extend it. I would like to Extend, like you did. One screen you have your Logic and the other screen the Mixer or whatever else.
Thanks and talk soon.
Go with 96 Gigs of Memory and get yourself one or more external SSDs!!! Much more flexible that way. Keep the internal drive as empty as possible on these machines (and all computers, really).
I grabbed a simple converter from Amazon to extend the display (more specifically: geni.us/Anker-USBC-HDMI).
Will do more research if and when I upgrade to a 4k monitor ;)
Hope that helps. Have a great day!
Hi! Nice to meet you. I am running pro tools ultimate (atmos mixing etc) in a Mac pro 5.1 with opencore. I have been using for over more than 10 years and i am considering to buy a Mac studio max to run pro tools , plugins and 6tB of kontakt libraries. With Some piano libraries i get clicks and pops and cpu overload and i have to increase buffer size to 1024 to run more than 16 kontakt instances in pro tools or kontakt standalone. Do you think i will notice the change? I usually work in music production and audio production into pro tools and vep. Thank you so much for your post and help!
We run a 2019 Mac Pro in the Dolby Mix Theatre at the studio I'm employed at-it's still running like a charm, though Pro Tools doesn't always play nicely with new OS versions (we typically hold off for as long as possible).
I always recommend an external drive (SSD) for libraries. You may not even need a new computer if Opencore allows your machine to keep up IF you move all your libraries to a separate hard drive.
That being said, 10 years is a lot for an Apple product (a sad reality). A new Studio Max would certainly be an upgrade.
Hope that helps!
I just watched a video by @JamesZhan about how the Max and Ultra processors are over kill for music production. I already bought a Mac Studio, but a Mac Mini would have done the job.
That is an insightful video. Thanks for sharing!
So far I’ve been able to breeze through even my densest sessions with this rig, so I’m very happy about that.
Admittedly, future-proofing and video capabilities were part of my decision, though the vast majority of my work is being done in Logic Pro X.
I guess it depends what type of music production… If you wanna run a 1000 tracks orchestral template without any problems, with the necessary reverb, Eq and compressions. The M pro might not cut it, you would need more ram, min 64 to 128, and a really powerful cpu to handle the multiple players and plug-ins iterations.
The weird thing I found was that for my spec, max RAM, 2TB storage, the Studio actually worked out significantly cheaper than the Mini. Along with far better connections and better video out. Entirely not what I expected. Given I’m upgrading from a 2012 iMac, which isn’t able to manage some of my larger projects, I’m expecting something of a noticeable improvement. I found the whole Mac pricing for internal SSD was excessive, so I’m keeping all my libraries, samples and projects on external SSDs.
And, yes, Apple’s monitors are insanely expensive for anyone who is not doing professional video work. For music production you can get by with far, far cheaper ones. And they’ll still look awesome.
Thank you for your work. Good video.
Glad to help!
Brother i have. Question I hope you can answer , this might be quite a big question
I'm into music production for 6years (psychedelic trance ,)Ableton Live only now ,2 mc bk pros down the line ,both crashed ,lost all my projects ,now will have to start from scratch ,not a problem ,but because Mac Book pros are really expensive here in India ,I was considering the Mac mini M2 chip ,8 core cpu ,10 core GPU ,8 gig unified memory ,512 gb storage SSD , do you think the Mac mini will do the Job ?I will be using nothing but just Ableton ,just extremely for music production ,nothing else ,I have krk rokit 5 ,a focusrite scarlet audio interface ,and some novation midis and knobs ,and was also thinking of geting a 2 tb external hard drive ,do you think the Mac that i just described will do the job as I don't want any laggings ,,(Ableton ,)with some waves ,and some audio samples ,and some plugins ,( mostly my track consists of around 40 to 50 plugins or the same plugin used in 50 stems ,with a couple of automation and audio files around ,,i would really appreciate your answer as I'm considering buying the Mac mini ,,M2 , or if you could recommend me if this not what I should go for ,thanx i advance ❤
Mac Mini M2 with the specs you described would be more than good enough! The Mac Studio would actually probably be overkill for running your Ableton sessions - unless you plan on running large sessions with lot of live tracks being recorded, I think you'll do just fine.
I'd recommend getting one or more external solid-state drives to go along with the Mini (at the very least for backup, as it seems you've been burned by crashes before).
The 16GB Unified Memory is quite a jump up in price, but for projects with lots of virtual instruments running simultaneously, I'd want all the RAM I could get. Something to consider to larger sessions, at the very least (or get into the habit of bouncing your MIDI tracks to audio - I think it might be called "freezing" in Ableton).
If you haven't had issues with your MacBooks other than the crashes, then similar specs would likely work just fine for you.
Hope that helps!
@@ArthurFoxMusic thanx mate ,you can't even imagine how much this helps ,,thanx a lot and I've seen your replied to almost everyone here ,,just briliant,,,,❤️🙏🔥 much love
Very informative information. I have a 2017 27" iMac that I had souped up to 64 GB RAM. After having two of the four chips replaced (two third chips were a third party brand and faulty...) it's been running great for over three years. I also run Logic Pro X as well as the Affinity creative suite (graphic design) and it's handling it well. I regularly run Clean My Mac and it does remove s fair amount of clutter and increases the speed. I'm curious about your monitors. Does Samsung have good quality HD? Thank you!
That's one HUGE downside to the Mac Studio (being non-upgradable). I was talking with a few friends about doing a "Hackintosh" but needed something pretty urgently (the 2015 iMac really nosedived toward the end), so I believe the Mac Studio was the right choice. Those same friends seem confident that, regardless of the non-upgradable features, the machine should be a good studio brain for the next 7-10 years.
About the monitors - I just found the most affordable options from a reputable company. The right monitor (LS22A338NHNXZA) was on sale when I was in the city, and I couldn't find it online for a second monitor, so the left monitor (LF22T350FHNXZA) was purchased on Amazon (geni.us/SAMSUNGT350Series22i)
I'll likely upgrade the display monitors in the future. One thing at a time!
@@ArthurFoxMusic It seems the Studio can be ordered with custom options up front, so it stands to reason one can order it front loaded with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SS storage knowing it can't be changed from there. Thanks for the info on Samsung. LG apparently makes good monitors too. But the 27" 5K Apple monitor seems financially reachable if one can find an alternative to the $1,000 stand.
@@ub59 Indeed, the specs are locked in up front. Sorry if I didn't make that clear!
I believe the 64 GB RAM, 12-Core CPU and 2 TB SS will suit me now and into the majority of this decade (if not beyond).
I'll be looking for new monitors if I ever get into serious 4k editing. I think the 1080s are great for now.
Guess I'm going to grab the same Mac you have, Sorry If I missed it but can you tell us what external storage your using for your SD-3 and Opus Libraries, and what Hub? Thanks for good content on this..
Unfortunately, I'm only saving up for a SanDisk 4TB. RIght now I'm running limited libraries from the internal drive (only the ones I use regularly). I'll be getting a nice external drive some time soon.
@@ArthurFoxMusic ah got it, yeah a 4tb drive would work nicely
Thanks
Good Luck to you
Thanks!
i almost broght mac studio still wondering about the ram and the ssd but i plan go 32ram 2tb ssd or 64ram 1tb ssd but i think the best is 64ram and 2tb thats quite painful to me
If you're totally set on the Mac Studio (I'm not saying it's the best option for anyone - I can only speak for myself), and you're only able to choose between the first two options you mentions, I'd 100% recommend opting for 64GB memory (RAM + vRAM) and the 1TB SSD.
You can always connect additional SSDs for storage and recall but you can't ever upgrade the memory on the M1 or M2 chips.
If you're looking primarily for a music production computer, you likely won't be dealing with giant files (unless you plan of hosting massive sample libraries on your internal drive, which I wouldn't recommend anyway).
Hope that insight is helpful!
Cheers
@@ArthurFoxMusic thanks for the reply , yes i did plan of put massive sample libraries on my internal drive , but do you store your sample libraries on your internal drive?
I'll store my session audio on my disk (including the samples used in the session) until I offload them to an external SSD. I also store a few small folders of common percussion and transition effect samples on my internal drive.
However, for my libraries (say for Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 or EastWest Opus), I'll put those on an external and have the virtual instruments grab for those drives. Those two libraries alone take up well over 1TB of storage.
@@ArthurFoxMusic wuuuuutttt just two samples already 1tb? Good to know this before I buy Mac
These realistic virtual instruments have incredibly large sample libraries for all their different instrument options, articulations, round-robin sampling, etc. It adds up really quickly.
Has nothing to do with Mac vs PC and everything to do with how robust the virtual instruments you use happen to be.
If you're just accumulating a few samples from something like Splice each day, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Man, really contemplating making this move but the price is really scarring me
No doubt it can be tough to pull the trigger. I almost always run my gear into the ground before upgrading, though I typically splurge when it comes to such upgrades.
In my case, I use the machine professionally, which means I’ll make that money back (and can write it off on my taxes), which helps.
Once popping starts happening in the audio and CPU percentages spike it's like AWWWW SHETT I need a new computer! Which dongle did you get for the dual monitor set up?
Yeah, I was having pretty severe issues running larger sessions, say 80+ tracks (which I regularly work on). Mixing with multitracks was alright, but my production sessions would bog down. Recording and editing video content because virtually impossible, which really got me to switch.
As for the dual monitor setup, both monitors are connected via HDMI.
One is going straight into the HDMI port of the Mac Studio.
The other is converted to Thunderbolt 4/USB-C via an adapter and connected to one of the four Thunderbolt 4 ports of the Mac Studio.
After working with one monitor for so long, the switch to two has been incredibly welcomed. I don't think I'll ever go back!
It’s worth it- I have the m2 ultra- just word to the wise, do NOT upgrade to Mac OS Sonoma! Tons of issues with recording software.
Indeed, I'd always recommend waiting out software updates, especially if things are working fine as they are!
Had that drilled into my head working at a local studio - the one time my room's (Studio D) computer updated accidentally? Massive issues with Pro Tools that effectively killed a day of work with troubleshooting.
That said, I have Sonoma on my Mac and, at least for me, Logic Pro X, OBS and Final Cut Pro seem to be working fine!
Since the Mac Studio does not have an audio out output, how were you able to get the sound from the computer to your speakers?
Good question. A proper audio interface is required for this computer (and I highly recommend getting one as soon as possible for anyone starting to produce music, regardless of the computer).
The interface connects to and interfaces with the computer and acts as a hub for analog-to-digital conversion (sound going into the computer/DAW from connected microphones and direct-ins) and digital-to-analog conversion (sound coming out of the computer/DAW to the connected headphones and studio monitors).
You don't necessarily need an external interface to get started. However, if you were considered dropping that much coin on a desktop for music production, an interface would be needed (and expected) for your setup.
Hope that helps!
@@ArthurFoxMusic, Just bought Mac Studio, how can an audio interface be activated and deactivated Mac Studio speakers? I subscribed to your channel .. thank you in advance
Thank you !
You're welcome!
Very helpful
Hi, I am considering buying a Mac Studio. Now that you have had yours since August how are you finding it. Are there any issues with fan noise, performance etc in your music production? Cheers.
I have yet to run into major performance issues with Logic Pro X SO LONG AS I keep data on external SSDs. I've found that as the internal drive fills up, performance starts to go downhill (especially at 70%+ full).
The studio I work at (post production house called VillageWorks Content) uses a Mac Studio running Pro Tools for running sessions, and most issues there are Pro Tools centred.
Need this to run my UAD plugins 🤣
I have a Sonnet TB3 chassis with 3x UAD-2 octo cards connected to a M1 Ultra Mac Studio.
I've long been mulling over getting an Apollo for the longest time - still haven't pulled the trigger on that, but have tried out UAD plugins natively and haven't had the best of times running a lot of them simultaneously.
If you truly want future proofing, get external drives for your samples now. The writing on the ssd is what kills the drives inside the Mac.
You can apparently get the same size drives and swap them but will those drives be available when the time comes?
Thanks for the heads up! I've switched to storing all my libraries on external SSDs and am now moving all my projects to externals as I acquire them (along with HDD backups, of course).
I would have found it useful if u would have at least mentioned what the price was 😂lol
It was expensive lol Prices are liable to change. Specs (especially on these new Macs) are not.