Why I Bought The Mac Studio For Music Production
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2024
- This video is about the reasoning behind my purchase of the Mac Studio for my small home/project studio and music production endeavours. I hope my reasons will prove insightful to you, especially if you're considering a Mac Studio for yourself.
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:21 The Setup
01:32 My Situation
04:17 The Specs
06:43 The Pros
07:13 The Cons
08:20 What's Next
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Are you a Mac user already? Find out why I personally choose Apple's Logic Pro X as my digital audio workstation of choice!
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Short n sweet🙂Thanks for sharing
Great feedback! Thanks!
Thank you for your work. Good video.
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.
Very helpful
Thank you !
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 CZcams 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
Good Luck to you
Thanks!
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.
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!
@@mynewmicrophone 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.
@@mynewmicrophone ah got it, yeah a 4tb drive would work nicely
Thanks
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!
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!
@@mynewmicrophone 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
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.
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!
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.
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?
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
@@mynewmicrophone 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.
@@mynewmicrophone 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.
This guy has speed talked all the way to the middle of his clip without saying anything of real use..
No details at all about the workloads he actually gets out of his Mac Studio.. just a generalized motormouth regurgitation of Apple's claims..