The Best Music Production Software Cubase is one of the most popular DAWs in the world, provided you’re a semi-pro or a pro musician. Its 10th iteration is a huge step forward, due to a new smart visual design and excellent features, including MixConsole Snapshots, an updated (and better) VariAudio 3 and significant improvements in regard to workflow and overall capability.
There’d be uproar if we did a list such of the best PCs for music production and didn’t include an Apple iMac. The fact is that this range, still going strong after over a decade, has been the centrepiece of many a productive home studio.
Top 5 Best Desktop Computer for Music Production in 2020 – Reviews. Apple iMac 27″ Retina 5K display, 3.0GHz 6-Core Intel i5, 8GB RAM. Check price on Amazon.com. The best iMac for music production and the most. Apple Mac mini, 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB.
The 2018 and 2020 Mac Mini are identical in terms of hardware - but pricing got adjusted. Mac Mini 6-Core i5 - on sale: Mac Mini 6-Co.
When choosing a Mac for music production, you have a few choices.
The first thing you have to decide is if you rather have a desktop computer or a laptop.
Typically, if this is your first mac, or you don’t already have a reliable laptop, I’d recommend going for a laptop. Having the ability to bring your studio anywhere is important.
If you prefer to have a large screen when making music and don’t plan on working in too many locations, a desktop computer might be a better option for you.
Once you have made that decision, you have to choose the best model for you.
Down below are my top 5 picks for the best Macs for music production.
Tip: When writing this article, I found that most of these computers were cheapest on Amazon. I recommend comparing prices on Amazonbefore buying directly from Apple.
Mac Pro
If money is not an issue, go for a Mac Pro.
Not to be confused with the Macbook Pro, the Mac Pro is apple’s most powerful desktop computer.
Its price starts at $3000.
The Mac Pro is packed with 12GB of ram. Its processor is quad-core and is 3.76GHz.
There are 4 usb 3.0 ports and 6 thunderbolt ports. As for connecting display, you can use either the provided thunderbolt ports or the hdmi port.
The hard drive is 256GB. Don’t be alarmed by the small storage capacity (compared to the 1TB+ computers that are standard today). The hard drive is a solid state drive (SSD). This means that there are no moving parts.
Solid state hard drives are a LOT faster than normal hard drives. Doing anything, from booting up, to loading up your favorite DAW, will happen in a fraction of the time that it would with a normal hard drive.
The newest Mac Pro model is noticeably compact.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Mac Pro is how small and compact it is. It is perhaps one of the smallest powerhouse computers in the market.
You can tell that the Mac Pro was designed very well. It runs incredibly efficiently and stays cool during use.
iMac
The nice part about buying an iMac, compared to a Mac Pro, Is that the display is built-in. No additional purchases are needed to get up and running with the iMac.
There are 2 main types of iMacs you could get: The Retina and non-Retina version.
Mini Mac For Music Production
The best iMac available is the 27 inch iMac Retina display model.
The Retina iMac starts at $2000 and has a few different variations.
The baseline iMac has 8GB of ram and a 1TB hard drive. It has a nice and powerful 2GB video card as well.
For the average producer, this is more than enough power. Even if you need more power down the road, the iMac is upgradable to 32GB of RAM.
To save some money, you can buy the non-Retina version for only $1099. It still has plenty of power from its 8GB of ram, 500GB hard drive, and 1.4GHz processor.
Mac Mini
Mac Minis have gone down in price a lot over the years.
They are still an amazing performer in the studio and have quite impressive specs for their price.
The cheapest one you could get is $500. If this is all you are willing to spend, by all means go for it, but I would recommend the next option up.
The next option up is $700, BUT has twice the ram, a 1 terabyte hard drive, and a much faster 2.5GHz processor.
The Mac Mini has 4 usb 3.0 ports, 2 thunderbolt 2 ports, and also an hdmi connector if you prefer hdmi over thunderbolt.
$700 is an incredibly low entry barrier to get a Mac. Of course you also need a monitor. Apple has their own expensive displays, but if you’re on a budget, you can pick up a third party thunderbolt monitor, such as the ASUS MX279H for only a couple hundred bucks.
Overall, the Mac Mini is an excellent choice for music production.
Macbook Pro
Without a doubt, the Macbook Pro is the best laptop for music production.
Out of all of the few laptops that Apple offers, the Pro model is the most powerful. While it is not as thin as the Air, it is still a lot more portable then most other laptops in the market.
Just like the iMac, there are both Retina and non-Retina versions. The non-Retina Macbook Pro starts at $1099 while the Retina Macbook Pro starts at 1299.
The Retina Macbook Pro comes in both 13 and 15 inch variations. It has 8Gb of RAM and a 2.7Ghz processor.
There is even a 128GB SSD hard drive built-in. If you pay a little more, you can get a 256GB hard drive.
The Macbook Pro has a long-lasting battery that will last for 10 hours. (That would probably translate to roughly 6 hours of heavy audio-editing in a DAW.)
Macbook Air
I included the Macbook Air on this list because it is what I found to be the cheapest Apple Laptop that would hold up to music production.
The Macbook Air starts at $900 and goes as high as $1199.
You can get your Air in either 11 or 13 inch variations. I would recommend going with the 13 inch model. Those extra 2 inches make a big difference!
The baseline 13 inch Macbook Air will cost you $1000. It has a 1.6GHz processor and has 4GB of ram. You’ll immediately notice that the Macbook Air is really fast! This is because of the 128GB flash SSD hard drive inside.
I don’t think I even need to mention how portable the Air is. You can stick the think in an envelope if you wanted to!
Overall the Macbook Air is a dream for producing on the go! It is surprisingly powerful and inexpensive.
Summary:
So there you have it! What is the paint equivalent in mac.
I hope you have learned a bit more about which mac are best for music production. If you still have a question, drop a comment down below!
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Mac Tips
Mac TipsUpdated: October 22, 2020 | 11 min read
Music-making does not require renting studios to record your tracks—all you need is your home laptop to apply the desired effects to polish tracks. But before this, learn which Apple computers are the best ones to record music.
Musicians prefer Macs, and for several reasons—high-quality music production is one of them. In this article, we’ll cover the main aspects you should consider when choosing the best Mac for music production and give our recommendations on important models specs.
In a nutshell, we believe the top three of the best Macs for music production 2020 are: Uber mac os.
27-inch 5K iMac—the best choice for music production
16-inch MacBook Pro—the best portable laptop
Mac mini—the best budget Mac
Read further to find out why these models are the best computers for creating music!
What’s Best for Musicians—Mac or PC?
Choosing between macOS and a Windows platform depends mostly on your computer preferences and your collaborators. With the fast development of technology, the PC is right behind Mac. However, it's easier to get started making music on a Mac than on a PC. We’ll tell you why.
The PC standard audio drivers won’t be suitable for creating music professionally. Windows users would need to install ASIO drivers for the sound card alongside other music hardware they’d like to use, for example, MIDI controllers. Windows does not provide native music software—that’s why installing extra music software is essential.
On a Mac, on the contrary, fewer steps are required. You can plug in music hardware and then open GarageBand—the pre-installed app on iOS and macOS in DAW (digital audio workstation). It lets you have your music studio for recording, editing, composing, and experimenting with audio-tracks. We’ll tell you more about GarageBand in this article.
Recommended system requirements
The Mac’s system requirements depend on which type of music software you’d be using and the complexity of your music-making processes. The next step is to check the program’s official system requirements you will run. This will help you determine the minimum required specs your Mac should have.
For music production, a Mac should have at least a 2.2Ghz i7 quad-core processor. The process determines how fast your music projects would run (and usually they are huge). Start at least with 16GB of RAM. Having less than 16 GB of RAM means using fewer instrument voices. Also, your speed will decrease.
Let’s talk about storage. The amount of disk space depends on the size of the audio files you’ll be working on. As a rule, professional software can use hundreds of GBs. So, for starters, Macs coming with basic 256GB SSDs may be enough. Still, you can plan to add some external storage for your Mac in the future.
Video cards have always been important for playing games and video editing. And for audio software as well. Choose a video card wisely— check which one is required by the audio software you need and if you’ll have to connect any displays.
The Best Macs for Music Production
Here is our list of the best Macs for music-making:
27-inch 5K iMac—the best choice for music production
The new 2019 hardware makes the 27-inch 5K iMac our top pick for your home studio. You can customize its RAM up to 64GB. The advanced processor lets you use all the features of pro audio editing apps. The size of the Retina display is an obvious benefit. Besides, it comes with four USB 3 ports alongside with two Thunderbolt 3/USB Type C ports.
16-inch MacBook Pro—the best portable laptop
If you go on tours—the 16-inch MacBook Pro is just right for you! The basic configuration makes it powerful enough. Using the Touch Bar is useful when you record tracks and change the settings at once. Only 4.3 pounds (2.0 kg) of weight, MacBook Pro has a major advantage for musicians who are always on the road.
Mac mini—the best budget Mac
Why is the Mac mini also on the list of the best Macs for music-making? Mac mini had an update in March 2020, bringing in a 256GB SSD. Besides, it is a good choice if you’re on a budget. What’s great about the Mac mini is a small size, an extra audio-in port. In addition to this, you can customize it with a much more powerful processor and more RAM. Where is tools on my mac. But be ready to buy a keyboard, a mouse, a display to go with your Mac mini model.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Mac for Music Production
Consider these two factors when deciding on the best computer for music:
Portability
Among the first things to consider when determining which Mac to choose is to think over whether you need a desktop computer or a laptop. A laptop is the best choice for musicians who move a lot for work.
Connections
Using many additional instruments, such as monitors, headphones, USB instruments, and other audio interfaces, is essential. That’s why a limited number of USB ports might become an issue. Do check and compare the Connections sections when reviewing Mac specifications.
Mac Music Software
Here are our 2020 picks for the best apps for music-making on a Mac:
If you’ve just started producing music, GarageBand has Smart Instruments helping you create a guitar, drum, synth, and orchestral parts without knowing how to play these instruments. GarageBand version 10.3 is full of surprises. New sound effects and instrument sounds and 1000 electronic and urban loops at your disposal are just the beginning. The Artist Lessons are finally free for those craving to learn songs taught by famous artists.
Logic Pro X is called GarageBand's 'companion' and is, in fact, Apple's professional audio software. If you're an electronic musician and want to experiment with sound, you might opt for Logic Pro X. The great news is that you can get a 90-day free trial. However, you’ll need to run macOS 10.14.6 (macOS Mojave) or later. Moreover, this app is rather resource-consuming, so the best MacBook for Logic Pro X is either a 13-inch MacBook Pro or a 16-inch model.
Ableton Live 10 makes your DJ experience smooth. Being a DAW it offers empowered MIDI sequencing hardware and software. With this app working on MIDI controllers is hustle-free now.
PreSonus Studio One 4 Prime is for you if you’re still deciding whether you’re just at the beginning of your music-making career. It is free! A perfect app to start creating music with. Being a full-scale digital studio, it offers the Artist and Pro editions and an improved drum editor to make your instrument editing workflow easier.
Cakewalk SONAR Mac Prototype is another free app used to be available on Windows only. However, now it can be installed on a Mac too.
How to Prepare your Mac for Music Recording?
Recording music does sound like a high-load process for your Mac. Full storage, apps responding longer than usual, or a spinning wheel on your screen may slow you down. So how to get back to productive work?
For starters, it's always a good idea to clean RAM. The rule applies—the more memory available, the faster your Mac should run. Memory Cleaner feature in MacKeeper frees up RAM with just a few clicks and lets you know which apps may be eating up memory without you even knowing it.
Best Laptop For Music Production
Another thing that may hamper music recording is the lack of free space. Music-making requires some extra gigabytes at hand, so you can use such MacKeeper tools as Safe Cleanup and Duplicates Finder to scan your Mac for old copies of files, caches, or apps leftovers and safely remove them.
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Music Production Mac Or Pc
We hope our guide helped you choose the proper computer for music-making. Now go and grab your instrument or mic, plug it into your new Mac, and get rockin’!