Table of Content
You may also be interested to read about the Studio Display, which Apple launched alongside the Mac Studio in March 2022. However the Pro, Max and Ultra variants of the M1 all offer far superior graphics than the M1, and they do top the best graphics options in the Intel-powered Macs. It’s not only the CPU cores that make the M1 Pro, Max, or Ultra better suited to designers than the M1 though – the graphics cores are the next thing we will discuss. The M1 Pro and M1 Max have a different ratio of performance to efficiency cores. Here you’ll find six high performance and two high efficiency cores.
This list of DAWs may pique your interest in EDM production due to their unique features. Audio warping is included in Ableton Live, allowing you to time-stretch and morph samples with ease. Logic Pro X is the industry standard software used by musicians to create music. Logic also calls the feature “live loops,” which is the latest version of the software that includes a step sequencer inspired by classic drum machines. Logic Pro supports 24-bit/192 kHz audio, as well as 1000 stereo/surround tracks and 1000 instrument tracks. Those who intend on using their Mac for live shows or those with a particularly mobile workflow will probably want to opt for a version of the more lightweight MacBook Pro for music production.
Apple Mac mini ( M1
If you want to notate your music, you can use a music notation software. This will allow you to create sheet music that you can print out or share online. Do you like home recording studio packages or do you prefer standalone pieces? With so many different components, it can be tough to find the right home recording studio package for you.
FL Studio noticed a gap in the market in the late 1990s as more musicians began to create music ‘in the box’ rather than with live instruments. However, if you’re a serious gamer or if you shoot a lot of videos or edit photos, then you’ll want a Mac that can handle the load. With the speed of the M1 Macs, however, you may not need to max out your gaming rig. With now five processors – the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, and M2 – what seemed simple when Apple first released these Macs has now gotten more complicated. Before March 2022, I said that, if money is no object, and you need a workhorse, then don’t waste too much time. At $5,999 and up, this was the Rolls Royce of the desktop Mac, and you can configure it to a staggering cost – over $50,000 – if you want it to be lightning-fast, with lots of RAM and SSD storage.
What designers need from a Mac
And the Mac Studio, with an M1 Ultra processor, lets you go up to 128 GB of memory. The second round of M1 Macs – using what Apple is calling the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors – focused on the MacBook Pro. They come with 8 or 10 cores, plus additional graphic cores, and allow you to add more memory than the first M1 Macs. You may have noticed we haven’t mentioned audio capability in a desktop computer – pretty fundamental, you’d think?

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Before we get into the details of how the Mac Studio lives up to Apple’s claims, or if it falls short, we should give a shout-out to the M1 Ultra, which really is remarkable. The M1 Ultra is essentially two M1 Max chips connected together using a super-fast and low latency connection known as UltraFusion. Available with either an M1 Max or M1 Ultra processor, the design of the Mac Studio is both strikingly new and instantly familiar, looking somewhat like a Mac Mini on steroids.
Beelink SEi11 Pro Mini PC r
Whether you opt for an iMac or a MacBook Pro for your music production setup will depend on your specific needs and production style. The number of cores determines how many processes can be executed simultaneously. Macs with more cores will generally handle multitasking and ‘multi-threaded’ processes better. It should be noted, however, that the more cores a CPU has, the slower it usually is at completing any ‘single core’ tasks, so more cores aren’t always better. If you’re looking for something compact and lightweight that can handle most things you throw at it, look no further than the MacBook Pro 13. With the new M1 architecture you get up to 20 hours of battery life out of what is still a very impressive level of performance for such a small notebook.
Of course, having powerful software is essential when trying to get your mixes to sound professional, or even when trying to compose and arrange. What are its strengths; Ableton Live is excellent for electronic music production, especially live shows. One of the main reasons people prefer to use Macs for music production is for their stability. Macs are known for not crashing at awkward times as much as is reported from PC users, which makes them great for live production when you definitely don’t want to have your flow interrupted. Generally speaking, 8GB of RAM should be enough for most lightweight projects, but we’d recommend pushing to 16GB if you tend to use lots of virtual instruments, plugins, and layers. It’s always good to be future-proof too even if you don’t think you’ll need it just yet.
Obviously these can be upgraded to 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of storage. Prices for the 16GB/512GB configuration are $1,699/£1,649 which is around $600/£600 more than the Mac Mini and only $300/£350 cheaper than the more powerful Mac Studio. The MacBook Air is a little less powerful than the MacBook Pro, but you can choose a model that meets our requirements of 512GB storage, and you can up the RAM to 16GB or 24GB as we recommend.

Much of the work we do uses just a single core, but demanding tasks use multiple cores working simultaneously. Apple’s Mac product line has changed a lot recently, and if you’re looking for a new Mac, you have a number of options to consider. For some people, it’s a simple choice, but for others, the choice can be more complex. The Mac Studio trumps everything with an HDMI port and SDXC card slot as well as four Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M1 Max version and six Thunderbolt 4 ports with the M1 Ultra. You’ll also find two USB-A ports on both models, but only the Ultra gets an additional two USB-C ports.
There are more editing tools available with a paid Pro Tools upgrade, which unlocks over 100 plugins. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best DAW for beginners will vary depending on individual needs and preferences. However, some popular DAWs for Mac users include Logic Pro, Garageband, and Ableton Live. All three of these options offer a variety of features and tools that can help beginners get started with creating and producing their own music.
Realistically, any modern Mac is broadly suitable for the majority of design work – it’s just that less powerful machines will slow you down. Any Mac is also an investment in your career, but if you’re just starting and really can’t afford to splash out on the more expensive fare recommended elsewhere, a Mac mini will do. The M1 has 7 or 8 GPU cores, the M1 Pro has 14 or 16 GPU cores, the M1 Max offers 24 or 32 GPU cores, and the M1 Ultra offers 48 or 64 GPU cores .
While the 13in MacBook Pro and MacBook Air do only have two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, the 14in and 16in MacBook’s have three Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) ports, an HDMI port and an SDXC card slot. Most M1 Macs only support one additional display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz . But, while the M1 Macs are great machines, someone working with graphics and images may benefit from choosing at least an M1 Pro. The RAM in the Mac Pro and the Intel-powered version of the Mac mini can be updated though. If you want to save money you could purchase the RAM from a third party rather than Apple – but do bear in mind that you will void your warranty if you add it yourself.
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