Making Music On A Macbook Pro

• Macbook Pro Music Stand
• Making Music On Macbook Air

What is the best Mac for music production?

Music production requires high-quality equipment, including a high-quality computer that can handle modern, high-power recording and production software. Fortunately, most music production software is compatible with Mac computers.

Simple Ways for Recording Audio with MacBook Pro 1. QuickTime is well known for its video and music playback capabilities. But most of Mac users don't know it also provides some additional features like audio recording. Since it is the pre-install software on MacBook Pro, you can begin the recording task directly. To add music to your music library, do one of the following: Move the pointer over an item, then click the Add button. Move the pointer over an item (such as a song or album), click the More.

The best Mac for audio production overall might be the Mac Pro, simply because it has the most powerful processor, but, in the end, it all depends on the music producer's needs. People in this business need a reliable computer with plenty of memory and storage. Doing a little research before purchasing ensures the user gets a laptop to fit their specific needs.

Lightweight Mac computers for everyday use

Some music careers require portability, and MacBooks are the perfect match in this case, though they are less powerful than desktop computers. DJs and events coordinators may find MacBooks ideal since they are lightweight and easy to carry around.

• New M1 MacBook Pro looks identical to the old Intel-powered MacBook Pro. Brad Moon The Decision to Upgrade. Let me make it clear upfront that I am not a 'power' user.
• But since then the most common question that I have received is whether I should get the MacBook Air for all the heavy duty stuff that we do on the Pro machines. So I got hold of my old friend, Amit Rana who happens to have a passion for music and of course off of his 2-year-old MacBook Air.
• In this video I will be making a beat on the new 16' Macbook Pro while comparing it to my 2017 13' Macbook Pro. I will try to push it to the limit by running.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro boasts a powerful processor for a laptop, giving it the ability to power bigger programs reliably. Users can lay multiple tracks fast and run large programs without losing speed. This MacBook comes with:

• 4-, 9-, or 8-core Intel processors;
• up to 32GB of memory;
• Retina display with True Tone technology;
• Touch Bar and Touch ID for more productivity.

The Touch Bar sits at the top of the keyboard and automatically adapts to whatever program is running. This means that the user will have more control over audio production apps, like Logic Pro X, and it could eliminate the need for a wireless mouse. With the Touch Bar, music producers can jump to a location, fine-tune sounds, and turn the Touch Bar into an instrument they need.

The MacBook Pro also comes in two sizes — a 13-inch and a 15-inch — and starts at $1,299. Both sizes come with solid-state drives (SSDs) for secure storage while traveling — something that will come in handy for music producers on-the-go.

MacBook Air

Being the lightest MacBook, this laptop is a great portable device to have. It weighs 2.75 pounds and is made from 100% recycled aluminum, making it eco-friendly. The MacBook Air starts at $1,099 and features:

• high-resolution Retina display with True Tone technology;
• Touch ID;
• up to 16GB of memory;
• an eighth-generation Intel Core i5 processor.

Though it is one of the lightest laptops you can get, the MacBook Air lacks screen space and may not be powerful enough for the music programs needed. It comes with 1TB of SSD storage, which allows for fast app launches and plenty of room for documents and pictures, but might not be enough for music programs and associated files.

But, even the most powerful laptops may get slower over time. We recommend using optimization software, like CleanMyMac X, to easily manage massive files and data on your machine and increase its performance. It will clear up old, unused files, hidden/background apps, and other memory-hogs that can also help preserve peak performance over any Mac's life.

Powerful laptops for an amazing performance

High-end audio work requires a high-powered central processing unit (CPU). CPUs do a lot of the 'heavy lifting' on a computer, as its main job is to execute programs. In correlation, the bigger the processor, the better the music programs will run.

iMac Pro

The iMac Pro is an all-in-one and starts at $4,999. It also provides a variety of ports to connect any equipment needed, like microphones, extra monitors, and USB instruments. The iMac Pro comes with:

• 8-,10-, 14-, or 18-core processor;
• Radeon Pro Vega graphics;
• up to 256GB of memory;
• 4TB of SSD.

With a 27-inch screen, a music producer can open several programs without having to flip between screens. Plus, with 4TB of all-flash storage, multiple music projects can be saved and loaded without the worry of the computer slowing down.

In case you have some issues with memory due to the excessive amount of apps, you could use CleanMyMac X's Uninstaller module. It will remove unused apps from your Mac and delete leftovers that are usually hidden in your machine's memory. Here's how to use the Uninstaller module:

1. Download CleanMyMac X for free here.
2. Launch the app and select Uninstaller.
3. Check the boxes next to apps you want to remove and click Uninstall.
4. After CleanMyMac X removed the apps, check the Leftovers tab to delete the remaining data.

CleanMyMac will then get rid of unnecessary apps and their data.

But, what if you cleaning your Mac doesn't make it more powerful? Then our next option will be great for you.

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is available with a 28-core processor, which means it's the most powerful Mac to date. This Mac is made for professionals who need the best CPU performance. Music producers can play hundreds of virtual instruments with this Mac and store tons of files without the risk of running out. It also features:

• up to 1.5TB of memory;
• 360-degree access to customize and expand;
• Apple Afterburner which allows the user to work with 4K and 8K files;
• Mac Pro Expansion Model, which allows for high-performance graphics.

The Mac Pro also comes with an additional 4TB of SSD storage, so music producers can save and download multiple files in any size. It has various ports to plug into to connect any equipment needed. This is useful for those who are studio recording or mixing and mastering.

Affordable Macbooks for all-purpose use

Price can be a factor in decision making like this. However, music producers shouldn't let price stand in the way of performance. Mac has affordable options for people in this line of work.

iMac

The original iMac is an all-in-one that has an updated processor that allows for speed and high performance. It comes in two screen sizes, with a 21.5-inch and 27-inch screen. This computer's processor boasts speeds of up to 5.0GHz, which means running applications like Logic X Pro will be effortless. The iMac also features:

• up to 5K retina display;
• up to 3TB of Fusion Drive;
• multiple USB ports.

For those looking for a big screen and an affordable price, the iMac could likely be the best of both worlds, starting at $1,799.

Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is powerful, fast, and relatively inexpensive compared to the MacBooks and iMacs. At $799, the Mini comes with new eighth-generation 6- and quad-core processors and up to 64GB of memory. It also has the same connectivity as an iMac so that music producers can hook up multiple instruments and microphones. Other features include:

• up to 2TB SSD storage;
• four Thunderbolt 3 ports;
• up to 4.6GHz Turbo Boost.

With the added SSD storage, music producers are able to save, download, and upload multiple large files, like a live concert sound engine.

In general, it's important to look at memory and storage when considering an ideal computer since music producers will handle numerous amount of large files that need to be accessed quickly. Though music producers might think they need a computer with a powerful processor, the best type of computer really depends on the user's needs. Whether you are a DJ traveling to gigs or a sound technician with a studio, Macs are a reliable choice for your future career.

After some careful considerations, I bought the Macbook Pro 2015 instead of the Macbook Pro 2016 to record, mix and produce music. Let me tell you why.

Before this, I was mainly making music on an Asus GL552VW gaming laptop, which itself packed a heck of a performance at a fairly decent price.

Why did I make the change? It's all down to personal preference, but I finally had enough with the issues I was facing on my Windows laptop. Of the many frustrations I had, the two major pain points were because of blue screens I was facing (my laptop came with a faulty graphics card) & the fact that I always had to use an audio interface to make music, even if I'm not recording.

Part of why I made the switch is also because I was leaning back to using Logic Pro X.

But with that said, there's nothing wrong producing facetime music on a PC vs a facetime mac.

Even composers like Hans Zimmer, compose with Cubase on a PC system:

So this post isn't about Mac systems being better than PCs. In fact, they're pretty much the same and down to your preference.

Bust the myth of the elitism that unless it's a Apple computer you can't play music on it. If it's a laptop, you can make music on it.

Why The Macbook Pro 2015 over the Macbook Pro 2016?

The new Macbook Pro 2016 looked honestly good. But it's also very expensive.

I won't talk about the design and the graphic the newer model has over, the older model since we're mainly talking about functionality for music production. So first, let's talk about the performance.

Performance

Undoubtedly the newer model has better performance with a newer processor. However, according to CultOfMac, the performance of the newer model is just a slight bit faster.

The SSD in the newer model is much faster than, the older version, with faster write & read speeds. This means starting up programs, and streaming tracks in your DAW would be snappier on the new Macbook Pro.

The small performance increment here wasn't something that is worth paying more. That's why on performance alone, I chose to buy the Macbook Pro 2015 model.

Macbook Pro Music Stand

Ports

The number of available ports on the Macbook Pro is important for most music producers. Even on the Macbook Pro 2015 15″, I find myself running out of ports to use, given the many devices in the studio – from midi controllers, audio interfaces, hard disk drives, etc.

Buying the newer Macbook Pro model means I've to get a few sets of USB-C hubs to support all the devices that I need connected to the Macbook Pro.

You might call me silly, but I'll guarantee you, there will be a time when you will forget to bring your USB hubs to a live performance or recording session. Not to mention, hubs can easily break too.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to focus on the music and less on the nit-picky-ness of USB hubs.

Touch Bar

I'll be honest with you. I tried the touch bar in an Apple Store, and it felt great. I like how you could use it to quickly move around your DAW arrangement and tweak automation or filter knobs.

However, I don't think that it's a huge win that will make me consider throwing more money down for it.

It's nice to have, but not something you'll need.

Besides, I find that if you prefer controlling your DAW physically, consider buying some hardware controllers. They'll give you more musical inspiration, and I guarantee you that they'll work better for music producers like us.

Here are some recommended DAW controllers:

Icon Pro Audio Platform

A control surface with motorized faders to control your DAW & plugins. Set up fast with quick auto-mapping features with major DAWs, such as Logic Pro X, Cubase, Pro Tools & more.

Apple device support download windows 10. Price: $349

Korg nanoKontrol 2

An inexpensive and compact DAW controller that provides you with 8-tracks to control major DAW software. The slim designed nanoKontrol makes it easy for placement even in front your laptop.

Price: $59.99

Behringer X-Touch Compact

Featuring 9 touch-sensitive motorized faders to control your DAW, instruments and plugins. It connects to your Mac or PC, while also working as a MIDI interface, should you need to plug in any MIDI devices.

Price: $399.99

The Macbook Pro 2016 Keyboard

The lack of key travel on the new MacBook Pro 2016, is a huge disappointment. Other than making music on the computer, I also write a lot.

Having tried the new butterfly keys, I immediately felt that I needed an external keyboard. I don't see myself writing a lot with the butterfly keyboard. It felt like tapping on a solid touchscreen and was very hard to get used to.

Not to mention, typing on the butterfly keys are also much noisier. Perhaps it's time to disturb your co-producers in the studio with your loud typing.

I felt the keyboard on the earlier model was much more functional & so I'm staying more productive with it.

Price

When Apple launched the new MacBook Pro 2016, they dropped the price of the 2015 model.

This seemed like a no-brainer to get the 2015 model at a price drop, given that performance impact in the new one was not too significant, and when producing music, you'd definitely need more ports.

You get as much as $300 savings on the MacBook Pro 2015 that does near the exact same thing as the newer model, so in my case, I see why not.

The Mac Pro also comes with an additional 4TB of SSD storage, so music producers can save and download multiple files in any size. It has various ports to plug into to connect any equipment needed. This is useful for those who are studio recording or mixing and mastering.

Affordable Macbooks for all-purpose use

Price can be a factor in decision making like this. However, music producers shouldn't let price stand in the way of performance. Mac has affordable options for people in this line of work.

iMac

The original iMac is an all-in-one that has an updated processor that allows for speed and high performance. It comes in two screen sizes, with a 21.5-inch and 27-inch screen. This computer's processor boasts speeds of up to 5.0GHz, which means running applications like Logic X Pro will be effortless. The iMac also features:

• up to 5K retina display;
• up to 3TB of Fusion Drive;
• multiple USB ports.

For those looking for a big screen and an affordable price, the iMac could likely be the best of both worlds, starting at $1,799.

Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is powerful, fast, and relatively inexpensive compared to the MacBooks and iMacs. At $799, the Mini comes with new eighth-generation 6- and quad-core processors and up to 64GB of memory. It also has the same connectivity as an iMac so that music producers can hook up multiple instruments and microphones. Other features include:

• up to 2TB SSD storage;
• four Thunderbolt 3 ports;
• up to 4.6GHz Turbo Boost.

With the added SSD storage, music producers are able to save, download, and upload multiple large files, like a live concert sound engine.

In general, it's important to look at memory and storage when considering an ideal computer since music producers will handle numerous amount of large files that need to be accessed quickly. Though music producers might think they need a computer with a powerful processor, the best type of computer really depends on the user's needs. Whether you are a DJ traveling to gigs or a sound technician with a studio, Macs are a reliable choice for your future career.

After some careful considerations, I bought the Macbook Pro 2015 instead of the Macbook Pro 2016 to record, mix and produce music. Let me tell you why.

Before this, I was mainly making music on an Asus GL552VW gaming laptop, which itself packed a heck of a performance at a fairly decent price.

Why did I make the change? It's all down to personal preference, but I finally had enough with the issues I was facing on my Windows laptop. Of the many frustrations I had, the two major pain points were because of blue screens I was facing (my laptop came with a faulty graphics card) & the fact that I always had to use an audio interface to make music, even if I'm not recording.

Part of why I made the switch is also because I was leaning back to using Logic Pro X.

But with that said, there's nothing wrong producing facetime music on a PC vs a facetime mac.

Even composers like Hans Zimmer, compose with Cubase on a PC system:

So this post isn't about Mac systems being better than PCs. In fact, they're pretty much the same and down to your preference.

Bust the myth of the elitism that unless it's a Apple computer you can't play music on it. If it's a laptop, you can make music on it.

Why The Macbook Pro 2015 over the Macbook Pro 2016?

The new Macbook Pro 2016 looked honestly good. But it's also very expensive.

I won't talk about the design and the graphic the newer model has over, the older model since we're mainly talking about functionality for music production. So first, let's talk about the performance.

Performance

Undoubtedly the newer model has better performance with a newer processor. However, according to CultOfMac, the performance of the newer model is just a slight bit faster.

The SSD in the newer model is much faster than, the older version, with faster write & read speeds. This means starting up programs, and streaming tracks in your DAW would be snappier on the new Macbook Pro.

The small performance increment here wasn't something that is worth paying more. That's why on performance alone, I chose to buy the Macbook Pro 2015 model.

Macbook Pro Music Stand

Ports

The number of available ports on the Macbook Pro is important for most music producers. Even on the Macbook Pro 2015 15″, I find myself running out of ports to use, given the many devices in the studio – from midi controllers, audio interfaces, hard disk drives, etc.

Buying the newer Macbook Pro model means I've to get a few sets of USB-C hubs to support all the devices that I need connected to the Macbook Pro.

You might call me silly, but I'll guarantee you, there will be a time when you will forget to bring your USB hubs to a live performance or recording session. Not to mention, hubs can easily break too.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to focus on the music and less on the nit-picky-ness of USB hubs.

Touch Bar

I'll be honest with you. I tried the touch bar in an Apple Store, and it felt great. I like how you could use it to quickly move around your DAW arrangement and tweak automation or filter knobs.

However, I don't think that it's a huge win that will make me consider throwing more money down for it.

It's nice to have, but not something you'll need.

Besides, I find that if you prefer controlling your DAW physically, consider buying some hardware controllers. They'll give you more musical inspiration, and I guarantee you that they'll work better for music producers like us.

Here are some recommended DAW controllers:

Icon Pro Audio Platform

A control surface with motorized faders to control your DAW & plugins. Set up fast with quick auto-mapping features with major DAWs, such as Logic Pro X, Cubase, Pro Tools & more.

Apple device support download windows 10. Price: $349

Korg nanoKontrol 2

An inexpensive and compact DAW controller that provides you with 8-tracks to control major DAW software. The slim designed nanoKontrol makes it easy for placement even in front your laptop.

Price: $59.99

Behringer X-Touch Compact

Featuring 9 touch-sensitive motorized faders to control your DAW, instruments and plugins. It connects to your Mac or PC, while also working as a MIDI interface, should you need to plug in any MIDI devices.

Price: $399.99

The Macbook Pro 2016 Keyboard

The lack of key travel on the new MacBook Pro 2016, is a huge disappointment. Other than making music on the computer, I also write a lot.

Having tried the new butterfly keys, I immediately felt that I needed an external keyboard. I don't see myself writing a lot with the butterfly keyboard. It felt like tapping on a solid touchscreen and was very hard to get used to.

Not to mention, typing on the butterfly keys are also much noisier. Perhaps it's time to disturb your co-producers in the studio with your loud typing.

I felt the keyboard on the earlier model was much more functional & so I'm staying more productive with it.

Price

When Apple launched the new MacBook Pro 2016, they dropped the price of the 2015 model.

This seemed like a no-brainer to get the 2015 model at a price drop, given that performance impact in the new one was not too significant, and when producing music, you'd definitely need more ports.

You get as much as $300 savings on the MacBook Pro 2015 that does near the exact same thing as the newer model, so in my case, I see why not.

Conclusion

I intendedly missed out on many details that could make the Macbook Pro 2016 more appealing to you, such as the smaller size, touch ID & Apple Pay and the bigger storage.

Making Music On Macbook Air

However, the reason I left them out was that I felt they don't make any significant difference to how you would record & make music.

It's probably a bad time to buy a MacBook Pro currently & it has been advised that you should wait for the next MacBook Pro if you can wait. As for myself, I needed a new laptop, so I took the jump and went for the 2015 model.

Which MacBook Pro model are you using to make muic now? Would you have bought the 2015 or 2016 model if you were in my shoes? Let me know by commenting below.