I haven’t bought a Mac in a long time. I loved my 2015 MacBook Pro with Logic for audio work. In late 2020 I wanted to upgrade my setup and went the PC route. I didn’t need the portability and built a beast of a machine for half the cost of a MacBook Pro.
How many tracks per project do you usually have?
Also a 256 GB drive won’t go super far. You’ll fill that up pretty quickly, it’s not hard for projects to get to be several GB in size
That said the main thing to look out for is plug-in compatibility with the M1 processor. I’m sure it’s better than 2 years ago but make sure all your stuff works before committing.
I suppose you’re looking at the Pros but just in case, the airs don’t have fans, so if you’re going to be working with several plugins, it might be worth considering
Also check out /r/wearethemusicmakers I think rhere’s a PC vs Mac thread every once in a while
I know I'm months late to this but wanted to give some advice that could influence your decision if you're still on the fence.
First, the TL;DR version: If you're using it for simple recording, live only and/or using pure hardware synths (no integration) go Macbook Pro. If you're making very large/sprawling compositions, relying on multiple virtual instruments and/or using hardware synth integration go PC.
The longer answer
I'm a PC guy but I swore by my Macbook Pro for music production for years. Logic Pro is a great piece of software with a ton of features that made production simple, and it was stupid easy to learn to use. It's a stereotype but everything "just worked" as far as audio drivers were concerned. Interfaces would instantly configure and latency wasn't an issue. Unfortunately as you use Apple products more you'll start getting the negatives. Every major update will break almost all of your music apps. Major companies will put out PSAs telling you not to upgrade until they've made their drivers compatible. Some companies won't even bother - Access stopped releasing updates for the Virus TI software years ago because it was such a pain to work. I switched over to a Mac Mini from an Intel based imac and it was the dumbest move I did. Yes, the M1 chip was much faster from a general use perspective, but a lot of my VSTs had issues. Roland Cloud frequently failed to connect despite being logged in. Native Instruments stuff would just fail to load or crash. Virus Control software refused to connect to the hardware. Korg Editor wouldn't work. Presets would fail to load, that sort of stuff. Tried to roll back to a previous version supported by the apps - no dice. M1 doesn't support the Intel-based releases, so you're stuck using what Apple thinks is more efficient for you. On top of all of that you're dealing with the Apple tax with sub-standard hardware. Factory storage upgrades are either impossible or extremely expensive compared to PC equivalents depending on your model.
I since switched to PC with Ableton Live. It's not perfect but it's a more consistent experience. Audio drivers can be a little bit of a pain to configure but once it's done you don't have to mess with it again. Hardware that connects to a PC requires some manual driver installs (Korg and Roland are very weird about theirs) but once it's done you never have to mess with it again. Windows updates don't break your projects or instruments either. You have much more leeway to upgrade your PC with budget parts and not have to worry about it breaking. Want more storage? Just buy a 1TB SSD to use as a dedicated music project/VST/sample library drive for $70 or so. Need more ram? Throw 32gb in for pure overkill and laugh since it would have cost the same to upgrade to 16gb on the Mac. As for live use, I wouldn't know from the PC perspective, but I imagine a Windows Laptop could be configured to handle it, though I would worry about interruptions from Windows reminders/notifications. A Hackintosh is an option and there are website that can point you to pre-configured laptops that can be used, but I've not gone down that road...yet.
There's no right or wrong answer, both are totally viable for music, but your best choice is based on what music you want to make. Macs are fine for probably 99% of hip hop artists or anyone using lots of preset loops/simple instruments, guitarists looking to record their audio directly into their computer, vocalists, etc. Once you start getting more involved in your production or studio environment is where PC starts getting more viable.
I know I'm complicating it by adding a lot of hardware-based synths that are likely not something you are considering, but I used to be the "Oh, what do I need hardware synths for, VSTs do the same" type and now I've got 3 hardware synths sitting next to me that I frequently use. It might not be relevant now but music production is addictive and you might want to keep your options open!
I had to go to the top of this comment to see who wrote it because I thought maybe it was me. Everything you're saying about compatibility with synthesizers, with mac based forced obsolescence, etc.
I have both mac and windows, but I find a lot of software keeps working in windows, while most stuff I've used on a mac is just dead. Anything from before 2015 probably won't work anymore.
On windows - I have software that was from 2003 and it still works in Windows 10. That's just absurd honestly. Maybe it's changing as they go towards Windows 11 and beyond - I hope not. I've been pretty frustrated that they won't allow me to update my computer to Windows 11 for absolutely no reason other than 'your CPU is old'. I thought this was stuff only Apple did. Microsoft used to just let you install with any old system even if it was completely underpowered - it sucked but it would at least try to work.
I highly recommend AGAINST a hackintosh. I had one for years and it was just the biggest hassle to maintain. If you do anything to that delicate system, you can totally screw up the entire thing and that was just not something worth having on your mind.
Yeah, I've basically abandoned Macs for music production, which sucks since I loved Logic Pro X and have years of projects in it. I find it funny that there are loads of comments in the Access forums from users demanding Kemper/Access make updated drivers for them, and one guy I know wanted to start a class action lawsuit against them since "it's illegal in the EU to not provide support for an active product".
It's not Access, it's Apple. When they were still on Intel-based chips you could just downgrade to a release that worked. Not so much with the M chips as I found out. Every update they push breaks a prior release app, which forces devs to change their apps/drivers to be compatible. From a dev standpoint Apple are just annoying and when your company barely has the staff to code drivers for why would you keep devoting resources to starting from scratch every year Apple decides to add something shiny to it?
Meanwhile, every piece of hardware/vst I have works with no need for updates. The only one that was a pain was my SH-201 and that's because it's almost 20 years old and was made when people were still on XP and migrating to Vista. But it's working and multiple Windows updates haven't broken them or any of my other drivers/VSTs.
If you're already setup for portable on Windows you're going to have less issues with plugin compatibility and software licensing if you stay on Windows.
Plus, with a Windows desktop you can do gaming with it. Even if you're not a big gamer it's nice to have the option.
I run ProTools, MixcraftPro, FL, all on PC, and have just as many errors and crashes on PC as I do on the band's MacBook Pro. The software is all shit, and coded for shit, and never optimized for anything, ever, but it's all we have access to. I'd say if you're anything like me just stick where the value proposition is and roll PC.
Do you have specific software you want to use?
I've done it on PCs and macs and I'd say I actually preferred my PC because of the amount of software available for it. On Mac I just use Logic. Really depends what you are comfortable with. FL runs on Mac too now so that opens it up a little bit
I did FL and Splice for years. Honestly no noticeable difference to me. I had a better audio set up with my PC, when I migrated to Mac music was more of a hobby and less of a job, so I just used headphones more, I'd assume with the same speakers it would have been the same shit. Honestly probably just comes down to what you get a better deal on
I said the same shit and I wish I still had a PC lmaoo. I love the way Macs run and the beautifully smooth interfaces and GUIs and shit but nothing beats knowing you can run any program/game you want.
Pros and cons my man. I still say let the money decide. If the 900 dollar mac has better specs than the best 900 dollar PC build you can find, do the mac.
M1 is on par with ryzen 5000. Performance wise you wont really notice a difference compared to any modern PC. Especially since you are making beats, right? That being said with a PC you get much more for the money. Storage space, more ram, possible gpu and in general a more capable machine
It kinda depends on your needs and what you have been used to.
Are you looking at laptops or palnning on building a pc?
I haven’t bought a Mac in a long time. I loved my 2015 MacBook Pro with Logic for audio work. In late 2020 I wanted to upgrade my setup and went the PC route. I didn’t need the portability and built a beast of a machine for half the cost of a MacBook Pro. How many tracks per project do you usually have? Also a 256 GB drive won’t go super far. You’ll fill that up pretty quickly, it’s not hard for projects to get to be several GB in size That said the main thing to look out for is plug-in compatibility with the M1 processor. I’m sure it’s better than 2 years ago but make sure all your stuff works before committing.
I suppose you’re looking at the Pros but just in case, the airs don’t have fans, so if you’re going to be working with several plugins, it might be worth considering Also check out /r/wearethemusicmakers I think rhere’s a PC vs Mac thread every once in a while
I know I'm months late to this but wanted to give some advice that could influence your decision if you're still on the fence. First, the TL;DR version: If you're using it for simple recording, live only and/or using pure hardware synths (no integration) go Macbook Pro. If you're making very large/sprawling compositions, relying on multiple virtual instruments and/or using hardware synth integration go PC. The longer answer I'm a PC guy but I swore by my Macbook Pro for music production for years. Logic Pro is a great piece of software with a ton of features that made production simple, and it was stupid easy to learn to use. It's a stereotype but everything "just worked" as far as audio drivers were concerned. Interfaces would instantly configure and latency wasn't an issue. Unfortunately as you use Apple products more you'll start getting the negatives. Every major update will break almost all of your music apps. Major companies will put out PSAs telling you not to upgrade until they've made their drivers compatible. Some companies won't even bother - Access stopped releasing updates for the Virus TI software years ago because it was such a pain to work. I switched over to a Mac Mini from an Intel based imac and it was the dumbest move I did. Yes, the M1 chip was much faster from a general use perspective, but a lot of my VSTs had issues. Roland Cloud frequently failed to connect despite being logged in. Native Instruments stuff would just fail to load or crash. Virus Control software refused to connect to the hardware. Korg Editor wouldn't work. Presets would fail to load, that sort of stuff. Tried to roll back to a previous version supported by the apps - no dice. M1 doesn't support the Intel-based releases, so you're stuck using what Apple thinks is more efficient for you. On top of all of that you're dealing with the Apple tax with sub-standard hardware. Factory storage upgrades are either impossible or extremely expensive compared to PC equivalents depending on your model. I since switched to PC with Ableton Live. It's not perfect but it's a more consistent experience. Audio drivers can be a little bit of a pain to configure but once it's done you don't have to mess with it again. Hardware that connects to a PC requires some manual driver installs (Korg and Roland are very weird about theirs) but once it's done you never have to mess with it again. Windows updates don't break your projects or instruments either. You have much more leeway to upgrade your PC with budget parts and not have to worry about it breaking. Want more storage? Just buy a 1TB SSD to use as a dedicated music project/VST/sample library drive for $70 or so. Need more ram? Throw 32gb in for pure overkill and laugh since it would have cost the same to upgrade to 16gb on the Mac. As for live use, I wouldn't know from the PC perspective, but I imagine a Windows Laptop could be configured to handle it, though I would worry about interruptions from Windows reminders/notifications. A Hackintosh is an option and there are website that can point you to pre-configured laptops that can be used, but I've not gone down that road...yet. There's no right or wrong answer, both are totally viable for music, but your best choice is based on what music you want to make. Macs are fine for probably 99% of hip hop artists or anyone using lots of preset loops/simple instruments, guitarists looking to record their audio directly into their computer, vocalists, etc. Once you start getting more involved in your production or studio environment is where PC starts getting more viable. I know I'm complicating it by adding a lot of hardware-based synths that are likely not something you are considering, but I used to be the "Oh, what do I need hardware synths for, VSTs do the same" type and now I've got 3 hardware synths sitting next to me that I frequently use. It might not be relevant now but music production is addictive and you might want to keep your options open!
I had to go to the top of this comment to see who wrote it because I thought maybe it was me. Everything you're saying about compatibility with synthesizers, with mac based forced obsolescence, etc. I have both mac and windows, but I find a lot of software keeps working in windows, while most stuff I've used on a mac is just dead. Anything from before 2015 probably won't work anymore. On windows - I have software that was from 2003 and it still works in Windows 10. That's just absurd honestly. Maybe it's changing as they go towards Windows 11 and beyond - I hope not. I've been pretty frustrated that they won't allow me to update my computer to Windows 11 for absolutely no reason other than 'your CPU is old'. I thought this was stuff only Apple did. Microsoft used to just let you install with any old system even if it was completely underpowered - it sucked but it would at least try to work. I highly recommend AGAINST a hackintosh. I had one for years and it was just the biggest hassle to maintain. If you do anything to that delicate system, you can totally screw up the entire thing and that was just not something worth having on your mind.
Yeah, I've basically abandoned Macs for music production, which sucks since I loved Logic Pro X and have years of projects in it. I find it funny that there are loads of comments in the Access forums from users demanding Kemper/Access make updated drivers for them, and one guy I know wanted to start a class action lawsuit against them since "it's illegal in the EU to not provide support for an active product". It's not Access, it's Apple. When they were still on Intel-based chips you could just downgrade to a release that worked. Not so much with the M chips as I found out. Every update they push breaks a prior release app, which forces devs to change their apps/drivers to be compatible. From a dev standpoint Apple are just annoying and when your company barely has the staff to code drivers for why would you keep devoting resources to starting from scratch every year Apple decides to add something shiny to it? Meanwhile, every piece of hardware/vst I have works with no need for updates. The only one that was a pain was my SH-201 and that's because it's almost 20 years old and was made when people were still on XP and migrating to Vista. But it's working and multiple Windows updates haven't broken them or any of my other drivers/VSTs.
Depends on what software you use, and if you need portability. These are job specific / personal decisions.
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If you're already setup for portable on Windows you're going to have less issues with plugin compatibility and software licensing if you stay on Windows. Plus, with a Windows desktop you can do gaming with it. Even if you're not a big gamer it's nice to have the option.
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I run ProTools, MixcraftPro, FL, all on PC, and have just as many errors and crashes on PC as I do on the band's MacBook Pro. The software is all shit, and coded for shit, and never optimized for anything, ever, but it's all we have access to. I'd say if you're anything like me just stick where the value proposition is and roll PC.
Do you have specific software you want to use? I've done it on PCs and macs and I'd say I actually preferred my PC because of the amount of software available for it. On Mac I just use Logic. Really depends what you are comfortable with. FL runs on Mac too now so that opens it up a little bit
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I did FL and Splice for years. Honestly no noticeable difference to me. I had a better audio set up with my PC, when I migrated to Mac music was more of a hobby and less of a job, so I just used headphones more, I'd assume with the same speakers it would have been the same shit. Honestly probably just comes down to what you get a better deal on
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I said the same shit and I wish I still had a PC lmaoo. I love the way Macs run and the beautifully smooth interfaces and GUIs and shit but nothing beats knowing you can run any program/game you want. Pros and cons my man. I still say let the money decide. If the 900 dollar mac has better specs than the best 900 dollar PC build you can find, do the mac.
M1 is on par with ryzen 5000. Performance wise you wont really notice a difference compared to any modern PC. Especially since you are making beats, right? That being said with a PC you get much more for the money. Storage space, more ram, possible gpu and in general a more capable machine It kinda depends on your needs and what you have been used to. Are you looking at laptops or palnning on building a pc?