Hello, fellow music producers, mixing and mastering engineers.
Hope y'all are doing marvellously well. Please help me in deciding which new machine I should go for, for music production(With mostly bass guitar as live instrument), mixing and mastering. I currently use a MacBook pro 2012 with 8 Gb RAM and it is time I bought a new mac for my music needs. I'm thinking of going for Mac mini m1 16GB. I'll usually have around 8-10 tracks in my projects and if any MIDI, I'll do a bounce in place. Will a mac mini m1 16GB be sufficient for, if NOT long, at least 5-6 years ahead without giving me series Memory issues? I don't use heavy VSTs.

What other mac options would y'all suggest I go for? I read on the net that there's m2 chip coming in 2023, but this was the same thing I heard about m1 in 2020. Please help me decide on my next mac machine for my audio production, mixing and mastering.

Is there a significant difference between m1 and m1 pro? Will it "HINDER" in my music production usage? Do help me out guys. Thanks in advance.

 

https://audiosex.pro/threads/choosing-m1-macbook-for-music-production-two-options.63998/#post-631457

 

hello,

my logic tells me that i would buy an M1 pro, if you have the finances to do it you might as well invest in a more powerful machine, that way you still have a margin for future applications.

Best regards.

 

Thank you for replying. I did have a look at this thread but, this talks about M1 Pro models and I did not want to add may topic of M1 mac mini in that topic. Hence I created a new thread to get met doubt clarified from y'all. Thank you.

 

Thanks for replying. As I can see there is no M1 Pro in Mac mini and I am not really keen on getting a macBook Pro 14" by paying so much for the amazing awesome display and etc. I just want the machine that runs without any RAM or Cores issues for 5 years. At least. SO, I asked if a mac Mini 16 HB RAM would suffice for my needs. Do share any knowledge if you have regarding this. Thanks again.

 

Hi, well I own an M1 Mac Mini with 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM since January 2021, previously owned a Macbook Pro 2012 15 inch. It seems like for your use case even a Macbook Pro 2012 15 inch with upgraded RAM (mine had 16 GB) and storage (SSD upgrade) would be enough, but my M1 Mac mini is still WAY faster and better for anything audio, and even video editing and some other visual stuff that an old macbook couldn't handle. I now use a ton more of MIDI, VSTs and tracks overall, and have rarely found some limits eventually, but it is pretty manageable (I can freeze or bounce as you say, just a little bit), I must add I'm running Logic in Rosetta mode, so I think I will keep this running good for at least 3 years before upgrading. Newer MacBooks look great but I'm already used to mac mini form factor and accessories, so I make it work even when traveling. RAM seems fine for your use case, but try to get AT LEAST 512 GB of storage, since it will run out fast.
Hope this helped!

 

ask yourself, what exactly you're not getting from your current 2012 MBP,

I do have 2012 MBP 13" (dual-core i7, 16GB ram, 500GB ssd, 1TB hdd) and M1 Mac Mini (16GB ram, 2TB ssd) and those are very different devices in a way one of them is laptop and another is desktop, so I have different use cases for them:

I am still using that 10 years old MBP for recording entire bands live, with zero issues, I'm "stuck" with MacOS Mojave - not limited to use latest Reaper DAW and RME UFX audio interface, internal laptop battery makes me feel safer when recording valuable live performances,

I am using the M1 MacMini for mixing, mastering and other creative work, I cannot downgrade MacOS to anything before Big Sur, can't run any 32bit Mac apps, can't run MacOS in Parallels, can't install drivers to run my older usb WiFi dongles etc.. - but I'm not limited to use latest Reaper DAW (in either native M1 mode, or via Rosetta2 - plugins do behave different, so it's nice I can switch that before launching the app) and RME ADI-2 DAC audio interface, and I can easily work with video in Reaper at almost no additional performance load thanks to internal hardware encoders/decoders,

that said, I still take Apple Silicon as "experimental toy" platform, seeing people having problems with latest MacOS Monterey (which new M1 Pro/Max Macs are shipped, and cannot be downgraded) - basic M1 is a huge leap forward in terms of performance efficiency, but for me it's barely any raw performance upgrade from my old 2015's i7-5820K (with 32GB ram) hackintosh/PC,

the very new announced Mac Studio M1 Max costs too much more for me to justify the purchase, because M1 MacMini is not struggling with my workloads, except aforementioned architecture/MacOS limitations which are a no-go,

M2 Macs are rumours for now, I may be wrong but I don't expect those offer 32GB memory or significantly faster internal SSD speeds, neither Apple selling them for noticeably lower prices ...design may be changed but who cares...

as of right now, M1 MacMini with 16GB ram offers best value Mac if you don't need display/mouse/keyboard/battery, and if you do know your software, plugins and external hardware is supported and compatible - do you have an audio interface which is supported by MacOS Big Sur and Monterey, on Apple Silicon platform??
yet there is no certainty Apple will keep MacOS lightweight enough to prevent performance degradation in following years, not even talking about planned obsolescence where Apple simply cuts off older devices from new MacOS versions after some years - if you want to buy it now, do it, don't overthink future much

 

? the macMini M1 has a higher single and multicore performance

 

I'm running i7-5820K overclocked to 4.3GHz on all cores (that IS a noticeable uplift from its base 3.3GHz), with adjusted power plan to sustained steady max performance (no performance drops because of some greeny dealy obsession), and according to my tests, multicore performance is basically equal (fair to note here, M1 has 4 performance cores, Intel has 6), frankly it doesn't even get too hot or loud with Noctua NH-U14S cooler (obviously M1 remains practically dead silent all the time, no real competition in that regard),
single-core performance is bit better on M1 yes, but I can't honestly tell the difference, sorry

 

Thank you for replying. I currently own a late 2012 MBP 13" with 8GB of RAM. My logic pro session keeps getting stuck and overloaded even NOT MANY plugins and 8-10 channels WITH NO MIDI and /i'm stuck on macOS High Sierra 10.13.6. What do you suggest is my best bet? Go for a new Mac mini M1 16 GB with 51 GB Ssd or upgrade the current MBP to more RAM?

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2022

Super informative. Thank you for replying. I'm having overload issues in logic when I mix 8-10 tracks with decent number of plugins open each channel. And the fans of my *GB RAM late 2012 MBP is always on. i'm stuck on High Sierra 10.13.6. I'm not seeing an update for Mojave at all. I can currently afford a mac mini M1 16 Gb RAM 512 GB. But as per previous comments in this thread, let me ask this to you, which do you think is a better bet for me ATM, 1) Go for a new mac mini M1 with 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD or 2) Upgrade the current 2012 MBP with 8 GB RAM to 16 GB RAM and SSD to 512 GB?

Given most plugins and apps of apple are being optimised for M1. Please do help me out. Thanks again.

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2022

given the fact 2012' MBP can't run recent MacOS versions, it makes no sense to invest into it anymore - assuming your MBP has 2x4GB sticks you'd need to throw them away and find 2x8GB sticks which would be compatible - not worth the hassle at all imo

M1 MacMini with 16GB ram and 512GB sounds reasonable if you can afford it,
it shall provide all the needed connectivity, so you don't need to buy any docks or dongles (unless you're using some Thunderbolt2 or FireWire by now)
- just make sure you keep your old MBP for any compatibility/workflow related issues you may face, transition to Apple Silicon + MacOS Monterey definitely takes some time because most versions of the programs you run in High Sierra may not work in Monterey and you'd need to get their updates etc...

 

Thank you for the reply. Yes, you're right about not investing on the current MBP. I do plan on getting the 16 GB RAM M1 mac mini with 512 GB SSD, Just this doubt, do you think the mac mini m1 with 16 GB RAM be fine with no hassles in performance and RAM issues for 5-6 more years?

 

no need to be sorry , all good ! <3
What geekbench score do you get ?

 

The m1's specs you posted are very similar to my MacBook Pro. (aside from the m1). I have no problems at all with the RAM or SSD space.
More would be better, of course. The only time I really hesitate to add any plugin to an existing project it is if IR/convolution reverb being considered.

You can often find a better deal by just waiting. But with Mac computers, a newly released upgraded processor is not going to cause the lower models to immediately drop in price. And when they do, it will not really be very much of a discount. Conversely, they hold their value well over time.

 

Thanks for the reply. From what I've read om the net, the M1 outperforms intel in every manner, given similar specs. That's the main reason I want to switch and off course, the age of my MBP. So you think a mac mini M1 16 GB would be a good bet for me RN, for st least 5-6 more years? Thanks gain.

 

M1Pro, M1Max, M1 all shares similar single-core performance. Which means if M1 gets hiccups, so would the other 2.

imho 16GB of memory will never be enough to last for 5 years no matter on what machine. However I believe M1 utilizes the swap memory function more efficiently, so without a doubt its far better than intel 8GB.

If you really need an upgrade right now then don't keep yourself waiting!

You can always just sell it for roughly how much you bought it, when you do actually feel like its holding you back. In fact that's what I would personally recommend. Thats not to say that the m1 Mac min is not powerful enough.

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2022

I have no idea about the durability of a Mac mini, because I have never owned one. My MacBook Pro is late 2017, and other than the "more powerful/faster" reasons to upgrade, I do not have any. I am leaving this machine as Mojave, which means Logic 10.5 only. "oh no!". I have little interest in Dolby Atmos for now.

I think you should ask @BigM on the forum. I think he has the same machine you are considering, or something very close to it. I use too much external hardware in my tracks that I do not think they give a clear enough picture. So much is offloaded and the computer is just running midi to those devices. I also cannot tell you how Logic 10.7 would perform on it vs. 10.5. The new stuff could be a resources hit in 10.7, possibly. Knowing Apple, it probably is.

5 years is about exactly what I would expect. That is "wanting to upgrade"; not *needing to*. My cheesegrater Pro is late 2010 and I still use that damn thing every day. people's mileage and patience varies a lot in terms of what is considered acceptable.

I also agree with @Zarcxxx's comment about the money. You have done the research you can on the options. If you do not want a laptop, and are not going to wait on the Studio tower/toaster-oven hybrid; I'd already have bought it.

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2022

Produce Like A Pro

I would suggest buying Macbook Pro instead of Mac Mini (If you are okay with the cost). You will get portability with no performance loss.

Generally:
Music Production does not require heavy cpu or gpu utilization. Any Core i7 or Ryzen 7 from past 6-7 years is more than enough. For only music production desktop, use something which is most compatible with plugins, DAWs and hardware devices. I do not see any benefits in using mac mini or mac studio over assembled pc.

In case of laptops, there is a huge advantage Macbook Pro M1 brings to the table. Great battery life and huge performance increase over other Windows laptops.

If you are also into video editing, then you may want to consider M1 as it has fantastic video processing performance and graphics cards costs high.

But for 3D work, softwares are currently not optimized for M1 processors.

 

Thank you for replying. I agree with your point but, I don't really produce music while traveling or go to any gigs which night require a laptop. I'll save my current MBP for live gigs, just in case. This is purely meant to be in house. I only want to buy the M1 Mac mini with 16 gigs of ram to future proof my music production, mixing and mastering basic no lag no hang means, for 5 years. At least. Is Mac mini M1 a good bet for such a situation of mine? Thanks again.