Which would you choose 14” or 16”, what’s the difference…and also difference in performance wise

 

If you choose the same hardware configuration (Processor, RAM, SSD) there shouldn't be any real performance difference afaik.
Do you need a bigger screen or better portability? That's the big question imo

 

Okay so I've got the MBP M1 Max 14" 2021 and the size, weight and performance is beautiful and - it's brilliantly portable and goes with me *everywhere* and I've never had problems with 128 track mixes, complex modern R&B, orchestral arrangements. I went for the 2Tb and use another 1TB low profile jetdrive for Kontakt instruments etc. I also opted for one of these hard shell cases and it fits perfectly and can be zipped/unzipped quickly https://amzn.to/3XMAKOx

The only issue - the screen really isn't big enough for doing serious work in logic without hooking up a monitor. I guess it depends what you're doing and what you're using - maybe other DAW's are better. I don't need to wear glasses or anything normally - but in retrospect I kind of wish after getting it from the day it came out to now that I opted for the 16" ... but then again the beauty of it being portable is good.

I went for the M1 Max because of the 64Gb .. and I wouldn't go for anything less than 32Gb nowadays if you're using any kind of AI for processing as the models need to load into memory for efficient processing.

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2023

Absolutely agreed with aleksy about the portability. Do you think you need a bigger screen or you use an external display? The 16 inch has a better audio from speakers even if there's the same six-speakers sound system on both, some hours more of battery life, the fast-charge power adapter is already included (it's included also in the 14 inch but not the base model) and the heat dissipation is better because of the internal space this is important to avoid the throttling.

 

Okay I've been doing complex neural net vocal & drum processing whilst mixing 128 track mixes with say 70 vocal tracks with 7 fx on each vocal chain and I've never heard the fans go once on my 14" - the only time I heard them go was when I was doing 4k video transcoding and that was only for a minute or so ... and the whole thing took about 8 minutes for a 90 minute film. However - I do have an M1 Max with 64Gb so maybe if you have a lower model and it can't cache things into memory and it's doing more disk i/o and swapping it would cause more i/o and need more cooling .. but honestly the fan noise is almost silent, it's NOTHING like any other laptop - intel MBP or otherwise - I've ever used and is fine in my studio. The main issue really is the screen is a bit TOO small on the 14" M1 MBP

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2023

Best option to me :
14 "on the go" format
AND external screen at home
You can find cheap screens second hand

I don't see 14 enough for intense PRODUCTION.
Only live gig/on the go usage.

14.7 / 15 inch is better balanced ... too bad Apple missed the point

 

I use the 14" for intense production - but I TOTALLY TOTALLY agree about the 14.7/15" screen !!! oh and using the external monitor at home (actually I use two) is a must .. and you're damn right - the on the go format is great

 

The struggle is portability versus screen size. If it will stay at your home/studio, you are better off with the 16". Bigger screen size is always good. If portability and saving a few bucks are your priority, get that 14". If you want to save more money, go for an instead of an M2 processor, unless you want to go full-on overkill with the maximum 96GB of RAM. Apple refurbs are very good and you can add Apple Care to them. Regardless of the processor, I'd suggest a minimum of 32 GB for audio production.

Good Hunting!

 

I went with the 16”