Hi,
I'm considering getting a MacBook for my daughter who is studying music. Mac, due to probably needing Logic. I know little about them tbh, other than they are expensive.
Any suggestions as to model, spec would be appreciated. Initial thoughts were a MacBook Pro, new one, with the M1 chip, but I wonder if this is overkill? I appreciate that various bits of software will need to update to accommodate the new chip too. So, for that reason perhaps an i7 based system could be better with 16GB RAM
I'm used to PC, so worry that I don't know enough to gauge performance vs spec in the world of Mac.
It will primarily be used to run a DAW and all the necessaries for degree level music & tech, so it needs to be up to scratch.
Thanks
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So you kind of need to tell them that these machines are different and all her lecturers banging on about how good Macbook Pro's are for music and general uni are mainly talking about the older magsafe models made up to around 2016.
Apple care is essential as any repairs are very expensive. The 2 main points of failure aren't covered under warranty. Being mechanical damage ofUSB C socket and liquid damage. There are indicators on the motherboard, these are white when the machine leaves the factory but will turn red and invalidate the warranty if exposed to any kind of moisture.
Secondhand a used A1502 Retina from 2015 will be fine and cost around £400. Probably outlast a 2021 model too.
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be happy to talk about letting that go, it's been my portable recording unit for a while.
The only extra advice I would give is that she learnt how to open the MacBook Pro case so as to be able to give the inside a clean out of dust from time to time. A useful skill for keeping a MacBook Pro happy.
Then, Buy 16 GB of RAM and a nice 500GB SSD and install them.
It's what I did and I'm happy with it.
Main point of going the Mac route was if she needed Logic, but it turns out that is not compulsory.
You can get what looks like a good spec for around £600 but the corners are cut on the quality of the plastics, hinges, DC socket, battery charge tech etc.
It's a real minefield and I'm just glad I'm not involved in laptop sales anymore, only repairs.
Whatever you get make sure it has a 3 year warranty. And remember things like DC sockets and hinges aren't covered under warranty if they break as it's considered missuse and poor handling. Although I'm not involved in sales anymore I still make the phonecalls, telling someone the 18 month old laptop their family brought them to get them through 3 years of uni needs a new board and it's not available as a service part is not a fun phone call
Best laptop I've bought is without doubt a Dell XPS 13. Superb. I'd have that over a Macbook any day. I think power, spec and quality per pound is all round better with the XPS. But yes, not cheap. I got an i7 with a 4k screen for about a grand in 2016. Still going strong and it has been round the world many times, battered about too.
Having said all that though, there is something tempting about a macbook!
Would also be worth noting that pretty much every serious producer out there is well versed in Logic or is at least running it, so it’s a huge plus if you’re passing on a project to be mixed or tweaked by someone else. Cubase (on PC) is very good for what it is though, just not so widely used on a pro level - so she’d need to start learning from scratch again if she ever switched to Logic or Pro Tools.
Just at the point the OS had to be upgraded to get the new Logic sampler, and just before the point the screens went retina, and the ports got removed.
I try to do my mixing between Win and Mac, because a new Mac will be unobtanium for me when my 2012 breaks.
I will cry.
And I hate Windows for the update policy, my Win machine (Asus Zenbook) has got stuck in a loop of downloading, applying then un applying the 2004 update, since early 2020, which I worked out has cost me over 50 hours of wasted time-where should I send my bill??
It is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on anybody trying to get stuff done, and when it happens, I am sure they are trying to kill my machine with heat-fans are raging during the entire process.
You can't stop the updates, and I have already lost a Win XP machine to the burn.
2012 MBP for the win, but obviously a good one is now hard to find.
Such a shame really, they had it right for a short time, and I think they are trying to get back there with the M1, but it is early days and the price is now high.
good luck.
The one to get for music is the A1398 or 13" version A1502 with Intel graphics. This gets rid of any issues with reballing overheated GPU BGA chips. It runs cooler, battery life is better and the fans stay quiet. There is one issue with a small chip that controls the Intel GPU voltage but it's an easy fix and I've detailed what it is and how to fix it in my community repair thread page https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/192351/the-community-repair-thread/p3
It's a shame these great models were retired and replaced with the Touchbar series. I have one of those from 2017 and it's nowhere near as nice to use as the older magsafe models.
I would agree with @jamesguitar too, you really need a knowledge of Protools or Logic to work professionally with others. You can certainly use DAWS like Reaper and Studio One yourself and there are tricks you can use to ensure compatibility, such as consolidating tracks and stems but for exchanging projects from professional studio to studio PT or Logic are the expected format. Trouble is PT is expensive now and they have removed the starter options with the exception of the garbage Protools First ... when I started out I was able to use Protools LE which gave me the knowledge to use the software so when I moved up to PT Mix and then HD I was well used to the workflow.
Logic is actually very cheap for what you get.
Laptop music PC (carillonac1.com)
I like the look of their 19" rack desktops, but wondering how their laptops might compare against the usual names, given they are allegedly build specifically for music applications
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