MacBook Air i5 for Music Production?

Does anyone have any experience of using a 2013/2014 13" i5 MacBook Air for music production? Specifically, I want to know if Reason 7 will run okay with a reasonable number of instruments, effects etc, but if anyone has experience of using another DAW on it I would be interested to know. Cheers.

Hi whopkins85
Well I ended up going with the 16GB Retina MBP. For the simple reason that the 8GB would've seen me constantly second guess my decision. Plus I wanted to "future proof" myself as best as I could knowing that these babies cannot be 'upgraded' with additional ram at a later date due the whole soldered RAM issue. So yeah I shelled out some extra money, bought my rMBP from B&H in NYC through their webstore and saved a ton on not having to pay sales tax since I am not a resident of NY state.
Another thing I'd like to recommend to you is that if you plan on running a number of VSTs or AUs with your DAW especially of the nature of heavy sound libraries such as Spectrasonics Omnisphere or KOMPLETE then I would highly highly recommend purchasing a Lacie 2 or 3TB 7200 RPM external drive. I wish I had known this earlier but an incredibly efficient (and correct) way to run DAW with sound libraries to load your VSTs on an external drive which is either a fast SSD or at least a 7200 RPM. This way your system drive doesn't get overloaded reading and writing at the same time between multiple programs running in parallel. Once your system drive runs the DAW and the system accesses the sound libraries through and external drive, it makes for a much more efficiently managed read/write process.
I hope this helps. My mantra for technology is, when in doubt go with max specs on a machine.
Thanks for your post

Similar Messages

Which mac pro to get for music production?

which is the best macbook to get for music production? I want it mainly to be able to handle a lot of vsts being used simultaneously. I see upgrade options such as from an ata drive to a solid state, and am wondering on which would be the best for my cause! any help would be much appreciated!

Avi Selva wrote:
well im looking at the 15 inch non retina and the retina doesnt come with a superdrive, as ill be needing that to burn material straight from my laptop to cds. So that more or less rules out any of the retina display models. Its just the customizing i needed help unless you could suggest another model entirely!
You can add an Optical drive to the Retina models connected by USB. And it does not have to be the Apple branded (Not So) Superdrive. It can be any portable CD/DVD burner that connects by USB.
But in all honesty you can get a faster Windows PC notebook then any of the Mac notebooks for around 1/2 - 2/3 the cost for what you want to do with it.

Which is better for music production: macbook air or pro?

Which is better for music production: macbook air or pro?

The MacBook Pro has higher specifications, depending
on the model, and then CTO additional upgrades.
The Air does not have a Retina display, but has lesser
specs, so that may make a difference. They still offer a
low-end MB/Pro w/ optical drive, w/o Retina; specs vary;
it may work in your instance. You'd have 14 days to take
a new Apple computer back, so keep that in mind.
Good luck!

Macbook pro 15 mid 2012 2.7 ghz vs late 2013 2.0 ghz for music production. what to choose ?

Hello !
Im between macbook pro 15 mid 2012, 2.7 ghz, 1tb hhd, 8 gb ram 10.7 OS & late 2013 2.0 ghz, 256 gb ssd, 8gb ram 10.9 OS
What is the best choice for music production ? Mid 2012 is not retina but i dont need good grafics at all....i need a powerfull quadcore machine that will coast not more than 2000 US Dollars
what to choose
thank u

no but im checking it out now .
...looks cool !
thnx !

MSI GT60 review for music production (former MacBook Pro user)

Due to the upgrade limitations of MBPr (Macbook Pro Retina) I decided to try Windows after 7 years of using OSX. I chose the MSI GT60 over a Mac product by a close Margin and I still have doubts about windows 8.
The GT60
The hardware:
1. The casing - coming from a Mac, this casing is disappointing. It's not cool, sexy or anything. It's "plastiky" and the design looks like something from the late 90s. you're not impressing any chicks with this one and it's nothing I'd take to Starbucks.
2. The Keyboard - Excellent. It has a nice feel and the lights are kinda cool, but don't make up for the ugly design.
3. The Mouse pad - too small and cheap looking. It tries to hang with a MBP mouse, but it's not as responsive and fluid.
4. Connections - I can't think of any other connections I would want.
5. Ram Capacity - Blows away the Mac at 32GB. This comes in handy for music projects loaded with plugins and is one of the major reasons I went for this box over a Mac.
6. Super raid 2 - This is another cool option Apples don't have in their laptops. The ability to add 3 ssds in addition to another storage drive really makes this a lucrative music machine. Loading samples quickly greatly improves workflow.
7. Screen - This screen is good, but vs a retina...well...you know.
8. Optical drive - Mine is ...strange...sometimes it works sometimes it don't. Maybe w firmware update will fix it?
Performance - I loaded a Cubase project that even my Older 12 core Mac Pro had to wrestle with. That Mac Pro had 40GB of ram. Well, this GT60 pass with flying colors and with the most resource hungry plugins loaded it operated at an average of 60% CPU and 10 of the 12 GB of ram. I'm interested to see if more ram may help improve performance and/or reduce CPU usage.
Heat Myth - I read in other forums (and ofcourse ASUS) of the
so called" heating issues with the MSI Laptops. I do believe, by theory the ASUS gaming box may run cooler, but all the jibba jabba of overheating I never experience. The GT60 is not loud and it's not hot.
Overall, I find this to be a cool laptop for music production but if I didn't need all the extra ram or drives I'd probably stick with a MBP. They look way cooler. If MSI had put this hardware inside of an enclosure like that GS70 (but bigger), It would be cool.

While this is a review, let me just comment on a few things....
Part of the reason that half of what you get is possible, is because of how large it is.
You wouldn't be able to get 3 mSATA SSD's if you didn't get a GT60/GT70.
You wouldn't be able to get 32 GB of RAM if you didn't get a GT60/GT70 (actually, I guess the GE60/GE70's can handle that too).
The GT series also has a more beefy video card that requires more cooling than the GE or GS series laptops.
Either way, the GT60 is a great notebook overall. The screen could be better, but it's not bad by any means either. Compared to many other similarly or higher priced notebooks, it's just as good or better IMHO.
The keyboard is actually very nice, and while the backlighting is somewhat gaudy at times, it's nice to be able to see the keys in the dark.
The biggest downfall (personally) is the screen hinge and the back of the screen and how flimsy it is. That's honestly my biggest gripe about the notebook. I always feel or think I'm going to break the screen when I open or close the notebook.
Have you messed with the built in sound card at all? Got any thoughts on that?

Macbook Air right for an engineering major?

I'm currently a Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering double major at UC Davis, and I wanted some input on whether or not a Macbook Air would be suitable for my needs. The 13" 2013 unit with the Haswell CPU is only $999 on Amazon right now and I figured it is priced so competetively with other ultrabooks now that I can actually consider it.
As far as I know, I need access to a Python and C/C++ IDE and compiler, MATLAB, and several CAD applications that my school gives us for certain classes. That's pretty much all I need from now through my bachelors degree. I'll also dual boot Windows 8 since I may occasionally miss Windows, since this will be my only PC from now on (I completely stopped gaming so I sold my custom desktop). I'll also run any programs that are Windows only in Windows of course.
Sure, I will be doing some software design, but the ULV i5 is plenty powerful. I'm not doing some insane rendering or anything. Just some very basic rendering and programming.
So I have 3 questions:
1. Is a Macbook Air right for an Engineering major? How has having a Macbook "changed" you as an engineer?
2. Is there any way to have a Windows Partition, an OSX Partition, and an exFAT partition to share my music and videos across both OS's? Both Windows and OSX can read and write to exFAT right?
3. What external hard drive and USB drive formats (other than FAT since I have files larger than 4GB) are best for transferring files to and from OSX and Windows machines?
Thanks for the help! I'm looking forward to purchasing a Mac since they are so competetively priced now. I think Apple mad a great move with these price cuts.

I second the above opinion, as I am an Electrical Engineering student currently. I've been using an 11" Air for everything (full options, i7, 8gb, 512ssd). I was using a mid 2011 and i just got the new 2013 model and I have to say both have performed outstanding.
Since you're gonna be an engineer i'll tell you how I run my machine to let you know how powerful it is for school:
I run 4 desktops that i swipe between constantly with 10+ programs running, most of which are not your normal small programs (Autocad, MotionBuilder, etc.)
My 5th desktop that i swipe between is Parallels Desktop running windows 7 for the non-mac apps, inside of windows i typically run 3+ programs which include AutoCad, Quartus (electronic modeling) and PSpice.
Keep in mind that I run all of this at the same time and it's probably too much (I don't need to run everything at once I just love to keep evrything up so between classes I don't have to prepare for the next).
All I have to say is the machine kills it. i'm serious, no lag, fluid autocad building, low heat, and great battery, i got about 5 hours out of my 2011 model and i expect to see 8+ out of this one when school gets going again.
You're in the right direction, i think you'll be more than happy with a new Macbook Air if you max out the options, and then you'll increase the resale so in 2-3 years you can grab the latest and greatest as i did.
Good luck in engineering and don't let it get to you, stick it out and it'll be worthwhile!

Which Mac Pro to buy for Music Production

Hi All
Hope you can help.
Currently I have a macbook pro ( 2.66Ghz + 4GB ).
Im planning to buy a mac pro for music production, which is better
4 Core 2.66Ghz Nehalem CPU + 3x2GB or
8 Core 2.26 Ghz Nehalem CPU + 6x2GB
Im heavy on VST/AU's, use a fair bit of audio samples and also will be using a load of ROMpler style sampler instruments.
Im also looking to future proof the system but if the 8 core system is unnecssary for using logic studio id rather get the 4 core option as its easier on my budget.
Im also planning to run 3 x 1tb HDD's ( 1 x OS / 1 x Samples / 1 x Music )
Hope you can advise as itching to buy one with my commission money
Cheers
Andrew

JG99 wrote:
I've heard from a few Logic users and read on other forums that there is currently little difference in performance between the 8-core and 4-core Mac Pro's when running Logic 8. This may change in the future...?
Really? The benchmarks seem to indicate that the 8 x 2.26 is 30-40 % more powerful than the 4 x 2.66, a significant difference...
Personally, I'd get a quad core and spend the difference on ram (from crucial.com) as this will make more of a difference when running power hungry plug-ins.
JG
But the 4 core has a max RAM of 8 GB where the 8 core maxes to 32 GB. Might be worth considering.

How do I can I install MS Office 2008 on a MacBook Air w/ a valid product key? Can I download files somewhere?

How do I can I install MS Office 2008 on a MacBook Air w/ a valid product key? Can I download files somewhere?
Here's the scenario....
I've got a brand new gift MacBook Air 11" and I want to install Microsoft Office 2008 since I have a valid key license that's given by my nephew. Do I have any other options here? Can I download all the necessary files from somewhere officially and just enter the Product Key to install what I need? Are there other possible options?
Your help would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much.

You can use a remote disc to download Office as shown here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5287
But please note several cautions:
1. The product key is intended for one machine only. You would have to be the sole user.
2. Office 2008 is now very close to being obsolete. Office 2011 has been out for years, and Office 365 is available for your Mac as well.

Is MacBook Air Suitable for my iTunes files

This is my first post here, so I apologize if this is the wrong forum.
I have decided to buy a MacBook, and I am leaning heavily towards the MacBook Air. However, the "256GB Flash Storage" makes me wonder if it is the best choice. I have several gigs worth of iTunes files (music, video, etc.); I believe it is between 40 and 50 GB. Is the MacBook Air sutiable for this, or should I go with the MacBook Pro?
I'm not a gamer, and I have a work laptop to do all of my powerful MS Office stuff. We just surf the internet, manage our iTunes, and mess with photos.
Thanks in advance.

I agree. I purchases 13 " with 128 GB storage. I use mine for pretty much same thing; also have an iMac for cpu intensive tasks. I find 128 GB to be enough storage. I am happy with my purchase.

Which is better MBPr for music production? 8gb or 16gb

Hi everyone:
I am seeking suggestions here from fellow music artists/ DJs and tech wizards to help me make the "right" decision in where to invest my money.
I don't know wether to buy the base model MBPr 15inch with 2.0Ghz Quad Core i7, 8gb ram and 256 flash drive. I am a musician and this laptop will solve two purposes
1) Usual everyday Microsoft Office kinda stuff and web surfing and
2) More importantly for Music production using Logic Pro X, Ableton 9 using KONTAKT and Omnisphere along with Reason Rewire for loops.
THEREFORE, now I am second guessing my purchase on two aspects -->
1) Is the 8GB enough to run, say a typical setup of Ableton along with 2-3 vsts softwares, would these specs on the MBPr last about 3-5 years?
2) Is the 256 GB SSD going to be an issue with file sizes? I mean like I can always transfer stuff to an external drive and keep creating space but then its almost like having a McLaren SLR and running it constantly on EMPTY and getting gas filled in it every 2 miles. Idk....
Any advise, nudge in the right direction, suggestions, recommendations would be much appreciated. . Is 8gb of ram enough? I am more on the 8gb ram side because of money issue also the place I am buying is offering 10% discount (cannot configure with the specs) I want to be happy with my purchase, but I don't want to be 2 years down the road kicking myself for not having gone with the 16GB and bigger SSD.
Which is a notable problem with the rMBPs and their lack of upgradability.

Hi whopkins85
Well I ended up going with the 16GB Retina MBP. For the simple reason that the 8GB would've seen me constantly second guess my decision. Plus I wanted to "future proof" myself as best as I could knowing that these babies cannot be 'upgraded' with additional ram at a later date due the whole soldered RAM issue. So yeah I shelled out some extra money, bought my rMBP from B&H in NYC through their webstore and saved a ton on not having to pay sales tax since I am not a resident of NY state.
Another thing I'd like to recommend to you is that if you plan on running a number of VSTs or AUs with your DAW especially of the nature of heavy sound libraries such as Spectrasonics Omnisphere or KOMPLETE then I would highly highly recommend purchasing a Lacie 2 or 3TB 7200 RPM external drive. I wish I had known this earlier but an incredibly efficient (and correct) way to run DAW with sound libraries to load your VSTs on an external drive which is either a fast SSD or at least a 7200 RPM. This way your system drive doesn't get overloaded reading and writing at the same time between multiple programs running in parallel. Once your system drive runs the DAW and the system accesses the sound libraries through and external drive, it makes for a much more efficiently managed read/write process.
I hope this helps. My mantra for technology is, when in doubt go with max specs on a machine.
Thanks for your post

I have a MacBook Air and for what ever reason, the print settings have gone out of whack. I am not sure how to set to print a normal A4 paper size or a standard envelope. These settings were working O.K., but not now

I have a MacBook Air and for what ever reason the print settings for envelopes and normal A4 paper size changed from printing correctly each time I wished to print. Now, each time I wish to print either, I have to rest paper size and or Envelope vertical or horizontal. Can anyone assist with how to reset in order to print correctly without the need to rest each time please?

Log in to the Developer forum. You will find instructions on how to install the lastest beta. Your problem is the beta you have installed has expired. All of them did on October 5; you will find hundreds of threads discussing this. If you have a beta it is assumed that you will continue as a beta tester, so a simple update using iTunes will not work.
If you no longer want to be a beta tester install the GM 7.0.2 by restoring from iTunes using DFU mode.

Dedicated system for music production?

I have a measly 80GB internal HD on my Powrbook that is taken up mostly by my business stuff and email. I have a couple of large external FW HDs that I could use for Logic. Does it make sense to install a fresh copy of Leopard onto one of these HDs and use that disk and system solely for music production?

No, just save all your logic files on one of the external drives. Run the Logic app and leopoard from your MB.

Hi I'm new to Mac. I have a macbook air and for some reason the top keys, ec, f1 etc etc are not functioning and emitt the non function noise when pressed. Also the volume keys don't adjust the volume. Have I done something to disable them?

Hi I'm new to Mac. I have a macbook air and for some reason the top keys, ec, f1 etc etc are not functioning and emitt the non function noise when pressed. Also the volume keys don't adjust the volume. Have I done something to disable them?

I don't have the same version of OS X here but try System Preferences>Keyboard. Is there an option similar to "Use the F1, etc, keys as standard function keys"?
If so, and it has a checkmark, uncheck it & see if that does the trick.
~Lyssa

What computer do you recommend for music production, photo and video editing?

I'm looking to buy a computer mainly for music production with native instruments and photo and video editing with adobe elements. I'd like a crisp image, good sound and also runs as smooth as possible. I am planning on using external hard drives for most of my storage so space isn't an issue for me. I don't mind buying a refurbished computer. I am looking to spend around $3000 to $3500 on the computer itself. What computer do you recommend?

Please do not double post; it gets too confusing for us - the volunteers - if there is more than one.
the new iMac - just introduced - sounds like it'd be the right thing; I'd upgrade to an SSD and the fastest processor offered. You can also add RAM, but I'd do that later as it'll be less expensive and it's very easy to do yourself.
Good luck.

Is the MacBook Air recommended for working with RAW photographs using Aperture or Lightroom and perhaps Photoshop?

Is the MacBook Air recommended for working with RAW photographs in Aperture and Photoshop, or do I need a more powerful MacBook ? The relative lack of weight of the AIr is what attracts me to it.

For doing Photography with RAW files in either Aperture or Photoshop, the new MacBook Air is fine, but for Photoshop CS6 some of the filters and plugins really need a better graphics card and plenty of RAM.
You'll also want an external disk if you are going to be doing lots of shooting.
Summary:
Yes, you can use an air but you'll want external storage and at least 8GB of ram.
Or go MacBook Pro with 16GB ram with the 650M card.

MacBook Air i5 for Music Production?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for