Switched to Logic Pro X what Mac is reccomended?

[Drummer_Photog]

I am getting Logic Pro X, I used Pro Tools on Windows, Logic is more intuitive. I am a drummer. I make loops to play too and some live drum recording. 5-6 tracks max.

My issue is expense related. I use a 2018 27" for my photography and need to be cost conscious.

I have an array of plug-ins that I use and need SSD HD and at least 16 GB.

Searched refurbished iMacs as far back as late 2013 i5 and up to 2017 i7.

Suggestions on what mac, specs, model, etc? Refurbished retailers?

George

 

[satcomer]

What many podcaster seem to like is Mac only shareware program (think of it as software based plug-in board for your Mac) called LoopBack!

 

[Drummer_Photog]

Thank you for the info on Loop Back. I am looking for Mac suggestions to use in my DAW with Logic Pro X. Thanks again!

 

[theluggage]

I use a 2018 27" for my photography and need to be cost conscious.

...I'd have though that existing machine would fit your needs perfectly. The RAM is easy to upgrade if you need it. If the machine has a mechanical hard drive then you can add an external Thunderbolt or USB-C SSD.

 

[Drummer_Photog]

I can't afford another iMac 2018. I am now using it for Adobe applications. The iMac is in my office and mystudio is in the garage, thus I need a refurbished Mac just to run Logic Pro X. Apple suggested a Mac Mini.

I am searching refurbished Mac machines bur do not know which year or model?

 

[codernova]

I'd say any Mac with an i5+, 16GB RAM+, 512SSD+ will be adequate, maybe a MAC Mini? 5 simultaneous tracks shouldn't be that heavy of a load and the GPU isn't important.

 

[user_xyz]

Hi
I bought a 2018 mac mini i7/512/16 just for Logic Pro.
It does everything I need.

 

[Starfia]

The entry-level 2011 Mac mini saw me through the composition of a digital music album with many more than six tracks per piece in Logic. (That would have been Logic Pro 9 at the time.) The current entry-level mini is miles beyond that in terms of power and speed.

 

[DaPhox]

Any imac as long as its upgradeable past snow leopard & has at least dual core i5. If it has youre good to go....

 

[BrianBaughn]

The current version of Logic Pro X requires macOS 10.13.6…and it's been within the last year that they made that specification.

Just as a point of reference (that you can compare to iMac specs) I'm running Logic Pro X on a hackintosh with an Intel i7-4770K (3.5 GHz quad core, released Q2 2013) and can't complain about the performance. I have 32GB of RAM and can run quite a few VIs on a project. For quicker loading I have additional SSDs for 1) Logic projects and 2) Instrument samples.

 

[Lucky667]

Hi,

I would go for a 2018 macmini to be a bit futureproof, the faster the better
My old 2012 MBP is a fantastic workhorse for logic, but catalina will be the last OS that is possible on that machine.. The main advantige of that MBP is that you can replace the internal dvd player with a harddrive, in my MBP I have two 2-tb ssd drives for my soundlibrary and the projects I am working on,

cheers, Lucky

 

[nathansz]

i use a 2011 27” imac. 3.4 i7. 16 gb ram. $400 on cl

I am getting Logic Pro X, I used Pro Tools on Windows, Logic is more intuitive. I am a drummer. I make loops to play too and some live drum recording. 5-6 tracks max.

My issue is expense related. I use a 2018 27" for my photography and need to be cost conscious.

I have an array of plug-ins that I use and need SSD HD and at least 16 GB.

Searched refurbished iMacs as far back as late 2013 i5 and up to 2017 i7.

Suggestions on what mac, specs, model, etc? Refurbished retailers?

George

 

[satcomer]

Depends, are you doing this at home or on the road too?

 

[Lingfried]

Newbie here. i'm just getting into the game. I built a home recording studio and armed it first with a UA Apollo x6. I started out thinking I would try to pick up a used mac on ebay but that search launched me head first into the world of i5 vs i7, fusion vs ssd, 21.5 vs. 27 etc. So this is where I wound up after reading a ton of forums like this and spending hours on the phone with UA and Mac. I went for the base level 27" Mac but bit the bullet and swapped out the 1TB Fusion drive for a 1TB SSD. Keeping just 8GB of RAM for now knowing i'll most likely upgrade that off market to 16 or 32. Question: How did I do? I blew through a budget but figured the extra $425 on the SSD drive was worth it considering it will be financed over 18 months. Bought the 27" so i could I could upgrade RAM myself. Stayed with the i5 bc of all the noise issues i've read about the i7. That was my thinking. Let me know what I should be thinking about next.

 

[AshleyPomeroy]

My current setup is, believe it or not, a dual-2ghz Power Macintosh G5 running Logic Express 9, hooked up to a Mark of the Unicorn 2408 audio interface. It records multiple tracks of audio just fine and runs a stack of effects and plugins, although of course it's not compatible with any plugins post-2007 or so.

If was going to upgrade I would be tempted to keep the audio interface, and buy a cheap used circa-2010 Mac Pro for £250 or so, upgrade it to Mojave, and see how it goes with Logic Express 9. If I felt I needed Logic X I would either upgrade to High Sierra, or keep LE9 and boot from a second hard drive that has High Sierra on it.

In my experience pure audio, even with a lot of plugins, isn't particular CPU-heavy, and the advantage of a Mac Pro chassis is that it has PCI slots. And internal hard drive bays, which is at least tidier than having external hard drives. And lots of memory slots. A Mac Mini or iMac could do 99% of the same work, and modern audio interfaces don't use PCI any more, but I like a big case just because it's tidier and easier to move around.

As a drummer I imagine you have a multi-microphone recording setup, in which case you'll have to start thinking about mixers and/or audio interfaces. The modern descended of the MOTU 2408 is the MOTU 828x, which uses Thunderbolt.

 

[Smearbrick]

2011 27" iMac with 16GB RAM here. Works just fine.