Went from 27" iMac to 16" MBP M1 Pro for Music Production

[3SQ Machine]

Been a Mac Desktop user for 12 years, starting with the (good) Mac Mini of the late 00's then a '13 iMac & finally my late '19 iMac. Logic Pro was the primary use case, with the desktop connected to an audio interface, midi sources, external drives, etc., although also used the desktop to handle photos, storage, and other light household needs where the screen came in handy.

Said goodbye to that last night -- and don't regret a thing. My local stores have them in stock, so traded in the iMac for an M1 Pro 16" MBP. Apple gave me a surprisingly good trade-in value -- only cost me $200/year to run that iMac! Crazy--as I was expecting to get seriously hosed on a now-obsolete intel iMac (although I got the iMac on a discount originally, so YMMV).

Overall, the MacBook Pro has slotted in nicely for music productivity. I was VERY afraid of giving up Mojave out of abject of fear of what plug-ins would be incompatible--but I've been pleasantly surprised. Only two out of my innumerable plugins have an issue-- enough time has passed from the switch to 64 bit and it seems rosetta emulation isn't hurting performance.

What's more -- the speakers on this thing! I'll actually be able to do some light mixing while on the couch -- not too bad.

Only tested it a few times for performance and noticed no hiccups, although it seemed a few of my non-optimized projects pushed the CPU usage more than expected, based on Logic's in-app usage meter, but no overloads.

Overall, glad I sprang for the 16". Debated heavily whether the 14" would be "enough" -- but it absolutely wouldn't have been. This screen is the perfect size for a portable workhorse and gives just enough view of the project that I'm not missing the extra 10" of real estate--surprisingly. I do have an external monitor if I need it, but it's unclear whether I will.

Anyway, just wanted to give a quick impression for anyone thinking of doing the same. I'm appreciating this portable workhorse and think that now being able to "take the desktop" with me will be a big boon to productivity and creativity.

 

[flapflapflap]

the 14 would have been a total money suck and would have been a regular source of stress and regret. the thermals are incredibly inferior to the 16 according to various reviews. when I was testing it out, I connected it to my LG 34 5K2K and surprisingly it ran pretty warm, significantly warmer than my M1 MBP doing the same exact thing. I also ordered and tested the 16 and it was cool to the touch. other reviewers on this forum are noting the fans are much louder and turn on more regularly than the 16. lastly, the battery life of the 14 is inferior so you made the right choice!

If you want a smaller MBP, I think the M1 13 is a better value than the 14. If you need to go bigger, we have one choice but at least it's an excellent one!

 

[GregorMae]

the 14 would have been a total money suck and would have been a regular source of stress and regret. the thermals are incredibly inferior to the 16 according to various reviews. when I was testing it out, I connected it to my LG 34 5K2K and surprisingly it ran pretty warm, significantly warmer than my M1 MBP doing the same exact thing. I also ordered and tested the 16 and it was cool to the touch. other reviewers on this forum are noting the fans are much louder and turn on more regularly than the 16. lastly, the battery life of the 14 is inferior so you made the right choice!

If you want a smaller MBP, I think the M1 13 is a better value than the 14. If you need to go bigger, we have one choice but at least it's an excellent one!

Do you really think that a 13" M1 would be a better choice than the 14" M1 Pro for music production?

 

[3SQ Machine]

Do you really think that a 13" M1 would be a better choice than the 14" M1 Pro for music production?

Various reviews of the M1 show it is more than capable—if using native Logic. Other DAWs like Pro Tools may not be optimized. You’d need to check reviews with your specific DAW. Even the old Intel ram recommendations are less relevant to Apple silicon.

Back when I got my 19 iMac I made sure that I tested at least three other units before making the final switch. This was a lot of work but I took full advantage of the two week return. And I had my studio set up to easily slot in the new Mac. I was surprised by some of the results, which is why I settled on the iMac. It’s really the only way to be sure.

For my own specific workflow that is not GPU intensive and not using large sampler libraries, I personally would have been thrilled with a “regular“ M1 16 inch MacBook Pro. The processor seems more than sufficient for audio production using native Logic. However, I did notice in my own testing that a few of my non-optimized projects pushed the limits a little bit when scaling at non-native resolution on an external monitor.

Personally, the extra “inch” of space on the “14 was not that noticeable side-by-side in the store with the 13”. If you don’t mind the limited ports, it’s worth taking advantage of the two week return period and trying it out—it’s a big savings.

Now 16” is a whole ‘nother beast though!