Did anyone get the 13 inch M4 Pro to use as a music reader (primarily or in part) and have any thoughts? It's clearly overkill just for that purpose, but there are other uses and benefits. Just curious what others are doing. I can get a Pro for about $250 more than the Air.
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iPad Pro 13 inch M4 Pro for reading music?
- Thread starter jazzer15
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Given the puck size of Mac mini and its ability to run Garage Band or Logic Pro, consider it with a portable 4K monitor or two for expansive screen space that can still fit into a bag. Display more music on the bigger screen and also have a full Logic Pro studio at your disposal too.
There's even bigger portable monitors than that one if you want even more screen R.E.
There's even bigger portable monitors than that one if you want even more screen R.E.
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I've been using my iPad Air 2 for reading chord charts while I play bass, and am very keen to go to a 13" iPad for the extra screen size. As nice as the Pro is, and as useful as the LIDAR would be for my job, I'll probably go for an Air. AU$2200 is rather a bit too steep for my liking.
If you're mounting it on a stand for performances, the 13" size will be great. I dabbled with music on a 10.2" 7th Gen, and it did the job fine. But I longed for just a little more screen.
Given the price difference between Air and Pro for you, I'd splurge for the Pro.
Given the price difference between Air and Pro for you, I'd splurge for the Pro.
Thanks. I am coming from a 2018 11 inch Pro so I was afraid that I might miss things like face ID, etc. My eyes aren't as young as they used to be, so while the 11 inch works, a lot of people I play with have the larger screen and it makes a big difference.
Let's not talk about eyes getting older 🤣
Seriously, I haven't done much with music lately, but if I did get back into it, I would definitely go with the 13" size. Get it and enjoy it!
4K monitors don't fit very well on a music stand though...
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
But the big iPads do? Both are basically portable monitors in this primary usage, both in similar cases, similar thicknesses, etc.
- 17.3” monitor: 15.6 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches $240 (plus maybe $240 for a second one + $600 for Mac Mini = $1080)
- 13” iPad Pro: 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.2 inches $1299
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I do use the 13" Pro for PDF sheet music and Songsterr. Works great. Fits great on the music stand, can actually see it in low light unlike printed music. Only drawback is a page turn for each page vs every 2 pages with printed sheet music.
Bit hard to bring all that on to a stage, and I don’t know if a page turner foot switch would work with it either.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If OP is going on stage, he could cut it down to only Mac Mini and 1 screen. Mac Mini is about the size of a guitar pedal these days. And if stage is the big play here, he can get a 13" screen (one example of many) to be the same size as the iPad for about $1000 LESS than the iPad.
In post #5, OP specifically references the desire for a bigger screen than the 11" he already has. 13" is bigger but 17.3" is a LOT bigger. There's plenty of sizes between those if 17" is too big. This idea offers a path to that for a LOT less cost than the bigger iPad Pro.
Besides addressing that problem in a bigger way, Mac mini would also be capable of running the desktop incarnation of Logic Pro or GarageBand, both of which are arguably superior to iPad versions in many ways.
I suspect if there is a page turner foot switch that works with iPad, there's one that works with Mac Mini too (yep and another and there are likely many more).
Mac is generally much more functional & flexible than iPad. macOS is generally much more functional and flexible than iPadOS. I'm not saying OP should absolutely go this way... just offering that they could... and enjoy all of the "full computer" benefits too instead of the more limited benefits of iPad. And I write this while owning Mac and iPads myself, so nothing particular against iPad. In fact, I use my own iPad every single day.
In post #5, OP specifically references the desire for a bigger screen than the 11" he already has. 13" is bigger but 17.3" is a LOT bigger. There's plenty of sizes between those if 17" is too big. This idea offers a path to that for a LOT less cost than the bigger iPad Pro.
Besides addressing that problem in a bigger way, Mac mini would also be capable of running the desktop incarnation of Logic Pro or GarageBand, both of which are arguably superior to iPad versions in many ways.
I suspect if there is a page turner foot switch that works with iPad, there's one that works with Mac Mini too (yep and another and there are likely many more).
Mac is generally much more functional & flexible than iPad. macOS is generally much more functional and flexible than iPadOS. I'm not saying OP should absolutely go this way... just offering that they could... and enjoy all of the "full computer" benefits too instead of the more limited benefits of iPad. And I write this while owning Mac and iPads myself, so nothing particular against iPad. In fact, I use my own iPad every single day.
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Thanks for the thought. It is an intriguing idea, and clearly a better value in terms of power for money spent, but the iPad is much more convenient. One device, no power cord, lighter/smaller. I have an iMac for home use, so I will continue to run Logic and some other MacOS software on that. I still feel like having both some type of Mac and an iPad provides the most flexible option, albeit a more expensive one.
Fortunately, I was able to order an open box 13 inch Pro with cellular (which I find very convenient as well) in like new condition, with all packaging and accessories for more than 25% off. When I looked at the other iPad options, it seemed to be a good deal even if it is somewhat overkill for my uses.
I actually will probably also buy a mini at some point in the future as well to replace my iMac (which is a 2020 with Intel chip). But for day to day portable use, I feel like the iPad suits me better.
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Glad you got what was best for you. Enjoy!
If it turns out that 2 more inches is not quite enough, at least you have another idea that might sub in well.
If it turns out that 2 more inches is not quite enough, at least you have another idea that might sub in well.
I've thought about getting a 13" iPad Pro for music, but I hate the idea of paying >$200 for what amounts to a PDF reader. Sure, it can be used for other things, but I have a Mac for those. I do enjoy ForScore over maintaining all the paper files. I used my old 12.9" for reading music sometimes, way back.
This could work for some situations, but it introduces the problems of power supply and lacking an annotation pen. There usually aren't power outlets on the floor, at least where I've performed (concert band), and trip hazards are to be avoided with expensive instruments.
There is no overkill if it meets your needs and is important for your workflow. Considering your 11 inch 2018 pro could have been a larger screen. Good luck and enjoy your iPad Pro.
Outdoor performances would be an issue too. That's where the iPad really shines.
Just as long as is not an Australian summer…
At the rehearsal for the Christmas party, all the iPads shut down from the heat of the sun, until we got some more shading sorted. 🫠
Same for Florida summer. It gets ridiculously hot here too.
That must have caused a bit of a panic. Shade is definitely an iPad's ally then!
At least it was just in rehearsal. There was plenty of shade by the time the band was on, so all was good. It was just fun scrambling to find ways to get iPads shaded for rehearsal. 😆
Yes, that would definitely be a money saver. I do, however intend to use it for more than just reading music. I am also pretty gentle with my things and, like my 2018 11 inch iPad Pro (which I still use), I expect that I will be keeping this for a long time, which makes the higher price a bit more palatable over time.
Assuming I was getting an iPad, it really was more of a question for me between the Air (I would wait to see the next iteration which is expected relatively soon) or the Pro. The Air is more than enough for my purpose, but in the end, I thought spending the extra money made sense for its added advantages. I'll see what I think after it arrives.
OK, so an update. The Pro arrived via UPS this morning. I purchased it from Best Buy. I guess it's going back and I will be determining what to do from here.
It's an open box, but they indicated it would arrive with all original packaging and accessories. Instead it was in their plain brown box with the power adapter and cord sitting on top of the screen unsecured, so it has been flopping around in the box on top of the iPad. There is nothing else. The iPad is sealed in plastic and secured and it is guaranteed, but for an item that was advertised in original packaging and "like new", I would say it fails.
It might be fine, and perhaps I am being overly critical -- I guess I could check it out since it is here -- but I'm not too impressed (with Best Buy).
It's an open box, but they indicated it would arrive with all original packaging and accessories. Instead it was in their plain brown box with the power adapter and cord sitting on top of the screen unsecured, so it has been flopping around in the box on top of the iPad. There is nothing else. The iPad is sealed in plastic and secured and it is guaranteed, but for an item that was advertised in original packaging and "like new", I would say it fails.
It might be fine, and perhaps I am being overly critical -- I guess I could check it out since it is here -- but I'm not too impressed (with Best Buy).
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I started using the larger iPad Pro for sheet music with the 2018 iPad Pro 12.9. I updated to the 12.9 inch M2 iPad Pro then the current M4 iPad Pro 13. If the larger Air version was available in 2018 I might have gone down that path, but I’m now into music and video editing so plan to keep using the Pro line. But I suspect I’ll keep the M4 for quite a while before updating.
If using primarily for sheet music, then the main difference would be between the iPad Air’s 600-nits LCD and the iPad Pro’s 1000-nits OLED display. If you have cash to burn, you can also get the nano-texture on the Pro. The Pro is brighter, which may be useful if you play outside or under very bright stage lights. But it also has some risk of burn-in, especially considering that you might display lots of static images (app UI or music) while practicing. Both batteries should last through several hours of play. I got the Pro, but I use it for other stuff too and strongly prefer 120 Hz and OLED. If I used my iPad mostly for sheet music, I’d get the Air.
Absolutely, grabbing the M4 Pro for just $250 more than the Air sounds like a great deal! The 13-inch display is perfect for reading music and the extra power is handy for anything else you might want to do. Plus, it’s always nice to have that extra boost in performance and quality. If it fits your budget, I'd say go for it!