B*tch slap me, than give some advice please

[Hypee96]

Hi guys! Total newbie here. Lately I've been searching a macbook for myself, since I've never owned one. I want to use it for music production mainly, but I just cant decide, there are way too many factors to take into consideration. I went full b*tch mode. You guys are my last hope for helping me. So there are things I struggle with;

I wanted a MBA, read a lot about the topic and since 2015 there were no bigger upgrade on it, I feel like that it would be a waste of money in 2-3 years. The dispaly is also pretty **** for a computer in this price range. Okay, it isnt that much of a problam in music production, but the screen is the screen I guess..

Started searching for MBP...well they have a price. I feel that it would be a suicide to get my first macbook in that prince range, on the other hand, im amazed with apple products, I have an iphone and an ipad too and im in total love with them. Last but not least, I only like the new (2016-17) design in MBP, im in total love with them. I am not a big fan of getting a used computer, because I want it last as much as possible (and the design is also a bit too harsh for me on the 2015 or earlier models)

Refurbished models would be the best choice for me I guess, but I cant purchase refurbished models in my country :- (

I know I quite complain a lot about this whole topic, but its just a big investment for me now, and I want to get the best possible choice. I'd appreciate your help, thanks!

 

[Fishrrman]

A question that might be important:
If you're going to use it for audio production, what kind of interface do you have, and what kind of connection to the computer does it use (such as USB, firewire, etc.)?

 

[Stefan johansson]

No,the MBA is a bit underpowered for audio or video production,if I where you,I would probably choose a maxed out 13 inch MBP,with SSD. Then you could use it for all your needs,for a long time.

 

[Hypee96]

A question that might be important:
If you're going to use it for audio production, what kind of interface do you have, and what kind of connection to the computer does it use (such as USB, firewire, etc.)?

Well with adapters I can connet everything together, I think that apple and midi controllers worked out in a long time, none of them would like to make a product that lessen your experience only because of the different type of connection. But most of them use USB so its fine with an adapter.

No,the MBA is a bit underpowered for audio or video production,if I where you,I would probably choose a maxed out 13 inch MBP,with SSD. Then you could use it for all your needs,for a long time.

I was thinking about the 2016 MBP with 256 storage. In my country its 1700$. The 2017 MBP with 128gb, has 0,3 more ghz and its for 1800$. I think storage isnt that important because I can get a hard drive anytime, but does that 0,3 ghz worth the price of it?

 

[jwhittaker]

Well with adapters I can connet everything together, I think that apple and midi controllers worked out in a long time, none of them would like to make a product that lessen your experience only because of the different type of connection. But most of them use USB so its fine with an adapter.




I was thinking about the 2016 MBP with 256 storage. In my country its 1700$. The 2017 MBP with 128gb, has 0,3 more ghz and its for 1800$. I think storage isnt that important because I can get a hard drive anytime, but does that 0,3 ghz worth the price of it?

 

[Stefan johansson]

Well with adapters I can connet everything together, I think that apple and midi controllers worked out in a long time, none of them would like to make a product that lessen your experience only because of the different type of connection. But most of them use USB so its fine with an adapter.




I was thinking about the 2016 MBP with 256 storage. In my country its 1700$. The 2017 MBP with 128gb, has 0,3 more ghz and its for 1800$. I think storage isnt that important because I can get a hard drive anytime, but does that 0,3 ghz worth the price of it?

Its not just processor speed,the available RAM,and type of graphics card and graphic processor is more important.

 

[BB1970]

Hi guys! Total newbie here. Lately I've been searching a macbook for myself, since I've never owned one. I want to use it for music production mainly, but I just cant decide, there are way too many factors to take into consideration. I went full b*tch mode. You guys are my last hope for helping me. So there are things I struggle with;

I wanted a MBA, read a lot about the topic and since 2015 there were no bigger upgrade on it, I feel like that it would be a waste of money in 2-3 years. The dispaly is also pretty **** for a computer in this price range. Okay, it isnt that much of a problam in music production, but the screen is the screen I guess..

Started searching for MBP...well they have a price. I feel that it would be a suicide to get my first macbook in that prince range, on the other hand, im amazed with apple products, I have an iphone and an ipad too and im in total love with them. Last but not least, I only like the new (2016-17) design in MBP, im in total love with them. I am not a big fan of getting a used computer, because I want it last as much as possible (and the design is also a bit too harsh for me on the 2015 or earlier models)

Refurbished models would be the best choice for me I guess, but I cant purchase refurbished models in my country :- (

I know I quite complain a lot about this whole topic, but its just a big investment for me now, and I want to get the best possible choice. I'd appreciate your help, thanks!

[doublepost=1498422506][/doublepost]I think a more important question is really what you wanna do with it? As in Logic level or GarageBand level? MacBook Pro is in my opinion good for video. Audio isn't nearly as intensive. I've used my iPad Pro with Auria and Multitrack and with Audiobus plugging in and it still ran smoothly. Maybe all you need is just an interface capable of iPad connectivity... at least for now.

 

[mmomega]

The most important ? is how much are you actually wanting to spend for something and what you want for that cash.
No-one here will be able to make that decision for you.

 

[Tech198]

No,the MBA is a bit underpowered for audio or video production,if I where you,I would probably choose a maxed out 13 inch MBP,with SSD. Then you could use it for all your needs,for a long time.

I would go for this as well...but u still need USB-C adapters for connections

 

[kschendel]

It's extremely likely that you would regret going with only 128 Gb storage, it's just too small.

You probably will end up with a Macbook Pro. I don't think the Air's are the right choice today for anyone but the most budget-constrained, or for someone who is just needs an occasional computer. The 12 inch Macbook is super portable and has a nice (if small) screen, but is better suited to office / email / browser work, it's not well suited to chugging away on e a processor intensive job for minutes or hours. So, probably MBP. I'd start with 16 Gb RAM and either 256 or 512 Gb internal SSD. A few hundred Mhz either way in CPU speed is almost irrelevant for most users. The 2017 MBP's have slightly better thermals (ie fewer watts per useful Ghz) than 2016 but again it's not anything I would stress over. I can't imagine that the graphics processor would matter to you if you're mostly into audio. In your case, 13 inch vs 15 inch would largely be a matter of preference and budget; I have trouble with a 13 inch screen but that's just me.

 

[Mikael H]

A small piece of advice:
Unless your needs change dramatically, if you buy a good enough Mac today, it will likely keep doing what it's good at some 5-7 years. So look at the extra money for, say a 256 och 512 GB flash disk, or for a larger, more comfortable screen, and spread it out over 60 or 84 months. Then immediately after you buy this computer, start saving to buy one that is just as expensive in the number of months you chose as a likely lifetime for it.

 

[Hypee96]

[doublepost=1498422506][/doublepost]I think a more important question is really what you wanna do with it? As in Logic level or GarageBand level? MacBook Pro is in my opinion good for video. Audio isn't nearly as intensive. I've used my iPad Pro with Auria and Multitrack and with Audiobus plugging in and it still ran smoothly. Maybe all you need is just an interface capable of iPad connectivity... at least for now.

Tbh, I want to go with Ableton and also perform live. for that I need a stable and also the most comfortable setup as possible. Ofc, I need the laptop for everyday and university stuff also, so it wouldnt be only for production.
[doublepost=1498462816][/doublepost]

A small piece of advice:
Unless your needs change dramatically, if you buy a good enough Mac today, it will likely keep doing what it's good at some 5-7 years. So look at the extra money for, say a 256 och 512 GB flash disk, or for a larger, more comfortable screen, and spread it out over 60 or 84 months. Then immediately after you buy this computer, start saving to buy one that is just as expensive in the number of months you chose as a likely lifetime for it.

I was thinking the same way as you, thats why I do not want to go with older macs, because they will "expire" earlier, and their price is still pretty expensive
[doublepost=1498463278][/doublepost]

It's extremely likely that you would regret going with only 128 Gb storage, it's just too small.

You probably will end up with a Macbook Pro. I don't think the Air's are the right choice today for anyone but the most budget-constrained, or for someone who is just needs an occasional computer. The 12 inch Macbook is super portable and has a nice (if small) screen, but is better suited to office / email / browser work, it's not well suited to chugging away on e a processor intensive job for minutes or hours. So, probably MBP. I'd start with 16 Gb RAM and either 256 or 512 Gb internal SSD. A few hundred Mhz either way in CPU speed is almost irrelevant for most users. The 2017 MBP's have slightly better thermals (ie fewer watts per useful Ghz) than 2016 but again it's not anything I would stress over. I can't imagine that the graphics processor would matter to you if you're mostly into audio. In your case, 13 inch vs 15 inch would largely be a matter of preference and budget; I have trouble with a 13 inch screen but that's just me.

I was thinking about the display a lot, but I think 13 would be okay, since portability is a pretty big advantage for me, and I need to carry sometimes all day for the university.
If I need a bit more screen I can go with duet display or TV.

Is 16GB ram that important? Im taking the ssd into consideration tho
[doublepost=1498463308][/doublepost]Thanks for all your answers guys!

 

[kschendel]

My thought on RAM is that 8 Gb is OK for a lot of users now, but since it's not upgradeable I'd suggest going with 16 Gb. If it's a question of choosing between the 16 Gb upgrade and something else important, like buying a large enough SSD, you'll probably be OK with 8. Of course, it depends on what the apps you run are going to do, and I don't have any feel for how much RAM the typical music / audio applications need.