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Seheab

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2022
4
0
Hello , Is iMac M1 24” good for music production ? i use only logic pro , if i have to choose between base and upgrade model does the GPU have an effect in music production , which model do you recommend or should i go with Mac mini ?

Thanks a lot.
 
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CooperBox

macrumors 68000
"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.
 
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Seheab

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2022
4
0
"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.
Thanks so much man!
 

imdog

macrumors 6502
Jun 20, 2017
354
793
Disneyland
"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.
That's incorrect! The base model M1 iMac's have a 7-core GPU instead of 8-core in the higher spec'd ones.
I use my M1 iMac primarily for music production & don't think GPU matters much for it, but it would be worth the upgrade for the better thermals. The base model only has one fan, compared to two in the higher spec'd ones.
 

glindon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2014
640
907
Phoenix
GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.
 

Seheab

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2022
4
0
That's incorrect! The base model M1 iMac's have a 7-core GPU instead of 8-core in the higher spec'd ones.
I use my M1 iMac primarily for music production & don't think GPU matters much for it, but it would be worth the upgrade for the better thermals. The base model only has one fan, compared to two in the higher spec'd ones.
Thanks man , I agree.
 

Seheab

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2022
4
0
GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.
Thanks man!
 

MajorFubar

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2021
2,175
3,828
Lancashire UK
Home-based amateur music producer here. Just want to underline the great advice already given. The GPU makes next to no difference for our purposes, but the overall depleted specs of the base-model M1 iMac means that I would probably avoid it if I were you.

Personally i'm giving a lot of thought to just going with a 2TB 16GB Mac Mini or similarly equipped Macbook Air, considering I already have a 27" monitor waiting in the wings.
 
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CooperBox

macrumors 68000
@imdog
I stand to be corrected. Thanks for the clarification.
Given that the GPU appears to make next to no difference, I believe my advise on ignoring the base model due to poor lack of ports is the way to go, and opting for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory or even the high-end model if funds permit.
 
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imdog

macrumors 6502
Jun 20, 2017
354
793
Disneyland
GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.
How big are these libraries? I use a ton of Kontakt ones and have never even came close to having any issues on the top spec'd M1 iMac. Not saying you don't need it for your use case but I think you can get pretty far with sample libraries on the normal M1 & 16GB
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Oct 2, 2012
2,893
2,340
There are plugins that can make use of the GPU. But since you ask if a GPU is used, I’m guessing you are not using those (it doesn’t work on MAC anyway).
 

glindon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2014
640
907
Phoenix
How big are these libraries? I use a ton of Kontakt ones and have never even came close to having any issues on the top spec'd M1 iMac. Not saying you don't need it for your use case but I think you can get pretty far with sample libraries on the normal M1 & 16GB
A concert piano alone is like 30 gb, then add in some orchestral instruments and it’s easily 100gb of samples. It’s nice to set the engine to have 48gb of dedicated cache while the other 16gb is used for tracks. It also lowers cpu because it doesn’t have to work as much to stream all the tiny sample files from an external SSD, and in turn I can lower the latency as low as possible when recording new tracks.
I agree for pop or rap, other genres 64gb is way overkill.
 
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