Air vs Pro for Music Production

[majormike]

Hi,

Do you think it's worth spending the extra 250 for the Pro when used in Music Production?

I've just wondered whether I'd lose a lot of performance for not having a fan inside the system and whether it'd also affect durability of the computer for not having it?

Mike

 

[Dockland]

Here's a good vid about music prod and M1

 

[majormike]

I just wondered whether I'd lose a lot of performance for not having the fan system and whether it also affects durability of the computer not having a fan?

 

[Dockland]

Here's a comparison

 

[robco74]

First do the research and make sure that the software and hardware you want to use are supported for Big Sur, and for Apple Silicon. There are still quite a few music creation apps and external interfaces that wont work with either.

 

[majormike]

First do the research and make sure that the software and hardware you want to use are supported for Big Sur, and for Apple Silicon. There are still quite a few music creation apps and external interfaces that wont work with either.

I already did that and Logic is fine so far and most plugins in native will follow this year so I'm not worrying about that.

My interface is luckily Lynx Aurora (n) USB so no special driver needed, works straight out of the box.

 

[Mac... nificent]

I just wondered whether I'd lose a lot of performance for not having the fan system and whether it also affects durability of the computer not having a fan?

This is not the intel MBA. Both the M1 MBA and MBP share the same exact processor, and have the same performance. Only the mac mini has slightly higher benchmarks. If you're not going to use the touchbar or be a heavy user, then the MBA will be great with Logic. It's amazing how Apple brought the MBA from zero, to hero with the M1. I would get the 16 Gig version though no matter which model you decide on.

 

[majormike]

This is not the intel MBA. Both the M1 MBA and MBP share the same exact processor, and have the same performance. Only the mac mini has slightly higher benchmarks. If you're not going to use the touchbar or be a heavy user, then the MBA will be great with Logic. It's amazing how Apple brought the MBA from zero, to hero with the M1. I would get the 16 Gig version though no matter which model you decide on.

Ya no I'll go 16 GB 512 regardless, maybe 1 TB.

 

[Mac... nificent]

Ya no I'll go 16 GB 512 regardless, maybe 1 TB.

You’ll need to go external to have anything bigger than 512...

 

[Manzanito]

I’d wait for the beefier pros to ship.

 

[guzhogi]

You’ll need to go external to have anything bigger than 512...

Both the M1 MBA & MBP start with a 512 drive, with options for 1 & 2 TB.

 

[majormike]

Hi,

Do you think the Macbook Air temps are going to be a durability problem in the future?

I've seen a guy on YouTube running Logic Pro and here's what he got:

 

[Toutou]

Nothing new under the sun, MacBooks have been able to hit high 90s and thermal throttle for many years. The M1 Air uses a huge thermal sink to soak the heat and slowly radiate it away instead of transferring it to air pushed out by the fan, but the CPU itself heats up a lot, just like the latest Intel models, like the M1 Pro, like my 2013 model and like many other notebooks from other manufacturers. We run mobile hardware significantly hotter than most desktop counterparts.

Yes, high CPU temperatures shorten the lifespan of all silicon involved, but the numbers are probably good enough for Apple (and Intel and AMD) and have been for a long time.

 

[leman]

This is a safe operating temperature for the chip and the laptop power management system has been designed to take full advantage of it. Detrimental effects of heat are greatly exaggerated.

 

[jerryk]

My 16" MBP would get to near 100 C in 2 minutes when training ML Models. The fans and throttling would pull it to back to 90C while sounding like an airplane. The models could take 8-12 hours to train. I did this for over 8 months with no ill effects. So also long as the system can keep the temps within the limit (< 100C) I am not worried about it.

The only downside of the Air is it only has one mechanism, throttling down the clock, to reduce temps.

 

[majormike]

My 16" MBP would get to near 100 C in 2 minutes when training ML Models. The fans and throttling would pull it to back to 90C while sounding like an airplane. The models could take 8-12 hours to train. I did this for over 8 months with no ill effects. So also long as the system can keep the temps within the limit (< 100C) I am not worried about it.

The only downside of the Air is it only has one mechanism, throttling down the clock, to reduce temps.

I was just about to pull the Trigger on the air for music production but now I'm not so sure yet anymore.

 

[ian87w]

In the end, get the proper devices for your needs.
If you're going to use Logic Pro or Final Cut for hours and days, then get a Macbook Pro or Mac mini. The Macbook Air, although using the same chip, is not intended for that kind of usage. It will heat up and it will throttle. So why not get a device with better thermals like the Macbook Pro?

It's like buying a small hatchback to tow trailers around, and being concerned that the engines are revving/heating up all the time.

 

[jerryk]

I was just about to pull the Trigger on the air for music production but now I'm not so sure yet anymore.

You can always go with the MacBook Pro if you are concerned about the temps. I use my Air for recording narrations with Audition and it works fine. And being silent, it's great for the recording room (actually a closet).

 

[leman]

In the end, get the proper devices for your needs.
If you're going to use Logic Pro or Final Cut for hours and days, then get a Macbook Pro or Mac mini. The Macbook Air, although using the same chip, is not intended for that kind of usage. It will heat up and it will throttle. So why not get a device with better thermals like the Macbook Pro?

It's like buying a small hatchback to tow trailers around, and being concerned that the engines are revving/heating up all the time.

The pro will heat up as well, it will just run higher clocks during to better cooling. Apple likes their chips to run hot. And there is nothing wrong with that. You get a faster, quieter, smaller computer with better battery life.

 

[ian87w]

The pro will heat up as well, it will just run higher clocks during to better cooling. Apple likes their chips to run hot. And there is nothing wrong with that. You get a faster, quieter, smaller computer with better battery life.

What I meant was if the user already knows he/she will be using the laptop for pro apps and have concerns about heat, the Macbook Pro is the obvious choice. It has the Pro badge for a reason. The Macbook Air is positioned as the laptop for the general masses.

 

[MBAir2010]

I was wondering if living in a tropical area increase the need for a fan on one's Notebook?
that is very nice that the new M1 MacBook airs are not equipped with a fan,
but would that be a compromise while living on a warm humid area?
not that i would use the M1 MacBook air on a street corner in 99 degree heat, but there is sometime no escape from the heat and humidity we embrace most of the year

 

[ian87w]

I was wondering if living in a tropical area increase the need for a fan on one's Notebook?
that is very nice that the new M1 MacBook airs are not equipped with a fan,
but would that be a compromise while living on a warm humid area?
not that i would use the M1 MacBook air on a street corner in 99 degree heat, but there is sometime no escape from the heat and humidity we embrace most of the year

Well, think about the iPad. It has no fans as well.
The question is, what will you be doing with your laptop? General use won't be an issue. But if you are going to encode 4k videos for hours, then maybe a device with better thermals/cooling will fit the bill much better.

 

[jeremiah256]

Here's a good vid about music prod and M1

Yeah, right. I’m not going to watch a 30 minute video about a app I don’t use.

***THIRTY MINUTES LATER***

Damn! I need to save this so I can watch it again!

Thanks for the post. I learned a lot.

 

[majormike]

I've seen the Macbook Pro go at about 105 tracks in the Logic Benchmark vs 90 - 95 on the Air but that seems like a palpable cut, given that it hasn't any fans.

I'm just worried about whether it affects how stable it performs during permanent playback during long mixing sessions or whether the fan won't change anything about it.

Anybody else wants to chime in?

 

[majormike]

What I meant was if the user already knows he/she will be using the laptop for pro apps and have concerns about heat, the Macbook Pro is the obvious choice. It has the Pro badge for a reason. The Macbook Air is positioned as the laptop for the general masses.

They literally have the same processor so your argument sounds like from an Apple sales person, making you to buy the Pro.

To me it isn't a Pro, it's rather an Air+ and many people apparently do heavy editing on this new air, losing about 10-15% performance due to the cooling.