Need some help on a second machine to my Mac Studio

[CSBBody]

Hi All,

i recently purchased a base model mac studio max and upped the storage only. my deciison was based on my serious hobby of everything music.

now i want something i can travel with , enjoy content and carry on with my "real" job which is not graphoically or intensive.

my use case :

take on holidays
use around the house instead of my ipad 12.9 which is always connected to my MKB. so i dont feel i will struggle to adapt.

portability on planes and travel, is not a concern.

i am considering the 14-16" Macbook pro M1 16gb Ram and 1TB SSD for this application, sometimes i will use it at guitar lessons to set up practice sessions in logic etc.

spec wise, like most is probably overkill.

i was looking at the base model 10 core 16 gpu 16gb ram 16" (can get for same money as the 16) i doubt i need any more GPU cores.

There is no M2 MBA as that was my first thought, but in my country, we dont get many custom options so 16gb is out of the question, and to be honest costs as much as a base 14" macbook pro M1

i briefly considered an M1 max, knowing its total overkill, i will never be using that power out the house. it would be mainly spreadsheets and day to day of running my business, i will use it to watch some content around the house, again the size doesnt bother me, i want the screen and screen real estate.

so my options are :

MBA M1- 8gb/512gb costing almost as much as the base M1 PRO 14 - this is probably the sensible option (NO M2 available for 2-3 months)
MBP - 16" base model 10 core 16 core GPU with a 1TB SSD , obvioulsy what i am gassing hard for
MBP M1 MAX - 32gb Ram / 1TB SSD / 32 core GPU - but it will cost me at least $ 1000 more give or take.

Use case for all the power :

Music, from standalone plug ins, to learning recording etc etc.

budget wise, i can probably swing at the MBP 16" comfortably.

i use my ipad pro 2020 80% of my day, the 16" will fill that hole, i cannot travel amnd work on the ipad, to many hoops to jump through. will prefer MacOs, love my ipad but not paying good money for another M1 , rather wait for the M2 and if apple decides to make it more uselful than a simple air rather.

apologies for the long thread if you made it this far.

 

[Bodhitree]

I would probably stick with the base 16” MBP in your situation, is my initial thought. It’s really about the ram, my question is would 8 GB in the M1 MBA be enough? Large music arrangements can chew through memory I know, would you not be more comfortable on 16 GB, or even 32 GB if you plan to keep the machine a long while?

 

[CSBBody]

I would probably stick with the base 16” MBP in your situation, is my initial thought. It’s really about the ram, my question is would 8 GB in the M1 MBA be enough? Large music arrangements can chew through memory I know, would you not be more comfortable on 16 GB, or even 32 GB if you plan to keep the machine a long while?

i agree, and why i am having to purchase a bit more than i really need.

i work best at 16gb, enough headroom, 32 even better.

i am not at the stage where i am maxing out instruments and plug ins. but 16gb is my minimum and 32 gb plus is definitely a waste for me (use case right now, maybe it changes in 2-3 years)

i keep most of my machines 2-4 years on average.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If you could come up with ONE reason to want the Studio with you: https://www.sfbags.com/products/mac-studio-case

Think of it like a bowling cube. Portable monitor, keyboard, mouse in pack and this thing carried like you are going bowling.

Of course, this is far from as portable as an all-in-one laptop and a laptop seems obvious fit but- if you could come up with one reason where you need "full power" on the road- perhaps this option is an interesting alternative to the obvious?

Back when the rumor was Mac Mini Pro & Max, I found myself thinking about the concept of a "separates" laptop, mostly because I need Windows too and Silicon doesn't have Bootcamp (and Windows for ARM is not full Windows).

So I was thinking about a Mac Mini MAX and Mini PC and sharable monitor, keyboard and mouse. Again, NOT as portable as a single laptop but an actual need for Windows implied carrying TWO laptops (with 2 screens, 2 keyboards, etc). There are these customizable foam (interior) "desktop" travel cases available and I was imagining slot for Mini Max, slot for Mini PC, screen, keyboard, mouse. Yes, that whole would be thicker than a laptop case but it would not be gigantic... and full powered desktops would be with me for both platforms.

Laptop probably is the answer for your stated needs but Studio is not exactly Mac Pro in terms of size. The "fat Mini" would not be a huge burden to carry around if you could come up with one scenario where you could really use full power. Music production is pretty demanding and budget-wise, a case will cost far less than a whole computer in a laptop container... even if you add a laptop-like portable monitor too.

 

[Fishrrman]

14" MacBook Pro, base model.

You could even save $200 by buying Apple-refurbished...

 

[CSBBody]

If you could come up with ONE reason to want the Studio with you: https://www.sfbags.com/products/mac-studio-case

Think of it like a bowling cube. Portable monitor, keyboard, mouse in pack and this thing carried like you are going bowling.

Of course, this is far from as portable as an all-in-one laptop and a laptop seems obvious fit but- if you could come up with one reason where you need "full power" on the road, perhaps this option is an interesting alternative to the obvious?

Back when the rumor was Mac Mini Pro & Max, I found myself thinking about the concept of a "separates" laptop, mostly because I need Windows too and Silicon doesn't have Bootcamp (and Windows for ARM is not full Windows).

So I was thinking about a Mac Mini MAX and Mini PC and sharable monitor, keyboard and mouse. Again, NOT as portable as a single laptop but an actual need for Windows implied carrying TWO laptops (with 2 screens, 2 keyboards, etc). There are these customizable foam (interior) "desktop" travel cases available and I was imagining slot for Mini Max, slot for Mini PC, screen, keyboard, mouse. Yes, that whole would be thicker than a laptop case but it would not be gigantic... and full powered desktops would be with me for both platforms.

Laptop probably is the answer for your stated needs but Studio is not exactly Mac Pro in terms of size. The "fat Mini" would not be a huge burden to carry around if you could come up with one scenario where you could really use full power. Music production is pretty demanding and budget-wise, a case will cost far less than a whole computer in a laptop container... even if you add a laptop-like portable monitor too.

that is the weirdest, yet most interesting accessory i have seen haha thank you for that

14" MacBook Pro, base model.

You could even save $200 by buying Apple-refurbished...

i went with the base 16 and simply upped the storage, having it a day, in place of an ipad 12.9 is a hell of an adjustment. they gave me a massive trade value on all my items. so pay in was minimal.

the monitor and sound is the winner for me just wow. i had the previous 16 before the M1 years

i have 7 days to decide, funny enough the owner of the company i purchased from did exactly what i did, and swopped for the 14" which is now on sale refurbished after 7 days of use. this thing is huge and i can see that 14 being the sweet spot. coming from an ultrawide, i have zero issues working on this screen.

i will live with this a few more days and see if i adjust to carrying it around the house and laying in bed watching TV. .otherwise will try the equivalent 14" and make the swop.

but this screen........... 🥰

they had a great combo deal on the M1 12.9 /256/ WIFI with magic keyboard and pencil for really good money, but will wait for the M2. as i still find value in an ipad, even if its just the mini 6 as an e-reader, trading mini 5 in wasn't the smartest move. just wasn't impressed with what was in store for Ipados16, i can feel them building towards some big crossover, but taking longer than we thought, and probably exactly to their game plan, they set in motion years ago.

in all my years i have never "worked" on a laptop, even though owing them for decades, they always hooked to monitor's and the odd foray into using it alone once every few years. this is the first one, i honestly enjoying doing actual work on this screen real estate, still in the honeymoon phase. if you dont mind the size it ridiculously impressive machine.

the 14 def feels like a sweet spot for a professional on the go (audio video, coding whatever needs the power) and my most fun was my MacBook air M1 , which. i just sold a few weeks back for the studio as my hub. but bumping to 16gb ram and more storage, makes it moot when the base 14 pro is right on similar money.

if the speakers and monitor on the MBA were of this standard, slam dunk.