Questions about 8gig M1 Mac mini, and audio recording

[Yoshiii33524]

Hello,

I bought the M1 Mac mini 8gig version.

I will use it for mainly music production and maybe some video editing.

I plan to buy later a 16" M1 MBP or MStudio for use for video editing, photoshop etc.

The computer seems fine, fast but when I check the ram usage, it uses almost the whole amount. I had 9 web pages open and it was using 6gigs of ram. When I had iTunes open and 9 web pages it used 7 gigs of ram and swapped 1.7 gigs. There were not any songs playing.

Will this computer do well for audio recording and using plugins, etc. ? The Cpu usage was only at 20 percent.

Should I return the computer and pay the extra 300 hundred dollars just for 8 gigs of extra ram or should I just use it as is and buy the other Macs and use one of those as the main music computer? Or buy the 14in M1 MBP or the M2 MBP for music production?

 

[rm5]

Nope, sorry! Even 16 GB is barely enough for me - I would love to have 32 GB. I have a similar workload to yours - several browser tabs, some video editing, both in 1080p and 4K, and music production in Logic with 40+ (both live and MIDI) tracks.

How many plugins do you have in a project? That makes a BIG difference for RAM usage.

 

[Yoshiii33524]

Nope, sorry! Even 16 GB is barely enough for me - I would love to have 32 GB. I have a similar workload to yours - several browser tabs, some video editing, both in 1080p and 4K, and music production in Logic with 40+ (both live and MIDI) tracks.

How many plugins do you have in a project? That makes a BIG difference for RAM usage.

Don't know yet, just bought the Mini

 

[gradi]

Here is an excellent, easy to understand, practical new video:

Memory Pressure and How Your Mac Uses Memory

I have watched many of this guy's excellent videos with his tutorials on various aspects of MacOS, Mac apps, etc. over the last few months. He does it all in a calm voice, well organized, not lots of chit-chat, etc. Recommended.

 

[theluggage]

The computer seems fine, fast but when I check the ram usage, it uses almost the whole amount. I had 9 web pages open and it was using 6gigs of ram.

As the video linked above explains in detail - the "Memory used" figure really isn't very helpful, and as long as the "memory pressure" is in the green or low yellow you don't have a problem. Also, browser tabs seem to be the #1 memory hog, so don't have lots of web pages open when you're recording audio!

If you'd asked before buying Mini specifically for music production I think most people would have recommended 16GB RAM and at least 512GB storage. However, an 8GB/256GB Mini may well be enough for what you want to do - "music production" is a piece of string depending on how many tracks, sampled instruments, effects etc. you want.

I plan to buy later a 16" M1 MBP or MStudio for use for video editing, photoshop etc.

Any special reason why you need a separate computer for this? If you're planning to buy a more powerful Mac long term, why not use that for music and video/graphics?

If you're going to have two systems then a Studio for the desktop + MacBook Air/MBP13" (which are very nearly as powerful as the Mini) for portability might be a more sensible combo. Most audio software these days seems to come with a license for at least two personal machines.

Should I return the computer and pay the extra 300 hundred dollars just for 8 gigs of extra ram or should I just use it as is and buy the other Macs and use one of those as the main music computer?

I think you need to make up your mind as to when/if you're going to buy that 16" MBP or Studio. If that's definitely going to happen I wouldn't throw any more money at the Mini & maybe just return it if you can and put the cash towards a better MBP or Studio.

Long-term you might well need more RAM and storage on the mini, but you can certainly get started with what you have & sell on the mini when you buy.

 

[Yoshiii33524]

As the video linked above explains in detail - the "Memory used" figure really isn't very helpful, and as long as the "memory pressure" is in the green or low yellow you don't have a problem. Also, browser tabs seem to be the #1 memory hog, so don't have lots of web pages open when you're recording audio!

If you'd asked before buying Mini specifically for music production I think most people would have recommended 16GB RAM and at least 512GB storage. However, an 8GB/256GB Mini may well be enough for what you want to do - "music production" is a piece of string depending on how many tracks, sampled instruments, effects etc. you want.


Any special reason why you need a separate computer for this? If you're planning to buy a more powerful Mac long term, why not use that for music and video/graphics?

If you're going to have two systems then a Studio for the desktop + MacBook Air/MBP13" (which are very nearly as powerful as the Mini) for portability might be a more sensible combo. Most audio software these days seems to come with a license for at least two personal machines.


I think you need to make up your mind as to when/if you're going to buy that 16" MBP or Studio. If that's definitely going to happen I wouldn't throw any more money at the Mini & maybe just return it if you can and put the cash towards a better MBP or Studio.

Long-term you might well need more RAM and storage on the mini, but you can certainly get started with what you have & sell on the mini when you buy.

Well the mac mini will be only for music recording at a desk with midi boards, etc. No space for drawing or doing other stuff, just recording.

 

[wilberforce]

Here is an excellent, easy to understand, practical new video:

Memory Pressure and How Your Mac Uses Memory

I have watched many of this guy's excellent videos with his tutorials on various aspects of MacOS, Mac apps, etc. over the last few months. He does it all in a calm voice, well organized, not lots of chit-chat, etc. Recommended.

Just because he has a calm voice, does not make him right. Just makes it more pleasant to listen to him.
I disagree with some of what he says, and he oversimplifies some things. Simplification makes it easier to understand, but does not give the full (more complicated) story, which takes more effort to understand (which people do not like).
I think it is a good intro, but be wary of making buying decisions from it.

 

[wilberforce]

OP, I think the best thing you can do in the 14-day return period is to thoroughly test it out they way in which you intend to use it, and not worry too much about memory pressure theories. What really matters is whether it performs the way you expect and need.

 

[gradi]

Just because he has a calm voice, does not make him right. Just makes it more pleasant to listen to him.
I disagree with some of what he says, and he oversimplifies some things. Simplification makes it easier to understand, but does not give the full (more complicated) story, which takes more effort to understand (which people do not like).

I think there are many of us (certainly including me) who would greatly appreciate it if you would write details of all this (lengthy is okay) with the correct, full information so that we can understand it all much better. Thank you!

 

[theluggage]

Well the mac mini will be only for music recording at a desk with midi boards, etc. No space for drawing or doing other stuff, just recording.

Obviously it would be more cost-efficient to buy a single, powerful machine, but if you want two "work stations" separated by more than a couple of metres and are happy to pay the premium, that's fair enough.

Have you considered maybe a single 16" MBP & a thunderbolt dock at each workstation so you could move the computer around?

The real problem is that nobody can really answer the question "how much RAM do I need for music/photoshop/video editing" without a lot more detail because the answer depends on exactly what you do - you can certainly do useful work with a base Mac Mini (heck, people were running Logic years ago when 8GB was high-end, and you can do useful stuff in GarageBand on an iPad) - on the other hand there are people who need a 100-piece orchestra of sampled instruments on tap, and need a Mac Pro with the thick end of 1TB RAM to cope. Still, I think most people would recommend getting 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD for any of those tasks.

 

[theluggage]

I think there are many of us (certainly including me) who would greatly appreciate it if you would write details of all this (lengthy is okay) with the correct, full information so that we can understand it all much better. Thank you!

I think for the purpose of this level of discussion, the details aren't really important. Basically:

1. Green memory pressure good
2. Red memory pressure bad.
3. 6-7GB Memory Used on a 8GB machine: not an issue.
4. Multiple browser tabs are public enemy number one. Get into the habit of bookmarks, or pay for more RAM!
5. Nobody can tell you "how much memory do I need for (say) music production" without a lot more detail because the answer is always "somewhere between 4GB and 1.5TB depending on exactly what you are doing".

...I'm not sure about some of the irrelevant details in the video, but I don't think it's really leading anybody too far astray.

 

[Fishrrman]

8gb isn't enough RAM.

 

[wilberforce]

I think there are many of us (certainly including me) who would greatly appreciate it if you would write details of all this (lengthy is okay) with the correct, full information so that we can understand it all much better. Thank you!

I do not have the time, inclination or expert knowledge to do so. I am simply pointing out to others that although he helps people understand it better, what he says is not the final word and be cautious about making a buying decision based on it. In particular, many people may be misled to think they will be fine with 8GB RAM, based on what he says.

Really, what matters in the end is how the machine performs for each individual, and the best way to determine that is to try it oneself, or at least get the input from others with similar usage cases. It is quite possible to have stuttering and lagginess even though memory pressure shows as acceptably yellow. I get some choppiness on my 16GB M1 Pro doing large photo editing when memory pressure is yellow.