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Hi AMers
When I became an AM member in 2020, I bought myself a Windows Notebook for the purpose of recording my guitar playing into a DAW.
I currently use Ableton Standard DAW and a Scarlet 2i2 interface.Now 4.5 years later my computer seems no longer to meet the requirements and I am thinking to change to a Mac computer since most musicians use Mac which also comes with pre-installed audio/video SW.
The thing is, I know nothing about Mac computers😣. I have always been working with Windows computers.
Could you give me some advice about which Mac computer is suited for audio / video home recordings? Do some of you have experience changing your equipment from Windows to Mac?
My price limit is at max. USD 2500.00😦.Can the existing audio /video recordings easily be converted to OS?
I am also thinking of buying another audio interface since I am no longer satisfied with the Scarlett interface (there has been a post by AndyN about the issues).
What else needs to be considered?
Thank you for your help.
DeniseMore Blues!
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Hi Denise,
Windows and MacOS are very different beasts, so be prepared for a transition period… But there are many Mac users on the site to help you!
One of the biggest advantages on a Mac is that audio applications don’t need any specific drivers; that’s part of Core Audio, which is part of the operating system.
Audio and video applications don’t come preinstalled, but you can download Garageband and iMovie from the App Store for free.
Garageband is comparable to Ableton Standard in terms of functionalities. In fact, Garageband is probably more powerful, but its user interface is sometimes a little cumbersome.
Logic Pro is the professional DAW from Apple, but it costs about 300 €. I would however strongly recommend Logic Pro over GarageBand.iMovie is an entry level video editing application. It’s fine if you don’t have too many expectations. Its pro counterpart is Final Cut Pro, which is about 350 €. There is also an application called DaVinci Resolve which is free and very comparable to Final Cut Pro.
In terms of hardware, you should be able to make do with a basic M4 processor and 16 GB of RAM (24 GB is better but not mandatory). The basic configurations include an SSD of 256 GB; that’s a bit short. I strongly recommend at least 1 TB.
You can chose a Mac Book Pro or an iMac. The advantage of the iMac is that it has a much larger screen (24″ vs 14″ or 16″) which is convenient when you are mixing audio. It is also slightly less expensive than the Mac Book Pro. Its disadvantage is that it takes up more space on your desk!An iMac with an M4 processor, 6 cores CPU, 8 cores GPU, 24 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD will cost you 2209 € VAT included, but you have to add shipping costs (unless Apple Switzerland offers the shipment).
There are more options, such as the Mac Studio, or the Mac Mini, but both require a screen and the total price is more expensive than your budget.
The format of audio application projects is always proprietary, so you will not be able to import an Ableton project into GarageBand or Logic. However, you can export them in wav or mp3 and import that into GarageBand or Logic Pro.
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Hi Denise…switching to Mac from Windows is not that difficult. I was a Windows user my entire life and switched to Mac when I retired because I wanted to enjoy using my computer more than trying to keep it running (Windows updates are no joy). They are mored expensive but I’ve found they last longer and are more trouble free. Your budget of US$2500 is more than enough to get a decent Mac.
If you need a laptop then I suggest a MacBook Pro. I have a 2021 MacBook Pro with M1 processor, 16″ display, 512GB drive, and 16MB RAM. It easily handles my recording and editing needs. I started with GarageBand and it was easy to transition to Logic Pro when I was ready. I never liked iMovie and used DaVinci Resolve (free version). I recently moved to Final Cut Pro and found it easier to use. When I edit my movies I plug in an external 32″ desktop monitor (I needed an HDMI adaptor which was pretty cheap) which makes it much easier. A new MacBook Pro with M4 processor, 24GB RAM, and 1TB drive costs US$2400 but can be found on sale for about US$2150.
If you don’t need a laptop you could use a Mac mini. I also have a 2020 Mac mini with M1 processor, 256gb drive, 16gb Ram, and had to buy a monitor for about $300 (this was pretty much the base model but with more RAM). I was using this for my recording but the drive is definitely too small and I had to buy an external drive. But it works fine for recording and making videos. A new Mac mini with M4 Pro processor, 24GB RAM, and 1TB drive costs $1600 and I would guess you can get it on sale somewhere for a little less. Plus you’ll need a monitor but I’ll bet your existing monitor will work just fine.
If you can export your audio to .MP3 or .WAV then they can be used with GarageBand/Logic Pro. If you can export your movies to .MOV or .AIF or .MP4 they can be used in Resolve/Final Cut Pro.
I use a Scarlett 2i2 and don’t feel I need to change it so I can’t help you with an interface.
If you move from an older computer to a Mac (or almost any newer computer) be prepared to buy some new cables. USB-A is being replaced with USB-C. Apple also uses Thunderbolt ports which are mostly compatible with USB-C but tend to be a little faster. You may also want to get a new wireless keyboard and mouse. I used to use Logitech but eventually paid the extra $$$ and bought Apple which I find work much more seamlessly. This is a theme you will find…Apple products tend to just work seamlessly together.
I also like the fact I can unlock my computer with my Apple Watch when I sit down at my laptop or desktop. It’s also real convenient being able to answer my iPhone with my computer or watch. Not to mention I have all my text messages and photos on all my Apple deivces with just using Apple iCloud Drive (I have to pay US$1/month for 50GB). I don’t use iCloud for my audio and video files because it would require more than 50GB storage which costs like $10/month. I have external USB-C/Thunderbolt drives connected for backing up with Apple Time Machine which is included with any MAC and is simple to configure and use.
I know this is a lot of information but if you have any more questions don’t hesitate to contact me either here or PM. When I first switched, it was a little confusing but I was easily able to Google any questions and was pretty fluent in MacOS within about a month.
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
I was the IT guy for my own company for years, since I couldn’t afford to hire a fulltime person. We ran everything in the Windows environment because some of the complex software we ran would only run on Windows. I always hated everything about Windows and Microsoft. The fact that every time a new update happened, I had to install all new drivers, and often buy new peripherals. The fact that a Windows-based software package cost $500, while the Apple equivalent cost $50, or was even free. The fact that when I booted up a Windows computer, I could go have a cup of coffee before it was finished booting. I got so sick of the Microsoft environment, that when I retired I went straight out and bought a MacBook, thinking “This is going to be a real pain to switch all my stuff over to a Mac.” I knew absolutely nothing about Macs. But not to worry, Macs assume that most people know nothing about computers, so they just lead you gently through the process. I connected my new Mac to my old PC, and the Mac invited me to use its “Migration Assistant” to move the files from my PC onto my Mac. It moved all my emails, documents, music files, photos, etc etc no problem. And by the way, Windows charges you for new updates, but they are all free on Macs.
Now days the MacBook Air is in many ways superior to the MacBook Pro, which I have. My wife has a new MacBook Air, and it was significantly cheaper than a Pro, yet is faster and lighter. The only downside is it doesn’t have as many USB-C ports, so she has to use a plug-in port multiplier.
Most musicians use a MacBook plugged into an external monitor. Why? Because all those tiny notes and icons in GarageBand or Logic Pro or Final Cut Pro are really difficult to see on a 13″ screen. True, you could buy a 15″ screen, but that’s not really much better. A large external monitor gives extra real estate, so that you can get more information on the screen. Also, I can display Brian’s tabs or SoundSlice so large that I can read it from 2 meters away.
The best thing I ever did in life was to marry my beautiful wife. The second best thing I ever did was to buy a MacBook.
Sunjamr Steve
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MacBook Air is in many ways superior to the MacBook Pro
This is mostly true but the Air doesn’t have the ventilation fans a Pro has so it will slow down the processor during heavy workloads. If you don’t frequently do high resolution picture or video editing it shouldn’t be a problem at all.
I’m considering upgrading my M1 Pro to the new M4 Pro but I’m having difficulty justifying the purchase because I don’t do much picture/video editing. But I know every time I use Final Cut Pro to remove a background and have to wait 1 or 2 minutes for it to finish analyzing I’m going to get my wallet out eventually! 🤪
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge
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Lots of useful info above. A few of things I’d add.
The Mac’s macOS operating system is based on Unix which is much more efficient at data processing than Microsoft Windows so you can do a lot more than a Windows machine equipped with similar memory and processing resources. Video and Audio processing is all about data processing.
MacBook M2 Pro with 16GB memory and 500GB of SSD Storage. Its renders videos and audio between 5 and 10 times faster than my old Windows laptop. A fraction of that is down to it being more powerful than my old windows machine but not a lot. The new machine is less than twice as powerful as the old one.
The display is 14″ and I’ve got an external monitor but most of the time I just use the Pro’s screen. It’s very sharp and easy to read. That said I’m on the look out for a new monitor as I like working with two screens and the existing monitor is very old.
Don’t worry about the learning curve of using a Mac. You’ll find a lot that is familiar between the two. The windows interface your used to using was invented for the Mac (as was the mouse) so it more down to learning how to do the things your used to doing than a whole new way of thinking. For instance what to press to open/close/minimise a window. There are differences of course but, as Joe said, you’ll be getting the hang of it within a day or two and will be forgetting Windows within a month. Google and the forum will likely have the answer to anything you need to know.
If you have an iPhone, then again you’ll find a lot that is familiar like Photos, email etc. I’d say the Mac is a little more App focused in the way it presents itself than Windows. Windows has tried to move that way but with less success.
Almost all the audio and video software you’re likely to want to use comes in versions that run on a Mac due to its high popularity with the video and audio production community but not everything. If there’s a program you use on your Windows machine you want to continue to use then go to the download site for the software and check if there’s a macOS version available.
Check out the Apple refurbished machines website. I bought mine as a second hand machine from Apple, refurbished and guaranteed by them at a sizeable discount to a new machine. MacBook Pros don’t come up in big numbers there but can be a good buy when they do. I’m not sure I could have told the difference between what was delivered to me and a new machine.
One other thing to budget for is a backup disk. Unless you have other ways to back up your machine.
Macbooks (or a least Pro’s) come with a fingerprint reader. If that should happen to break then accessing your machine can be a huge problem. Fortunately Apple have an excellent backup mechanism called ‘Timemachine’. It will back up your machine for you in a form that you can easily rebuild it on a new MacBook if disaster strikes. The simplest way to use Timemachine is to buy a usb storage disk and dedicate it to be your backup disk. To back up, just occasionally plug the disc into a usb port on your machine and your Mac will do the rest.Get a disc that is at least twice the size of storage you have on your Mac. Mine is 500GBb and my backup disk 1TB.
On storage sizes I find 500Gb is more than enough BUT I have an external 4TByte network drive where I archive all stuff I’m not working on so I look to that 500Gb as being work in progress.
As has been mentioned above, the file formats for individual DAW providers is proprietary but they should port from Windows to Mac. For instance I use Cubase for audio and Shotcut video.
I’ve copied all the projects I developed on Windows to the Mac and they open just fine once you’ve repointed the projects to new director(folder) paths. I’d expect Alberton to be the same if you chose to continue with that on Mac.The output formats like wav, mp4 mp4 etc are universally readable between the two. My Cubase application still writes wav audio files.
In terms of satisfaction on moving to Mac, I’m in the same camp as Steve. There were so many things that annoyed me about Windows during my career in software development, but perhaps the most irksome is the spoon-feeding/patronising way Microsoft treat you. Apple recognises it’s your machine to do with as you want, they’re there to guide you. If you move to Mac you will not have to sit and wait on Friday evening while Windows updates because you pressed ‘shutdown’. Or wake up in the morning to find Windows rebooted your machine in the night and closed all your carefully left open windows. No longer will it turn off half your processing power and make your DAW unusable when switching to work on battery because it’s assumed you just want to surf the internet. I could go on 😫…
If there’s anything specific you’d like more detail on then ping me and I’ll tell you my thoughts.
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I just thought to throw some negatives about Mac in here after reading Andy’s reply above where he mentioned a couple.
Macs are next to impossible to upgrade hardware. Make sure you buy a fast enough processor, enough memory, large enough hard drive, etc. I tend to go for middle of the road knowing it will last for many years with no problems. I’m thinking of upgrading my laptop (see my reply to Steve above) but I really don’t have to…it is 4 years old and I could most likely keep it for another 3 or 4 years. My problem is G.A.S. 😀
They are not good gaming machines but are getting there. Gaming software vendors are beginning to realize that and writing MacOS versions of their games but there are not as many as Windows.
A lot of software is written for Windows. While this is mostly business software you may want to check any programs that are a must have for a MacOS version.
Talking about software, some Apple software can get pretty pricey. Logic Pro US$200, Final Cut Pro US$300, etc. The nice thing is GarageBand and iMovie are free and certainly good enough to use for a long time. And there is certainly freeware available to download but not as much as Windows has.
Apple hardware, keyboards/mice/trackpads, can also be expensive but they are extremely good at what they do without any problems (there are many alternatives which are less expensive and perfectly adequate). Usually there is no driver needed to be installed and everything is truly just plug and play (unlike Windows).
I think you’ve gotten a lot of good info to digest from Steve, Andy, and myself. While I was very nervous before leaving Windows and going to Mac I found it was totally unfounded nerves and quite easy to make the switch. I know it would have been a lot less stressful for me if Steve and Andy had provided their input but at the time I didn’t even know them or AM!
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
I don’t know anything about Apple computers. All of my experience has been Windows based equipment
There is a company in Florida that sells refurbished computers that come from
equipment being returned from company leasing programs
* Would refurbished Mac computers be a good idea?
* Could someone look at the few products that they currently have available and determine if these are good prices?-
Unfortunately they are quite old with Intel processors…newer models use Apple procs. And the one I checked, the price on Amazon for a refurb was half the cost.
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
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Denise,
I have used nothing but Mac for music and recording. It has its benefits.
I just recently connected my Boss Katana to my Mac through the Focusrite and into GarageBand.
It’s ease of use is unparalleled and the sound/tone results are endless.
If you have questions PM me and we can talk. I would love to help out.Happy New Year,
John -
Thank you all for your advice and help which I very much appreciate! 😊
I have now a bit of an overview and what I need to consider when changing to Mac/OS.
I will take the time to look deeper into it. I am thinking to run two computers parallel for the start and learn more about the SW and recording with Garageband and iMovie. Maybe I could also run an Ableton license on the Mac for not be too overwhelmed about audio editing at the beginning.
I still want to have enough time to play the guitar.Your comments were really very helpful.
Denise
More Blues!
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I just wanted to share a picture of what I did with my storage because I didn’t buy a large enough internal drive.
I used double sided tape to attach a backup drive and a drive for storing my music and videos. My internal drive and music/video drive get backed up using Time Machine to the external backup drive. (My internal drive also gets backed up to the cloud.)
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
Hi,
I run an old windows desktopThe key to not having to upgrade is I use Audacity
It’s freeware and because it’s written in c+ runs a lot faster than the Java written programsI did upgrade the graphics in it but to nothing fancy and use De Vinci Resolve another freeware package
The only other upgrade I’ve done was replace the hard drive with an SSD
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Mac all the way for music. Unless time is of no value, then a person could save a few bucks and donate their time into keeping a Windows OS computer working for the task. Also, you will generally get more life out of a Mac for music. I have tried both routes in past and it is Mac for the win, no contest.
It's all about the journey, not the destination.
https://soundcloud.com/david_ohm
https://www.bandmix.com/drwho/
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