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Base model Mac Air and music making. Thanks all ordered one!
I've just finished paying off my iPad. My wife is starting a new job after Christmas and thinks we should have a new laptop in the house.
I may be able to push her to us spending up to a grand but definitely no more what so ever!
So, I can get a 2024 Macbook Air M3 16gb RAM 256gb storage for £949 with 12 months interest free to pay it off. I can't go any higher in price at all and I would need to buy from this source for the interest free period. No other options are possible.
My question is:
Is this caliber of Air with its spec of much use for some music making....because my iPad is, I'm presuming the 16gb will be fine and an external drive will sort the storage mostly.
I'm asking here though, as I've never had a mac before! I'm not asking it to do pro work, just my usual basic tracks I make already on Logic for iPad, but with the possibility of running full Logic and maybe other DAWs in time. I would not be using big sample libraries or doing any heavy video work etc.
Also I'm thinking that some of my iPad apps will be usable.
Comments
I have a MacBook Air M1 with 8gb and have never run out of cpu power in my projects. It’s some sort of magic.
That's really good to hear then! Thanks for your reply. What DAW do you use and if you also use iOS, do you end up using many of your iOS apps on your mac?
I’d go with 512 SSD if you can afford it. I’m on 400 out if 512 on my M1 Mini and 350 out of 512 on my old MacBook Pro, and a relatively light user - Affinity apps, Logic and Live, some email, and all working/finished files saved externally.
You could squeeze by with 256, but you’d be forever managing storage, plus Apple usually add more bloat to each new OS.
I’m currently ready to push the button on an M4 MacBook Pro 14”, but considering the M4 Pro chip version. More than I want to pay, but planning to use it for at least 5 years.
Yeah, the storage did give me pause for concern, but the extra storage option takes the price above the magic grand mark and the wife just won't. I know it sounds sort of odd, but this money comes out of a different budget to my normal music making fund and isn't really negotiable lol. My music making budget is already ear marked for my next keyboard purchase.
It is possible to get rid of most the extra loop material and such on mac DAWs isn't it? I was thinking of using my iPad for most my ideas and then just using the mac when I'm,trying to arrange it all. Storing the projects on an external drive when not being used.
I do know what you are saying, though as I'm always running out of storage however much I have.
If money is an issue, I would consider getting an older, second hand mb Air which still has an SD card slot so you can expand storage with a fast 512GB SD card for example.
If you don't need a high end machine, that is.
Yeah, you can store pack libraries for Live (not sure about Logic) on an external drive - I do this with a 2gb Samsung SSD, which I swap between the MacBook Pro and Mini, and I keep all my working music files and samples on there too.
I know what you mean about budgets, I’ve had to annoy the missus with constant details of available options and specs for weeks now, how much a Eurorack modular system would cost in comparison etc., until I finally wore her down and she said ‘just buy the bloody thing’!
My main concern is future proofing - I’m stuck on an old OS with my Intel MacBook Pro as newer versions will slow it down too much. So even though it’s pretty speedy on the old iOS, I can’t for example install Live V12.
Literally after posting my previous comment I checked Amazon for M4 laptops, and they’d just knocked £200 off the base M4 pro 14”, so I’ve just grabbed one before they sell out again! Way more than I wanted to spend, but 24/512 and the M4 pro chip should keep me happy for at least another 5 years!
cant go second hand, as we would have to use our credit card (which is saved for car emergencies at the moment) and miss out on the 12months interest free, but thanks for your reply
I always thought modular as the most likely music and divorce maker lol
Yeah, I had loan of a mates £6k+ system here for a while, which took up the whole table in the dining room, and helped persuade my wife that my iPad and laptop music making was the way to go!
thats a smart move. Dining room is outta bounds for my music gear as thats where we keep the fishing tackle!
256 storage will feel short, but if you use logic you can select an external SSD to install all the 70gb+ of sounds.
As for iPad and mac together, you some nice options to work on both seamlessly.
1) Pay the apple tax / subscription for logic and logic for iPad
2) pay for logic it only use garage band on the iPad, since logic for mac opens garage bands projects
3) use an universal app like Drambo
All have their pros and cons, but what I can tell you is that you won’t get a better music making laptop/ general purpose laptop for about a 1000 quid anywhere in fact, I would suggest that even paying 2000 for a non Mac laptop won’t give better bang for money.
If you couple it with logic, the value of the daw and included plugins is insane as well.
Edit: I see you use logic for iPad. Go for option 1, you won’t regret, get a usb c ssd drive with at least 1tb, 2tb if your budget allows.
I recommend something like this, https://www.currys.co.uk/products/crucial-x9-pro-external-ssd-for-mac-1-tb-10268324.html
thanks. I have Logic on my iPad as I pay for it yearly I dont really mind as much but swore I will not 'hire' any other software lol. yeah I will then over time save up and buy Logic on the mac as its such a steal. in the mean time, I will just have to use whatever....didnt know Drambo worked on mac though, as have that.
I’ve never managed to get it to work standalone on my M1 Mini, though it now loads as a plugin in Live.
I use the older T5 versions of these - they work with later iPad’s as well, and a lot cheaper than Apple storage upgrades:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-T7-Portable-SSD-MU-PC1T0T/dp/B087DFLF9S/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3QJDQKXF7CFD2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WGUTGUUvr6SQvLFBXxxrRyUp9qcl2zF4Ftg06LB6nA5uobkH_E8OpmUsrp_Ij4ugQO7OvebdTGnMoJio8iAABDo_f56Ix-KbSnvKxXpx_wKjErtGv79TYCOXO3HfHU1W_q7sDm3_ewGteiRmspPNSZ6saWgBQVmZIoGpMt1dpxzRC7V9kxnHN5JyH_xN4eKrKufm5vug2_CZkScqBL_v0dGfi0rCH-z_ZOVW5QLP8NI.TY8W6jdCwW8UUwsuBEgi7yc2uyjswmvnZzODy4hYtEw&dib_tag=se&keywords=samsung+ssd+1tb+external+hard+drive+usb-c+thunderbolt&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1734103611&sprefix=samsung+ssd+1tb,aps,88&sr=8-3
You are gonna need more storage! Can you wait a little longer and save up to get more GB?
If so id do that, its amazing how fast it gets used up. Plus with the OS and all that you already are starting at less than 256 from day one!
Yep have varies drives hanging around the house I might get away with for a while. Apple really know how to sting on their upgrades!
Difficult to say. My wife is pretty keen on getting something very soon and if I leave her to it, she will probably just get the cheapest pc laptop she can find
I decided to get something before January, as Trump is threatening a bunch of tariff’s that could push prices up. Then again, for you, there’s an M4 release on the cards for the Air’s next year which should push M3 prices down….always tricky knowing when to buy!
Sample size of 1 and all that, but… works perfectly in my air m2, both standalone or as an AUv3 plugin
I can only share my personal experience, though I did see someone else reporting the issue at the time. I initially had support from the dev, but he wasn’t able to provide a fix. Most of my other AUv3’s work ok. I’m getting a new Mac next week, so it’ll be interesting to see if it works on that one.
Yep I bought my current iPad Air about 8 months before the new one, so the price drop in 256gb models wasn't too hard to swallow. This situation doesn't give me a lot of options for waiting as the wife needs something before she starts her new job just after Christmas and my bank is already in my overdraft as it always is this time of year. It's a case of get this or she will come home one day with some Currys pc special!
Well thanks for everyone who commented. I'm pretty much sure it will be fine for the most part except for the storage, which I will just have to cope with.
I'm going to pop the question tonight.....hey wifey......you know that laptop you wanted.....well how's about we get this one instead lover.....my bestie.....love of my life.....
I bought the MacBook Air M3 with 16Gb ram and 256Gb storage this month for 950€. I'm currently testing Daw Trials. On Bitwig the test projects run flawlessly and on my own projects the performance is solid as well. Like already mentioned more storage would be definitely nice to have, but I´m running iPhone and iPad with 128Gb without problems and I´m ok with using a ssd for long term and big files(I believe you can install large apps on Mac on a ssd too). I´m using mostly synths and small samples(resampled) and no big sample libraries in my projects. Performance should be really fine(even on the M1/2). The reason I chose this model is simply its the newest(longer updates), got a good deal(got a bit money from the family for christmas) and some slightly performance enhancement in the graphics(If I want to do some simple video/graphic design).
Oh and the battery is great.
Another option is to go for a discounted M2 or M1 Pro with more storage - maybe a refurb. Logic and Live run smoothly on my M1 Mini, and although my Intel MBP doesn’t support the latest versions, Logic and Live 11 work ok on that one too.
Cool
just ordered mine!
Logic Pro on Mac
Nice, hope it will serve you well!
You are quite right to mention it, and it’s some to keep in mind. I just wanted to say it works fine on my side, so that someone casually browsing this thread does not go away convinced that it won’t work standalone at all.
I pick mine up tomorrow, so will leave a post here if it works for me
You could always peruse the refurbished models Apple sells (and they get new batteries and are covered by AppleCare+, which is an "insurance policy" you should always buy).
https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/macbook-air
Decided now. Picking a new one up tomorrow. If I take to Mac music making, might look at a more powerful Mac Mini in the future. For now this one will do….quite excited to be honest never owned a Mac before!