Best Resolution setting for Logic Pro X on a 43" 4K LCD TV

I bought a TCL 43" 4K TV as an external monitor especially to gain some extra real estate view of the Tracks area of Logic Pro X. Before we go on, I am fully aware of the shortcomings of using a TV as a computer monitor vs using a true computer monitor (especially a 4k or 5k computer monitor) but the latter are cost-prohibitive for me at the moment, so with the TV I went.

 

I'm on the MacBook Pro 2017 15" - at the moment, I'm not concerned with trying to reach 4K@60hz (I have ordered the proper cables and adapter to achieve this) - right now, I just want to pick the best resolution to get the most amount of real estate in the Tracks area for editing, whilst not making the text so small I can't read it. The native resolution which the Macbook Pro chooses for the TV automatically is 3840 x 2160 - this gives tons of real estate but waaaaay too small text to read - unusably small. Switching the resoluton to what's suggested for the retina display, gives a nice clear sharp picture on the tv, but it's scales LPX to the screen the same way it does on the laptop, and I therefore get no screen real estate increase above the laptop screen at all.

 

I'm wondering what resolution folks here with similar setups are using to get that perfect balance. I know it's a slightly subjective question, but for what it's worth, I just want the resolution that gives me the most left-to-right screen real estate in the Tracks area whilst being able to comfortably read the text in LPX. I'm also willing to introduce apps like QuickRes or SwitchResX to open up more resolutions if people have found these helpful.

 

Side Note - I am still on Sierra. If going to HighSierra or Mojave has any new Display features/enhancements that touch on this domain, please do tell, and I will happily upgrade.

How far away are you from the monitor? Unfortunately there really isn’t any way to get more real estate with bigger fonts. If you want more real estate the fonts have to shrink. With a 4K monitor 3840x2160 should look sharpest and for a 43 inch one you should be able to read the fonts from 3-4 feet away. However there are a lot of cheap 4K tv’s today that will not have the same kind of readability for computer use, it does make a huge difference.

How far away are you from the monitor? Unfortunately there really isn’t any way to get more real estate with bigger fonts. If you want more real estate the fonts have to shrink. With a 4K monitor 3840x2160 should look sharpest and for a 43 inch one you should be able to read the fonts from 3-4 feet away. However there are a lot of cheap 4K tv’s today that will not have the same kind of readability for computer use, it does make a huge difference.

 

Thanks for the info - I’m 2 feet from the tv..

 

Ok well I’m going to go with one of the resolutions between the laptop retina and 4K that gives the best balance then. Would love to be able to afford one of those long curved monitors to increase the width of the Tracks area.