New Mac recommendation for Logic use

[earthman]

Hi folks, my current computer is no longer running Logic smoothly for me. I assume this is because over time I've used it less for audio recording and have gotten more into using software instruments. The battery has also been shot for about a year, so I can only use it while plugged in. I'm thinking the writing is on the wall and I'm going to need to get a new Mac, but I need a little help figuring out what would be the best route to go.

 

Current specs:

• - MacBook Air (early 2015 model, bought refurbished in late 2015)
  - OS 10.14.4
  - 1.6 GHz i5 processor
  - 4 GB RAM
  - 256 GB HD (about half of this is free, as I recently moved a bunch of my software instruments to an external HD in the hopes it would make things a little smoother. It didn't.)
  - Running whatever the latest update version of LPX is, I'm unable to pull it up at the moment.

 

My current problems with Logic are essentially scratching/clicking noises when playing back and recording, along with an unusually high CPU usage. I went into things in a bit more detail here. I am mainly using Arturia instruments, but I also occasionally use drums by Toontrack (EZD2 and Superior) and possibly a few other randoms I've picked up along the way. For audio I use a Steinberg UR22mkII. I record only as a hobby, and not all that frequently, but I would like something that can handle a moderate amount of tracks comfortably.

 

Any starting point recommendations would be great—I've looked at what's out there now and I'm not sure if it's more the amount of RAM or processor I should be looking at primarily. While a laptop would be nice, I'm not dead set on it if a Mac Mini or something would be better...as I mentioned, this laptop has essentially been a desktop the last year anyway.

 

Oh, and if you have any words of wisdom about prepping myself for the Catalina switch, please share. I've heard horror stories, but it also seems almost every application i'm running is 64-bit, so I don't know how much it will affect me.

[fisherking]

an i7 minimum, 16GB ram. you can survive (as you have)less SSD space (if you store projects, or archive projects, on another drive). you want power, ram... most of all.

 

i have no problems with catalina; just make sure your plugins are up-to-date.

[redgreenblue]

I love my 2018 Mac Mini, it's a great logic machine. Your current machine having only 4 gigs of RAM is a real limitation when running Logic. If you are looking at laptops the new 16", even at the base configuration, is a great machine. If you build up a 13" to the 16" spec you end up paying the same for less computer. (the 13" really needs a price cut to be competitive. That frustrates me because I hate carrying a 15" but that new 16" is a lot of computer and a better value than the 13") Catalina's issues will get sorted out at some point and given your admitted hobbyist status you are less likely to come up against them as some of us with more extensive software/hardware setups.

 

Moving the software instruments to an external will only make things worse unless they are large sample libraries, the computer is working extra hard to load them. You should, however, be recording to an external.

 

If you really don't need a laptop then iMacs or a Mini are a solid choice. I am hesitant to recommend buying a used laptop unless you know the seller and know that they haven't abused the computer, a machine with accidental and/or liquid damage (even if it isn't readily apparent) makes for an expensive repair. Fisherking is on the money, an i7 and 16 gigs of RAM is the bottom of what I think makes a good Logic machine. I can guarantee I'm running WAY more plugs than you and so far the 16 I have on my mini has been fine, but I don't run big sample libraries. I'll upgrade that next year.

[earthman]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[SideBMusic]

The first thing I would do is increase the RAM. Also, make sure your buffer settings are set correctly.

 

Of course, the more tracks and effects added the more demand there will be. You can try freezing tracks, which creates a mix down for playback of the track so the plug-ins aren't accessed directly (they are deactivated). The original settings aren't deleted, you just have to un-freeze the track to access them again.

 

Some of my plug-ins from Universal Audio demand a lot of computer power and quickly reach max levels on the computer. With these, I have to bounce the track to get the mix down. Be sure to turn OFF the original track, not just mute it. My understanding is that even though mute hides the sound, Logic continues to access them during playback. Turning the track to OFF prevents this from happening.

[redgreenblue]

The first thing I would do is increase the RAM. Also, make sure your buffer settings are set correctly.

 

Of course, the more tracks and effects added the more demand there will be. You can try freezing tracks, which creates a mix down for playback of the track so the plug-ins aren't accessed directly (they are deactivated). The original settings aren't deleted, you just have to un-freeze the track to access them again.

 

Some of my plug-ins from Universal Audio demand a lot of computer power and quickly reach max levels on the computer. With these, I have to bounce the track to get the mix down. Be sure to turn OFF the original track, not just mute it. My understanding is that even though mute hides the sound, Logic continues to access them during playback. Turning the track to OFF prevents this from happening.

 

 

The RAM can't be upgraded on his current computer, it is soldered on to the main board.

[Ploki]

an i7 minimum, 16GB ram. you can survive (as you have)less SSD space (if you store projects, or archive projects, on another drive). you want power, ram... most of all.

 

i have no problems with catalina; just make sure your plugins are up-to-date.

 

the "get i7" doesn't really work anymore.

you can get i7s in 2-4-6-8 configs, with hyper threading

you can get i5s in 2-4-6 configs, with or without hyper threading.

 

my 13" i5 for example has 4 cores and hyperthreading, and the i7 is marginally better (also being a little hotter).

 

Most bang for the buck in current mac offering is definitely the i7 6-core Mini.

if you want a laptop, the baseline 16" 8-core, or the 13" 4-core i5 2.4 are both good options.

[facej]

If you aren't in need of portability I would recommend the 27" iMac - 8-core i9 - 1TB SSD internal - add 32GB of RAM using third-party RAM. Quiet. Fast! outstanding I/O performance. All the connections you might need.

 

I was going to get the 2018 mini, but with price changes on the SSD I was able to get the iMac within 10% of the cost of the mini (when including a monitor of decent size and quality).

[earthman]

If you aren't in need of portability I would recommend the 27" iMac - 8-core i9 - 1TB SSD internal - add 32GB of RAM using third-party RAM. Quiet. Fast! outstanding I/O performance. All the connections you might need.

 

I was going to get the 2018 mini, but with price changes on the SSD I was able to get the iMac within 10% of the cost of the mini (when including a monitor of decent size and quality).

You gave me pause for a moment there, but I think that pushes things from "out of my price range" to "no, seriously dude, you can't afford this". Even the 21.5" iMac with the same specs as the laptop I've more or less decided on is only $20 less, and I'd rather spend the extra $20 for portability, as my desk is fairly small and I sometimes appreciate the extra space when I'm doing non-computery things. I did have an iMac back in 2008 or 2009, which lasted me until I got my current MacBook Air, but I think now that I've gotten used to the portability it would be hard to switch back.

 

I think I'm going to pull the trigger in the next couple days on a 13" MacBook Pro, upgraded to i7, 16GB RAM, and 512 GB HD. As far as I can tell, that's doubling my current number of cores, quadrupling my RAM, and doubling HD space. If anyone thinks that setup could still give me problems, please give me a heads up.

[JimDavidson]

Just a few quick thoughts, the 13" MBP you're thinking about will be great. I used a 2011 15" MBP with those same specs up until just few months ago. And that was an older i7 and much slower memory. Replaced it as the screen was failing from some ugly delamitation of the lcd itself. As far as the screen size, I'm buying a 13" MacBook Air as my live gig backup. 13 inch screen don't bother me at all. If I need a bigger screen, plug a bigger one in.

 

There will always be some machine with better spec out there to think about. Either real, as in shipping, or promised but not shipping yet. I live in the real world and have to buy things that are actually shipping, but yeah, the promised next version is always something tempting to wait on. I mention this because I bought a 2019 15 inch MBP a few months back, despite the rumored 16 inch that just dropped. Eh, no way I could have comfortably waited. And guess what, despite not having the very latest, very best speced machine as of about a week ago, I still love this one. It works great, I'm making music on it. If I were more practical, I really could have bought a refurbed one a few years old and saved a bundle. It would have worked ---- for me ----- just as well as this new one. But, eh, I'm about to retire from music, getting up there in years, so this will likely be my last portable. I bought one I liked.

 

If you need portability, buy the MacBook Pro, if you don't, look at a mini or iMac.

 

Enough rambling.

 

 

 

As to your question about Catalina, I upgraded my 2019 MBP from Mojave to Catalina a few days ago. No problems at all that I see. It went smooth, and all my gear still works. I don't use any third party plugs, just the things that came with Logic. Of course, you should research if your specific gear / plugs will work. I tried. The one thing that was iffy was a Behringer XR18 in my live gig setup, and well, Behringer hasn't given a thumbs up to Catalina. They haven't said anything. Mentioned that to my wife, she had a great, female response " What are you gonna replace it ( the XR18 ) with if it doesn't work once you upgrade ? " She understands. Time and gear move on.

 

The XR18 works just fine. Sigh ..... now I will need some new justification to get a new interface. Ha.

[Ploki]

 

I think I'm going to pull the trigger in the next couple days on a 13" MacBook Pro, upgraded to i7, 16GB RAM, and 512 GB HD. As far as I can tell, that's doubling my current number of cores, quadrupling my RAM, and doubling HD space. If anyone thinks that setup could still give me problems, please give me a heads up.

 

don't upgrade to i7, its a waste of money. spend that 360€ on an external thunderbolt3 drive, 1TB of super fast storage.

other than that, i have the same config 2018 and its been a blast.