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Probably an old one this, but I'll ask anyway. What is the general opinion of Appple's Mac Studio now that it's been around for a while?

The reason I ask is that I'm currently running a 2021 iMac M1 with 16gb, but to be truthful I have had nothing but problems with it since I bought it last year. Logic suddenly crashes for no apparent reason, it's shakes something awful on the screen, literally: you cannot do any detailed editing because the screen is all over the place...it's been a complete nightmare from start to finish. I've contacted Apple UK for help and they have set up some kind of screen share device where they can see your screen themselves and guide you along the way. But the problems still continue.
 

I don't know a great deal about the Studio Mac (other than that it's brain-crushingly expensive, even by Apple's standards), but if it does the job surely it has to be better than suffering like I have?

If anyone has the Studio Mac or knows a bit about it, what are your experiences, please? Good or bad, whatever.

 

Thanks

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What are your Logic projects typically like?

More on the lots of audio tracks with lots of plugins side?

Or do you have tons of Kontakt sampler with huge modern orchestral libraries?

Edited by wonshu
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1 hour ago, wonshu said:

What are your Logic projects typically like?

More on the lots of audio tracks with lots of plugins side?

Or do you have tons of Kontakt sampler with huge modern orchestral libraries?

Extremely minimal. Very much so. I'm only interested in the songwriting side of things so sparse demos are the thing for me. At best I might have maybe 6 - 7 tracks (audio and midi) and the odd plugin (comp, delay for vocals etc) but that's pretty much it. Anything more and sure as night follows day I get the overloading message followed by the beachball, and then the inevitable crash.

I'm only really dipping my toes into computers and Logic now because of retirement and I've always wanted to write and record my own songs.

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Then unfortunately it sounds to me like there really is a hardware problem with your system. That M1 with 16GB of RAM should handle those kinds of projects without any hiccup.

I'd try to bring it into an Apple Store if you can and have them look at it.

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5 hours ago, Little Fat Bloke said:

I've contacted Apple UK for help and they have set up some kind of screen share device where they can see your screen themselves and guide you along the way.

What did they say? I guess they saw the symptoms?

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49 minutes ago, triplets said:

What did they say? I guess they saw the symptoms?

Yes, they used that system where they can see your screen and manipulate things as if they are using your own mouse. It baffled their experts too.

It is also the constant hassle: you have to contact Apple UK first and arrange a time for them to call you. The signal where I live is not great so the calls were missed lots of times. I think they call from Ireland somewhere.

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I can think of two ways to react to this issue. 

  1. Take the easy way out. Sell your iMac and get a Mac mini. You dont need a Mac Studio. Save your hard earned $$. Get a decent Mac mini, a good screen, a keyboard and your favorite trackpad (or mouse) and move on.
  2. Try to reinstall everything. Start with the newest macOS version your Mac will support, then the newest version of Logic Pro it will run. Don't install anything 3rd party at first, see how that works first. If that doesn't, ask Apple for help, insisting that it's a brand new macOS install with a brand new Logic install. Should just work. 
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One of the reasons I was going for the more powerful option is because I shall also be running FCPX as well as Logic.

16 hours ago, triplets said:

What solution did they offer?

Same as usual, try a re-boot and reinstall Logic, or if not take it back to the shop. I can't return it because it was bought off eBay and the lady I bought it from has gone abroad apparently.

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1 hour ago, David Nahmani said:

Makes sense. Then solution #1 or if you really need a more powerful machine, the Mac Studio makes sense. 

I shall probably just have to accept that the Mac I bought is a bit suspect in some areas, but then when you buy on eBay it's all about trust. 

 

Thanks for your replies everyone.

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40 minutes ago, triplets said:

Isn't there a apple hardware test you can do just to make sure the machine is not faulty?

Diagnostic tests? Yes. Apple Support (UK) did it with me just before Xmas (I think) and it was fine. But within a day or so the problems resurfaced. But to be truthful, I didn't want to keep contacting support because since I bought the Mac and these issues started Apple have gone out of their way to help me.

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Yes. It's not just Logic, pretty much any app suffers. I think I notice it more in Logic because I use that more than any other, but it affects everything and anything in a negative way.

I'm going to dismantle the whole set-up, leave it in permanent-storage and just put the whole thing down to sheer bad luck. Somebody somewhere will know what the issue is and maybe one day it will function correctly and be a great system for them, who knows? 

 

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