#1 - Macbook Pro The Macbook Pro is seen everywhere in the music industry, and that fact by itself could make you believe that it's the best laptop for music production. And for good reason. It’s one of the most stable platforms you can use for production. Best portable Mac for musicians: MacBook Pro If you're a musician on the road, the only Apple notebook really worth consideration for music-making is the MacBook Pro.
For the music producer, Apple’s new Macbook Pro 2016, requires quite a bit of upfront investment.
The first thing I wondered when I saw the Macbook Pro being introduced is how am I going to plug in my Cubase dongle? Let alone the many other audio hardware a typical music producer owns – from audio interfaces, MIDI controllers to drum pads & DJ controllers.
The Macbook Pro has been stripped off all traditional USB ports USB-C ports instead.
Well to use the latest Macbook Pro for music production, you’ll have to invest in about $250 of dongles & special cables.
The New Macbook Pro For Music Production
The new MacBook Pro 2016
How will the new MacBook pro do for music production? It’s lighter, thinner and it comes with a nice new ‘touch bar’. The MagSafe power connector is gone, which is a shame really as it was a useful safety feature, so your Macbook does not fly off the stage if someone happens to trip over the power cable.
You can still use traditional USB2.0 & USB3.0 devices with USB-C
I don’t know what type of musician or producer you are, but you’re bound to have some controller or audio device that connects to your computer via USB. How to connect your USB devices like audio interfaces and controllers to the Macbook Pro then?
The good news is you can buy a USB-C to USB 3.0 cable, which would work with USB2.0 devices as well. But this means changing all the cables you have in your studio, which can get pretty costly.
Another alternative is to buy a dongle like the USB-C Hub to USB-A, for all your connection needs.
It does not end there. Those dongles are needed to connect your audio devices. What if you take pictures as well or have an audio recorder like the Zoom H6 that uses SD cards? Well, another SD card USB-C card reader dongle for you.
You plan to connect your Macbook Pro to an external monitor in your studio? Yup, another USB-C to VGA adapter for you unless you’re waiting for the said new LG monitors that will be built with Macbook Pros in mind.
This might not be a deal breaker for many music producers, but I don’t like the idea of carrying so many different dongles. They get broken quickly and worse, you’re bound to forget a dongle and mistakenly leave it behind when you travel.
What about the new “Touch Bar” for music production?
Since Apple developed Logic Pro X, we would think some kind of Touch Bar feature will be built for it. But it seems like while every creative app, like Final Cut X, Numbers & Pages got updated with Touchbar support, Logic Pro X did not.
I must say, the Touchbar feature looks amazing and cool. There are so many features that I could think off, would be really cool on the Touchbar. For example, imagine using the Touchbar as a transport bar, MIDI controller or a mixing control surface to mute/solo or perhaps tweak some pan pots.
Touchbar seems like a nice feature for the music producer, but do you really need it? I figured using a touch screen to control the knobs and faders on a DAW would be much more intuitive than trying to fiddle on a thin Touchbar strip.
The new Macbook Pro can only have max 16GB RAM
Only max of 16GB RAM on the new MacBook Pro 2016. Good enough for music production?
As a music producer, producing with lots of VSTs and effects through the years, you probably know how important RAM is for your setup.
Before you throw hate on Apple, understand that the Macbook Pro is a laptop. It is designed to be small and portable. If you’re looking for super serious production work, it’s best to get a desktop unit or something like the iMac 27.
The reason why the Macbook Pro only limits up to max 16GB of RAM is possibly to make up for its higher battery life. Some users also noted that the MacBook Pro is using an LPDDR3 RAM which uses more power as compared to DDR4, in which surprisingly Apple did not put in.
However that being said, it’s still possible to do serious production work on a Macbook Pro. The SSD speeds on the MacBook Pro will aid with any heavy audio recording or processing in the studio or on the roads.
It also has a bumped up battery life to 10 hours between charges, so producing music on the road will be a breeze.
Isn’t the MacBook Pro a little expensive?
MacBook Pro are expensive for starters in music production
The standard 13-inch MacBook Pro (without the Touchbar) starts at $1499 instead of the previous pricing of $1299. And this model is without the TouchBar, which in my opinion, kind of defeats the purpose of upgrading to the new MacBook Pro. Besides, the entry Macbook Pro also comes with only 2 USB-C ports which is quite a deal breaker for music producers.
I used to recommend fellow music producers who wanted a Macbook Pro, to go for the base 15-inch model as it comes with higher disk space and also with a maxed out 16GB RAM. It wouldn’t be worth the price difference if you were to get the 13-inch model and upgrade the disk space and RAM.
However, the new MacBook Pro 15-inch model now starts at $2300 and even higher for people in Europe at €2799 (which is reported to be a 50% increase in price from the last pricing).
Even though Apple is a company that prides on their higher priced products, the price increase this round has caused lots of grumbles. Many users are talking about going back to run on a refurbished 2015 unit instead of getting the new Macbook Pro 2016.
Switch To Windows For Music Production?
Mac used to be the computer you want to get if you are into music production. But that isn’t the case anymore these days. There is no reason why you can’t produce great music on a Windows based computer system.
In fact, I’m using both the Mac and Windows for music production. The ONLY complaint I probably have for a Windows machine is the absence of a robust audio driver like CoreAudio on a Mac.
There is also a few great reasons why you would consider the switch to a Windows machine. Again, I’m not biased and this is not a Windows to Mac debate, but it’s cheaper to start off your music production journey on a Windows machine. You get more power for the price you pay for in most Windows based machine.
Some MacBook Pro alternatives for music production
Here are some great laptops you can consider if you’re in for the switch to Windows. The laptops recommended here are near the Macbook Pro in terms of portability and battery life.
1 – Dell XPS 13″ (Kaby Lake)
Coming with a new 7th generation processor, this is one of the best MacBook Pro alternatives you can find for music production. The Dell XPS is super portable, and it also comes with an excellent battery life, said to last up to 14 hours on web browsing – better than a Macbook Pro.
The laptop also comes with touch display, which can be used to control your DAW. For $1399, the highest model, you get an i7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and a beautiful 3200 x 1800 touch display.
2 – Microsoft Surface Book i7
If you’re into full portability, consider the Surface Book i7. The Surface is easily mistaken as a tablet PC with touch display but is in fact pretty powerful for music production.
The Surface more towards a mid-range to a high-end computer but you get lots of performance while it being extremely portable as well with 12 hours of battery life. At $2699, you get an i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and also a NVIDIA graphic card.
The Surface wouldn’t be a great choice if you’re into high graphic work, but for music production, the touch display and the performance it comes pack with are superb.
3 – ASUS GL552VW
This laptop packs lots of power at the expense of having less battery life. It’s a gaming laptop but a good choice for music production as well.
It comes packed with an i7 processor and RAM upgradable up to 32GB, and this laptop is a powerhouse when it comes to processing and recording audio. Another thing to note is that it comes with an SSD and also a 1TB mechanical hard disk. This means you can put your system files on the SSD and your samples on the mechanical hard disk.
The cons to the ASUS GL552VW ROG is sadly that ASUS shipped many laptops that had graphic driver issues. I suspect it’s a hardware issue, but there is no solid answer. Just make sure you test the laptop thoroughly to check for any fault when you receive it.
4 – Microsoft Surface Studio
Not a portable computer but it definitely caught the eye of many creative professionals. It looks near to an iMac, but it’s more than just a regular computer.
The Surface comes with 28″ touch display, giving you lots of display screen real estate. The 4500 x 3000 Pixelsense display also gives you true colors, which would be amazing for design – showing you the actual colors. Upgradable up to 32GB RAM and has plenty of ports of all your audio hardware, it also comes pack with lots of CPU power with a
What really makes the Surface studio shine, is the Surface dial. It’s a new accessory that works with the Surface studio by just placing it on the display.
Imagine the things you could do with the Surface dial, from drawing in automations, using it as a fader and more. We don’t know the possibilities that it can do for now, but pretty sure more support for it will be launched soon.
Your Turn – Thoughts For The New MacBook Pro for Music Production?
What do you think about the new MacBook Pro and how will it fit into your studio?
Let us know in the comment section below. Will you stick to Apple and buy the MacBook Pro or is it time to look for an alternative?
Drop Your Comments Here
In order to even begin to start working with music production, aside from instruments and other gear, you need a computer. Without a desktop computer or a laptop, you’ll have no way to record, mix, and master any music.
Sometimes it’s hard to find the best cheap laptop for music production when you’re on a tight budget, so we’re providing you with a list to help expedite your process.
Setting Expectations
Before I begin getting into things, let me say a few things. First of all, since this is a budget laptop review list, you’re not going to find any new MacBooks or gaming computers on here. With a $500 budget, you’ll likely be able to find some better quality laptops that run Windows.
Now, Windows may be a bit more finicky when it comes to running DAWs and different plugins as opposed to Apple’s computers, but a $500 Asus laptop can be just as powerful as a MacBook if you find the right hardware.
If you want something that’s worth more but don’t have the budget for it, try to find a used laptop. I strongly suggest looking on eBay or other secondhand seller websites where you’ll find a lower price for more expensive computers. Even if you can find an older MacBook, they can still hold their own against a newer Dell or Asus laptop.
Top 8 Best Budget Music Production Laptops Under $500
Here are the best cheap laptops under (or around) $500 for music production:
Acer Aspire E 15
Acer is a really great brand with some reliable, fast computers. The Aspire E 15 is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i5 3.4GHz processor, an Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM, a 1920 x 1080 widescreen display, 8GB of memory (dual slots), a 256GB solid state drive, a rewritable DVD double layer drive, a webcam, and it runs on Windows 10 Home Edition.
The battery will stay charged for up to 10 hours. The Aspire E 15 also has Bluetooth so you can connect your Bluetooth-compatible MIDI instruments and other devices to the computer.
Mac Pro For Music Production
Having a solid state drive (SSD) greatly increases the speed of the laptop. Solid state drives don’t have any moving parts, so accessing files is much faster than if you have a normal hard drive (HDD). A lot of laptops have issues with slowing down once they become full of files and programs, so a solid state drive helps to prevent that.
The Intel Core i5 processor is one of the faster ones out there so navigating and using your DAW and plugins will be a breeze. With dual slot memory, both the solid state drive and the memory of the laptop are upgradeable.
Solid state drive.
Intel Core i5 processor.
Up to 15 hour battery life.
Great value for money.
The Acer Aspire E 15 goes for around $500 and is a great, affordable laptop. I highly recommend it for both seasoned producers and beginners, as it’s upgradeable, fast, and has amazing battery life. In my opinion, the Acer Aspire E 15 is the best budget laptop for around $500.
HP Business 15.6 Touchscreen
The HP Business 15.6 Touchscreen laptop is definitely one of the best budget laptops out there. HP is a brand that has been trusted by many music producers and computer users in general and I personally have found HP’s computers to be the most reliable and well built.
The HP Business laptop features a 3.6GHz Quad-Core AMD CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, a webcam, HDMI, and Radeon R7 graphics. It’s a lightning fast laptop that will be able to handle a heavy workload filled with tons of plugins in your favorite DAW.
With a 1 TB hard drive, you’ll have plenty of storage for project files and music software. 8GB of RAM is plenty to run plugins without slowing your computer down. If you have graphics-heavy plugins, that shouldn’t be an issue either due to the Radeon R7 graphics card. The laptop runs on Windows 10.
Of course the most defining feature is the touchscreen, which is one of the reasons why I’m ranking this laptop so high. Having a laptop with a touch screen makes your workflow much more efficient as you get a chance to break away from using a mouse.
The touch screen makes using faders and knobs in your DAWs and plugins so much easier and therefore expedites mixing and mastering.
One of the main gripes people have with this laptop is that it slows down once it has so many programs and files on it. This can be remedied by switching out the hard drive with a solid state drive.
HDD rather than SSD.
Lower battery life.
While it’s at the very top of the $500 budget (and slightly over, depending on where and when you buy it), it’s very worth it. The HP Business Touchscreen laptop goes for a little over $500 on Amazon but depending on where you get it, it might be cheaper.
HP Jaguar 15.6 Touchscreen
As you can see, I’m a fan of the touchscreen laptops. The HP Jaguar is another fantastic choice for a decent laptop for music production that also happens to be inexpensive.
The HP Jaguar has an Intel Core i5 processor that has a base of 2.50GHz and goes up to 3.10GHz. It has 8GB of RAM, which is enough to run many plugins in your DAW. It also has a 1 TB hard drive.
The touchscreen on this laptop supports 10 finger multi touch and has a 15.6-inch screen. It’s Bluetooth compatible and if you don’t like Bluetooth, there are several USB ports and a full size island style keyboard as well as a touchpad.
10 finger multi touch screen.
Long lasting battery.
Having a hard drive versus a solid state drive isn’t really a big issue, but for some people it really does matter. If you care a ton about speed, get a solid state drive for this one. Overall though, this laptop is a great budget choice laptop, and it’s also under $500 on Amazon.
Asus VivoBook X541UA
The Asus VivoBook X541UA is a laptop that’s especially designed for those who want portability, and it definitely serves this purpose while being powerful enough to produce music and handle a ton of plugins and whichever DAW of your choice.
The VivoBook X541UA is a touch screen laptop made with multimedia in mind. It has a 15.6-inch screen and an Intel Core i5 processor with a base of 2.5GHz and a turbo up to 3.1GHz.
It is equipped with a 1 TB hard drive and 8GB of RAM, which will leave you with plenty of space and memory and the chance to upgrade it (max memory up to 32GB).
The keyboard is more ergonomic than others made by Asus so anything that you have to do with the keyboard will be much easier on your hands if you have to spend hours working on a project. It’s also Bluetooth compatible and has many USB ports including USB-C, so it’s compatible with newer hardware that uses USB-C.
The graphics card is an Intel HD Graphics 620 so you’ll have no problem rendering videos or using plugins that have a lot of graphics. Since this is an Asus computer, it runs on Windows 10 Home.
Portable.
Uses USB-C.
Upgradeable.
This laptop goes for a little bit more than $500 on Amazon, but because of the processor and touch screen I think you should definitely consider it if looking into buying a laptop for music production. If you’re not willing to shell out $550, try to find it on sale.
Lenovo IdeaPad 320
The Lenovo IdeaPad 320 is an inexpensive middle of the road laptop that won’t break your wallet but also will allow you to make music without any lag during the process.
The IdeaPad 320 features a 15.6-inch HD screen and AMD Radeon R7 graphics, a 2.7GHz AMD A12 Quad-Core processor, 8GB of RAM that can be upgraded to a maximum of 12GB, and a 256GB solid state drive.
The laptop also has many USB ports, an HDMI port, and is Bluetooth compatible for use with all your MIDI devices that connect using Bluetooth. How to erase a macbook pro without disk. Additionally there is a built in HD webcam with a microphone.
Macbook Air For Music Production
The keyboard of this computer is full size and even has a full size numeric keypad, which is something you don’t usually see on smaller laptops.
Solid state drive.
Upgradeable RAM.
Full size keyboard.
While the processor is a bit slower than others on this list, it should give you enough power to run your DAW with all its plugins without causing any issues. Lenovo has some really great computers and this is one of them.
Dell Inspiron i5378 2 in 1
The Dell Inspiron 2 in 1 laptop is a really nice choice for seasoned producers who often have recording sessions with clients while also being a good option for beginner producers.
The Dell Inspiron 2 in 1 has Waves MaxxAudio Pro technology and Intel HD Graphics 620 so you’ll have no problem navigating through your DAW and if you’re not using an audio interface to listen to the laptop, it’ll sound great whether you’re using headphones or speakers.
The processor is a 7th Generation i3 Intel Core processor which means it’s powerful enough to run a DAW without getting bogged down by plugins. The laptop comes with 4GB of RAM but is upgradeable up to 16GB of RAM, which is a lot for a 2 in 1 laptop. As for storage, it’s got a 1 TB hard drive.
Here’s arguably the best feature of this computer: it’s a 2 in 1, which means that you can use it like a normal laptop, or you can use it in a stand, tablet, or tent mode since it has a touch screen. This comes in handy especially if you are recording live sessions in a studio and need to be up on your feet.
If you use the Inspiron 2 in 1 as a tablet, that saves you a ton of money because you won’t need to buy an iPad to control your DAW during sessions.
2 in 1 (very portable).
Upgradeable RAM.
I absolutely 100% recommend this laptop, as it’ll save you a ton of money in the long run because it’s a 2 in 1, and it’s also upgradeable if you find that its base specifications aren’t enough for what you’re using it for.
Dell Inspiron i3567
Free tv on pc software full download. The Dell Inspiron 15.6-inch laptop is a modest choice that still gets the job done easily when making music.
It boasts a 7th Generation 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 dual core processor for smart and high definition computing, 8GB of RAM so you should have no problem with plugins, a 1 TB hard drive, and an Intel HD Graphics 620 graphics card if you end up wanting to use the laptop for making beat videos or music visualizers.
Best Year Macbook Pro To Buy Used
The Dell Inspiron Business laptop has MaxxAudio from Waves to provide you with a crisp, clean sound if you’re using headphones or speakers. It’s also Bluetooth compatible and has a webcam, plenty of USB ports, and an HDMI output for connecting to a bigger screen.
Dell has omitted an optical drive in this laptop model to allow for a ton of portability. If you want an optical drive, you should be able to find an external USB one for not a lot of money.
Portable.
Very affordable.
Macbook Pro For Music Production
Being one of the cheaper laptops on this list doesn’t mean it skimps on quality or performance. It’s definitely a decent laptop and would be great for producers that are just starting out and don’t need a ton of processing power just yet.
Apple MacBook Pro (renewed)
This is a wildcard. Like I mentioned before, an older MacBook Pro can easily hold its own against a newer Dell, Asus, HP, or Lenovo laptop.
As long as it’s not super old, an older MacBook should be able to be upgraded with Apple’s latest OS, and oftentimes MacBooks have a ton of RAM and a good amount of storage. Mac processors have a ton of power too.
I found a late 2011 MacBook Pro on Amazon with an Intel Core i5 2.4GHz processor, a 500GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM, and it is currently running El Capitan.
How to zoom in macbook. It’s more than capable of handling a giant DAW like Pro Tools and a host of plugins. On top of that, it’s only around $400. At that rate, it’s an absolute steal.
Much more affordable than something new.
Can hold its own with new laptops.
May not have most recent specifications.
Might not be upgradeable.
Putting the cons aside since they’re not too big of a deal, a used Apple laptop is an amazing option if you want to save a lot of money, and if you’re not afraid of getting a refurbished or used computer, I definitely suggest looking into it.
Music Software For Macbook Pro
Conclusion
There are a lot of great laptops out there that will do well with running music production software. While looking for a budget laptop, make sure to never skimp on RAM, CPU, and a hard drive or solid state drive.
Having a fast, capable processor will enable you to work efficiently and save you from waiting several minutes just to start your computer up and get things running. RAM allows for more plugins to be used in your DAW and works hand in hand with your CPU.
Macbook Pro For Music
If your processor isn’t fast enough, you’ll get issues like latency while recording, and if your RAM isn’t big enough, you’ll get issues like your plugins running slowly or crashing. This is why having a good computer is so important.
Best Used Macbook Pro For Music Production
That being said, don’t forget to look at older computers, especially ones from Apple. They can be just as good as newer computers and you’ll be able to save much more money if you buy something that’s been refurbished or used.
For more information on the best computers touse for music production to help you choose the best laptops and desktopswithin your budget, be sure to check out the articles and guides that we havecoming up in the near future!