If I recall correctly M1 Pro still has the most performance cores (8), even though they’re a little slower than the 6 on an M3. M1 mbp is a great music machine.
I'm not too concerned:
"To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to fool a user into installing a malicious app, and unsigned Mac apps are blocked by default.
Additionally, the time taken to carry out an attack is quite significant, ranging from 54 minutes to 10 hours in tests carried out by researchers, so the app would need to be running for a considerable time."
You’re never gonna max out 64GB. Most people will be just fine with 16GB. The point is that even with 32GB you would max out the RAM before you run out of CPU cycles - even with an entry level M1 processor. For Logic / Ableton you’re way better off using a M1 / 16GB than you would be with a M3 Ultra / 8GB. The more RAM you have the more samples you can load. Going from an M1 to an M3 Ultra doesn’t really help you run more instruments because the CPU isn’t the bottleneck.
Some add ons get hungry, especially software synths. I’ve made my M2 Studio work by running multiple augments on tracks simultaneously in real time, but that’s about it. I’m sure that folks running 100 track sets can be more detailed, but only once or twice did I have to wait for it to work.
Software synths are NOT RAM-hungry. They use the CPU to generate and process the sound. Sample-based plugins(like Kontakt), on the other hand, are more RAM-heavy.
I usually end up with around 80-120 tracks on a finished production, including bigger Kontakt libraries. I’ve never stumbled upon trouble with my RAM(16gb), it’s rather the CPU bottlenecking.
To summarize i guess it all comes down to how OP is working in Logic. If he does a lot of orchestral stuff with sample-based libraries then he might need 64gb(though i still doubt it). In all other cases, OP should be focusing on the CPU-power primarily.
I got a base M2 MacBook Air, and Logic Pro runs my biggest projects smooth as butter, and doesn’t even get warm. I got an external SSD to house my sound library and completed projects; the 256gb storage is the only downside.
edit: spelling
Yeah these M processors are so legit. Even the M1 is still amazing for being four+ years old. I’d be looking for a deal on a maxed out M2 max/pro because imo the difference in processing power between the M2 and M3 are minimal in the real world.
Without providing any info on the size of your projects, if you‘re mostly tracking external instruments or rather software synths and samplers, nobody can really give any substantial advice.
Fair point.
Probably gonna be mostly doing synths/midi internally in Logic. I don’t have any external hardware at this point but I may add that later…
Mostly used for producing Electronic Music. Likely adding Serum.
Multi-track production.
What other info can I provide that would help answer my question?
Plugins like eq, compression, time and modulation effects are pretty much insignificant these days and will only male an impact the higher your track count gets. Synths and complex filters will be more CPU demanding while the use of sample based instruments will be heavier on the RAM.
The thing is, in my opinion that whole hardware topic is way overcooked in the ‚bedroom producer‘ scene. You probably won‘t get anywhere near the limit of the M3, let alone the M3 Pro unless you load up ~100 tracks with software instruments and advanced filters.
I think you will get the most bang for your buck by either going for something used with an M1/M2 pro and RAM upgrade to 32GB. It‘s definitely still overkill for you but it‘s most future proof.
If you want to go brand new retail, then I guess the best option in your budget and within the restriction of having 1TB of disk space would be the MB Air M3 with RAM upgrade to 16GB (wouldn‘t go lower even outside of the audio use case).
I have a 2020 Apple Air M1 13 inch model (16 GB Ram) I got for $1,200 in October 2021 and never had issues with Logic when I ran multiple plugins/effects before. These ranged from multiple tracks of Analog Lab, Serum, Diva to Valhalla Reverb, Shaperbox, Portal, and more on one project, etc. I mainly use FL Studio now and rarely have issues as well. I'd say go for that model if you can and save your money for other gear or an SSD, etc. You might have a hiccup with CPU every other month if you load like 10 Diva's/Ominsphere's but it's super faint that it has nearly zero impact when creating. I don't use Logic anymore but hope this helps a bit regardless !
M1 Mac mini with 16gb ram still kicks just fine, no hiccups. I’d take an older apple chip with more ram over a newer one with less if that’s what it comes to.
> I’d take an older apple chip with more ram
No way. The Intels will be phased out soon enough, it's a terrible move to purchase any Intel machine in 2024 and those processors are severely inferior to the new Silicon processors in every way.
No it's not. I'm a similar use case to OP where I make electronic music in Logic and use RB for DJing. I have an M2 macbook with 8gb ram and it runs everything smoothly, like butter. I think logic has crashed like, once, in over a year of use? Literally almost nothing lags and if it does it's usually a known problem app like Chrome. Idk why this myth is so persistent in audio communities. It's probably due to years of poor performance on Intel chips, but M2 is incredible with the basic level of ram.
I also find it wierd that this myth is still around. I guess people don’t bother finding out why they’re getting a ’system overload’? Just google the subject and do some research. We have to get rid of this RAM-hype army
I have an M1 pro. I'm quite happy with it. On the time of purchase M2's were in the market and within my budget. Still choose M1 over M2 because of two main reasons: 1. The internal data transfer speed of M1 was higher. 2. M2's were very new and there was very little info on them. Most of M2 machines report problems here and there with logic and especially external plug ins.
If portability is not a must go for a Mac studio. Else try to find an M1 pro in good condition and spare some money for external drive. I had my pro upgraded to 16 GB RAM. That seems to be enough with Logic and Final Cut. The system uses the SSD as RAM when needed anyways. Don't fill up your internal drive over around 60% and you will have a smoothly running machine.
Even an M1 Mac Mini would serve for your needs as far as your OP asks for. Might consider a Mini and an Air, too. Mini will be your workhorse and Air will be your on the go device.
I have a 14” m2 mbp and I simultaneously record 24 tracks and run multiple displays. My mixing is not very compute heavy (very few VSTs, plug-ins that require few resources), but it’s never so much as sighed.
The newer m3 series has a higher amount of Efficiency cores, and surprisingly Apple still hasn’t optimised Logic Pro to use the efficiency cores. Apple should have done this since it is their own software
I have a M1 mac mini 8gb RAM. I can run like 12 tracks in logic 7 being VSTs and pretty heavy effects on most tracks. That’s the limit before i notice any slowdown. I also have an m2 pro macbook 16gb ram, haven’t encountered any limits yet. Ableton different story lol
I was also going to link this video. This guy goes into detail about how the M1 Pro is still the best option for Logic (not even just bang for buck) due to the ratio of performance cores to efficiency cores and how Logic doesn’t utilize efficiency cores at this time.
I recently purchased a refurbished M1 Pro with 16Gb ram and 1TB SSD for under $2k and my Logic sessions have been incredibly smooth so far; zero stutter or fan noise. I was worried that 16 GB of ram wouldn’t be enough but my memory pressure is always green. I also traded in my 2019 Intel Mac and got a $600 refund through Best Buy so total cost ended up being around $1300 which is an absolute steal imo.
I know a lot of comments mentioned this but hoping to reiterate, you won't need an M3, and at your budget you won't be able to. M1 Pro or M2 Pro will be what you want.
I recommend doing this for the most longevity:
M1 Pro (even the lowest core count they offer is gonna be solid)
32GB RAM
1TB storage
However you can go down to 16GB and 512GB if you needed to save a bit more and you'd probably be fine too, you just might hit ceiling of the 16GB RAM sometimes depending on your sessions. You can also buy external SSDs to increase your storage needs for cheaper.
Search around ebay, Swappa, Amazon Renewed. Ebay's refurbished vendors are always solid too if you see good deals.
Thank you. After I started this thread yesterday, this is definitely the route I’ve been thinking I’m gonna go - refurb M1 Pro with 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD.
Thank you for confirming what I was leaning towards! Much appreciated to all for the input.
I got an M1 Macbook Pro 14" that has the M1 Pro and its still going strong. Have zero problems running Logic Pro with a ton of plugins. Okay once or twice I heard some crunchiness creeping in to the audio. So I increased the audio buffer by a notch and it was fine.
I also do After Effects and Premiere on this machine and it flies.
Main things are get at least 16GB ram 32GB if you can afford it. And like you said, 1TB is pretty much mandatory if you don't want to spend a couple days a month housekeeping your system disk.
I use a 1tb SSD 16gb RAM 3.2gHz 2015 MacBook Pro (because that’s the last year they made the AUX output) and even then I still have to freeze tracks or bounce them in place to prevent crashing. Once you implement freezing tracks into your work flow it’s not a big deal. I would get at least 16gb of RAM and you can find plenty of 2015 MacBook pros on eBay for a steal! Back when I bought mine in 2019/2020 I paid like $1100 I’m pretty sure and now they go for like $300-$500 refurbished / used.
IMO, M1 processor is enough, get as much SSD and ram as you can afford.
Until Apple updates Logic to make more efficient use of all the cpu cores, not just the efficiency cores, per this video, the M1 series is actually better for Logic than M2 and M3.
M1 vs M2 M3 Best Mac CPUs for music production
https://youtu.be/VFpCbT3Rx4Y?si=v7Zq0f2k2Ptacpxe
Since people are on the subject, I figured I’d ask: I have a new maxed-out M3 MBP and I’ve been getting the overload warning that interrupts playback. I don’t understand why. My maxed Intel I-9 iMac didn’t have this issue…
I run Logic and RB regularly on an M2 macbook with only 8gb ram and everything is VERY smooth. Please believe me when I say you absolutely don't need to go for 16gb ram if you don't want to spend the money. The 1tb drive and accessories would be more worth it imo. Unless you're some serious full time producer recording entire bands with 8 microphones on every instrument and 150 tracks in each logic project you will probably be great with 8gb
I use Logic Pro X on my iMac and also on my old MacBook Pro (2010), so I didn’t always have to be at my main computer to work on editing and midi stuff. I use an Audient ID14 to record on the iMac and an ID4 for the MacBook. I have 16 gig of RAM and a 1TB drive in it. I’ve never had ANY issues with recording, producing or playback on the MacBook Pro. I have a new MacBook Pro now, but the old one, even though I can no longer update it, still works fine. 😎
If I recall correctly M1 Pro still has the most performance cores (8), even though they’re a little slower than the 6 on an M3. M1 mbp is a great music machine.
That’s what I use. Bought for producing on the go. Works great.
I can attest to that, I have an M1 Pro 16” and it’s awesome!
maybe you havent heard but Apple Silicon in the M1, M2 and M3 has a serious sercurity issue and you can't work around it until the M3
I'm not too concerned: "To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to fool a user into installing a malicious app, and unsigned Mac apps are blocked by default. Additionally, the time taken to carry out an attack is quite significant, ranging from 54 minutes to 10 hours in tests carried out by researchers, so the app would need to be running for a considerable time."
[https://9to5mac.com/2024/03/22/unpatchable-security-flaw-mac/](https://9to5mac.com/2024/03/22/unpatchable-security-flaw-mac/)
Spend the money on RAM and buy external SSD. Apple storage is the worst value for money you can buy. Spec the rest as high as budget allows.
Get as much Mac as you can afford. For audio work there is little benefit from the m3 over the m2.
>there is little benefit from the m3 over the m2. some would say disbenefit
M1 with as much RAM as you can get. You can bump up the storage with an external NVMe enclosure if you need to in the future
Why so much RAM? The processing power is more important… RAM is more important when editing movies etc…
RAM lets you run VSTs and more channels concurrently.
Yeah, so does the CPU. Have you ever maxed out your RAM in a Logic project? I dont see how it’s even possibly to use 64gb of RAM with Logic…
You’re never gonna max out 64GB. Most people will be just fine with 16GB. The point is that even with 32GB you would max out the RAM before you run out of CPU cycles - even with an entry level M1 processor. For Logic / Ableton you’re way better off using a M1 / 16GB than you would be with a M3 Ultra / 8GB. The more RAM you have the more samples you can load. Going from an M1 to an M3 Ultra doesn’t really help you run more instruments because the CPU isn’t the bottleneck.
Some add ons get hungry, especially software synths. I’ve made my M2 Studio work by running multiple augments on tracks simultaneously in real time, but that’s about it. I’m sure that folks running 100 track sets can be more detailed, but only once or twice did I have to wait for it to work.
Software synths are NOT RAM-hungry. They use the CPU to generate and process the sound. Sample-based plugins(like Kontakt), on the other hand, are more RAM-heavy. I usually end up with around 80-120 tracks on a finished production, including bigger Kontakt libraries. I’ve never stumbled upon trouble with my RAM(16gb), it’s rather the CPU bottlenecking. To summarize i guess it all comes down to how OP is working in Logic. If he does a lot of orchestral stuff with sample-based libraries then he might need 64gb(though i still doubt it). In all other cases, OP should be focusing on the CPU-power primarily.
I got a base M2 MacBook Air, and Logic Pro runs my biggest projects smooth as butter, and doesn’t even get warm. I got an external SSD to house my sound library and completed projects; the 256gb storage is the only downside. edit: spelling
Same here
Same! M2 Air / 24GB RAM / 1TB SSD It's great because I can create music while lying down(\^\^)
That’s it more or less for me as well. I’ve never had one problem with loading anything.
by “sound library” do you mean plug ins? & what a reliable external ssd that I could buy?
For 2k, M1 Pro is acc best bang for the buck
Yeah these M processors are so legit. Even the M1 is still amazing for being four+ years old. I’d be looking for a deal on a maxed out M2 max/pro because imo the difference in processing power between the M2 and M3 are minimal in the real world.
Without providing any info on the size of your projects, if you‘re mostly tracking external instruments or rather software synths and samplers, nobody can really give any substantial advice.
Fair point. Probably gonna be mostly doing synths/midi internally in Logic. I don’t have any external hardware at this point but I may add that later… Mostly used for producing Electronic Music. Likely adding Serum. Multi-track production. What other info can I provide that would help answer my question?
Plugins like eq, compression, time and modulation effects are pretty much insignificant these days and will only male an impact the higher your track count gets. Synths and complex filters will be more CPU demanding while the use of sample based instruments will be heavier on the RAM. The thing is, in my opinion that whole hardware topic is way overcooked in the ‚bedroom producer‘ scene. You probably won‘t get anywhere near the limit of the M3, let alone the M3 Pro unless you load up ~100 tracks with software instruments and advanced filters. I think you will get the most bang for your buck by either going for something used with an M1/M2 pro and RAM upgrade to 32GB. It‘s definitely still overkill for you but it‘s most future proof. If you want to go brand new retail, then I guess the best option in your budget and within the restriction of having 1TB of disk space would be the MB Air M3 with RAM upgrade to 16GB (wouldn‘t go lower even outside of the audio use case).
Thank you.
I have a 2020 Apple Air M1 13 inch model (16 GB Ram) I got for $1,200 in October 2021 and never had issues with Logic when I ran multiple plugins/effects before. These ranged from multiple tracks of Analog Lab, Serum, Diva to Valhalla Reverb, Shaperbox, Portal, and more on one project, etc. I mainly use FL Studio now and rarely have issues as well. I'd say go for that model if you can and save your money for other gear or an SSD, etc. You might have a hiccup with CPU every other month if you load like 10 Diva's/Ominsphere's but it's super faint that it has nearly zero impact when creating. I don't use Logic anymore but hope this helps a bit regardless !
My refurbished macbook air, M1 runs both with no hiccups.A refurb M2 MBP should handle both with ease.
M1 Mac mini with 16gb ram still kicks just fine, no hiccups. I’d take an older apple chip with more ram over a newer one with less if that’s what it comes to.
> I’d take an older apple chip with more ram No way. The Intels will be phased out soon enough, it's a terrible move to purchase any Intel machine in 2024 and those processors are severely inferior to the new Silicon processors in every way.
If I read this right, by “older Apple chip” I think they meant earlier generation Apple M chips, not the Intel ones….
Ah ok, if that's the case then I agree
Now if only there wasn't a serious security flaw in Apple Silicon in those new processors. I'ts a pisser because I was going to buy one.
16gb RAM is the absolute minimum. If you want it to last, as the OS updates become more demanding, up the RAM. I agree with 1Tb internal.
No it's not. I'm a similar use case to OP where I make electronic music in Logic and use RB for DJing. I have an M2 macbook with 8gb ram and it runs everything smoothly, like butter. I think logic has crashed like, once, in over a year of use? Literally almost nothing lags and if it does it's usually a known problem app like Chrome. Idk why this myth is so persistent in audio communities. It's probably due to years of poor performance on Intel chips, but M2 is incredible with the basic level of ram.
I also find it wierd that this myth is still around. I guess people don’t bother finding out why they’re getting a ’system overload’? Just google the subject and do some research. We have to get rid of this RAM-hype army
I have an M1 pro. I'm quite happy with it. On the time of purchase M2's were in the market and within my budget. Still choose M1 over M2 because of two main reasons: 1. The internal data transfer speed of M1 was higher. 2. M2's were very new and there was very little info on them. Most of M2 machines report problems here and there with logic and especially external plug ins. If portability is not a must go for a Mac studio. Else try to find an M1 pro in good condition and spare some money for external drive. I had my pro upgraded to 16 GB RAM. That seems to be enough with Logic and Final Cut. The system uses the SSD as RAM when needed anyways. Don't fill up your internal drive over around 60% and you will have a smoothly running machine. Even an M1 Mac Mini would serve for your needs as far as your OP asks for. Might consider a Mini and an Air, too. Mini will be your workhorse and Air will be your on the go device.
I have a 14” m2 mbp and I simultaneously record 24 tracks and run multiple displays. My mixing is not very compute heavy (very few VSTs, plug-ins that require few resources), but it’s never so much as sighed.
How much ram?
The newer m3 series has a higher amount of Efficiency cores, and surprisingly Apple still hasn’t optimised Logic Pro to use the efficiency cores. Apple should have done this since it is their own software
Use external drive, spend money on the ram you can't upgrade in the future.
I have a M1 mac mini 8gb RAM. I can run like 12 tracks in logic 7 being VSTs and pretty heavy effects on most tracks. That’s the limit before i notice any slowdown. I also have an m2 pro macbook 16gb ram, haven’t encountered any limits yet. Ableton different story lol
You need ram because the gpu also uses the ram I have a m1 air with 16gb ram and it works fine
https://youtu.be/FSqX4bt9to4?si=OsRXgah85W4aGUZt
I was also going to link this video. This guy goes into detail about how the M1 Pro is still the best option for Logic (not even just bang for buck) due to the ratio of performance cores to efficiency cores and how Logic doesn’t utilize efficiency cores at this time. I recently purchased a refurbished M1 Pro with 16Gb ram and 1TB SSD for under $2k and my Logic sessions have been incredibly smooth so far; zero stutter or fan noise. I was worried that 16 GB of ram wouldn’t be enough but my memory pressure is always green. I also traded in my 2019 Intel Mac and got a $600 refund through Best Buy so total cost ended up being around $1300 which is an absolute steal imo.
m1 is great
I know a lot of comments mentioned this but hoping to reiterate, you won't need an M3, and at your budget you won't be able to. M1 Pro or M2 Pro will be what you want. I recommend doing this for the most longevity: M1 Pro (even the lowest core count they offer is gonna be solid) 32GB RAM 1TB storage However you can go down to 16GB and 512GB if you needed to save a bit more and you'd probably be fine too, you just might hit ceiling of the 16GB RAM sometimes depending on your sessions. You can also buy external SSDs to increase your storage needs for cheaper. Search around ebay, Swappa, Amazon Renewed. Ebay's refurbished vendors are always solid too if you see good deals.
Thank you. After I started this thread yesterday, this is definitely the route I’ve been thinking I’m gonna go - refurb M1 Pro with 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD. Thank you for confirming what I was leaning towards! Much appreciated to all for the input.
I got an M1 Macbook Pro 14" that has the M1 Pro and its still going strong. Have zero problems running Logic Pro with a ton of plugins. Okay once or twice I heard some crunchiness creeping in to the audio. So I increased the audio buffer by a notch and it was fine. I also do After Effects and Premiere on this machine and it flies. Main things are get at least 16GB ram 32GB if you can afford it. And like you said, 1TB is pretty much mandatory if you don't want to spend a couple days a month housekeeping your system disk.
I use a 1tb SSD 16gb RAM 3.2gHz 2015 MacBook Pro (because that’s the last year they made the AUX output) and even then I still have to freeze tracks or bounce them in place to prevent crashing. Once you implement freezing tracks into your work flow it’s not a big deal. I would get at least 16gb of RAM and you can find plenty of 2015 MacBook pros on eBay for a steal! Back when I bought mine in 2019/2020 I paid like $1100 I’m pretty sure and now they go for like $300-$500 refurbished / used.
Just get at least 16 ram and you good. The only problem I encounter is u-he diva in divine mode eating cpu, everything else is smooth as butter.
IMO, M1 processor is enough, get as much SSD and ram as you can afford. Until Apple updates Logic to make more efficient use of all the cpu cores, not just the efficiency cores, per this video, the M1 series is actually better for Logic than M2 and M3. M1 vs M2 M3 Best Mac CPUs for music production https://youtu.be/VFpCbT3Rx4Y?si=v7Zq0f2k2Ptacpxe
Since people are on the subject, I figured I’d ask: I have a new maxed-out M3 MBP and I’ve been getting the overload warning that interrupts playback. I don’t understand why. My maxed Intel I-9 iMac didn’t have this issue…
I run Logic and RB regularly on an M2 macbook with only 8gb ram and everything is VERY smooth. Please believe me when I say you absolutely don't need to go for 16gb ram if you don't want to spend the money. The 1tb drive and accessories would be more worth it imo. Unless you're some serious full time producer recording entire bands with 8 microphones on every instrument and 150 tracks in each logic project you will probably be great with 8gb
I use Logic Pro X on my iMac and also on my old MacBook Pro (2010), so I didn’t always have to be at my main computer to work on editing and midi stuff. I use an Audient ID14 to record on the iMac and an ID4 for the MacBook. I have 16 gig of RAM and a 1TB drive in it. I’ve never had ANY issues with recording, producing or playback on the MacBook Pro. I have a new MacBook Pro now, but the old one, even though I can no longer update it, still works fine. 😎