Which Macbook for mixbus V9 ?

[guigui67]

Hi,

i will purchase my first macbook the coming days (My dell g5 has today not enough processor ressources for my projects) - mainly the processor - DSP is around 95% in mixbus)

I'm mixing using mixbus 32C V9 with plug ins.

The number of channels audio is between 25 --> 50 depending on the projects.

I'm looking for a macbook pro M3 ou M3 pro but as i'm not an apple user so i need some advice about the processor and the amount of RAM.

Has any mixbus user some advice ?

Thanks

[jeff_sloan]

Yes, check all your software you are running, and make sure they are all approved for Sonoma. Until they are, stick with something that can run Ventura. MB has not officially blessed Sonoma yet, and Toon Tracks SD3 doesn't like it. MB graphics were too laggy for some of us here, and I went back to Ventura. I don't believe M3 computers can officially go down to Ventura.

[Scardanelli]

I have an M2 Mac Mini (not the Studio model) with 24GB RAM, running Ventura. Mixbus 32C latest version, Studio One latest version, all plugins, Soundtoys, Waves, Metric Halo, Softube Console 1, UAD Native ALL run fine. You may save yourself a bit of money and buy an M2 MacBook, plenty of power and memory. From what I hear Sonoma is causing problems for many, but Monterey and Ventura all fine so stick with the almost latest version and you'll be rocking.

[guigui67]

Hi,

thanks for your reply.

It's really interresting.

About the memory: is 16 Go enough or it is necessary to upgrady directly to 32 go ou 24 Go for 25 to 50 audio channels ?

[Dingo]

About the memory: is 16 Go enough or it is necessary to upgrady directly to 32 go ou 24 Go for 25 to 50 audio channels ?

I have two systems both Mac mini form.
The Intel system has 32GB and M1 has 16GB.
My main production is done on the Intel system, largely due to having more ports for external drives.
The M1 does a good job for me.... but I don't use as many plugins as some people do.

The newer generations of Apple devices use unified memory  which makes user upgrades impossible... so if you can afford it, purchase with 24GB or more.
The same applies for Internal storage, however with a healthy number of high speed ports it is not a great issue.

[Matt]

Does it have to be a laptop? I think the mac mini and mac studio are better options. From what I can tell the graphics issues "may" be due to throttling due to overheating. I have an M1 Max Macbook pro, and have actually been using a different DAW at the moment, because of the graphics issues. And I've even went back to ventura, and it's better, but if I work long enough it starts getting hot and things get choppy and unresponsive. I've even installed an app to control the fan speeds. So I have them ramp up quite a bit quicker, and it helps but doesn't alleviate the problem. I can work well enough right now.

But I said all of that, because I would expect the Mac Mini and Mac Studio to have better a better cooling system. I DO NOT know that for sure, but I can't imagine that not being the case. So my plan is to keep on like I am now, and hopefully upgrade to the M3 Mac Studio whenever it is finally released. Or honestly pick up a refurbished M2 version, as they should drop in price when the M3's are released. Because when it's nice and cool this laptop is pretty stunning, but pretty frustrating when it gets too hot.

[Dingo]

My Intel can get pretty warm - not hot.. by comparison the M1 runs much cooler.

[Scardanelli]

Apple currently getting a bit of stick for the M3 configurations which for media heavy users (especially video but obviously large audio projects) and not as fast as the M2 - something to do with the way the cores are divided. Be aware !

https://youtu.be/r4pvS3VeRCI?si=VDBe_v-0-_l_VWYy

https://youtu.be/-MseH1n4Zwg?si=s748R49Vx9zX5RHR

[Dingo]

@ Matt +1 : Does it have to be a laptop?
I echo the first comment in that video... why even use a laptop? Just get a desktop for the best performance.

[madmaxmiller]

Hi,

i will purchase my first macbook the coming days (My dell g5 has today not enough processor ressources for my projects) - mainly the processor - DSP is around 95% in mixbus)

I wouldn't be sure if it's the CPU: DSP load says more about realtime capability which includes CPU but only at a low percentage. So buying into a completely new architecture in the hope the different CPU will solve your problems is a bold step.
As you can read here, Macs are not perfect and the learning curve about all the pitfalls to avoid is substantial.
Lastly, let's talk about money: The Mac universe is expensive, not at least through Apples upgrade politics. For the same money or less you can get an audio optimised PC where you know the ropes already and hit the ground running. Changing the architecture will also make you re-buy a whole bunch of software, in Apple's case on a regular basis.
Or, alternatively, before you pull the trigger on something: why not taking your Dell and run it with AVLinux or Ubuntu Studio? Like Mac, it has a learning curve but it costs nothing to try out and you might be surprised. I ran reasonable mixes on an old Core2Duo with 6GB RAM under Linux. That's because CPU and RAM are factors, but realtime capability depends on IO latency, again I share the video by Richard Ames, it's a good explanation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUsLLEkswzE

Cheers,
MMM