Hey Enthusiasts.
I’m being having my arm more or less twisted to force me to buy a macbook. Granted, with brands like lenovo shutting down on urp and arch Linux these days having a list of show-stopping issues longer than your phone’s scrolling ability, uh, why not. Meh tho.
Local corner shop still has 'pro in M1pro/16GB ram or M2"basic"/8GB ram for not unaffordable prices. Single Core benchmarks puts the M2 at maybe 10% better than M1pro, but Multicore and “Metal” (???) says M1pro is better than M2 basic, sometimes by a lot (geekbench).
I don’t understand benchmarking, especially with such variation in results.
I need a machine able to play 12 tracks of 16bits .wav files + some effects (Ardour) and / or output video in 1080p on 2 outputs + some gimmickery (Isadora). Or you know, run qlab like everybody else, with fades and envelopes and stuff.
Which one should I buy?
You do know there are 492 other distros besides Arch, right? If you’re doing audio work, yes Apple would be simpler, but trying to use Arch for that is like trying to finger paint with toothpicks.
Arm twisting aside, prices being equal or close to equal get the M1 Pro with 16GB of RAM.
Agreed on the M1. Anything entry level for Apple is decent but not really meant to push the envelope very far. I had a 16GB Mac mini and it served me very well for software development. I had to run multiple ram hogging tools at the same time so it did have pauses when switching between them. Other than that it was a beast. It held up well compared to my higher end MacBook Pro i9 with 32 GB Ram. The M1s run very cool. You’ll wonder if your machine even has a fan except if you’re doing a long intensive processing job. The M2s from my experience run hotter. I have an M2 iPad that I’m betting becomes thermally throttled just by watching Netflix. Not that it stutters, it just becomes warm to the touch.
Thanks for the actual “M1” answer.
I’ll be still mixing and mastering (and lighting) on Linux, as I’ve been on anything from Slackware to SuSE to Arch since 2006 ; I believe my current showstoppers are bad luck with secondhand hardware, and pebkac on pipewire software. It just happens that for live, real-flesh-on-stage-and-audience, I can’t afford the risks. It hurts.
Fair enough. Good luck.
I’ve read you’re better off with at least 16GB of ram with apple silicon, so go for the M1. I have an M1 with 32GB of ram and it’s a fantastic machine. Fast, quiet, and doesn’t get hot. I use it with logic pro.
My dear dude!
Regarding your question, go for the M1 Pro. Despite having a little less single-core power, it will have immensely more graphic and multicore power, which you might seek regarding your usage of a computer. If you want/need to use Linux on it, you will use VM software that will make good usage of the extra ram and extra cores.
Now, since you’re also into music software, you’ll be glad to discover that Apple products, from iPhone to iPad to Mac, come with a free software called GarageBand that is batshit crazy for a free software (you can download it on the Mac AppStore if it’s not pre-installed). I remember switching from Windows/Ubuntu in 2007, discovering this piece of software with the Real Time Audio kernel of then Mac OSX Leopard, plugging in my guitar and enjoying zero-latency analog effects. You’ll get a good range of Digital instruments too, which you can control with a master keyboard (I bought a Kawai ES back then). Every GarageBand project can then be imported into Logic Pro, if you want to go for the professional audio suite.
Welcome to macOS. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride!
Thanks! I don’t know GB, but I’ve seen people around me use it heavily.
I’ve been working with macs since a long time - goes with the job. I know they’ll work great also with my stuff like midi keyboards (I have so many…) and Live and, and.
I’ll see tomorrow if what’s on the counter is actually available. Thanks again, your enthusiasm is heartwarming!
