This is a beautiful setup, Sean. As a budding musician and a fellow MacBook Pro owner, I've been looking for inspiration on how to get the best of my machine for my music career. You helped a tremendous ton, thanks again!
I bought the 16” M1 Max w32gb / 4tb ssd and I’m happy. With my old Intel MacBook the fan ran continuously and I couldn’t easily do multi-cam video capture (OBS) of large Logic projects with heavy plugins. I have all my content, bundles, VSTs, plugins and sample libraries occupying 1.65tb and I love having everything with me when I travel. I used to have 2 1TB Crucial external SSDs and although I still have them, I don’t need them with 4tb internal.
I’ve been looking at these specs for all these reasons. Video capture while using DAW. Storing all locally without need for external SSD. Glad to hear it’s worth it! I’m also debating Pro 16/16GB/2TB but I’m worried I’ll max it out. Silly but still a fear.
I bought 16" M1 Max Pro in February...the delivery date was JULY! But out of the blue, I got a notification Friday it was coming tomorrow. So crossing my fingers.
Just Picked up The M2 Pro 14” MacBook Pro today💨 Upgraded from my 2020 M1 which ran my large recording studio like butter” I run a full private studio Apollo X6 Heritage edition Thunderbolt, three audio interface with 6 SHARC DSP chips for UAD unison processing even though universal audio Just announce their plug-ins will run natively without the hardware 😏 but I’ve been running Logic Pro as my main DAW Akai MPC 2.3 Software with my MPC Live 2 & MPC Key61 also OZONE isotope and Native instruments Maschine Software I.E Komplete Kontrol and Kontakt just to name a few Now I had a Choice lastnight to Spend 2K$ on the Mac Studio M1 Ultra or M2 Pro Mini I went with the MacBook Pro M2 Pro as it Beat out the M1 Ultra and base 2019 MAC Studio by miles in many test and came Seconds Behind in other test! I’m not editing Videos I record and Mix” But I still have a 16 Core GPU with the M2 Pro if I want to Edit 4K 8K Also 4 TB 4 Ports and HDMI 2.1 also Wifi6 for Future proof.😎
I have the 16" M1 MBP (non-Max) I'm using for tracking down in my live room and a M1 Max Studio in my mix room. So far they are both performing quite well. Happy with the purchases. Great video Sean.
This is the best video on these machines, very helpful! ...seems like 32GB is a necessity for future proofing or do you think one could still work with 16GB in video and audio production?
Thanks for the nice video. I thought running plugins via Rosetta wouldn't be an issue but it is, although via Reaper it is. It's pretty annoying that quite a few companies are lacking decent support for M1 Natively. I needed to change my workflow and moved to Softube since they stepped up their game by giving M1 Native support on their plugins. I hope more and more companies will make their plugins natively available. For example PA has just a few plugins available but not all of them. It feels to me a bit as lazyness and ignorance of some plugin companies not making their plugins compatible. But hopefully this will change soon, and if some companies are not going to step up their game, I am going to ditch them, easy as it that :)
It has been a process for sure! There's been a lot of progress since I switched in October last year... I'd say all plugins should be fully apple silicon compatible within the next couple months. If not, I'd be concerned about those developers moving forward too :/
@@CatWAVE-qq1gs I must say some companies have upgraded their plugins to support arm64 (M1 native) but still quite a few to follow. I moved away from certain companies who are lacking decent upgrades to M1 Native. For example Arturia and Softube are supporting M1 Native.
Great video! but I think the Max is still kinda overkill for 4k video. I have the 14 inch m1 pro and I do music and video for a living. I'm shooting with a Blackmagic 6k and its still fast AF editing 6k in Davinci. BUT if I could've afforded the max I would've got it just to flex lol but to be honest If you want to do things like 3D animation or heavy VFX thats when you should get the max IMO
Good to know and appreciate the input from a video pro! I’m definitely a lightweight when it comes to video… previous model just couldn’t keep up with 4k capture / editing, so I went all out with gfx specs… I don’t plan to buy a laptop for a very long time haha
@@SeanDivine oh I know your pain! had the 16 inch intel and I was pissed when the m1 MacBook Air was almost as good when it costed 1700 less lol I knew if the air could almost keep up the m1 pro would be exactly what I needed
Hi, Jack one question do you have any idea how to hook a Mackie Mixer, I had problems using 14 inch m1 pro no audio listen from my speakers, Sorry if i batter you , thank's
I didn’t know about rosetta until I ran a plugin and an unearthly deafening screech almost blew out my speakers and ears. I quickly boned up on it after that 😩
Recently copped the new M1 Pro as well, I’ve been excited to open it, it’s been in the unopened box for about 4 days or so since getting it, I’m debating returning it because of the price, tbh, I miss the money but I wonder if it’s actually as worth it… (I’m sure it is, replacing my old 2014Mbp) soo lmk if you like it and whyy
Am still waiting for M2 if the battery gets better including the perks that your Mac has such as Magsafe, SDXC and HDMI. If the battery gets worse due to high performance from M2, I definitely go for the machine like yours. Until then, am still rocking my 2014 MacBook Pro 15 inch.
Did you change from the Caldigit 3+ to the Caldigit T4 for more inputs or faster T4 speed and more monitor connections? I was told that the Caldigit T3+ would work well for me with a M1 Pro MBP with Thunderbolt 4 ports, but I am starting to wonder. I am going for a similar minimal studio setup. Is your audio interface and your Midi interface hooked up via the Caldigit T4? Love the way you have one cable connecting all your studio gear. I have been researching and I am finding Pro and Cons when comes to setting up the Caldigit device yet it seems to be the one recommended piece of gear when needing to dock the new MacBook Pros. When your computer goes to sleep does it disconnects things like some say if so how did you solve that issue (if you ever had it)? Thank you for all the info you have share for all these years it's so helpful.
Both. Tbh, the TS4 has seen some launch issues - I had to get a replacement power supply as the original had a high pitch whining sound. There is still an issue with some devices disconnecting on sleep, although it happens rarely for me. They are supposed to roll out a firmware update by the end of the year. If you need it to be rock solid immediately, I’d stick with the TS3 in the meantime… with the new firmware the TS4 will be the way to go. All that said, Caldigit support has been excellent in my experience!
Hey man !!! How are you ? I hope you are well… I ‘ve watched your video about tue new macbook pros and related in that to order mine wich arrived two days ago! i picked a 14 gpu /32gigs of ram/4tb model and i want to add a nvme ssd 4tb for my banks and recording drive (by partitionate it) but rewatching your content i see you kept your regular drives and didn’t go for the super fast nvme ssd that s out on the market… And it kind if made me wonder why wiuldn t you keep the sane speed of your internal ssd ??? I s there any oarticular reason??? Did you get any chance to test them and are they significantly faster or not that more fast??? Thanks i advance if you get any chance to answer that long one( sorry for that though) but you know how it can get doubting when that kind of miney is involved!!! regards Milli
Really helpful video man! You covered everything I wanted to know re. new MacBook Pro’s which I am considering getting. I was super excited when I saw the docking station your using😄🙌🏾. That looks great and like something I would be really interested in as I will need to use my computer in multiple locations, but when in studio need to connect quickly easily and very importantly tidily😄!! Just out of interest did you ever use a USB docking station? and if so what was your thoughts? Just that the Thunderbolt versions seem to be considerably more and I just want to know what is there any real performance difference?! Thanks again
I’ve only used the caldigit ts3 plus and now the ts4 with the macbook pro, both thunderbolt docks. I have used a usb3 dock with an older imac, but with the faster transfer speeds and data throughput on tb, it’s the best way to go imo!
Your vid drew me in when I saw the RME remote...I assume your RME interface is on one of the USB 3 ports? How's that been? I'm on the cusp of upgrading to an M1 laptop and your info was very helpful! THX!
@@SeanDivine Thanks for the reply-Good to hear! I guess it's the TS4 for me ( had been considering the OWC TB Dock ). Now, which M1...? Glad I found your channel-keep the vids coming!
Thanx for this video, I sent a message to your Instagram requesting you to make us a tutorial to guide us while mixing piano and melodies to make them sweet and firm in a mix
The only MacBook Pro I could find available at Best Buy was the 16inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro Chip, 16gb Ram & 1TB SSD. Now I really wanted one with 32gb of ram but do you think 16gb will be enough for me. I like using soft synths like omnisphere & the Komplete collection. Thanks
Yo Sean. Is your interface connected to your Caldigit as well? I have the MacBook Pro M1 Max 16, and an Apollo x6. Should the Caldidgit support my Apollo x6 as well?
Sean, nice review. I purchased the same MBP that you have...dude you have my machine. On top of it, we have the same RME interface. Like you I had an Intel MBP 2012, with SSD and 16 gig of memory. I run Cubase Pro 12 and have yet to stress the MBP to 35%. A general song will take 30 - 40 tracks plus 10 mix busses and another 8 effects tracks. So 50 tracks giver or take. I run Native Instruments for my sample library and the new SPARK and Waves plugins. I have yet to hear the fan start....ever.... Quick question, what stand are you using for your MBP? Look forward to the new video. Bill
Nice video. I have the same computer on order. I do sound, photography, and a little video. Question - do you experience any hiccups with your set up if the computer goes to sleep and then you wake it up? Do you use clam shell mode at all? Work well?
Thanks Robert! I did have some issues with sleep when I first got it setup - this was directly related to the ts4 dock and stopped happening after OS Monterey updates + turning off sleep mode. Apparently Caldigit has a long term solution coming soon… No issues in clamshell mode!
Great video Sean! I have the M1 Max 16” so far I’m loving it. My only complaint is some audio plugs not being fully compatible yet like iZotope and Native Instruments.
@@TheBlackJewelz most of them work on rosetta but Neutron 3 Advanced is the one giving me the most problems. Komplete Kontrol from NI it's not “Kompatible” yet lol
Hi very nice video. I have a question, why you didnt by a mac studio ? As I see Mac studio has better parameter specification with cheaper price. I asked you cause I havent decidet what to buy between them
For one, mac studio wasn’t available when I bought the macbook pro 😁 I still wouldn’t have gone that route anyway though. I wanted a laptop based studio to have my full setup on the go without having to keep 2 computers consistent. The specs of the mac studio are definitely impressive but as mentioned, unless you’re doing very intensive graphic work it’s going to be overkill for the most part.
Just in time! Got my M1 MacBook recently! Is it alright to keep it charged and closed while using another monitor? Been overthinking it would overheat while recording & mixing sessions
Hey Sean; dope content as usual. I recently upgraded to an M1 Max and I'm battling to log in the waves central to isntall my waves plugins. Thought I'll ask you the question since you're on a M1 max and you use a lot of waves plugins. I followed the steps waves recomemded on the waves web page but I still can't log in the waves central and I have an account; it's not that I don't have a waves account. Hope you can help. Thanks.
I have the macOS Monterey version 13" M1 MBP. It was a gift. I am trying to figure out what I can successfully do on this machine. I don't even really know where to start. Never used Logic before. I did use Ableton briefly before a stretch of not making anything at all. I know nothing about BigSir and from what I understand there are many compatibility issues with basically everything important. Any pointers on where to start with this mac? Thanks!
If you have Monterey, you don’t have Big Sur. They are different OS versions. Most software / plugins are now compatible with Monterey, with the exception of a few here and there. I’d suggest starting with Garageband (it’s included free on Mac). They design it to be a natural starting point to later graduate to Logic Pro :)
@@SeanDivine Thanks so much! You’re absolutely right. It is not big sir anymore. It must’ve changed after my last software update. And I have been working on GarageBand for a while but I would like to get some real software again. Thank you so much for answering my question! Have a great day!
Great video, thanks. Do you have any recommendation for a Digital Mixer? I had to ditch my Presonus Studio Live because Presonus won't make a driver for the M1. I'm looking for something in the 8-16 inputs range. Or, are you saying I can use Rosetta to use the Presonus Studio Live?
I don’t have any experience with the Presonus Studio. I use totalmix on the RME UFX. It gives you tons of i/o and you can route it virtually or physically any way you can think of!
There's a difference between Digital mixers and pristine A/D converters/soundcards. That being said checkout the Midas M32 range may do you well. M32R is my favourite as do event work out on site too and like. To track live and in studio. The rme devices are rock solid and quality but very studio specific.
Hi Sean, Just got the M1 macbook few months back(running rossetta). Trying my best to sidechain f6 eq to 2 track but logic isnt showing the side-chain dropdown box in upper right corner.. is there a workaround ?
I’m building a studio and don’t know what to go for I make rap music on Logic Pro x I wanna have a laptop and sync it to the other screen like yours what would u recommend for both
They’re both plenty detailed to get a good result in the mix. It would depend on the vocalist / preamp you’re powering it with but the 103 tends to sit a bit bright and can be harsh if you’re not careful. The NT1 is picky about plosives and “spitty” vocalists, some things to consider with both.
I purchased dynaudio studio monitors. What preamp or interface of good quality do you recommend? Mac tech did a comparison on these and found little different
The difference in interfaces from pro level to budget isn't as dramatic as it used to be... That being said, on your Dynaudio monitors you'd still be able to notice it, even if subtle. RME has the best converters out there IMO (check out ADI 2 / babyface). On the budget side, I'd go with the Rode AI1 or SSL 2+
Hey Sean, appreciate all your videos. Looking for a little help here. I just got the new 14 inch today 5/23/22. And I transferred all my stuff properly from my 2019 Macbook pro running on Mojave still. And Logic won't open at all on my new Mac that's running on Monterey. Any tips and help would be huge. Cheers!
Hey Jeremy! Is it giving you an error or just not responding at all? If the latter, I would backup the old app (time machine) and try a reinstall from the App Store.
@@SeanDivine Thanks for the reply brother! I have it at a shop right now trying all options. I'll contact my guy and make sure they've tried your suggestion. To answer your question though it's just not responding at all. When I try to open Logic on my new mac it just gives me a bunch of coding. Cheers!! Thanks again!
@@tehillimmusic yes, I've tested that one as well and it works! The only thing is it doesn't have quite as much power as the TS4 so it will charge a bit slower
@@SeanDivine that’s what’s up! I attempted to buy one many times, but backed out, is it better than your Warm Audio EQ? From your video awhile back where u used it to master a track.
I have a question In logic it exists a low latency mode and in Antares autotune pro it exists an low latency mode too? Have I use both of them? And if not which should I turn on ? Thank you
Thanks Dude. Sorry but, did it occur to you people who have a MacBook Pro and just a guitar wanna learn how to make a set up? Can’t follow you because you’re already present IQ=160+ info. Can you redo one for cave men like me who just wanna record acoustically? Then, 2 years down the line, when I am up to your level I could actually refer to this?
