Possibly - but I need to vet multichannel (20+ simultaneous tracks) recording capability - what RTL is, what sample size is necessary, what interfaces give the best performance (existing or MOTU, Presonus, REM, Arturia. etc.). Perhaps I am asking a lot to see this kind of performance testing as most it seems are just recording ITB or two tracks at a time. Tracking, tracking, tarcking, not mixing.
Got it on nov 8! 😂 Upgrade from M1 Macbook Air base model (my first Mac after about 20 years of Windows). I upgraded for RAM, but it also came with a superior computing power!
@@trebleboost7yeah this is kind of the situation I am in. There no tests that focus on recording many audio tracks from interfaces at once. In my setup I have a large modular synth system where I have 2 14 track audio interfaces with usb c aggregated to record 28 tracks, sometimes a third device to get 2-6 more. Currently I use a 2019 MacBook Pro that has some semi maxed out specs but I still get some artifacts and dropouts and i end up needing to increase the buffer side/latency. I’m just trying to figure out if this will solve that. Or if getting m4 pro would in fact solve this. All the tests online are about using plugins and midi soft synths etc. Which is not how I work.
The computer is great. The OS is great. Logic is great, and you can of course use any other modern DAW if you prefer that. What's not great is Apple's history of using cutting edge connectivity, then ditching it a few years later. I have two old Firewire audio interfaces, and a Thunderbolt 1 interface that were obsoleted over the years as Apple stopped supporting that tech - though they function and sound as great as they did when they were new. The Thunderbolt one still works on my 2013 MBP (that has 16Gb RAM BTW; 16Gb for music in 2024 seems pretty bare bones), but that computer has long been unsupported and some programs already don't run on it anymore, so it's days are numbered - and therefore so is that $$$ TB interface (if I stay with Apple HW). Apple's master plan, if you ask me, is planned obsolescence. Not just of their hardware, but of peripherals too. I bought a $23 Firewire PCIe card and put it in my Linux box with 64 Gb of (very inexpensive) RAM and connected one of my old FW interfaces. Even if I end up having to buy a new USB audio interface (like the $190 Behringer), I expect it will work for years since it has no proprietary drivers which require constant updates and support from the manufacturer as Apple tweaks their OS. It's a shame really. Apple really could democratize music production if they would just stick with a protocol. They could still have the latest blingy ports, and switch them generation to maintain the brand or whatever, but keep one for the little people. The rest of the world does just fine with USB, for example. I have 15 year old USB peripherals I can plug into any modern machine with standard USB ports and they just work. When it was USB 1.0 vs Firewire, there was a legitimate bandwidth argument for the "esoteric" Firewire protocol for music. Nowadays, USB4 or whatever we're on is more than enough for music. I want to love this Mac Mini, buy a USB audio interface, and believe I'd be able to use that setup for the next 10 years. If it does all I want and more today, why must I accept that it won't do the same thing in 10 years? Maybe it would. Maybe things have truly changed and this is a new era for Apple and computer music production. I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, I'ma keep using Bitwig on Debian 12 with my 20 year old FW audio interfaces that still sound great.
the trick is to get the MOST machine you can afford at the time cuz that set up will easily last 10 years.. no need for constant adjustments.. just continue to upgrade the OS until you cant
Got my M4 Mac Mini last week, and it is truly a life changer, it literally FLIES when using Logic pro x and Final cut, the performance is ridiculous, the game has changed again..!
@@VinceFinemMusicYes, sir ! I recorded an entire record already and edited a professional video with it no hiccups or anything, I did purchase an external sandisk drive but the performance is stellar !
As someone who dropped $1000 on a 10Mb RAM upgrade for an Ensoniq ASR-10 and $500 per Syquest 270Mb cartridge for instruments, I find 2024 quite a magical time to be alive.
I have the base model Mac Mini & can record with a 16 buffer size at 1 ms in FL. No stutters, clicks or pops. On my old laptop the lowest I could go before the popping was like 288 Buffer at 7 or 8 ms.
As a certified Mac hater lemme say that despite the bare minimum specs in many aspects for 2024, and the connectivity options being halfway sufficient... for the price indicated and that configuration you basically can't go wrong. This seems like an outstanding deal and more than capable of taking everything a budding producer can throw at it.
OK... I gotta say that my M1 really gave me a lot of trouble, but then again, it's still working, and it was hacked by a IT pro who I thought was a friend of mine, on my birthday no less (!!!) - the only person besides me to ever touch it. I thought it was ok, but I erased it in the wrong order, and even after I found a way to recover it, force is to admit that the damages are there. My libraries are all fcked, etc - but it does still work with 32gb left on the drive... which when you think about it, is absolutely phenomenal. I'm still running a 8 track concert in Logic as we speak on it and I see no reason to keep it as a backup. It cost 1400 CAD open box. 600 bucks for this is really amazing
@@theopacalypse I switched to Logic for good since version 9. Prior to that I was using Digital Performer and Cubase. Those are great DAWs but LP is the best for my workflow.
16Gb is really absolutely bare minimum if you're using orchestral libraries, for example. Some pianos take like 4Gb. So I don't know how about "more than enough for most".
Dude Im on an M1 Air, running Logic, Maschine, Kontrol, Amp sims, Ozone plugins, tons of midi VSTs, in studio and live, and yes we do everything in the box, in a duo, we us a LOT of power, in low latency mode, we have not had one glitch not one.. I want one of these, but… Other than the AI tools and updates, I really am not needing a faster CPU yet, this M1 Air is still more than enough. I will wait for a good price on a refurb down the road.
Yep same - just waiting for a monitor to arrive and can replace my trusty 2012 iMac that has been perfectly fine for years of tracking and working with live instruments. For £999 it's still a bargain but just wanted to be a bit more future proofed :)
@@kieran0000 that’s cool but that little upgrade (like $50-$70) in the real world Apple snacks you for the cost of a second machine (I mean, I can’t think of the TH-camr’s name but he did a video on it saying you could buy two Mac mini base models for a penny less than upgrading one of them to 24 gig and 512 gig of high drive…) I’m just saying those prices are way out of line
The computing/recording capability in the small and cost effective package is game changing for recording, but in the current environment it is still incredibly difficult to make a significant amount of income with those recordings.
Amazing that u touch/spoke about the performance cores, hard to find reviews saying that + i still searching the comparison about MM M2Pro vs M4 base (because the P-cores)
The deal is great, but Ableton f.e. does not utilize efficiency cores, which are 6 out of 10 of the normal M4 chips, so you can only use 4 cores out of those 10, which is a bummer.
130 tracks is a nebulous thing. You have to factor what plugins are used and how many per track etc. I think a standard needs to be formulated. Three general types; rock, electronic and score. Rock should be SD3 with EQ/compression/saturation per individual drum, 5 guitar tracks with EQ/compression/saturation per track (quad tracked guitar and a lead guitar track) and a bass guitar with EQ/compression/saturation. Maybe go Neural DSP Friedman or something for the guitars, not sure regarding the bass. Then fab filter on the reverb and delay for the mix buss. To know where the threshold is, copy the bass and guitar only until failure. Electronic; 5 tracks of Serum, five tracks of Kontakt with EQ/compression/saturation each track, kick 3 and mix buss similar to rock. Duplicate everything except Kick 3 until failure. I don’t write scores, but maybe Kontakt with the same plugins as the other tests until failure? We need a standard.
I just found out that a $2400 M2 Macbook air with 2 TB and 24 gB of memory has bad memory and it's only been 2 years. They say we have to pay $540 to get it fixed. I will NOT buy Apple again. If I bought a Ferrari and it had a cracked block, they would replace it. I am livid.
It would be more fair if the upgrade prices were equal between different ranges. It’s as much for another 16GB on M# and M# Pro systems as they charge per 32GB on M# Max/Ultra systems. I’d just grin and bear it paying £200 for another 16GB but £400 for another 16GB is scam.
@@JohnSHigham What would really help is to see a review where someone uses the base machine and then loads it with as many Kontakt samples as it can handle. I don't know how fast it can use virtual memory or whether it just falls flat on its face.
I have my Kontackt files on a 2tb external Samsung ssd for my MacBook Pro m1 . Works amazing. I’d upgrade to 512gb for the programs. Personally for me id get 1tb internal and then use an external SSD.
Would recommend looking at BenQ monitors as they have a range specifically designed to work with Macs that are v colour accurate - Studio Display is still the best option imo for Mac users due to compatibility and display quality but wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t willing to pay the premium for it - hope that helps!
Just ordered a cheap £149 4k AOC 27 inch 60hz off Amazon to see how it goes. It's IPS and I don;t need amazing graphics as long as it's got enough screen space I'll be happy. If its crap I'll send it back and get a more expensive one :)
With 4k 43" HDTVs costing less than $200 and more space than inexpensive monitors, why would anyone buy a "computer monitor" any more. The base model will even support an 8k TV via HDMI if you want a larger display. I use a 50" 4k TV which has plenty of resolution, and at the press of a button, I can watch the broadcast evening news on the same display.
@@eddiegardner8232 Yeah valid point and if I had the space in my home studio I would love a 40"+ TV instead of a monitor. Maybe I can get rid of something unnecesary??? Nah... I have to keep the kids really. Sucks 😂
I spent $1100 to get Arturias V collection , including the synclavier V.. and 37 other vintage soft synths for $300.. Black Friday sale 2024.. I lucked out.. also got crossgrades to pigments and FX 5, each $50..
Right now I have a tricked out 6,1 2tb nvme and 64gb ram running sequoia and a 5,1 128gb ram running sequoia as well. The 5,1 I use for mixing and the 6,1 I use for Mastering: everything works great but do you think the Mac mini would work great for mastering. I uses studio 7 and it has a 2 track mastering program that lets me stack songs in order with any VST I might want to use only 2 tracks
Can you save all your music to an external drive so when this take a crap its not gone forever? When you save your projects on an external drive will they reopen back into another computer with the same DAW? The RAM and CPU are soldered in on these so it cant be upgraded so thats why I am asking.
Is the internal DAC of the M4 Mac Mini base model good enough for listening to HI Res music on stereo speakers? How much would an external DAC cost to really hear a difference in sound quality compared to the DAC inside the M4 Mac mini?
"Good enough" and "difference in sound quality" are very subjective things in music production 😂 I'd say, for normal people, DAC of the MacMini is absolutely good enough. Music Producers will buy dedicated Monitors (studio speakers) and connect them to their Audio Interface anyways.
Awesome vid, Got a Mac mini in 2012 to produce PREXENTS; upgraded memory 2 years ago. Got logic on a 2012 MacBook with free plugs that are better than waves ai bs plugs I tested on new macs. Love Macminis! but waves & ai plugs is wasting energy compared to my no ai setup at least for now, producing PREXENTS is a different story. Cheers
RAM = random access memory = all storage is equally accessible, this is important cause information stored on hard drives have to be scheduled when being accessed, so that the drive can maximize throughput, but though the data transfers quickly, the access delay for read and write plus the time it takes to fetch the storage, takes forever.. You should never put a swap partition or working folder, such as for recording to on an external drive regardless of the implementation, bandwidth or read/write delays, it won't matter cause the distance information needs to travel from drives, is like a difference of seconds to weeks for the computer's needs. Its like the difference of having a local talent versus having to put out an ad for a new musician and auditioning, tgats thescale of difference how close storage is to the processor . Also the unified memory is shared memory, that means the devices in the chip will communicate asynchronously via the unified memory.. If the CPU had-its own memory, and the GPU.. You couldn't easily perform image processing operations on images in realtime to the screen via the GPU.. The fairlight sampler had 8k ram for each voice, and each voice was a circuit board, but for this reason, all the voices couldn't share the memory, so the ram couldn't be combined and used by all the voices..
@@alemusicgirl true - you can just buy an external SSD for a significantly lower price that what Apple charges. Less storage is also needed for musicians who predominantly use live instruments like myself!
I disagree, to me that just write and just wanted something to run smoothly 256GB is ok, after some months i can buy some ssd, not everyone is this professional studio wizards
If you're a professional music producer you'd want to store your data in a NAS or cloud anyway. You can get really high speeds with an external ssd or m.2 in an enclosure, plugged into the thunderbolt 4 port. There is really no need to go for a higher internal storage space, unless you have disposable income and don't want more gadgets.
256 doesn’t matter!!! Move your ‘Home’ folder to your external and you now have as much real estate for apps and data as you can fit on it. Easily solved just with a base model….oh yeah, look up how to do it because Apple have hidden some of these features so you’ll use them to upgrade 🙄
If someone is doing work that can fit into 16gb of unified ram, then the speed of the CPU/GPU is irrelevant because you are already severely limited in capacity. Apple doesn't do anything magic with "efficient" ram. It's insane how little ram this is in 2024.
Get even more pit of your M4 chip by ditching Logic "pro". James Zhang did a test showing that Cubase, pro tools and Reaper were far better at utilizing all cores than Logic Pro, Studio One 7, FL Studio and Ableton (which really sucks)..
I don't fall for the "Unified Memory" scam. I prefer RAM. And RAM that I can add too. Apple is horrible for not allowing customers to upgrade ram. Everyone should have boycotted Apple when they first did this. And on top of that Apple charges more than double the price of ram. It's like getting screwed without lubricant. Some day you young people will learn the value of money.
Even for an astronomical price, it is impossible to put more than 64GB of RAM in the Mac Mini. An obvious marketing gimmick for the upcoming Mac Studio.
So it „changes music forever“ because it is more affordable than other computers who have existed before and could do the same? Wow. If that is not clickbait, what is? Also, constantly talking about it costing 599 is ridiculous. It’s the price of the base model which no one will get because you can‘t do anything with 256gb, let alone music production.
you dont want to put the 512GB solid state drive inside the computer, if you are storing data.. the executables and recording tracks, vm need to be inside the device..
@@sanjaypanchalmusic Turns out I copied my Photos Library from one external drive to another. Seems the drive being sent from thought it never finished and that created the problem. I re did the transfer from one drive to the other on the old iMac. And all is fine now. Except that once you open a a library on a new Mac it sends a code to that library and will no longer open on the old iMac. Stupid programers.
Don't fool the youngsters 😆 $600 MacMini isn't enough for Music Production. You also need an Audio Interface, decent Microphone, sensible Monitors (speakers) and headphones. Even basic acoustic treatment is welcome as well. Moreover, you need a pop filter, mic stand and cables. You probably need decent instruments as well, or at least a MIDI controller...
Thing is, these sorts of videos imply that producing good music is just a function of buying a fast computer and you are off (compared to paying for studio time)...but it's not...this nonsense that anyone can buy a fast computer and find their way around Logic (or others) and become a music producer overnight is pure fantasy...and the internet is chocked with content to prove this....
@@TheCrystalyne sorry I think you’ve completely missed the message of this video.. nowhere to I imply this - my message is all about lowering the barrier to entry to get started.
Is this a paid commercial from Apple? Lots of talking with flawed information and no real world experience. More of a fanboy video than anything else. Look at the review by James Zhan where he actually tests the M4 with several DAWs and various configurations of tracks at th-cam.com/video/hccy19Hm6M8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=E7tK978X1PYQt4AP. He did not get 135 tracks with Logic Pro, probably because he was doing some test that are closer to reality. Plus, Logic Pro does not use the efficiency cores in Apple silicon (and neither does Ableton Live or FL Studio) . Strange that Apple's own DAW is less efficient with its own chips. Free and open source Reaper beat all other DAWS in performance with many more tracks than Logic or the others. That is because Reaper uses all cores (efficiency + performance). Next time at least do a little more research instead of just cheerleading.
130 tracks of what? Means nothing without context. Try adding some granular synths, resynthesis ,tape sims, amp sims and see how that number holds up lol Get an M4 Pro base if you’re even half way serious about music production imo
Are you getting a new M4 Mac Mini?
Yep! Grabbing it at the Apple Store in a few hours. It will be a nice upgrade from my 2018 Intel Mac Mini!
Possibly - but I need to vet multichannel (20+ simultaneous tracks) recording capability - what RTL is, what sample size is necessary, what interfaces give the best performance (existing or MOTU, Presonus, REM, Arturia. etc.). Perhaps I am asking a lot to see this kind of performance testing as most it seems are just recording ITB or two tracks at a time. Tracking, tracking, tarcking, not mixing.
Got it on nov 8! 😂 Upgrade from M1 Macbook Air base model (my first Mac after about 20 years of Windows). I upgraded for RAM, but it also came with a superior computing power!
Got mine on launch day :) thank you for a straightforward review.
@@trebleboost7yeah this is kind of the situation I am in. There no tests that focus on recording many audio tracks from interfaces at once. In my setup I have a large modular synth system where I have 2 14 track audio interfaces with usb c aggregated to record 28 tracks, sometimes a third device to get 2-6 more. Currently I use a 2019 MacBook Pro that has some semi maxed out specs but I still get some artifacts and dropouts and i end up needing to increase the buffer side/latency.
I’m just trying to figure out if this will solve that. Or if getting m4 pro would in fact solve this.
All the tests online are about using plugins and midi soft synths etc. Which is not how I work.
The computer is great. The OS is great. Logic is great, and you can of course use any other modern DAW if you prefer that.
What's not great is Apple's history of using cutting edge connectivity, then ditching it a few years later. I have two old Firewire audio interfaces, and a Thunderbolt 1 interface that were obsoleted over the years as Apple stopped supporting that tech - though they function and sound as great as they did when they were new. The Thunderbolt one still works on my 2013 MBP (that has 16Gb RAM BTW; 16Gb for music in 2024 seems pretty bare bones), but that computer has long been unsupported and some programs already don't run on it anymore, so it's days are numbered - and therefore so is that $$$ TB interface (if I stay with Apple HW).
Apple's master plan, if you ask me, is planned obsolescence. Not just of their hardware, but of peripherals too. I bought a $23 Firewire PCIe card and put it in my Linux box with 64 Gb of (very inexpensive) RAM and connected one of my old FW interfaces. Even if I end up having to buy a new USB audio interface (like the $190 Behringer), I expect it will work for years since it has no proprietary drivers which require constant updates and support from the manufacturer as Apple tweaks their OS.
It's a shame really. Apple really could democratize music production if they would just stick with a protocol. They could still have the latest blingy ports, and switch them generation to maintain the brand or whatever, but keep one for the little people. The rest of the world does just fine with USB, for example. I have 15 year old USB peripherals I can plug into any modern machine with standard USB ports and they just work. When it was USB 1.0 vs Firewire, there was a legitimate bandwidth argument for the "esoteric" Firewire protocol for music. Nowadays, USB4 or whatever we're on is more than enough for music.
I want to love this Mac Mini, buy a USB audio interface, and believe I'd be able to use that setup for the next 10 years. If it does all I want and more today, why must I accept that it won't do the same thing in 10 years? Maybe it would. Maybe things have truly changed and this is a new era for Apple and computer music production. I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, I'ma keep using Bitwig on Debian 12 with my 20 year old FW audio interfaces that still sound great.
the trick is to get the MOST machine you can afford at the time cuz that set up will easily last 10 years.. no need for constant adjustments.. just continue to upgrade the OS until you cant
Unified memory is RAM, it is just the same memory shared by CPU and GPU
Got my M4 Mac Mini last week, and it is truly a life changer, it literally FLIES when using Logic pro x and Final cut, the performance is ridiculous, the game has changed again..!
The 599 base model?
@@VinceFinemMusicYes, sir ! I recorded an entire record already and edited a professional video with it no hiccups or anything, I did purchase an external sandisk drive but the performance is stellar !
As someone who dropped $1000 on a 10Mb RAM upgrade for an Ensoniq ASR-10 and $500 per Syquest 270Mb cartridge for instruments, I find 2024 quite a magical time to be alive.
Haha yes! I spent £200 on 2mb of sample ram for my Kurzweil K2000 back in the 90s!
You know the vibes!
I have the base model Mac Mini & can record with a 16 buffer size at 1 ms in FL. No stutters, clicks or pops. On my old laptop the lowest I could go before the popping was like 288 Buffer at 7 or 8 ms.
@@RickRijuanaPro great to hear and glad you’re enjoying it!
As a certified Mac hater lemme say that despite the bare minimum specs in many aspects for 2024, and the connectivity options being halfway sufficient... for the price indicated and that configuration you basically can't go wrong. This seems like an outstanding deal and more than capable of taking everything a budding producer can throw at it.
OK... I gotta say that my M1 really gave me a lot of trouble, but then again, it's still working, and it was hacked by a IT pro who I thought was a friend of mine, on my birthday no less (!!!) - the only person besides me to ever touch it. I thought it was ok, but I erased it in the wrong order, and even after I found a way to recover it, force is to admit that the damages are there. My libraries are all fcked, etc - but it does still work with 32gb left on the drive... which when you think about it, is absolutely phenomenal. I'm still running a 8 track concert in Logic as we speak on it and I see no reason to keep it as a backup. It cost 1400 CAD open box. 600 bucks for this is really amazing
I bought mine last tuesday and it's truly rewarding seeing so much positive reviews around. Can't wait to move all my stuff and start using Logic.
Which daw were you using before?
@@theopacalypse I switched to Logic for good since version 9. Prior to that I was using Digital Performer and Cubase. Those are great DAWs but LP is the best for my workflow.
The base model with an external two terabyte drive is highly recommended, faster and easy to set up
16Gb is really absolutely bare minimum if you're using orchestral libraries, for example. Some pianos take like 4Gb. So I don't know how about "more than enough for most".
Dude Im on an M1 Air, running Logic, Maschine, Kontrol, Amp sims, Ozone plugins, tons of midi VSTs, in studio and live, and yes we do everything in the box, in a duo, we us a LOT of power, in low latency mode, we have not had one glitch not one.. I want one of these, but… Other than the AI tools and updates, I really am not needing a faster CPU yet, this M1 Air is still more than enough. I will wait for a good price on a refurb down the road.
I got the 24Gb of UM and 512 Storage. Absolutely Perfect
Yep same - just waiting for a monitor to arrive and can replace my trusty 2012 iMac that has been perfectly fine for years of tracking and working with live instruments. For £999 it's still a bargain but just wanted to be a bit more future proofed :)
@@kieran0000 that’s cool but that little upgrade (like $50-$70) in the real world Apple snacks you for the cost of a second machine (I mean, I can’t think of the TH-camr’s name but he did a video on it saying you could buy two Mac mini base models for a penny less than upgrading one of them to 24 gig and 512 gig of high drive…) I’m just saying those prices are way out of line
The computing/recording capability in the small and cost effective package is game changing for recording, but in the current environment it is still incredibly difficult to make a significant amount of income with those recordings.
I mean, it's great, but there's nothing stopping you from making pretty much any music on an M1
Yep I bought a m1 air when they came out and have never had a problem with it.
Spot on!
Excellent video, thanks for sharing.
@@infographie thanks!
Amazing that u touch/spoke about the performance cores, hard to find reviews saying that + i still searching the comparison about MM M2Pro vs M4 base (because the P-cores)
Thank you thank you thank you
Very nice and help full is it, for external vst and plug-in its said that internal storage needed or from external storage also it can work smoothly?
16gb is not enough RAM at all for any kind of decent size project. 32 gb minimum and a much bigger SSD, which really drives the price up.
The deal is great, but Ableton f.e. does not utilize efficiency cores, which are 6 out of 10 of the normal M4 chips, so you can only use 4 cores out of those 10, which is a bummer.
It also has realtime raytracing and 10 terraflops
Really interesting. Thanks.
I'm considering this Mac for my music production - will I be able to use my Yamaha MG10XU mixer/audio interface with it?
Make sure it has drivers for the Apple M processor (or hybrid for both) and not just the old Intel processor.
@@VinceFinemMusic you should be fine, it works with my M1, the connectivity is using the Apple Core Audio.
130 tracks is a nebulous thing. You have to factor what plugins are used and how many per track etc.
I think a standard needs to be formulated. Three general types; rock, electronic and score.
Rock should be SD3 with EQ/compression/saturation per individual drum, 5 guitar tracks with EQ/compression/saturation per track (quad tracked guitar and a lead guitar track) and a bass guitar with EQ/compression/saturation. Maybe go Neural DSP Friedman or something for the guitars, not sure regarding the bass. Then fab filter on the reverb and delay for the mix buss. To know where the threshold is, copy the bass and guitar only until failure.
Electronic; 5 tracks of Serum, five tracks of Kontakt with EQ/compression/saturation each track, kick 3 and mix buss similar to rock. Duplicate everything except Kick 3 until failure.
I don’t write scores, but maybe Kontakt with the same plugins as the other tests until failure?
We need a standard.
I just found out that a $2400 M2 Macbook air with 2 TB and 24 gB of memory has bad memory and it's only been 2 years. They say we have to pay $540 to get it fixed.
I will NOT buy Apple again. If I bought a Ferrari and it had a cracked block, they would replace it. I am livid.
The problem I have with it is the memory. I need 32gb for Kontakt samples - and I'm not paying silly money to upgrade to the pro spec
It would be more fair if the upgrade prices were equal between different ranges. It’s as much for another 16GB on M# and M# Pro systems as they charge per 32GB on M# Max/Ultra systems. I’d just grin and bear it paying £200 for another 16GB but £400 for another 16GB is scam.
@@JohnSHigham What would really help is to see a review where someone uses the base machine and then loads it with as many Kontakt samples as it can handle. I don't know how fast it can use virtual memory or whether it just falls flat on its face.
I have my Kontackt files on a 2tb external Samsung ssd for my MacBook Pro m1 . Works amazing. I’d upgrade to 512gb for the programs. Personally for me id get 1tb internal and then use an external SSD.
How many SSD can I install internally for all my audio projects?
Imagine with the Vision Pro for producing while playing 🤯
Ye would be a world of endless possibilities - can’t wait to see what they do with it!
Great video as always 🎉
Great video - Any thoughts on monitor to go along with this - currently using an older 2012 Imac 27 inch.
Would recommend looking at BenQ monitors as they have a range specifically designed to work with Macs that are v colour accurate - Studio Display is still the best option imo for Mac users due to compatibility and display quality but wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t willing to pay the premium for it - hope that helps!
THE review we needed…although an actual review with the actual computer would be waaaay better
@@Studio_4to1 true - just need my channel to grow so I can actually afford to get hold of these things to review 😅
Lovely bit of kit
Great review. Can you recommend a monitor for the m4 mini and Logic Pro? I can’t afford an Apple display but would like good real estate for Logic.
@@Tolbiny definitely check out the BenQ range - they’ve got a few monitors specifically designed to work with Mac and I’ve heard great things
Just ordered a cheap £149 4k AOC 27 inch 60hz off Amazon to see how it goes. It's IPS and I don;t need amazing graphics as long as it's got enough screen space I'll be happy. If its crap I'll send it back and get a more expensive one :)
With 4k 43" HDTVs costing less than $200 and more space than inexpensive monitors, why would anyone buy a "computer monitor" any more. The base model will even support an 8k TV via HDMI if you want a larger display. I use a 50" 4k TV which has plenty of resolution, and at the press of a button, I can watch the broadcast evening news on the same display.
@@eddiegardner8232 Yeah valid point and if I had the space in my home studio I would love a 40"+ TV instead of a monitor. Maybe I can get rid of something unnecesary??? Nah... I have to keep the kids really. Sucks 😂
@@eddiegardner8232 Good tip, thanks.
I spent $1100 to get Arturias V collection , including the synclavier V.. and 37 other vintage soft synths for $300.. Black Friday sale 2024.. I lucked out.. also got crossgrades to pigments and FX 5, each $50..
Right now I have a tricked out 6,1 2tb nvme and 64gb ram
running sequoia and a 5,1 128gb ram running sequoia as well. The 5,1 I use for mixing and the 6,1 I use for Mastering: everything works great but do you think the Mac mini would work great for mastering. I uses studio 7 and it has a 2 track mastering program that lets me stack songs in order with any VST I might want to use only 2 tracks
Can you save all your music to an external drive so when this take a crap its not gone forever? When you save your projects on an external drive will they reopen back into another computer with the same DAW? The RAM and CPU are soldered in on these so it cant be upgraded so thats why I am asking.
It was a breakthrough at M2 pro.
Is the internal DAC of the M4 Mac Mini base model good enough for listening to HI Res music on stereo speakers? How much would an external DAC cost to really hear a difference in sound quality compared to the DAC inside the M4 Mac mini?
"Good enough" and "difference in sound quality" are very subjective things in music production 😂
I'd say, for normal people, DAC of the MacMini is absolutely good enough.
Music Producers will buy dedicated Monitors (studio speakers) and connect them to their Audio Interface anyways.
Awesome vid, Got a Mac mini in 2012 to produce PREXENTS; upgraded memory 2 years ago.
Got logic on a 2012 MacBook with free plugs that are better than waves ai bs plugs I tested on new macs.
Love Macminis! but waves & ai plugs is wasting energy compared to my no ai setup at least for now, producing PREXENTS is a different story. Cheers
RAM = random access memory = all storage is equally accessible, this is important cause information stored on hard drives have to be scheduled when being accessed, so that the drive can maximize throughput, but though the data transfers quickly, the access delay for read and write plus the time it takes to fetch the storage, takes forever.. You should never put a swap partition or working folder, such as for recording to on an external drive regardless of the implementation, bandwidth or read/write delays, it won't matter cause the distance information needs to travel from drives, is like a difference of seconds to weeks for the computer's needs. Its like the difference of having a local talent versus having to put out an ad for a new musician and auditioning, tgats thescale of difference how close storage is to the processor . Also the unified memory is shared memory, that means the devices in the chip will communicate asynchronously via the unified memory.. If the CPU had-its own memory, and the GPU.. You couldn't easily perform image processing operations on images in realtime to the screen via the GPU.. The fairlight sampler had 8k ram for each voice, and each voice was a circuit board, but for this reason, all the voices couldn't share the memory, so the ram couldn't be combined and used by all the voices..
256gb is nowhere near enough for a music producer collecting libraries so you would at least look for the 512gb which are 200 extra
@@alemusicgirl true - you can just buy an external SSD for a significantly lower price that what Apple charges. Less storage is also needed for musicians who predominantly use live instruments like myself!
@@sanjaypanchalmusic 100% anyone paying apple tax on internal storage is silly.
I disagree, to me that just write and just wanted something to run smoothly 256GB is ok, after some months i can buy some ssd, not everyone is this professional studio wizards
If you're a professional music producer you'd want to store your data in a NAS or cloud anyway. You can get really high speeds with an external ssd or m.2 in an enclosure, plugged into the thunderbolt 4 port. There is really no need to go for a higher internal storage space, unless you have disposable income and don't want more gadgets.
You don’t need internal storage for that; just buy external SSD’s, way cheaper than Apple and fast enough. Like Samsung T7 for example.
FMAC!
But you need to buy a monitor to match it?
As a relatively new Mac user, can someone tell me how, or if, Unified Memory differs from RAM?
I use UDIO
If GarageBand is good enough for me I guess I should stick with my Mini M2 Pro, I'll buy the Mini M8!
bro stop convincing me... am about to check outt xD
@@DJSTANBOi do it haha! You won’t be disappointed!
256 doesn’t matter!!!
Move your ‘Home’ folder to your external and you now have as much real estate for apps and data as you can fit on it. Easily solved just with a base model….oh yeah, look up how to do it because Apple have hidden some of these features so you’ll use them to upgrade 🙄
If someone is doing work that can fit into 16gb of unified ram, then the speed of the CPU/GPU is irrelevant because you are already severely limited in capacity. Apple doesn't do anything magic with "efficient" ram. It's insane how little ram this is in 2024.
how about Garageband? I play Digitakt Monologue xd and several other synts
2:52 … or, you are Jacob Collier.
5:34 Did you said GATEKEEPER? xD
7:30 - So, what are you waiting for? Actually, as you don't own one what are YOU waiting for?
@@JohnLloydDavis tuché
8:14 Yeah... that's how stupid some people are! Good remark!
You look like Jack Antonoff
Get even more pit of your M4 chip by ditching Logic "pro". James Zhang did a test showing that Cubase, pro tools and Reaper were far better at utilizing all cores than Logic Pro, Studio One 7, FL Studio and Ableton (which really sucks)..
I won’t buy any personal computer that prevents me from easily upgrading the drives or RAM.
I don't fall for the "Unified Memory" scam. I prefer RAM. And RAM that I can add too. Apple is horrible for not allowing customers to upgrade ram. Everyone should have boycotted Apple when they first did this. And on top of that Apple charges more than double the price of ram. It's like getting screwed without lubricant. Some day you young people will learn the value of money.
@@josebrivera1716 Get off my lawn. Turn it down. That’s not real music!!!
Even for an astronomical price, it is impossible to put more than 64GB of RAM in the Mac Mini. An obvious marketing gimmick for the upcoming Mac Studio.
There is a gerbil on your neck.
So it „changes music forever“ because it is more affordable than other computers who have existed before and could do the same? Wow. If that is not clickbait, what is?
Also, constantly talking about it costing 599 is ridiculous. It’s the price of the base model which no one will get because you can‘t do anything with 256gb, let alone music production.
probably a dumb question but can I use my 8 year old iMac as a monitor for this mac mini?
How much of the 256gb storage is actually available to the user?
How much do you need to spend beyond the 600$? I mean, all software, cables, devices, (maybe extra hard drive) for the minimum setup?
What no one is saying is why this is so cheap. THEY WANT APPLE INTELLIGENCE ALL UP IN YOUR BIZNASS.
Dosnt even touch my mini pc
Adobe’s horrible subscription model. Yes. Anyone disagree?
you dont want to put the 512GB solid state drive inside the computer, if you are storing data.. the executables and recording tracks, vm need to be inside the device..
16/256 is ok... For a midrange phone that is, for a computer it's laughable. Also I'm tired of whole YT shilling for it.
you dont need to qualify for education discount anyone can go and buy at that price....
How?
How???
Yeah indeed just literally press buy on the education part of the website 😂
What will change music forever will be AI and copyright
Problems with mine right out of the box Working with Apple to resolve.
☹️ sad to hear - hopefully just a dodgy unit that they can replace for you?
@@sanjaypanchalmusic I'll let ya know
@@sanjaypanchalmusic Turns out I copied my Photos Library from one external drive to another. Seems the drive being sent from thought it never finished and that created the problem. I re did the transfer from one drive to the other on the old iMac. And all is fine now. Except that once you open a a library on a new Mac it sends a code to that library and will no longer open on the old iMac. Stupid programers.
719 Euros! A ripoff compared to US price.
Sales tax! In most US states you have that as well.
LoL.
Don't fool the youngsters 😆 $600 MacMini isn't enough for Music Production.
You also need an Audio Interface, decent Microphone, sensible Monitors (speakers) and headphones. Even basic acoustic treatment is welcome as well.
Moreover, you need a pop filter, mic stand and cables.
You probably need decent instruments as well, or at least a MIDI controller...
Great deal! No talent needed
Sir I disagree that this is the only gear you need to mix a record. However this computer is pretty fire
Thing is, these sorts of videos imply that producing good music is just a function of buying a fast computer and you are off (compared to paying for studio time)...but it's not...this nonsense that anyone can buy a fast computer and find their way around Logic (or others) and become a music producer overnight is pure fantasy...and the internet is chocked with content to prove this....
@@TheCrystalyne sorry I think you’ve completely missed the message of this video.. nowhere to I imply this - my message is all about lowering the barrier to entry to get started.
Is this a paid commercial from Apple? Lots of talking with flawed information and no real world experience. More of a fanboy video than anything else. Look at the review by James Zhan where he actually tests the M4 with several DAWs and various configurations of tracks at th-cam.com/video/hccy19Hm6M8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=E7tK978X1PYQt4AP. He did not get 135 tracks with Logic Pro, probably because he was doing some test that are closer to reality. Plus, Logic Pro does not use the efficiency cores in Apple silicon (and neither does Ableton Live or FL Studio) . Strange that Apple's own DAW is less efficient with its own chips. Free and open source Reaper beat all other DAWS in performance with many more tracks than Logic or the others. That is because Reaper uses all cores (efficiency + performance). Next time at least do a little more research instead of just cheerleading.
Reaper is not free.
130 tracks of what? Means nothing without context.
Try adding some granular synths, resynthesis ,tape sims, amp sims and see how that number holds up lol
Get an M4 Pro base if you’re even half way serious about music production imo
Worst Mac mini ever first it’s dongle city as music equipment will not fit it the reason I won’t change my Mac Studio