# First Mac - a handful of question



## daan1412 (Oct 8, 2022)

I’m thinking about getting my first Mac (MacBook Pro 16”, M1 Pro, 32GB RAM) and I have a few questions for M1 machine owners. This is coming from someone who doesn't know much about technicalities, so bear with me.

- Is Logic _the_ DAW that is going to make the best out of a MacBook? I can’t imagine anything doing it better than Apple’s own software, but let me know if I’m wrong!

- How about working in the box using the internal soundcard? Is it OK? Maybe it’s a dumb question, but I’ve always had an interface plugged in and ran everything using dedicated drivers. Now I’m wondering if I could occasionally do some work with just the MacBook.

- How is power/battery management? I would rarely use it without access to power, so I’m interested to know if it’s OK to just have it plugged in all the time. Any drawbacks?

- Which docks/hubs do you recommend? I need to plug in my USB interface, MIDI keyboard and in the future I will add an external SSD.

- Is every Kontakt library M1 compatible or are there any exceptions?

Let me know if there’s anything else I should know. Thanks in advance!


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## HCMarkus (Oct 8, 2022)

daan1412 said:


> I’m thinking about getting my first Mac (MacBook Pro 16”, M1 Pro, 32GB RAM) and I have a few questions for M1 machine owners. This is coming from someone who doesn't know much about technicalities, so bear with me.
> 
> - Is Logic _the_ DAW that is going to make the best out of a MacBook? I can’t imagine anything doing it better than Apple’s own software, but let me know if I’m wrong!


I use Digital Performer on a Mac Studio, and it is running great. And there a a number of other DAWs folks use successfully with M1 Macs. I'd say, use what you know and love, but if you don't already have an affinity for a certain DAW, consider Logic, as its value proposition is exceptional. And, yes, it runs well on Apple Silicon hardware.


daan1412 said:


> - How about working in the box using the internal soundcard? Is it OK? Maybe it’s a dumb question, but I’ve always had an interface plugged in and ran everything using dedicated drivers. Now I’m wondering if I could occasionally do some work with just the MacBook.


Folks use the internal headphone amp all the time on airplanes. So, yes.


daan1412 said:


> - How is power/battery management? I would rarely use it without access to power, so I’m interested to know if it’s OK to just have it plugged in all the time. Any drawbacks?


No drawbacks of which I am aware.


daan1412 said:


> - Which docks/hubs do you recommend? I need to plug in my USB interface, MIDI keyboard and in the future I will add an external SSD.


I use several inexpensive USBC to USBA four-port hubs with my M1 MacBook Air (live use, MainStage) and Mac Studio, no issues to date. But, based on your list, if you don't mind unplugging a few things when you move the Mac you may not need a dock or hub at all.


daan1412 said:


> - Is every Kontakt library M1 compatible or are there any exceptions?


I haven't run into or heard of any incompatible libraries.


daan1412 said:


> Let me know if there’s anything else I should know. Thanks in advance!


If your experience is anything like mine, you will love your new laptop!


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## Justin L. Franks (Oct 8, 2022)

It is worth noting that the M2 Pro/Max laptops are going to be released soon. Possibly as early as next month, otherwise probably in the spring.


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## daan1412 (Oct 8, 2022)

@HCMarkus Thanks for your input!



HCMarkus said:


> I'd say, use what you know and love, but if you don't already have an affinity for a certain DAW, consider Logic, as its value proposition is exceptional. And, yes, it runs well on Apple Silicon hardware.


Currently I'm a Studio One user, but I want to switch to Logic. With Studio One I'm on version 4, so I would have spend a similar amount of money for upgrade to 6 anyway.



HCMarkus said:


> But, based on your list, if you don't mind unplugging a few things when you move the Mac you may not need a dock or hub at all.


OK, so I have a followup - basically all my peripherals have USB-A. Is it fine to use some basic adapters to connect to Thunderbolt ports? Or should I invest in separate, high quality cables if possible?



Justin L. Franks said:


> It is worth noting that the M2 Pro/Max laptops are going to be released soon. Possibly as early as next month, otherwise probably in the spring.


Here's the deal - I already have the 2021 MacBook sitting in the box.  But I can return it within 14 days, so I'm using this time to make up my mind. I pulled the trigger, because there was a good discount and I'm afraid the next generation will get a massive price increase here in Poland. It already happened with iPhones. 14s are crazy expensive and even 13s cost way more than a month before. It's insane.


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## HCMarkus (Oct 8, 2022)

You can use USB C to A adaptors or adaptor cables. Or a USB C to USBA hub.


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## khollister (Oct 9, 2022)

The Caldigit Element TB4 hub is excellent. It has 3 TB ports and 4 USB-A 3.2 ports and it charges the laptop as well.


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## khollister (Oct 9, 2022)

IMHO, Logic is certainly the leader as far as performance/efficiency running in native mode on M1/M2 processors. Logic has been the efficiency leader on Macs for some time even on Intel. I will say Cubase 12 running natively is very, very close. The problem with Cubase is it is VST3 only in native mode and does not have the AU Intel bridge that Apple built for Logic (and that Studio One, DP and Bitwig use on AU's). While I really like things about Cubase, until UAD releases VST3 versions and VSL and Engine are native, Cubase is of limited use for me personally at the moment.

I have a S1 5 license and from my limited testing, it is not as efficient as Logic in running large numbers of tracks. I also do not care for its audio engine design and I have serious bugs with the Pipeline plugin to handle external HW effects that I have never gotten Persons to help me solve. I am currently using Logic exclusively and will revisit Cubase when I don't have to run it in Rosetta to deal with UAD, VSL and ENGINE.

I have no real experience with DP.

In my opinion, a Mac user can never go wrong in choosing Logic. The performance, feature set, plugins and especially price make it the smoking deal of DAW's. One can argue about specific workflow, features and UI of S1, Cubase or DP, but Logic is a great choice unless cost is no object or there is something you really hate about Logic. Tons of 3rd party training available as well


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## Cdnalsi (Oct 9, 2022)

daan1412 said:


> I’m thinking about getting my first Mac (MacBook Pro 16”, M1 Pro, 32GB RAM) and I have a few questions for M1 machine owners. This is coming from someone who doesn't know much about technicalities, so bear with me.
> 
> - Is Logic _the_ DAW that is going to make the best out of a MacBook? I can’t imagine anything doing it better than Apple’s own software, but let me know if I’m wrong!
> 
> ...


1) My opinion is that yes, Logic is _the_ DAW to use on the M1s. It has been completely rock solid for me, 100% of the time, no glitches, no freezes, no nothing. I can't imagine third parties optimising their software better than this.

2) Since I'm completely mobile, I have only used the internal sound for decades now, and CoreAudio is arguably miles smoother than ASIO, and comparatively there are no drivers to speak of, "everything just works". Getting a pair of high impedance headphones would also benefit as the new audio jack supports them.

3) Battery is amazing as far as how long it lasts, even at load, and with the automatic management enabled, the system learns your schedule to charge it past 80% should you need a full charge. So it's set up in such a way that you shouldn't really need to worry about it at all.

4) Can't recommend any hubs, have heard only bad things about them. Instead I use a couple of the USB-C to A adapters and they have worked flawlessly.

5) Kontakt is fully native since 6.7. Perhaps this is a good time to check all your other plugins as well. My workflow has improved significantly since I once did a full clean Monterey install and only kept native software installed, nothing Intel.

It's a beast of a machine, and for myself upgrading from a piping hot mess of an i9 2018 Macbook Pro, it felt like I went 10-15 years into the future.

Enjoy!


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## aeliron (Oct 9, 2022)

daan1412 said:


> @HCMarkus Thanks for your input!
> 
> 
> Currently I'm a Studio One user, but I want to switch to Logic. With Studio One I'm on version 4, so I would have spend a similar amount of money for upgrade to 6 anyway.
> ...


also if you are a student you can get Logic, Final Cut, etc. for …$200 ?


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## daan1412 (Oct 9, 2022)

@khollister @Cdnalsi thanks! That's all helpful.



Cdnalsi said:


> Perhaps this is a good time to check all your other plugins as well.


Yeah, I did that and there's just a few which are incompatible. Most notably Neural DSP, which is a bummer, but I'm pretty sure an update is coming.



aeliron said:


> also if you are a student


Not anymore, unfortunately!


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## HCMarkus (Oct 9, 2022)

FYI... Apple doesn't check credentials for the Logic/Final Cut edu package. 

Let your conscience be your guide as to what you decide to do with regard to the Billion$. After all, Macs are just expensive dongles for Logic.


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## robgb (Oct 9, 2022)

--Reaper's M1 compatible version works great on my M1.
--Using the internal soundcard works just fine for me, but I need an outboard interface for any spoken or vocal work. Not a fan of USB mics.
--Battery lasts a long time in my Macbook Air, but I now have it plugged in always as I've added a monitor and am using as a desktop. It smokes my intel iMac.
--I'm using a $30 hub I got off Amazon (don't remember the brand) with two powered USB3 hubs plugged into it, with 4 SSD drives, 6 HDD drives, an HDMI out to a monitor and everything runs smoothly.
--Kontakt is now fully compatible, so the libraries should be too. I've encountered no problems.


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## RiverOak (Oct 16, 2022)

I would not suggest switching from S1 to Logic unless you have a better reason than it being an Apple product.
If you are used to S1 then that’s worth so much already. You have your workflow fine-tuned.

I use both DAWs and they both have their pros and cons, and they both have features that the other hasn’t. I would not say that Logic is better than S1. In fact if I could only keep one it would be S1, and that’s because of the (IMO) better workflow.
Logic offers an incredible package for little money however. The bundled instruments are way better than what you get with S1 for example. And many of the built in effects are on par with some of the better third party plugins. The compressor is really good for example. But as for the bare-bones DAW there is very little reason to switch from S1 in my opinion. As I said, I prefer S1 overall.


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## HCMarkus (Oct 16, 2022)

When it comes to DAWs, Genesis (the band) had words of wisdom...

_I know what I like and I like what I know_


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## daan1412 (Oct 19, 2022)

Thanks again, everyone, for your advice! After long deliberations, I decided to keep the MacBook and went with Logic. Right now I'm in the process of installing all my stuff. I'm going to need quite some time to adjust after using Windows my whole life, but I think it's worth it. I'm really excited about this simplified, yet more powerful setup. It's truly remarkable we have technology that allows me to put my "studio" in a backpack now...


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## Aussieyankee (Oct 23, 2022)

I have used docks from Caldigit and OWC with intel macs with no problems, haven’t got an apple silicon yet so can’t say for that. I also have an Anker usb hub that seems to be out of production that works well though it’s supposed to be usb 3.0 but reads as usb 2.0. I was wondering if the usb external drives getting slower transfer speeds than on intel had been resolved yet? I saw something that using a thunderbolt cable or certain “higher quality” usb cables got the expected speeds? Or might using a thunderbolt dock with USB ports also solve the issue?


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