People often ask what kind of computer they should buy to start producing music, so I have collected my criteria and general approach to choosing one.
Should you use Windows or Mac? How powerful does it need to be? Is a portable laptop better, or should you choose a more powerful desktop? This guide considers each question.
Windows or Mac for Music Production?
The first choice is whether to use a Windows PC or a Mac. Either is perfectly capable of music production, and the operating system itself makes relatively little difference.
The exception is Logic Pro. Since Logic is available only on Mac, anyone who wants to use it must choose a Mac.
If you plan to use another DAW such as Studio One or Cubase, Windows is also a perfectly good option.
How Powerful Should the Computer Be?
More performance is always helpful, so a powerful gaming PC can be a good choice.
That said, this only means that higher specifications are preferable when choosing an ideal machine. You can still enjoy music production on a reasonably capable computer.
Music production often places more demand on the CPU than on memory, so I recommend prioritizing a strong processor.
At the time this article was written, I considered 16 GB of memory a practical minimum. Working with 8 GB felt restrictive.
Desktop or Laptop?
Whether a desktop or laptop is best depends on your lifestyle. I personally recommend a laptop that you can take to a studio.
I use a MacBook Pro, and its performance is more than adequate for a comfortable workflow. It is not quite as powerful as desktop machines such as the Mac Pro or iMac Pro of the time, but it still handles music production without difficulty.
By contrast, when choosing a less expensive machine such as the MacBook Air models available when this article was written, the specifications might not have been sufficient for demanding production.
If your budget is limited, a Mac mini is another option, although it is not a laptop. It is not something you can casually use at a café, but you can take it to a studio. Pairing it with an inexpensive tablet-sized portable display can make that setup practical.
Why I Produce Music on a MacBook Pro
I previously used a desktop as my main computer and a MacBook Air as a secondary machine.
That arrangement was comfortable, but some plug-ins at the time could be activated on only one Mac. Even if I shared project data between the two computers, a plug-in might be unavailable on one of them.
I eventually got tired of alternating upgrades between two machines. Instead, I configured a 16-inch MacBook Pro with as much performance as my budget allowed and began using it as my single main computer.
If your budget allows, I highly recommend this approach.
