Mac Studio & MacBook Pro 14" - Which One For Your Recording Studio?
More audio professionals are considering portable computers instead of a traditional desktop machine. With the introduction of Apple Silicon and more recently the powerful M1 Max chip, we can now compare a MacBook Pro with a Mac Studio.
We’ve taken two machines, both priced at $1999, the MacBook Pro 14’ and the Mac Studio. We want to highlight the difference between each Mac and give some recommendations. At first glance it might seem an easy choice, but when you dig deeper it’s a lot harder than one might think.
The MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
The MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro has power that belies it’s apparent spec. For a lot of audio professionals you are going to get a lot of juice out of this machine, far more than a comparable Intel MacBook would have given you. Even better, the new Apple Silicon chips use for less energy and generate less heat, which means the chance of hearing the fan is unlikely. We’ve had both a 14” and 16” MacBook Pro M1 Max for some time now and the fan has remained silent. It does lead one to wonder if there is a fan, but there is. We joke you have more chance of seeing a unicorn than hearing the fan.
We ran a test using an unqualified version of Pro Tools running under Rosetta 2 some time ago and the results were frankly staggering.
We ran a different test with a post session that included video and the results of that rest were equally impressive.
If you use a lot of virtual instruments then also take a look at our test using the MacBook Pro 14” M1 Max on a huge virtual instrument session.
MacBook Pro 14"
Why Pass On The MacBook Pro M1 Pro?
Portability is a double edged sword. On the one hand you get a lightweight machine that offers enormous power, however to offer that Apple has had to make some compromises.
If your budget is $1999 then there’s some areas of concern. First, this machine ships with 16GB of unified memory. For most power users working in audio this is not enough. To increase to the same memory spec of the Mac Studio which is 32GB is an additional $200. The machine also ships with a 512GB SSD, which is on the low side for those wanting to work mobile, after all, if one has purchased a machine for mobility adding external drives can be annoying. To increase the drive to 1TB that requires a further $400.
One criticism of Apple over the last few years has been the removal of ports. The MacBook Pro 14” has only 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and an SDXC card slot. This means it’s likely a power user is going to need an external hub. They are not expensive, but again can be an additional annoyance.
All this might seem like nitpicking, especially if the machine is used in Clamshell mode in a studio. However, in reality you going to need to add the extra memory and storage to get a machine suitable for the studio.
With that said, check out the chart in this article and you’ll see that once you buy a monitor for the Mac Studio both machines come up at about the same cost.
Mac Studio
The Mac Studio M1 Max
At the $1999 price tag the Mac Studio M1 Max comes with a higher spec than the MacBook Pro. There’s a simple reason for this, the MacBook Pro includes a high specification Retina display.
The money saved means more memory, more ports and a higher spec M1 Max SoC offering 10 cores CPU and 24 cores GPU. The additional ports means you may not need to buy a dreaded hub.
We are yet to test the $1999 Mac Studio using power tests, however community member Simon Nakra ran the Pro Tools power test using his Apple Mac Studio M1 Ultra, 20 Core, 64GB. Here’s the results.
256 audio tracks and 402 instruments tracks at 256 samples.
27 eleven tracks, 256 D Verbs, 256 Channel Strips, 402 Booms.
Why Pass On The Mac Studio?
The Mac Studio has no monitor, and to get a monitor that compares with the one that comes with the MacBook Pro you need to spend some money. Not even the new Studio Display offers the same specification as the one included in the MacBook Pro! So you are going to need to spend $400 plus to get a monitor, which won’t come close to the one found on the MacBook Pro.
Without wishing to state the bleeding obvious, the Mac Studio is also not portable. One could argue that it is small enough to throw into a backpack, it is, but you’ll still need a ton of paraphernalia to get to work with the Mac Studio when compared with the MacBook Pro.
Benchmark Scores
Here’s an excellent comparison video from the team at Apple Insider to help explain the difference between each machine in detail.
Which One?
As you can see, the machines offer the same kind of power. The Mac you choose may come down to what workflow it needs to fit into.
If you want the flexibility of a portable machine then choose the MacBook Pro, knowing you’ll be making some compromises when compared to the Mac Studio.
If you are firmly rooted in a room, then make a Mac Studio the centrepiece.
If it’s an M1 Max you want, both machines are powerful and will be a great addition to any studio.