#462

Does Ableton not make use of the GPU at all? I haven’t really looked into that myself to be honest.

#463

I was so negative about the chip switch and not even remotely considering the new machines but after seeing initial reports and a video running multiple unoptimized 4K video streams with multiple nodes in Resolve - on the new $700 M1 Mac mini - I’m excited about a change in computing technology for the first time in at least a decade.

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#464

I know - it’s wild. In my situation, I don’t have too many qualms about the whole thing, seeing as my computer was essentially severance earlier this year. But as a fellow designer (and one who hasn’t invested in a decent, properly calibrated display), it would definitely be hard to lose that visual real estate. The M1 MBP I’m eyeing still ends up exceeding the trade-in value of the 16-inch (with a 1TB ssd and 64gb or ram!!) once I factor in AppleCare and Quebec tax. It all feels kinda silly :upside_down_face:

#465

I think ultimately time will tell. I think it’s going to be really easy to get caught up in the hype train but I’m going to try my best to be wait it out and see how its performing with more people in pro audio and hopefully by the time im ready to pull the trigger they drop a new 16" ARM Macbook Pro and then my justification will be complete.

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#466

Yeah, I’m fairly cranky about spending $3k on a 16" leafblower last year, but I have the DTK for testing ARM compiles at the moment. At this point, I’ll hold off until Apple wants the DTK returned. Hopefully an M2 will be out around then.

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#467

i am glad to read this sentiment. i’ve felt like an absolute rube being surprised/impressed to see computer number go up. but man, the numbers are like, way up, right?? it’s crazy!

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#468

so is the general consensus that these ARM macs are preferable to anything else right now? currently on a 2018 MBP that is constantly running hot with terrible battery issues - was strongly considering moving to a Mini or Pro due to the fact that i don’t travel much lately but now i’m thinking i should just wait it out til there’s a 16’’ MBP

#469

If you prefer the form factor of the 16” MBP, I would definitely wait if you can. Also, keep in mind this is a first generation processor (more or less) running a new and probably buggy OS version—you’d be an early adopter, and that may come with aggravations.

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#470

oh dang all this is really exciting! im bummed though, i am desprately in need of a new computer (been putting it off for agggges since the initial 2016 era of MBPs was a bit of a disappointment) but seems like the transition over the full line is going to be a bit of a long form thing.

Really would like the screen real estate of a 15/16" though – i wonder, is it looking like m1 16"s next year, or would it be completely foolish to still spring for an intel machine at this point?

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#471

I really would wait/jump on an M1. The performance gains and thermals of the new models seem incredible and at this point just seem to outclass the intel models altogether. I can’t imagine how this is going to look in something like a Mac Pro or 16” MacBook pro

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#472

I’m currently using Apple’s keyboard replacement program for my MBP 2018, because some keys got sticky. Apparently they are replacing the whole top of the case including a new battery. That could be something worth looking into, if you have battery issues. I’m sure you can find an issue with that keyboard.

But of course these new macs look tempting.

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#474

ah, wasn’t aware they could fix both in one go! i’ve also run into a lot of keyboard issues that i’ve been ignoring by mostly running it clamshell…ty for the heads up, may just have to do that til it’s worth the eventual upgrade

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#475

They have to fix both in one go because they’re literally glued together.

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#476

So I just read this review in Forbes of the new ARM macbook. The overall verdict seems to be: amazing if you’re running Apple software on it, buggy and sluggish if you’re using a lot of non-Apple software. The Rosetta 2 compatibility layer seems to be overall successful in translating between the two instruction sets, but imposes a hefty performance tax.

Just some more data points for those of you (like me) who are intrigued by these new machines and thinking about whether or not to get one or hold out with what you’ve got a bit longer (my 2013 MacBook Air still chugging over here!).

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#477

I think the most important takeaway from the Forbes article is that it always matters what software you run (and it also always matters what hardware drivers you depend upon). You have to actually do the research: make a careful list, and go check with the producer of each one. Is it ready for Big Sur? Really ready? Is it ready for the M1? If not, does it work well enough with Rosetta? If you consider anything you do important, it pays to not be an early adopter.

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#478

You have a much better chance of getting a decent amount for your laptop by selling it on the used market. It might take a while until you find a buyer, but that leaves you time for other people to beta test this new architecture. Personally if I were you I wouldn’t do the swap, going from 64GB ram to 16GB is a pretty tough step down, and these are first generation machines that might have unknown issues.

#479

I received my Air yesterday. It’s really neat, the Nintendo Switch taught me how much I enjoy portability so I’m very excited to have a smaller machine. Im kinda missing MagSafe, but it seems like if I just charge at night I might not have to worry about charging while it’s in use.

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#480

quick report from the field: I’m having a bit of a break from music (not deliberate - just having a fallow period I guess but things feel like they might be returning fingers crossed) - however needed to buy a new laptop for one reason and another.

Work supplies me with a nice linux machine so just needed the consumer side of things - so went for an M1 Mac for the moment - just 8gb MacBook Pro.

Obviously was nosey and installed various things on it: Ableton, Bitwig , U-he plugins , Max 8, Valhalla plugins all run fine. Even got Eve Online running under “crossover” just fine too!

I’m definitely in early adopter world I know that - but actually it’s all surprisingly better than I anticipated and its blindly fast (but my old laptop was a 2015 MacBook Pro so your millage may vary)

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#481

That sounds great, thanks for early adopting!
Did you also try Max for live in Ableton live?
In my experience maxforlive always ran a bit unstable on my (old and slow) Windows machines, so I’m curious if it would run better on a Mac in general and on a M1 Mac specifically, or if I’d be better of with Max and Reaper standalone via RME loopback…

#482

I have max running on mine but i only used it for like an hour. In general I’ve had no issues with Rosetta everything just works… aside from portal 2 because 32 bit apps no longer run on any Mac with the latest OS.