Laptop Or Pc For Music Production – In this article, let’s look at the specifications/configuration of music production laptops and PCs. I share four different computer setups and configurations that you can work with depending on your budget and requirements. He will also discuss various computer components and their purpose in music production. So make sure you read till the end. You’re only as fast as your slowest teammate ~ Anonymous
The same goes for laptops or computers used to produce music. Your computer or laptop will be as fast as its slower friend (block).
Laptop Or Pc For Music Production
If you choose a laptop, make sure you buy with specs that will last at least for the next 2-3 years. Laptops come with built-in components that cannot be upgraded. Choose laptops that offer improved RAM and storage. Recommended PC/Laptop Specifications for Music Production
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Core i9 or AMD Threadripper Pro or AMD Ryzen 9 5000 Series or similar processors at 3.0 GHz or higher, 64-bit
Remember, these are reference builds only. When shopping for laptops, look for laptops with similar specs. If you’re building a desktop, keeping the same spec will work just fine. If you intend to change something, feel free. You can modify any structure according to your needs and requirements.
Now let’s understand the various components of the computer and their purpose in building music production. Specifications of various computer components and their purpose in music processor production
The processor is the main component of a music production computer. If your computer doesn’t have a powerful processor, it will be slow regardless of everything else. The number of cores and processor speed will determine how quickly you can perform various tasks in your DAW.
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Modern DAWs will benefit from multi-core CPUs and threading capability. Investing in a good processor is critical when building a PC or buying a laptop for audio and music production.
Sufficient RAM is critical when looking for good all-around computer performance. For music production and audio engineering, 16 GB of RAM is recommended. 8 GB of RAM is the minimum to ensure space for all relevant applications. As you increase CPU performance, you can jump up to 32GB or 64GB of RAM for a mainstream system.
Faster performance storage is key to achieving better performance. You can have the fastest system in the world, but if the CPU can’t simply read data from the hard drive fast enough, all performance is lost.
The general rule is that you want a dedicated drive to save the files you’re editing, and then the main storage drive after you’re done with them.
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This is why all sample components come with 2 drives as standard, a smaller capacity (faster, more expensive) NVMe SSD or SATA SSD and a larger capacity (slower, cheaper) SATA HDD or SATA SSD.
If you want to take it a step further, you can go even further by having one drive for your operating system and main programs, one for used project files, and a third as a short-term memory drive.
The use of external hard drives is also common among music producers. You can use an external hard drive to store audio files. External hard drives allow you to easily carry your audio files/samples with you to different studios and gigs.
For laptops, you don’t have many choices, but if you’re building a PC, the choice of motherboard will be crucial.
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For a music production computer, motherboard selection usually comes down to a very simple question: “How much stuff can I cram into this build?”
The more peripherals and ports there are on the motherboard, the more connectivity options there are. For this reason, I would generally recommend full size ATX boards so you don’t lose a dedicated PCIe slot on the board. Losing a PCIe slot can seriously limit your capabilities.
The last thing you want is for your computer to instantly shut down due to a lack of power, or even short out the entire board from overload. A bad power supply can destroy everything.
It’s important to not only get a power supply that will handle what you throw at it, but also one that has good power safety features in the unfortunate event of a power surge.
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I highly recommend that you only get a power supply from a reputable and reputable manufacturer such as SeaSonic, Corsair, Silverstone, Cooler Master, etc.
Although graphics cards are optional, adding a good graphics card to your model will make your computer usable for other aspects like video editing, gaming.
If you use your computer/workstation for more than just audio production, you’ll need to make sure you have a balanced system. But by itself, the GPU is underutilized when it comes to audio work. For most music production and DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) building, 1GB of graphics will give you plenty of power.
But if you plan to use the computer for video editing, you will need more games. We all need to edit videos. So invest in a good graphics card if you have the budget and unlock the full potential of your build. 2Gb is a good graphics card and anything above 4GB is good for video editing. For 3D rendering and other things, be sure to search accordingly. I don’t have enough experience to guide GPUs.
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I hope this article helps you build the right computer for your music production needs. If you have questions, comments or questions – post them.
Udeeksh is an audio engineer. He enjoys making music, exploring musical equipment, playing guitar, hiking and road trips.
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Everyone who buys a new computer has one question to answer: Mac or PC? While the answer might not be that important to those who are just surfing the web and checking their emails, for creatives, it might be a little more important. After all, the computer is probably the heart of your production studio and recording system – and as such, it’s important to get something that’s compatible with all the tools you want to use and a comfortable fit.
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Some would argue that in the end, there isn’t a huge difference between using the two – but we’d disagree. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing between a Mac or Windows computer for your recording setup.
Perhaps the most important thing to consider is whether a computer supports your favorite DAW or DAWs. Both Macs – running Apple’s macOS – and Windows computers run most major DAWS, but there are some serious omissions to be aware of.
Let’s start with DAWs compatible with both. Perhaps the biggest is Pro Tools, which runs on both MacOS and Windows. Other DAWs that work on both include things like Ableton, Cubase, Reaper, Bitwig Studio, Nuendo and more. These days, you can also get FL Studio for Mac and PC. Until recently, FL Studio was only available on Windows computers.
However, as mentioned, some DAWs only work with MacOS or Windows – not both. On the MacOS side, for example, you’ll get Logic and Garageband, neither of which work with Windows. On the Windows side, you’ll get DAWs like Sonar.
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Safe to say, more popular DAWs support Mac than Windows – but not much more. However, if the DAWs you want to use work on both, then it doesn’t matter which platform you end up on – at least when it comes to using the DAW.
Along with your favorite DAW, you’ll probably want to use your favorite plugins as well. Fortunately, plug-in support is often more related to the DAW you’re using than your computer’s operating system—but your operating system can still be important, and there are some exceptions.
In general, most major plug-ins are available in several different formats, and it’s likely that one of these formats will work with your DAW and operating system. However, if your favorite plugin is only available in AU format, it will only work on MacOS – while if it is in dll format, it will only work on Windows. As mentioned, support is more about the DAW of choice – for example, you can’t use VST plug-ins with Pro Tools, but you might be able to in another DAW on Mac or Windows.
There are several advantages to consider here. There are many more free plugins available such as VST or .dll plugins – and as such, they are more likely to work with a Windows computer than a Mac. Many will also work on Mac – but if you want to use completely free plugins,