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We remember the days when we couldn’t even imagine a laptop for music production and recording purposes – if we even sat down to play music, it had to be an extremely expensive and powerful desktop computer. They typically catered to those who offered the ability for laptops to function as stand-alone PCs or Macs in a music studio for making tunes – we knew, because we were one of them. Fast forward about ten years to today’s article, and all those doubters of laptops are now dead wrong – many laptops give even some desktops a run for their money! If you’ve been looking for the best laptop for music production, look no further. We help you understand exactly what you should be looking for in a music laptop and what options we recommend.
Top Laptops For Music Production
First, let’s keep our budget in mind. When it comes to music production computers in general, whether you need a desktop computer or a laptop, it’s going to cost you some money. Let’s be honest with the specs needed to run music software these days – prices tend to be in the thousands of dollars, especially if you’re not building a music computer from scratch but buying pre-built rigs (laptops are certainly harder to build). We’ve certainly seen budget laptops that just make the cut, but give us the minimum “specs” without giving us a lot of wiggle room. Whether it’s worth knowing when you buy the investment is up to you.
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As with all music recording equipment, we always recommend saving a little money and being patient if you can – this is a long-term purchase (especially with laptops these days – it will be the centerpiece of your studio. If you’re just starting out, we recommend mix value with power.If so, read our entry-level music production laptops for a better list).
Next, we look at the “laptop specs” – the biggest factor outside of budget, even if the specs and features you want in a stock PC match the money you save. We understand that this is where things start to get technical, so we’ll explain what they mean beforehand.
To get a benchmark, let’s look at the two most popular music software and their “minimum requirements” for smooth operation. We chose Pro Tools as our “rule of thumb” because it is the most demanding DAW in the world. If you’re running Pro Tools, great, we hit the nail on the head. If not, it still gives you confidence that we have enough power and speed to handle even the toughest software (as you can see, quite a difference compared to Ableton Live).
Now that we’re aware of the “minimum requirements” for some popular software, here’s what we recommend you pick up, since “minimum” isn’t necessarily what you should have at your fingertips.
Best Laptops For Music Production In 2023 (reviews)
Finally, do you want a Mac or a PC for music production? This discussion will be the end of us, and frankly, we are at the point of telling our readers, friends, and family that
. This will come down to personal preference (but let us know your personal experiences in the comments). As you can see below, the MacBook Pro came first on our list, but it might not be your thing. Other music production laptops are Windows PCs, so feel free to skip it if you need it.
Keep in mind that not all music software is necessarily cross-platform (compatible with a different operating system) yet, so if you already have a DAW, double check before buying your laptop. If you haven’t selected the software yet, it’s the other way around – you might be buying any laptop.
First, we have (arguably) the most popular laptop brand ever, Apple’s MacBook Pro, but it’s best known for good reason. It offers a combination of high-end technology and features, making it one of the best music production laptops. The MacBook Pro is equipped with a very solid processor clocked at up to 4.1GHz and a 3.2GB/s SSD storage system – both of which are at the top of the market when it comes to laptops, and as we explained earlier, essential for any music software at this point. The processors are more than fast enough to handle almost any type of digital audio workstation (DAW). For your enjoyment, most music production software today is also Mac-friendly, but we said check if you’ve already selected your software.
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It also offers up to 10 hours of battery life to ensure the battery life you need for long production or performance sessions. With Apple, you know you’re getting years of technological innovation and reliable durability, so if you’re a brand guy (or girl), the Apple MacBook Pro will be a great choice for manufacturers. Our DJ laptop guide was created for a reason too – you simply can’t beat the performance, confidence and stability of MacBooks.
Next, we will talk about a PC model, the Lenovo ThinkPad P. This is a laptop series that offers advanced processing, robust construction and relatively high-resolution graphics, which is why it is currently one of the best music production laptops. The Lenovo is equipped with an “Intel Core i7-7600U processor” capable of 3.9GHz – enough speed and power to aid productivity and creativity. Lenovo also features an ergonomic “ThinkPad” keyboard that provides long-lasting comfort while you spend hours trying to create and mix beats.
We like this option because it also offers a fairly advanced visual experience, being configured with a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) LCD screen for stunning graphics/visuals – which can come in handy if you ever plan to create your own live visuals . show or watch any movies or shows on it if you are not making or recording. The Lenovo ThinkPad P is a highly rated laptop with speed, durability, multi-port flexibility and long battery life, making it one of the strongest choices for music production if you want a Windows PC.
Now we feel Dell Inspiron – a budget laptop series designed specifically for gaming, but thanks to the improved processor and quality sound, it can also be used properly for music production, among other things. The Inspiron is made with a quad-core processor of up to 3.8 GHz, which is very good for its price. It also provides an above-average 8-16GB of RAM (depending on the model you choose), which can support up to 32GB of DDR4 memory if you decide to go for more, as well as a 1TB 5400rpm hybrid hard drive with 8GB. cache – both should be enough to manage your music library.
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The Dell also has “stay cool” vents to prevent the laptop from overheating, allowing it to operate at its full potential – important as music production software often requires a lot of work from the CPU. Although designed for gaming, the Dell Inspiron can also be one of the best laptops for music production, as gaming and music production place similar demands on the CPU unit.
Moving on, we’ve got the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro, a cool, smaller laptop that offers 2-in-1 functionality with an intuitive touchscreen that can switch to tablet mode. Notebook 9 Pro is equipped with the latest “7th generation Intel i7 processor” which enables you to work, create and multitask almost any kind of music; that’s why it’s considered one of the best music production laptops. It also has a Radeon 540 graphics card, which really helps with graphics from the screen – it can come in handy when you’re mixing music virtually.
As mentioned earlier, the Notebook 9 Pro can be switched into tablet mode if you need a change of pace while you’re working, while also featuring an intuitive “S Pen” to enhance the touch screen. This can also be beneficial if you want to perform live and want different workflow capabilities. Storage capacity is a hefty 256GB, which should be fine unless you plan on storing larger files like movies, in which case you’ll probably need to purchase additional storage. Overall, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is a relatively good laptop for music production and offers some flexibility.
