Video Comparison: M1 MacBook Pro vs. M1 Max MacBook Pro

I did a video comparing the performance of the M1 vs M1 Max for music production. In the tests I played several tracks with different cpu load and plugin setups to really see the difference in performance between the M1 and M1 Max.

There are many tests on YouTube, but no one makes a real world test with a typical song arrangement like in my test.

Is the M1 Max really so much more powerful in a real world case scenario?

Watch the video here:

Is M1 Max better than M1?

It really depends on what kind of work you are doing? The M1 Max is excellent for video editing with more graphic cores available and a better (more bright) display.

For general music production I feel the original gen 1 M1 MacBook Pro (2020) 13″ with just 8 GB RAM is a perfect choice. It’s an extremely portable and light laptop with great performance. The 8 GB RAM is absolutely enough for music production. You basically only need more RAM if you produce orchestral music with large sample libraries and have really big templates.

I actually did an article and video discussing if 8 GB is enough for music production.

Which M1 MacBook Pro is right for you?

In deciding if the M1 Max MacBook Pro is right for you, you have to look at what kind of work you are doing? Are you doing graphics, video editing or music production?

If you are doing graphics or video editing I can highly recommend the more graphical powerful M1 Max which has more dedicated graphic cores and also more RAM available.

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FL Studio on M1 Mac performance tests

In a new video I ran some really interesting tests on FL Studio 20.8.4 with the new M1 powered MacBook Pro.

We loaded one general song project called “Summer Chill” featuring a typical song arrangement with a basic set of plugins to see how the Apple Silicon M1 cpu would perform.

Furthermore I did a more demanding test with one of the more demanding arrangements that ships with FL Studio as a demo project, namely the song “Right Night Feeling”.

Right Night Feeling gave “ate” about 55% of the CPU on FL Studio 20.8.3 (the old x86 version of FL Studio).

The old FL Studio version 20.8.3 runs through Rosetta 2 translation on the M1 MacBook Pro.

The native M1 compatible FL Studio 20.8.4 gave me about 23% cpu load, which is an INSANE performance boost. Just take a look at the video below if you don’t believe me.

M1 Pro and M1 Max – the next generation M1 MacBook Pros

In the video we also talk about the new M1 MAX and M1 PRO MacBook Pros that was revealed at Apple “Unleashed” October Event 2021. I ordered the new M1 MAX MacBook Pro 14″ 32GB. This M1 MAX Mac features 10 cores, 24 graphic cores and 16 neural engine cores. While the M1 Max is far superior to the original M1 on the specs (and in price ), I made a video comparing the M1 Max to the original M1 here.

Enjoy the FL Studio on M1 Mac demonstration & review video. The performance will surprise you!

Learn more about the M1 tech in this article.

Is 8GB enough for general music production?

You can watch my previous tests on running x86 version of FL Studio 20.8.2 on the M1 MacBook Pro here.

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We were all waiting for the updated versions of the M1 chip (social media fictional “buzz” name: M1X). In the Apple “Unleashed” event on October 18 Apple revealed two extended versions in the M1 Pro, and M1 Max powered MacBook Pros.

(Image credit: Apple)

M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro machines for professionals

Extremely powerful new laptops featuring up to 64 GB of unified RAM. This will be a massive game changer for music producers working with huge sample libraries and video editors mashing demanding applications and high quality images. The new MacBooks come in 14″ and 16″ models with extended 10 core CPU + the Liquid Retina XDR Display previously seen in the new iPad Pro. Up to 32-core GPU to take your video editing and graphic intense work to a completely new level.

Features of the MacBook Pro M1 Pro and M1 Max:

• Up to 10-Core CPU
• From 14 to 32-core GPU
• Liquid Retina XDR Display (also enlarged screen space)
• 64 GB of unified memory (max)
• Increased storage roof – up to 8TB SSD Storage
• Up to 21 hours battery.
• Redesigned keyboard – thank god!
• 1080p camera.
• 6 speakers with extended bass range (up to one half octave lower bass!) 80% more bass.
• Up to 400GB/s of memory bandwidth
• Neural Engine for supercharged machine learning and upgraded media engines with ProRes support (video editors will love this…me included!)
• Dedicated encode and decode media engines that support H.264, HEVC, and ProRes codecs
• Support for two external displays (up to 3 in the M1 Max)
• Up to two times faster video encoding
• Comes in 14″ and 16″ models.

ProMotion in M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks – finally higher refresh rates! 

Finally faster refresh rates!

ProMotion comes to Mac for the first time, making everything from scrolling through a web page to gaming super fluid and responsive — while also reducing power consumption. With refresh rates of up to 120Hz, the adaptive technology automatically adjusts to match the movement of the content. Furthermore, ProMotion video editors can also choose a fixed refresh rate that precisely aligns with their footage.

Upcoming review of the M1 Max MacBook Pro on my YouTube channel!

Sign up to my newsletter so you don’t miss out on my upcoming deep review of the MacBook Pro M1 Max 14″ 32GB! I will post a full performance test video on the M1 MAX as soon as I get my hands on it. I’ll be testing music production applications (plugins, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Bitwig etc.), video editing (Davinci Resolve) and many other applications to see how far we can go with the brand new extended M1 chips!

Exciting times!

The post Apple reveals the new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips: the best music production laptop? appeared first on Morningdew Media.

You are probably well aware that there are only two thunderbolt ports on the Apple M1 based MacBook Pro 13″. So you need to get some kind of hub to connect more devices to your brand new Mac.

With millions of Thunderbolt and USB-C hubs around for the new Macs… which Thunderbolt Hub will get you the best connectivity and flexibility?

Thunderbolt is NOT the same as USB-C

First, let’s talk about the Thunderbolt ports of the new M1 Macs. There is a BIG misconception about the USB and Thunderbolt technology since the ports look exactly the same.

Although the slots and cables look the same, Thunderbolt and USB-C is not the same interface. Of course the ports on the new Macs with Apple Silicon M1 CPU accept both Thunderbolt AND USB-C to be connected to the slots.

But you need to be aware that you can’t connect Thunderbolt gear to a regular USB-C slot on your other PC/Mac computers.

Unfortunately the ports on the new Macs, as well as USB-C ports on most other devices, are seldom marked properly. You’re just supposed to know what kind of ports they are. Make sure to always look at the product description.

Backwards compatibility

The Thunderbolt 3 / USB-4 port of the Mac is backwards compatible with older thunderbolt / usb protocols.

Thunderbolt gear only work in thunderbolt ports

Thunderbolt gear ONLY work with Thunderbolt capable ports. You can’t connect a UAD Apollo Thunderbolt 3 interface to a USB-C port. You need a dedicated Thunderbolt port to make it work!

Since the MacBook Pro M1 13″ (2020) only features 2 Thunderbolt / USB-C ports you probably want to connect some kind of Hub to connect more gear to the Mac. This is where it gets tricky and you need to be aware that even if you connect a hub with similar ports. These “hub”-ports are probably only supporting USB-C devices, and NOT Thunderbolt devices.

Belkin Thunderbolt Dock Core hub is the best thunderbolt hub for M1 Macs

Firstly, the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock Core offer great connectability AND power charging for your M1 Mac. Secondly you get all these features in a very tight package which fits right into your backpack (if needed).

Available Ports on the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock Core hub:

• Thunderbolt 3 (connect to your Mac)
• 1x usb-c pd (to power and charge your Mac)
• 1x displayport 1.4
• 1x hdmi 2.0
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet
• 1x 3,5 mm sound in/out for microphone, speakers etc.
• 1x usb-a 3.2 gen 2 (10 gbps)
• 1x usb-a 2.0

Best Thunderbolt Hub for Music Producers

The best thunderbolt hub for music producers is a hub which does NOT occupy more than one single Thunderbolt port.

Why?

If you get a Thunderbolt audio interface, like the UAD Apollo Twin X Thunderbolt 3 device, you need to have ONE Thunderbolt port from the Mac dedicated to that Apollo Twin X audio interface.

It does not work via USB-C hubs! Again, USB-C is not the same as Thunderbolt.

UAD Apollo Twin X Thunderbolt and Apple M1 Macs

Apollo Twin X THunderbolt 3 interface does NOT work with a USB-C connection. Trust me, I learned it the hard way on my Windows PC which had a USB-C port that looked like a Thunderbolt port… It does not work!

The Apple Silicon M1 CPU and the new Macs are filled with great technology which you can read more about in my article Apple M1 for music production.

M1 Thunderbolt controller in the new Macs

The thunderbolt 3 controller on the M1 Macs offer transfer speeds up to 40Gbps!

Furthermore, the Thunderbolt controller of the new M1 Mac models is not on the actual motherboard, because IT IS UNIQUE and contained within the actual M1 SoC as Apple has communicated in the following article: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/11/apple-unleashes-m1/

Conclusion

I hope this article gave you better understanding of the Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports of the new M1 Macs. And that it was helpful in describing why the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock Core is the best Thunderbolt Hub for M1 Macs!

Thanks!

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