Find the best music software programs and DAWs ( Digital Audio Workstation ) for Mac, Windows, and Linux. We've included videos, list of features, and helpful links to get you started. Table of Contents. The latest push in music production software is happening online. Payment plans are starting to become subscriptions, and DAW technology is capable of living completely online in a browser. The year 2020 has been keeping us all indoors and music production is on the rise. Production software is still increasingly going mobile, with brand name Continued.
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Best Music Production Software For Beginners Mac
Mac Tips
Mac TipsUpdated: October 22, 2020 | 11 min readMusic-making does not require renting studios to record your tracks—all you need is your home laptop to apply the desired effects to polish tracks. But before this, learn which Apple computers are the best ones to record music.
Musicians prefer Macs, and for several reasons—high-quality music production is one of them. In this article, we'll cover the main aspects you should consider when choosing the best Mac for music production and give our recommendations on important models specs.
In a nutshell, we believe the top three of the best Macs for music production 2020 are:
- 27-inch 5K iMac—the best choice for music production
- 16-inch MacBook Pro—the best portable laptop
- Mac mini—the best budget Mac
Read further to find out why these models are the best computers for creating music!
What's Best for Musicians—Mac or PC?
Choosing between macOS and a Windows platform depends mostly on your computer preferences and your collaborators. With the fast development of technology, the PC is right behind Mac. However, it's easier to get started making music on a Mac than on a PC. We'll tell you why.
The PC standard audio drivers won't be suitable for creating music professionally. Windows users would need to install ASIO drivers for the sound card alongside other music hardware they'd like to use, for example, MIDI controllers. Windows does not provide native music software—that's why installing extra music software is essential.
On a Mac, on the contrary, fewer steps are required. You can plug in music hardware and then open GarageBand—the pre-installed app on iOS and macOS in DAW (digital audio workstation). It lets you have your music studio for recording, editing, composing, and experimenting with audio-tracks. We'll tell you more about GarageBand in this article.
Music Production Software For Mac
Recommended system requirements
The Mac's system requirements depend on which type of music software you'd be using and the complexity of your music-making processes. The next step is to check the program's official system requirements you will run. This will help you determine the minimum required specs your Mac should have.
For music production, a Mac should have at least a 2.2Ghz i7 quad-core processor. The process determines how fast your music projects would run (and usually they are huge). Start at least with 16GB of RAM. Having less than 16 GB of RAM means using fewer instrument voices. Also, your speed will decrease.
Let's talk about storage. The amount of disk space depends on the size of the audio files you'll be working on. As a rule, professional software can use hundreds of GBs. So, for starters, Macs coming with basic 256GB SSDs may be enough. Still, you can plan to add some external storage for your Mac in the future.
Video cards have always been important for playing games and video editing. And for audio software as well. Choose a video card wisely— check which one is required by the audio software you need and if you'll have to connect any displays.
The Best Macs for Music Production
Here is our list of the best Macs for music-making:
27-inch 5K iMac—the best choice for music production
The new 2019 hardware makes the 27-inch 5K iMac our top pick for your home studio. You can customize its RAM up to 64GB. The advanced processor lets you use all the features of pro audio editing apps. The size of the Retina display is an obvious benefit. Besides, it comes with four USB 3 ports alongside with two Thunderbolt 3/USB Type C ports.
16-inch MacBook Pro—the best portable laptop
If you go on tours—the 16-inch MacBook Pro is just right for you! The basic configuration makes it powerful enough. Using the Touch Bar is useful when you record tracks and change the settings at once. Only 4.3 pounds (2.0 kg) of weight, MacBook Pro has a major advantage for musicians who are always on the road.
Mac mini—the best budget Mac
Why is the Mac mini also on the list of the best Macs for music-making? Mac mini had an update in March 2020, bringing in a 256GB SSD. Besides, it is a good choice if you're on a budget. What's great about the Mac mini is a small size, an extra audio-in port. In addition to this, you can customize it with a much more powerful processor and more RAM. But be ready to buy a keyboard, a mouse, a display to go with your Mac mini model.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Mac for Music Production
Consider these two factors when deciding on the best computer for music:
Portability
Among the first things to consider when determining which Mac to choose is to think over whether you need a desktop computer or a laptop. A laptop is the best choice for musicians who move a lot for work.
Connections
Using many additional instruments, such as monitors, headphones, USB instruments, and other audio interfaces, is essential. That's why a limited number of USB ports might become an issue. Do check and compare the Connections sections when reviewing Mac specifications.
Mac Music Software
Here are our 2020 picks for the best apps for music-making on a Mac:
- If you've just started producing music, GarageBand has Smart Instruments helping you create a guitar, drum, synth, and orchestral parts without knowing how to play these instruments. GarageBand version 10.3 is full of surprises. New sound effects and instrument sounds and 1000 electronic and urban loops at your disposal are just the beginning. The Artist Lessons are finally free for those craving to learn songs taught by famous artists.
- Logic Pro X is called GarageBand's 'companion' and is, in fact, Apple's professional audio software. If you're an electronic musician and want to experiment with sound, you might opt for Logic Pro X. The great news is that you can get a 90-day free trial. However, you'll need to run macOS 10.14.6 (macOS Mojave) or later. Moreover, this app is rather resource-consuming, so the best MacBook for Logic Pro X is either a 13-inch MacBook Pro or a 16-inch model.
- Ableton Live 10 makes your DJ experience smooth. Being a DAW it offers empowered MIDI sequencing hardware and software. With this app working on MIDI controllers is hustle-free now.
- PreSonus Studio One 4 Prime is for you if you're still deciding whether you're just at the beginning of your music-making career. It is free! A perfect app to start creating music with. Being a full-scale digital studio, it offers the Artist and Pro editions and an improved drum editor to make your instrument editing workflow easier.
- Cakewalk SONAR Mac Prototype is another free app used to be available on Windows only. However, now it can be installed on a Mac too.
How to Prepare your Mac for Music Recording?
Recording music does sound like a high-load process for your Mac. Full storage, apps responding longer than usual, or a spinning wheel on your screen may slow you down. So how to get back to productive work?
For starters, it's always a good idea to clean RAM. The rule applies—the more memory available, the faster your Mac should run. Memory Cleaner feature in MacKeeper frees up RAM with just a few clicks and lets you know which apps may be eating up memory without you even knowing it.
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Another thing that may hamper music recording is the lack of free space. Music-making requires some extra gigabytes at hand, so you can use such MacKeeper tools as Safe Cleanup and Duplicates Finder to scan your Mac for old copies of files, caches, or apps leftovers and safely remove them.
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We hope our guide helped you choose the proper computer for music-making. Now go and grab your instrument or mic, plug it into your new Mac, and get rockin'!
More Related Articles
Melody, Rhythm, Jingle, Tune, and of course Songs! Everything seems so soothing when soulful music drifts into our ears. Isn't?
But wait, I am forgetting something!! Gosh, I was so bewildered by the fact that you are waiting for the new article and here, I am humming the tune!
Finally, the wait is over folks! Here I am going to reveal the best DAW software for music production in Mac for 2020.
But how many of you are aware of DAW Software?
I know, most of us may or may not know what DAW Software. As I always say before jumping to the subject, we will first understand what we are talking about!
DAW Software stands for Digital Audio Workstation which is utilized for music production such as recording, mixing, composing, producing and editing audio. I hope this is the short answer to your question, that is what is DAW software?
Finally, some great news for music composers and singers!
Top 5 DAW Software For Mac
Now we will make a compiled list of the best DAW software for music production in 2020.
1. Audacity
If you are a beginner or podcaster then trust me, Audacity will suit you. Another added feature is, it is free! If you are a Mac OS user or Linux or off course Windows, Audacity is ready to be operated on your operating system.
Additionally, if you are looking for basic digital recording, go for Audacity without any thought. The reason behind saying this is because Audacity doesn't offer an option to record in MIDI. In short full mixing can't be done with this DAW software.
Highlight Factor- Audacity is good for beginners and podcasters!
Also Read: Best Audio Editing Software For windows
2. FL Studio
Here I got FL Studio for you! Are you ready to convert your room into a recording studio? Indeed, Install this amazing DAW Software and create multi-track music production. Apart, I am mentioning some of the smart features of FL Studio.
You can use high-quality synthesizers and the effect of over 15 FX modules to enhance the best mix in the sound. Yes, you can also take the benefit of audio engines too. If you are intending to record an amazing song for the new year party and planning to impress your crush with the song. Run to install FL Studio now!
Highlight factor- Customer Support is there if you get stuck in between!
3. Logic Pro X
Logic Pro X is the ideal tool for mixing, songwriting, editing with advanced UI. So in this brisk DAW software, you can record and edit all your recordings through MIDI or other music production tools and editors. Additionally, you can save your work for future use too.
Overall Logic Pro X is the best DAW software for Mac that offers convenient control to create, edit and navigate your songs through the touch bar on MacBook Pro. There is a vast library of royalty-free loops for audio mixers and beatmakers.
Additionally, you can also customize the sound of electronic beats through Drum Machine Designers.
Highlight Factor- Choose from the 2,800 instrument and effect patches with 1,000 meticulously instruments. And yes, 7000 apple loops with a wide range of genres.
4. Pro Tools
Pro Tools is another DAW software for Mac which is designed only for artists and music composers. If you are looking for a DAW Software for professional mixing and editing, Yes Pro Tools will be your first choice.
Additionally, you can record with microphones and can also edit the tracks with the intuitive editing tools. Well, this amazing DAW Software works best with composing, mixing and editing with almost 128 audio tracks and 512 instrumental tracks along with 1,024 MIDI Tracks.
So the Pro tools is everything for your music production needs. Yes, you must give a try!
Software For Music Production Machinery
Highlight Factor- Pro Tools offers comprehensive control of this software which helps the users to understand more and easily.
5. Ableton Live 10
You can count on Ableton Live 10 as a smart DAW software for Mac. You can take any song to the live performance with the help of this DAW software which will help you to feel the real rockstar in you.
And yes this DWS software is fully harmonious for VST Standards with extra plugins. Additionally, you can choose from more than 10GB music from Ableton Live's library with 1,800 various samples and loops. Indeed, if you are party organizer or DJ, you will surely adore Ableton Live 10, DAW Software.
Highlighted Factor- Ableton Live 10 is full of a vast library of songs along with various agile features.
Final Words
Finally, Here you go folks! I have listed the Best DAW software which will surely help you out to give the outstanding LIVE performance on this New Year's Eve!
Moreover, if I missed out on any point, or you think any other DAW software for Mac is not mentioned here, drop your comment below.
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