Lytt Effects
Active member
It’s time. I’ve had an iMac for around eight years now, and it is finally giving me enough issues that I need to move on. Namely, the OS can no longer update. I want to move into a new MacBook, but it’s been so long since I’ve looked into something like this that I will require some assistance. Namely because I’m a dumb.
So, what do I do with my Mac?
- Audio recording/editing. I don’t do anything hefty or outrageous, mainly just recording demos of pedals, the occasional multitrack mix with a bunch of plug-ins, but nothing too crazy.
- Guitar practice. I run a stereo setup, so I use my UAD Apollo twin. Generally, I don’t have issues with this even on my old ass iMac, but I get an occasional crash, which ruins any mojo I may have going on.
- Graphic design. I use Affinity Designer, and 90% of what I do is designing graphics for pedals.
- PCB design. I have jumped down the rabbit hole - rather unfortunately - and will be using KiCAD. I may also try out Diptrace, but I have heard it’s not as great on Mac. Either way, I’ll be working on PCB layouts and what not.
- Minor video editing. Mostly just demos of guitar pedals and stuff. Again, nothing outrageous, and I usually just use iMovie or something basic.
So, given all that, what should I be looking for? MacBook Pro? M4? M4 Pro? M3? MacBook Air? I’d like to be around $1200-$1500, and I’m going with at least 16GB RAM as a given. Not worried about weight or bulk.
So, what do I do with my Mac?
- Audio recording/editing. I don’t do anything hefty or outrageous, mainly just recording demos of pedals, the occasional multitrack mix with a bunch of plug-ins, but nothing too crazy.
- Guitar practice. I run a stereo setup, so I use my UAD Apollo twin. Generally, I don’t have issues with this even on my old ass iMac, but I get an occasional crash, which ruins any mojo I may have going on.
- Graphic design. I use Affinity Designer, and 90% of what I do is designing graphics for pedals.
- PCB design. I have jumped down the rabbit hole - rather unfortunately - and will be using KiCAD. I may also try out Diptrace, but I have heard it’s not as great on Mac. Either way, I’ll be working on PCB layouts and what not.
- Minor video editing. Mostly just demos of guitar pedals and stuff. Again, nothing outrageous, and I usually just use iMovie or something basic.
So, given all that, what should I be looking for? MacBook Pro? M4? M4 Pro? M3? MacBook Air? I’d like to be around $1200-$1500, and I’m going with at least 16GB RAM as a given. Not worried about weight or bulk.
