Is The MacBook Air Good For Music Production?

Macs are arguably the most favorable category of computers among music producers. Besides portability and efficiency, Macs are known for supporting various digital audio workstations (DAWs), VSTs, and other programs that are not available for Windows computer systems.

With Apple’s new lineup of silicon chips, MacBooks have gained more popularity among pro users than ever. The new M1, M2, and M3 family of CPUs provide jaw-dropping performance while being extremely power efficient. One of Apple’s best-selling laptops, the MacBook Air, has always been advertised as a lightweight, portable machine that users can carry around for everyday tasks, such as internet browsing. However, with Apple’s new powerful processors integrated into these laptops, these computers might offer more than just web surfing.

The new shiny MacBook Pros with M3 chips are undeniably powerful but come with hefty price tags. On the other hand, MacBook Airs with M1 and M2 chips at half of that price still offer impressive performances, but are they powerful enough for music production?

The answer can be a bold YES, as long as you spend your money on the best configuration that suits your workflow. With no further ado, let’s see which MacBook Air you should get for music production in 2024.

Can The MacBook Air Run Logic Pro?

Absolutely! Any MacBook Air model equipped with an Apple Silicon chip can run Logic Pro (or any other professional DAW) smoothly. Since Logic Pro is optimized to run on MacOS seamlessly, it can be an excellent choice for a MacBook Air that packs less processing power than a MacBook Pro.

The difference boils down to how much you can throw at it before Logic overloads your computer’s processors. That primarily depends on your CPU cores and RAM. Even with the cheapest M1 silicon chip, you should have no problem adding 30-40 tracks in a Logic Pro session.

I can’t really give you a definitive number since it depends on what plugins you use. But so long as you stick to Logic’s native plugins, those numbers can even get close to 60-80 tracks.

On A Tight Budget? The MacBook Air M1 Offers A Lot Of Bang For Your Buck

If you’re looking for a computer that offers a lot of value for a relatively low price tag, the MacBook Air M1 base model should be one of your go-to choices. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage space.

For an intel-based Mac, 8GB wouldn’t be enough for working on multi-track projects in a professional DAW like Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or Pro Tools. However, since these Apple silicon chips are so efficient and fast, 8GB of RAM can give you a lot of room to play if you’re a beginner or intermediate music producer.

When you kickstart your music production journey, 256GB of SSD storage should be enough. However, as you move forward, you’ll probably see that 256GB is insufficient. Logic Pro’s entire library can take over 70GB of space. Add third-party sample libraries, plugins, and virtual instruments, and you’ll not have much left to back up your projects.

Apple is notorious for overcharging storage upgrades. So, if you want to keep your budget as low as possible, I highly recommend investing in a hard drive. They can offer a lot of space for a fraction of the cost if you upgrade the storage on a MacBook.

Hard drives are among the most essential gear any producer needs in their studio. For instance, you can opt for a Samsun T7 model with 2TB of storage for just about $105.

The MacBook Air M1 is currently on sale on Amazon. It’s an excellent time to grab one for about $800.

The MacBook Pro 15-inch M2 Is The Sweet Spot Of Affordability And Performance

If you can spend a little more on a computer but don’t want to go overboard with a five-grand laptop, The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip can be an excellent choice. With more screen real estate, you don’t need an external monitor for working on larger projects.

Moreover, if you opt for a model with 16GB of unified memory (RAM), you can easily work on larger musical projects with multiple tracks and plugins running simultaneously without facing any problems.

The 15-inch model also has a bigger battery, so you should have no problem spending a few hours working on CPU-hungry tasks without plugging the laptop into a wall.

On the Amazon website, the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 with 16GB of RAM is retailed at $1,500.

If you’re putting $2,000 aside for a music production setup, the 15-inch MacBook Air fits your budget perfectly. Besides a computer, the necessities to start are a professional DAW, a pair of monitoring headphones, and a MIDI keyboard controller, which you can get for around $500-600.

Final Thoughts: Is The MacBook Air A Good Investment For Music Production? 

If you’re on a budget or if you’re a beginner at music production, a MacBook Air can exceed your expectations of what a portable computer can do to a great extent.

If you’re a professional working on orchestrating a movie score or producing industry-standard records, you’ll probably find the MacBook Air’s processing power limiting. But, if you’re an up-and-coming producer/songwriter looking for a machine that can help you give birth to your ideas, the MacBook Air with the Apple silicon chip can offer you a lot of value for a relatively affordable price tag.

If you need more help regarding music production, songwriting, mixing, and mastering, check out my Free 6 Pillars To Learn Logic Pro Faster guidebook. It can be a perfect addition for setting you up to create the music you’ve always dreamed of with no additional cost.