Is The Macbook Neo The Ultimate Budget Music Computer?
Is the new Macbook Neo the ultimate budget music computer?
In our coverage of the Neo’s introduction, we noted “This isn’t the Mac for power users, and for most ‘content creators’. ”
This in-depth review of the MacBook Neo focusing on music production, by James Zhan, challenges that assumption, and argues that it’s a great ‘first computer’ for music making.
Zhan tests the MacBook Neo with a real mixing and mastering Reaper project, with 100 tracks and 140+ plugins, and a Logic Pro 12 project with sample libraries for an entire orchestra.
His conclusion? Zhan argues that the MacBook Neo gives you incredible value for the money, especially when you consider the price of Apple Creator Studio.
Topics covered:
0:00 Start
0:32 Music Production Tests Overview
1:17 MacBook Neo Build Quality: Incredible for the Price
1:58 Mechanical Trackpad Issue
2:26 A Different Testing Approach Than My Previous Videos
3:09 MacBook Neo Audio Processing Benchmarked Against M-Series Chips
3:25 Efficiency Core vs Performance Core Usage on MacBook Neo (A18 Pro)
3:51 My Goal for This Video
4:08 MacBook Neo Tested with a Real Mixing & Mastering Project in REAPER
8:08 MacBook Neo Tested with a Real Mixing & Mastering Project in Logic Pro 12
9:14 MacBook Neo vs M1 Max: Render Speed Test
9:53 Addressing MacBook Neo’s 8GB of RAM (unified memory)
10:17 Brief Explanation of RAM’s Role in Music Production
10:43 MacBook Neo’s 8GB RAM Tested: Full Orchestral Project
11:48 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Logic Pro Orchestral Project + REAPER Mixing Project
12:31 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Audio Projects + 4K Video Timeline with Colour Grade
13:29 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Audio Projects, Video Project & RAW Photo Editing
15:02 James’ Take: Why MacBook Neo Is the Best Laptop for Audio/Photo/Video Work for the Price
15:29 Neo’s Advantage #1: Portability + Good Performance
16:18 Neo’s Advantage #2: Colour-Accurate Display (Compared Against Apple Studio Display)
17:08 Neo’s Advantage #3: MacOS Means Access to Apple Creator Studio
18:28 James’ Thoughts on Creator Studio Being a Subscription
19:10 Should You Get MacBook Air Instead?
What do you think? Share your thoughts on the Macbook Neo as a starter music computer in the comments!
