Apple announces new Mac Mini, Air + 13" MBP featuring their own M1 chip.

[PAK]

The new Macs dont have touch so its not clear that they are merging.

And they likely won't. Apple's strategy will rather be to sell you an iPad along with, say, your Macbook

I reckon companies, like Wacom, will be very worried about a touch based Apple Silicon iMac, with pen support, right now.

Touch, on a desktop OS, doesn't make much sense until you get into easel form factors. Then it starts to make lots of sense for some applications. I don't think it's a question of "if", but rather "when" Apple do it. It won't really harm their iPad sales either - You're talking $300 Vs $3,000. It'd likely be an upgrade option for iMac users.

For laptops they'd need to do a foldable one (where the keyboard can flip 180 degrees) or a detach design.. by which time your screen is an iPad. So I reckon they might just bring Mac OS to the iPad Pro instead, once apps like Photoshop are running native, or at least make it easy to have Mac OS apps run on "iPad OS"

That said, for the most part, I think touch screens are a very poor substitute for physical hardware control, in the audio world.

[Sascha Franck]

That said, for the most part, I think touch screens are a very poor substitute for physical hardware control, in the audio world.

Absolutely depends. I'm using tablet controlled IEM remote mixer tools for several gigs since quite a while already - and dealing with those faders on a touchscreen is heaps easier than doing so with any mouse or trackpad. And especially in a live scenario, a tablet mounted on a stand is a lot easier to deal with than any kind of mixer with faders.

Otherwise I agree with your assessments.

[UltraJv]

Don't try using restore on the new Macs. You can brick them

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence ... 327f845cef

[Ploki]

Don't try using restore on the new Macs. You can brick them

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence ... 327f845cef

big oof
nobody tried restoring them before shipping?!

[Sascha Franck]

Don't try using restore on the new Macs. You can brick them

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence ... 327f845cef

Maybe not a drama but most certainly not a great proof for Apples quality assurance. Could also make one worry about backups not working too well in case you need to go back in time with one.
Quite weird that this apparently wasn't a known issue already - or maybe it was and they just thought nobody would do a factory reset on a brandnew machine. Which, quite obviously, will happen a lot these days, as plenty of folks seem to only be using them for a testride and review.

No matter how you put it, doesn't make Apple look too great.

[Markus Krause]

It is possible to un-brick them. But it is difficult. You need a second mac with catalina and a special usb cable.
this issue is known to me since more than one week but it did dare to mention it in this thread because a couple of people assume i would be an apple-hater, which isn't true at all

In fact i do not care if our customers use an apple or a pc. All our products are available on both platforms and the licenses are cross-platform

Quality insurance was a desaster on catalina. And it is a desaster on audio since many years. The issue with the broken audiounit validation has been resported by me and also other developers . I also mentioned it is urgent. I am also a registered developer. But it is has not been fixed since 4 years now

[Ploki]

this thread is still better than the protools thread on gearslutz where one guy claims M1 has clearly and audibly better summing in protools (via rosetta2 nonetheless)

[djmino02]

So, I heard a lot about the Mac mini and definitely intrigued. I've never really used Mac computers much though and have been a MS user yada yada yada.

As far as compatibility goes I'm sure I'd have to reinstall everything and that the setup on my PC won't migrate over or anything.

Are there any 3rd party VST compatibility issues?

Do DAWs like Ableton, Reason, Reaper, and FL studio work? Or just Logic Protools?

What are Native plugins exactly? Is that like DX plugins on windows? Also, why do they cost more?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Ploki]

They don't cost more, usually vendors cover all licenses and platforms (Mac VST/AU/AAX, Win VST/AAX).
Native means coded specifically for ARM architecture, because since M1 Macs, they used Intel.
Native coded == faster.
Yes DAWs you listed all work.

[zvenx]

Hi, I can try to help. Let us take Silicon out of the picture because I dont' have one or have personal experience with it.

I have two music systems, a macbook pro and a pc.... I try to keep them as compatible as possible, so any word I start on one I easily transfer and continue on the other.. I have Cubase on Mac and Nuendo on PC.

No you can't migrate your Data from PC but not many of your program or settings.... That is Audio files, DAW project files etc are compatible on both, but for the most part not settings (although like Nuendo PC settings are compatible with Mac PC settings etc).

So yes consider you have to reinstall every program and plugin on to the mac.

I am not sure what you mean by 3rd party VST compatibliity issues. I only buy plugins that are supported on both platforms and I haven't for instance used Waves on PC and when I move the project to mac, Cubase tells me that my waves plugin used are not compatible with the PC waves one I used.... (waves is an example, I have never had an issue with that, once they are running the same versions).

Ableton Reason and Reaper are also on Mac (as of course is Cubendo)...... Digital Performer was initially mac only but now is on both. Bitwig is both I believe.... FL Studio is on mac too (didn't really know that till a moment ago)

Native plugins are plugins that don't require an external DSP to work, the use your computers CPU (and some use part of your GPU processing power to do some tasks). Non native ones are like UAD, or I think Waves Soundgrid or Protools HDX systems etc...
I am not aware of any mac plugin costing more than PC..... most if not all manufacturers who do both, Allow both at the same price. (that is your license covers both mac and pc whether you use mac AND PC, at no additional cost).

rsp

[Sascha Franck]

I think "native" as used in this thread might be bit misleading, as most people using the term refer to plugins natively running on the new silicon Macs.
Just sayin'...

[Sascha Franck]

this thread is still better than the protools thread on gearslutz where one guy claims M1 has clearly and audibly better summing in protools (via rosetta2 nonetheless)

Have nulltests been demanded already? And have they been rejected by the person claiming it'd sound better because "it's all about your ears, buddy!"?
I rather not look into that thread...

[Sascha Franck]

And it is a desaster on audio since many years.

How so? I mean, seriously, what makes you say that?

For me as a user, audio is just working on the Macs I'm using. Core Audio beats anything on Windows in case there's no genuine drivers (and yes, I do of course know ASIO4All), class compliant USB interfaces usually work pretty damn well and it really only gets better once I open Logic because anything regarding buffer sizes is pretty much a "set and forget" affair (I do occasionally switch from my standard 64 samples to 32 samples in case I'm checking out amp plugins, though).
Also, built-in multiclient support certainly makes life a lot easier sometimes and I have absolutely enjoyed being able to create my own aggregate devices when I wanted to record more than two inputs at once but only had 2 stereo I/O interfaces at hand (no need to even try that under Windows in most cases).

Having to perform the audio unit reset command once I install some new plugin is a matter of 10 seconds, so in all seriousness, while being a sort of a miserable affair, it hardly qualifies for a major issue, let alone a desaster.

So what exactly is it, qualifying for a desaster?

[Ploki]

Have nulltests been demanded already? And have they been rejected by the person claiming it'd sound better because "it's all about your ears, buddy!"?
I rather not look into that thread...

been yes, they were delivered with a bunch of modulating FX and were invalid.
calls for better tests were met with a photo of two teslas and a mercedes.

then, matt from liquidsonics came and made a decent test, that of course invalidated the initial crazy claims

[zvenx]

Oh wait.. it really turned into a serious debate?
rsp