What Drives Your DAW - Laptop Or Desktop?

[jamcat]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

[jamcat]

I use a laptop (MacBook Pro) for my DAW now. I used to have two setups: a full-blown Windows DAW for full production, and a scaled back laptop (Mac in more recent years) for working away from my studio. Both would run Studio One, but the real-time processing would have to be scaled back a lot on the laptop. I used it mostly for working on specific, isolated parts, usually writing and sequencing instrumental parts while I was away.

But once I got my Apple Silicon MacBook, my laptop was as powerful as my Windows desktop, and I started using Windows less. Now that all of my regularly used plugins are Apple Silicon native, I've been using the M1 MacBook exclusively. (Also, my Windows DAW died.)

A few months back I got a powered USB-C hub with HDMI out. I plug a single USB-C into my MacBook, and I instantly have my 4k monitor and audio interface, my MIDI controllers, mouse + keyboard, and AC power. It is indistinguishable from using a desktop. Except that I can unplug that one USB-C from it, and take it with me. And I am now working on the same projects with the same processing, where ever I am. It's particularly liberating because I travel a lot, and I also hate sitting at a desk.

[jens]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

Yes, on IOS there's a huge number of ported plugins - albeit many (such as Fabfilter) only run on iPad, I think...

on Android almost all current Toneboosters and many V3 plugins are available and they are practically identical.

So if one wanted to test how many voices they can get out of Flowtones and/or Lowtone on their Android phone, they easily could.

[pekbro]

Currently, I'm using an AIO, e.g. half laptop, half desktop. Probably going to order a mac studio soon (max ver).

[THE INTRANCER]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

How many instances before it blows up?

[jamcat]

When the Mac Studio was released, originally I wanted to get one for my desktop DAW setup. It was shortly after that when I realized that having one is redundant if you have an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro. So instead my next move will be to a 16-core M4 MacBook Pro.

My current MacBook has 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD, which seems sufficient. I still have 400GB free, since I use SWAM, Pianoteq, and MODO DRUM instead of sample libraries.

[jamcat]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

How many instances before it blows up?

You can only open one instance of an app. It's geared towards playing live.
But it's nice to have a couple Steinways and a Bösendorfer in my pocket at all times.

[pekbro]

When the Mac Studio was released, originally I wanted to get one for my desktop DAW setup. It was shortly after that when I realized that having one is redundant if you have an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro. So instead my next move will be to a 16-core M4 MacBook Pro.

My current MacBook has 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD, which seems sufficient. I still have 400GB free, since I use SWAM, Pianoteq, and MODO DRUM instead of sample libraries.

Interesting, I was kinda curious about the disc space. Likely I will have to invest in some
external storage to run everything I want. TBH more than music, there is much software
in the area of computer graphics that hold a great attraction for me on the mac.

[jens]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

How many instances before it blows up?

Well, if it was an AU and his iPhone isn't older than five years, he should be able to run quite a few instances more than you can run on your desktop machine.

[machinesworking]

When the Mac Studio was released, originally I wanted to get one for my desktop DAW setup. It was shortly after that when I realized that having one is redundant if you have an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro. So instead my next move will be to a 16-core M4 MacBook Pro.

I was an early adopter of using a macbook over a desktop, but I went the other way last time and got the Studio. I wanted to be able to pull off full orchestral pieces if I wished. Oh and because this 14" M1 Air I picked up previously off craigslist is ridiculously powerful, if I want portability, this works just fine for 90% of what I do.

[audiojunkie]

I use a laptop (MacBook Pro) for my DAW now. I used to have two setups: a full-blown Windows DAW for full production, and a scaled back laptop (Mac in more recent years) for working away from my studio. Both would run Studio One, but the real-time processing would have to be scaled back a lot on the laptop. I used it mostly for working on specific, isolated parts, usually writing and sequencing instrumental parts while I was away.

But once I got my Apple Silicon MacBook, my laptop was as powerful as my Windows desktop, and I started using Windows less. Now that all of my regularly used plugins are Apple Silicon native, I've been using the M1 MacBook exclusively. (Also, my Windows DAW died.)

A few months back I got a powered USB-C hub with HDMI out. I plug a single USB-C into my MacBook, and I instantly have my 4k monitor and audio interface, my MIDI controllers, mouse + keyboard, and AC power. It is indistinguishable from using a desktop. Except that I can unplug that one USB-C from it, and take it with me. And I am now working on the same projects with the same processing, where ever I am. It's particularly liberating because I travel a lot, and I also hate sitting at a desk.

I do the exact same with my Linux 2-in-1 laptop, except I can take it a step further, and fold it over and have a tablet too (with actual Android apps. We live in a golden age of technology.

[jamcat]

I was an early adopter of using a macbook over a desktop, but I went the other way last time and got the Studio. I wanted to be able to pull off full orchestral pieces if I wished.

What are you using for orchestral instruments, and why do you think an Apple Silicon MacBook wouldn't be capable?

Have you done any full orchestral pieces since getting the Mac Studio?

[THE INTRANCER]

Personally, I've never seen any modern mobile phone run a single VST instrument.

I have Pianoteq on my iPhone. It is code identical to the plugin.

How many instances before it blows up?

Well, if it was an AU and his iPhone isn't older than five years, he should be able to run quite a few instances more than you can run on your desktop machine.

Not a chance lol, I think even a single core 64 Bit AMD Athlon 3500 CPU desktop processor would trounce any modern phone phone today. My current PC would certainly blitz it into the stratosphere

Oh, look it's all the three's for me today.

[machinesworking]

I was an early adopter of using a macbook over a desktop, but I went the other way last time and got the Studio. I wanted to be able to pull off full orchestral pieces if I wished.

What are you using for orchestral instruments, and why do you think an Apple Silicon MacBook wouldn't be capable?

Have you done any full orchestral pieces since getting the Mac Studio?

So the big setback for laptops over desktops besides bigger chips etc. is memory bandwidth, how much the system can be pushed. With the Mac Studio Ultra it's 800GB/s VS 400GB/s for the maxed out Macbook Pro. It drops off really quick when you get the lower specced macbook pros, I mean down to 150GB/s.

I'm that dork who bought a Powerbook in 2001 and started in on that route because I wanted to be able to perform live with the laptop. So the system bus has been my enemy for a couple decades in terms of doing work in the studio. At some point I got a Mac Pro off craigslist for peanuts, (I literally gave the lady an extra $100 because I felt she was charging too little.), and the difference for mixing, mastering and larger projects was immediacy noticeable.

All of this just means if I want to write a big orchestral piece it's not an issue on the Mac Studio, and like I mentioned it's only about 10% of what I do, the rest can easily be done on the Macbook Air which is at least 8 times less capable memory bandwidth wise.


You're good, I bought the Studio for big projects if they came along, and mainly because I like this Air so much I didn't want to replace it with a 5k laptop I would be terrified to bring to live shows. Now I'm looking at bringing the MPC Live and Tonex to shows so even that reason is gone.

[jens]

Not a chance lol, I think even a single core 64 Bit AMD Athlon 3500 CPU desktop processor would trounce any modern phone phone today. My current PC would certainly blitz it into the stratosphere

Only in your mind. Your CPU was released 16 years ago and it totally shows...

...here's some Geekbench results for it:

https://browser.geekbench.com/search?q=i7+920

Here's the iPhone 11, released 5 years ago (i.e. 11 years after your CPU):

https://browser.geekbench.com/search?ut ... =iphone+11

(totally mops the floor with your CPU)

Here's the result of various Pixels:

https://browser.geekbench.com/search?ut ... 93&q=pixel

(even the Pixel 5 from four years ago can keep up with your CPU)

Here's the Galaxy S22 (two versions behind the latest one):

https://browser.geekbench.com/search?ut ... galaxy+s22


You see? I kind of just made some joke about most people's phones having more CPU power than your machine - that was only meant to humorously illustrate just how outdated it is, but if you need that kind of reality check after all...

I wouldn't even have brought it up in the first place had you not said you initially didn't say what you use because otherwise people might accuse you of bragging about your system.

You could just have said something along the lines of "some older i7 based desktop that still does the trick nicely for me" and be done with it - but instead you needed to go all boastful on us again in true Intrancer fashion, as if your system was the most state-of-the-art one instead of the ancient steam-powered turd it actually is.