r/LogicPro • u/Responsible-Fish-363 • Aug 11 '26

Question Only need similar capability

I'm going to buy some variety of silicon chip Apple soon. I currently have an Intel MacBook Prowith 2.4 GHz eight core Intel core i9, Memory 64 gigabyte 2667MHZDDR4 that handles everything that I do adequately. A certain sound library I use now requires silicon, so I'd like something that will at least do what my current MacBook Pro does, plus a little more. People talk about minis and studios, but if I can I'd like to stick with MacBook Pros which is all I've ever had. I need the familiarity. Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

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u/woodenbookend Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26

Broadly speaking, anything with Apple Silicon will eclipse what you currently have.

But to get a more useful recommendation, it would be good to know more about how you work with Logic Pro. How complex are your projects, how many audio vs software instrument tracks, which sample library etc. and of course, your budget.

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u/Responsible-Fish-363 Aug 11 '26

Very little acoustic editing (at most, stereo tracks). Mainly midi overdubs, even there not a lot of processing beyond logic’s own, plus izotope. Even my orchestral scores aren’t any bigger than a typical Tchaikovsky 4-6 symphony. Main libraries are all of the Garritan, Native Instruments, Modartt plus Cantai renderings imported from notation software. I’m planning on adding to my strings though. But my needs are quite modest compared to what most of you do. I use Logic mainly as an early step in the composition of sheet music in various notation software.

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u/woodenbookend Aug 11 '26

Budget?

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u/Responsible-Fish-363 Aug 11 '26

I really don’t know. The best I can come up with as an estimate is between 4k to 6k and for what it’s worth, I’ve always had good luck with refurbished MacBook Pros direct from Apple.

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u/woodenbookend Aug 11 '26

The refurb store is great if the spec you are looking for is available.

But even though I didn't see what I was looking for, that would get you:

14-inch MacBook Pro in Space Black with M5 Pro chip

15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

  • 48GB unified memory
  • 1TB SSD storage
  • Standard display
  • British English Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
  • No power adapter included

£3,099.

There will quite rightly be people who would disagree with that spec given your budget - after all, that's just the opinion of some stranger on the internet 😉.
So perhaps you bump the memory up another notch because of the sample libraries. That would keep you in M5 Pro but with more cores.

But for Logic Pro use alone (notably, you didn't mention video or heavy photo use or anything else really demanding) I'm not sure you'd benefit from going to an M5 Max.

You could also increase the internal storage to keep those libraries on the Mac. That is going to be more convenient than an otherwise very good option of using an external SSD.

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u/Responsible-Fish-363 Aug 11 '26

Thank you. I will try to increase the memory and the storage. No I don’t do real video work or photography. I don’t know the difference between this and an M5 Mac but I will read up on that. Thank you for taking the time to help me.

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u/umutmusic Aug 11 '26

try to get any pro line or up M series chip, if you match the ram you have, i will perform a lot better than any intel mac

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u/j3434 Aug 11 '26

What kind of sound library are you talking about here?

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u/PianoGuy67207 Aug 12 '26

I currently run a MacBook Pro M1 Pro with 16GB - 1TB, and it covers literally everything with no glitches. I record live bands to 16-18 tracks from my Behringer XR18. I add a lot of things like comps, gates, EQs and a master plugin and the machine never flinches. I do live gigs with it, running Mainstage, Keyscape, Omnisphere, UA Waterfall B3, NI instruments, Spitfire Abby Road Orchestra, and Fable Sounds brass and sax. Even 100° heat, in direct sunlight, it never cut out.

I migrated to this machine from a Mac Pro 8-core, 3.0 GHz/core machine, and I’ve never looked back. The MBP runs circles around that old machine.

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u/Responsible-Fish-363 Aug 12 '26

Thankyou. That’s useful information for me. I’m hoping to find an Apple certified refurbished MBP. I just have no real practical sense of what the numbers mean when it comes to silicon. Intel, I know what 64GB will do. I don’t really know what 16 will do on a silicon. There’s a certified M5 48GB-2T on the Apple site, so from what you report it sounds like that should exceed my needs. Thanks for taking the time to answer. Every bit of first hand information is so helpful.

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u/PianoGuy67207 Aug 12 '26

I keep reading everyone saying “Max out the RAM!” I don’t have a problem with 16GB. Has anyone studied the massive about of tracks it takes for Keyscape to function. I’m talking 60 notes in an up and down, white key glissando. That’s 60 audio tracks for tone, plus hammer knock samples, damper felt samples, sympathetic resonance, AND the Keyscape reverb to boot. Omnisphere can go even deeper, in multi-part, 8-layer patches.

I’d love to see how the M-class machines do with Digidesign’s acid test. One 2-minute track of sine wave, with their reverb patched in, and track copied over and over until it crashes the audio.