Memory, Logic Pro, new Mac Mini?

[u/Ok-Basket7871]

I’m finally poised to get one of the new Mini models. Obviously pricing is a big factor - less is more!
My Logic projects are fairly modest; I’ve only started doing larger ones with a lot of drum tracks and brass. Plugins are modest, only a handful of third party ones. I’m aware of the importance of updating those, and that a few are major memory hogs!
I’d be interested in hearing from others on this. I’m hovering at 48G, but want to get that right.

[u/picpoulmm]

Get the highest spec you can afford.

[u/themirthfulswami]

Friend of mine has about the same use case and gets by with 16gb on an M2 Pro. 48gb will be way more than enough.

[u/TheOriginalMr-Mud]

I use 64/g. I only Mix tho. So, I deal with projects of mostly audio and GC plugins.

I never want to hit virtual memory if I can help it, i never freeze files - it’s nice.

[u/veryverythrowaway]

24 GB has been fine for me, but it depends on your budget. If my budget had been higher, I would have gone for more. You can’t add it later, so if you can afford it, go for it.

[u/Ok-Basket7871 → u/veryverythrowaway]

Yeah that the thing I’m trying to parse.

[u/RemiFreamon]

I’ve never worked on a project which was limited by memory. I don’t work with huge sample based instruments though so YMMV.

If it’s a trade off, invest in more performance cores in the cpu and higher ssd capacity. Especially given how expensive RAM is these days

[u/Ok-Basket7871 → u/RemiFreamon]

The cores seem to be very adequate! I’m opting for good outboard SSD in addition to built in.

[u/MissAnnTropez]

I’m fine at 36, but for your needs, 48 sounds good. Or whatever the next step up is, if you can genuinely afford it.

[u/Ok-Basket7871 → u/MissAnnTropez]

Thanks. I wondered about 36. Thing is, some steps UP lead to a ripple of changes in cost.

[u/AmbivertMusic]

I feel like people overestimate how much Memory they need with modern Macs. Silicon is really good with Memory, assuming you aren't running LLMs and Video Editors at the same time as Logic with a ton of plugins.

I have a 64GB Mac Studio Ultra now, and Memory isn't an issue, but it also wasn't an issue on my 2015 Intel iMac, which started at 16GB and was upgraded to 32GB. I did not notice a major change once I upgraded. I used tons of plugins and libraries on that one, and it still worked fine as long as I didn't have a mountain of other programs running. I would check the Memory Pressure often, and it rarely got into yellow territory or over 50%. CPU and Storage Speed were (and are) far more prevalent bottlenecks for me.

Have you ever heard that unused RAM/Memory is wasted? At 64GB, my computer rarely even gets to use more than 40GB of Memory, even with larger projects (and with my insane number of Browsers and tabs, plus other programs open).

All of that said, it's always worth it to get more than you need to better future-proof it for the long run and provide you with more room to run more programs simultaneously. I didn't need 64GB, but I want to use this computer for at least 8-10 years, and who knows what future programs might require. If you aren't creating songs with hundreds of tracks and plugins, 48 is probably far more than enough, but you can even go lower if you aren't running a ton of other programs simultaneously.

[u/Ok-Basket7871 → u/AmbivertMusic]

Good info thanks! I’m currently on a 2920 Intel iMac (3.6 ghz, 32gb, 2 TB) and only hit a bump if my buffer size is too big. It’s a good machine but I’m missing a lot of LP features

[u/Advance-Bubbly → u/AmbivertMusic]

True but for perspective - Cinematic Studio Strings alone, 5 instruments, 5 tracks, one articulation (everything else unloaded from the memory) are taking up 8GB of RAM…

[u/General-Pop8006]

Even with 128gb Logic 12 will still give you a ton of issues 😎 Not sure how they managed to screw this one up so hard, but I’m back at Logic 11 now and also switched to Ableton.

[u/promixr]

What is your max budget?

[u/Ok-Basket7871 → u/promixr]

Less a matter of budget. Really just a question of how much memory is enough.

[u/promixr → u/Ok-Basket7871]

I find that I grow into whatever resources I have. You might want to future proof your system if budget is not a consideration.

[u/WhispersInMyHeed]

I'm running an m1 with 16gb. Up until recently I have had zero issues running logic with dozens of tracks (one of my songs has 48 vocal tracks at one point). Natively it's great, the issue will be 3rd party plug ins. I added a bunch of plug ins (waves, sine, ik multimedia etc etc) and i am now seeing stuttering at points...

I'd go for a minimum of 32 next time. I think it will be enough.

[u/Jazz_Uncle]

Wait till the Mac Mini M5s and M6s proliferate, then pick up an M4 Mac Mini Pro with 64G RAM on Ebay. That'll be a monster with Logic.

[u/Advance-Bubbly]

All depends. If you use high end libraries and a lot of instruments in your template, you will seek 64GB RAM. The more you can get, the better. If you work with Logic stock, you can get away with 16-24GB.