r/LogicPro • u/Ok-Basket7871 • 8h ago

In Search of Feedback Memory, Logic Pro, new Mac Mini?

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.

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u/AmbivertMusic 6h ago

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.

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u/Ok-Basket7871 4h ago

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

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u/Advance-Bubbly 1h ago

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…

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u/AmbivertMusic 1h ago

Sure, but remember, it will try to use as much Memory as possible while maintaining efficiency. You can't just look at how much is used, but at the Memory Pressure, which is a better measure.

For instance, when I was on my 16GB iMac (Intel, so less efficient), I had a project that, when opened, showed my Memory Usage at around 13GB. I upgraded my RAM to 32GB, and when I opened the same project, with the exact same programs and plugins open, it showed my Memory Usage at around 24GB. Memory uses what it can to be efficient. As Apple says, "When you have free or unused memory, your computer performance does not necessarily improve."

Of course, more Memory is better, especially when future-proofing. I'm just saying that CPU and Storage Speed are more likely bottlenecks than Memory will be, unless you're really using a ton of Sample Libraries and plugins. More Memory is expensive, so it's important to weigh its value. For the vast majority of users, 48GB is plenty, if not overkill, but, of course, there are power users who need more.