When you’re looking for a laptop because you create music, there are certain considerations you’ll need to keep in mind. Luckily many of the laptops currently on the market are advanced enough that they will work well for composers and producers, but there are still certain distinctions to look for.
Before you can start searching for the perfect DAW or browsing the free vocal samples from Cymatics, you need to make sure you have the right foundation, which is ultimately your laptop.
The following are some tips to help you find the right laptop for your needs.
RAM
First and foremost when you’re a composer, you’re going to need to find the laptop with the most available RAM that you can afford. Speaking of those vocal samples mentioned above, you’ll be working with those and a lot of other dense sample libraries.
You need to be able to store them on your laptop and get to them easily when you need to work with them. This is going to eat a lot of RAM space, so take this into serious consideration when you’re choosing a new laptop.
Most composers and producers feel like anywhere from 32GB to 64GB of RAM is ideal if you want the utmost availability and freedom in how you work.
CPU
You’re going to need an sufficient CPU as well so that you’re able to run your software and ensure that you have adequate audio processing. The objective is usually to find a CPU with the fastest single-core performance that’s still in your budget.
Audio Interface
It’s pretty intuitive that the audio interface on a computer is also incredibly important when you’re searching for a laptop.
The audio interface is going to need the ability to support drivers for ASIO. You’ll get a better performance level, and the objective is to look for optimal communication between software and hardware. It’s not necessarily about the hardware itself, but again, is more about the level of communication.
Do You Want a Macbook?
Let’s be honest, when considering the choices available to you what it really all comes down to is Mac versus Windows, and for a lot of producers and composers, the choice is Mac.
There’s a reason Macbooks tend to be favored by musicians, and it’s because a lot of the MacBook Pro models come with everything you need to create music. For example, they have the RAM and the power in terms of CPU. Also, most audio interfaces are going to work with a USB connection to Macbooks.
If your big objective is having what you need straight away when you unbox your laptop, and you’re not concerned about your budget, a MacBook Pro may be the right route. With that being said, you may need to add more RAM if you’re planning on storing big samples.
Finally, regardless of the type of laptop you go with, you’ll need a sizeable enough display to make it easy to work within your DAW.
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