Pro Tools on MacBook with M1, M2, M3...

W

ws1511

New member
Hi,

Until a couple weeks ago I was running an older version of Pro Tools (can't recall which) on a 2013 Macbook Pro. That computer crashed and I'm looking to buy a new MacBook, which all have the silicon chips.

Doing some research, it seems there is some evidence Pro Tools runs better on the M1 chips than the newer M3 chips, particularly the M1 chips with more performance cores. (Here's a good video on it: )

In particular, the new M3 Macbooks (which I was thinking of getting as default, because they're the ones Apple is selling now) seem to have trouble, not to mention that Pro Tools is not yet compatible with Sonoma.

If anybody has experience running Pro Tools on the new Apple silicone chips, and has comparison info they can offer re: M1, M2, M3 (and pro/max/etc versions of these chips) I would be grateful.
 
I don't have Pro Tools, but I can confirm that, if this is going to be a mainly music-only computer, overall the M3 is not worth the money. I'd get an M2 with a level or two of RAM upgrade (and maybe storage, depending on your music production style). Hope this helps!
 
Thanks. Music production is a big use, not the only one, but probably the most processor-intensive one. I've seen videos, like the one posted above, suggested the M1 Pro chip is better than the comparable M2 chips. And there's a deal I found for a 10-core Macbook Pro with the M1 Pro chip I'm interested to take advantage of, which is the main reason I ask.
 
My current one is M1 MAX, I haven't tried M2 but I know M3 is trippy, hence why I figured M2 is best. But I'm very happy with my M1 :)

Edit: use Ventura for OS, it's very reliable, better than Sonoma up till now.
 
Thanks again. Yeah, I don't actually believe Pro Tools is even compatible with Sonoma at this point.
 
Hi,
You're right. Sonoma is not yet supported so if you do pick up a new machine I'd recommend installing Ventura or Monterey on it.

I've been running the base model M1 mac since its release a few years ago and can think of no reason at all to upgrade.
People are editing 4k video without breaking a sweat on these things!

I get the feeling saying one runs better than the other might be like a lambo being faster than a porche when all you're doing is popping down to the shops.
At a quick glance I see this guy's running 90 odd tracks each with an amp sim insert.
Only you can gauge your own usage but most people around here aren't going to get anywhere near that.
 
Cool, thanks! Decided to go for the M1 Pro cause I found a good deal on it. Yeah, nothing seemed really definitive to me except the performance core issue—the fact that later models have fewer performance cores. In practice I don't know how much a difference that would make, but seemed worth noting.
 
It's interesting info and good to know!
It does seem like it may only really matter at the extremes, pushing very heavy projects, but still good to be aware of regardless.

Enjoy your new machine!
 
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