paxwebb
Hey guys, just wondering if the new 15" M2 Macbook Air should be good to go for VDJ video mixing duty, or if I need to step up to the Pro. I know the Air doesn't have HDMI output, but can I still connect to an external monitor/projector through a Thunderbolt/USB-C connection? Is the 10 core GPU good enough to drive a large external LED screen and still do stem 2.0 separation on the fly? I would need to max out the Air to a 2TB SSD and probably choose 16GB RAM, I'm guessing.
The other option is to go to the Pro and enjoy real USB and HDMI ports. I can also rock a larger SSD that way. What do you guys think?
The other option is to go to the Pro and enjoy real USB and HDMI ports. I can also rock a larger SSD that way. What do you guys think?
Posté Tue 06 Jun 23 @ 3:14 pm
djles.co.uk
I bought the 14" M1 MBP last summer mainly because of the ports and internal fan (which has never run yet). Don't forget the SD Card port, handy for a bunch of backup tunes ready to go.😉
95% of the time I use the HDMI port to mirror my screen output to my 42" TV. For Gigs I can manage fine with Apple's excellent 14" XDR Display. Also, I use 2 external USB-C ports for my external HD for music & video plus my Controller.
My Systems Specs;
Main - M1 MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2022), Apple Silicon M1 Pro, 16gb, 500 gb SSD, macOS Ventura 13.4, VirtualDJ Early Access v2023-m b7582
External WD Passport Ultra 2Tb HD formatted exFat containing Music & Video databases.
Controllers - Denon MC7000, Denon MC6000 Mk2.
95% of the time I use the HDMI port to mirror my screen output to my 42" TV. For Gigs I can manage fine with Apple's excellent 14" XDR Display. Also, I use 2 external USB-C ports for my external HD for music & video plus my Controller.
My Systems Specs;
Main - M1 MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2022), Apple Silicon M1 Pro, 16gb, 500 gb SSD, macOS Ventura 13.4, VirtualDJ Early Access v2023-m b7582
External WD Passport Ultra 2Tb HD formatted exFat containing Music & Video databases.
Controllers - Denon MC7000, Denon MC6000 Mk2.
Posté Tue 06 Jun 23 @ 5:06 pm
kradcliffe
The standard M2 processor can process stems on a 3 minute track in around 12 to 15 seconds so no issues there. It's the GPU cores that determine how the stems are processed, so no impact on RAM. The standard amount should be fine for a video output.
Regarding connections you can use a thunderbolt hub for video output, connecting your controller and even power passthrough without any issues.
I had a 14" Pro for a while but returned it due to compatibility as I prep on a Windows machine and it caused all sorts of database and file transfer problems. If I were to go Mac again the M2 Air would suffice perfectly well.
Regarding connections you can use a thunderbolt hub for video output, connecting your controller and even power passthrough without any issues.
I had a 14" Pro for a while but returned it due to compatibility as I prep on a Windows machine and it caused all sorts of database and file transfer problems. If I were to go Mac again the M2 Air would suffice perfectly well.
Posté Tue 06 Jun 23 @ 5:17 pm
Adion
kradcliffe wrote :
It's the GPU cores that determine how the stems are processed, so no impact on RAM. The standard amount should be fine for a video output.
On the M-processors there's no separation between GPU and CPU memory, so stems do use additional regular memory too.
Although 8GB is indeed sufficient I would recommend to go for 16GB, especially in combination with video mixing.
Posté Tue 06 Jun 23 @ 6:53 pm
kradcliffe
Ah OK, thanks for the update on that Adion.
Posté Tue 06 Jun 23 @ 7:16 pm