Apple M1 Must Have Accessories OWC Dock

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[@peterbigblock]

I upgraded from a 2019 iMac with an i7 Intel chip to a Mac Mini M1. Running Logic, Photoshop, or Illustrator, it’s night and day. The M1 computer is far quicker and more stable when asked to do “heavy lifting” that would give the iMac fits. Absolutely worth it. I also added a 32” UHD monitor and the total spend was under $1300 (my Mini is the 16GB/1TB upgrade).

[@HomeRecordingMadeEasy]

Great video. I am in the market for that OWC dock. I have an M1 Mac Mini and you’re correct, it’s super fast. I purchased it with 16Gb with the 1TB drive and it killer! The only missing thing is the lack of ports so the dock is a game changer.

[@BarryJohns]

Congratulations on your purchase, as you can already tell you’ve made a great one. Pairing your computer with the OWC dock, will enable you to do just about anything you would need to do as far as external ports go.

[@talenwaver]

Also look into CalDigit. They just put out the ts4 which has everything.

[@DavidMussington]

This is a great video. Thanks for the information. New subscriber.

[@JudgeFredd]

OWC products are maybe a bit more expensive but that's the price to pay for quality and no surprize. Got a M1Mini + OWC Thunderbolt 3 hub with no glitch at all.

[@BarryJohns]

You know it will be reliable, to me with the cost.

[@kevincalson6760]

Glad I found you. Just got Macbook Pro M1 that came with 3 thunderbolt 4. Hdmi. Sd. Mag charging port and mic/speaker. My intention was to get away from Windows and go Mac. I picked this machine so I could up my game on recording projects.So far it looks like I made a good choice.Thanks for your information.It will help alot as I transition from windows/intel to Mac. olt 4

[@danielrice5474]

I think the eject button is earth shattering to be honest. I wondered how you was suppose to eject from a docking station. Your video has great sound. Thanks for the video.

[@pangloss9]

Caldigit and OWC make good Thunderbolt docks. All others I've tried have not been stable over time.

[@talenwaver]

Love my CalDigit!

[@amiller1758]

Glad I found you ! You're a Great educator , be well Cya

[@BarryJohns]

Thank you!

[@stefanusrheeder4162]

Hi Barry. Any sugestion on thunderbolt 4 hubs?

[@hammingus]

How do you feel about those devices nowadys?I’m looking for a reliable port upgrade for my M1 machines (I have a M1 MacMini from 2020 as well as a 2021 Macbook Pro 16“ M1Pro). It’s foe connecting several musical equipment, like an Audio Interface and also a Native Instruments S88MK2 Keyboard which us a bit picky about hubs. Also SSDs should be connected. Thanks.

[@nico2761]

Hi, I really love your content and I think adding timestamps on the description so it shows on the playback bar would be great.

[@ACDevastation]

Seconded

[@Hirokee_]

Im also waiting to get my new mac!

[@Heavy_Distortion]

Got M1 MacMini top spec a few months ago. Sweet! Sadly Ableton Live 11 is not native. Thus Rosetta 25% cpu tax.

[@BarryJohns]

It will take a little time, but will be great once there!

[@MikhailBeltran]

I've been using the OWC TB3 Dock since 2018 and I'm disappointed it recently stopped working. I had my Apollo x8p via tb3, 4k 32" monitor via mini displayport, 3 midi controllers via USB all connected to one port on my Macbook in clamshell mode. It provided decent charging and worked flawlessly at the beginning. Now it causes my computer to run EXTRA slow to the point where it lags on basic tasks like web browsing and impossible to work in Logic Pro X. OWC dock doesn't charge my macbook anymore. I've changed tb3 cables, tried different usb c ports on macbook, and the only fix was not using the OWC dock. These docks are expensive with only 2 year warranty. I expected more than 4 years of use for the price I payed. I have a M1 Max on the way and I'm gonna try my luck on a Caldigit docks this time around.

[@BarryJohns]

Did you try to talk to OWC about it? Can’t hurt.

[@bangoutsound9688]

Barry I just got a macbook air. What cable do I need to connect the owc to my mac air?

[@BarryJohns]

Thunderbolt cable, the OWC comes with one.

[@jinraigami3349]

My baseus hub can connect to 2 external flash drive just fine. Are you referring to Nas?

[@BarryJohns]

Flash drives are easy, try using multiple SSD drives, not good.

[@ConnectionsDigital]

Black is USB 2. Dark blue is USB 3.0. Light blue is USB 3.1. Red is USB 3.2.

[@BarryJohns]

I knew I was getting that wrong, it doesn’t matter to the point, but attention to detail right? My bad!

[@neve2254e]

hopefully Avid will make a new HD native with some DSP? Or hopefully Avid will do a complete redesign as the DSP chips are from the year 2006!!!

[@sarinsahil]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Is this still valid in 2024? I am looking to get one for my studio, but reading the review about Caldigit, OWC, Kensington. All of them seem to have developed problems within a year. Drops and drives ejecting own their own. I was wondering what your recommendation is now? The only one left which is a little bit more expensive is Belkin. Thank you :). ( I am on M1Max Pro 14" 64GB Ram )

[@admmartin1]

I would be interested in what you find out as I am ready to get one as well!

[@sarinsahil]

@@admmartin1 I am on it! @BarryJohnsStudioTalk is your OWC working just fine or did you have problems with it ever? Thank you

[@TheEmrickman]

I have no problem with my portable Anker USB C dock with multiple devices and SSDs connected to my IMac.

[@BarryJohns]

Multiple devices are zero problem and haven’t been. Try to run multiple USB C 3.2 SSD drives, best of luck.

[@beatprocess]

i have a m1 mini 8gb, M1 Ipad, and M1 pro 16gb. going to rid of ipad and mini

[@chriscabforcutie10]

Hey Barry (or anyone else with M1 experience)...Helpful video, you rock! Question: I'm coming from an old MacBook pro (2013 512g SSD and 16gb Ram) would that M1 MacBook Air with 8gb of RAM really be enough to run track/mix sessions? I'm on PT12 and run memory intensive sessions (Arturia soft synths, UAD/Slate/Waves plugins etc.) 60+ tracks and my current setup is choking and getting real hot. Worth the upgrade or wait for the next gen? Any advice welcomed! Thanks and keep it up.

[@bigdap100]

Get the M1 Mac mini with 16gb ram for $750 or get the 16 gig ram M1 Air for 1k... both will destroy what you have.

[@DaveWestGuitar]

I read the fine print on the specs for the OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock. It says audio will be quiet and that to avoid this, plug audio device playback devices directly in to your computer. I said game over and bought a Cal Digit Element. How can I run external drives full of audio with a dock that levels your sound? Read the fine print in the specs. Its point 3.

[@BarryJohns]

Why would you be using the audio out of the dock ?

[@mikeestvanic650]

@@BarryJohns Isn’t that the entire point of a dock? To keep things plugged into the dock and not your laptop. I don’t want to disconnect a dozen cables to take my laptop with me. That’s why I’m purchasing a $300 dock.

[@BarryJohns]

@@mikeestvanic650 this is primarily for studio recording where all your audio would go through your recording interface.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

when i leave my macbook air M2 on to scan my library for my waves cosmos app ( sample cataloger) when I get back and turn on in the morning my ssd's are always ejected with warnings and I even have m,y MacBook set to not sleep as its running an external monitor . I'm still trying to figure to to keep everything running

[@BarryJohns]

It’s most likely your external monitor settings. Make sure it’s not set to sleep. I had the same issues until I figured that out.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

@@BarryJohns amazing tip ! I’ll get onto that . Love the video series. Honest straight delivered views and ideas .

[@andrewccolwell]

Interested in this for work where we have a shared desk with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse stay on the desk but different people plug in to work at different times. Do you think this would work well for that? Peripherals would stay plugged in but the MacBooks would change.

[@BarryJohns]

It will work fine as long as you’re unplugging each computer in and out as you’re using it.

[@jakeman1968]

Barry, I'd be curious how the OWC dock works with the M1 in clamshell mode. I've read and watched a lot of docks and hubs that claim it will work and wake the external display up but this isn't always the case. I was being cost effective and got a Satechi hub with HDMI and returned it because of it not waking the monitor. Exploring my options now.

[@BarryJohns]

Works great…I have had no issues.

[@jakeman1968]

@@BarryJohns So I ordered one of the OWC Thunderbolt Dock with Thunderbolt cable and I do have problems with the clamshell mode and waking the monitor from sleep. Was there anything special you did to get this to work? I've contacted OWC tech support and Apple tech support both saying it's the other guys problem. I think a video of a warning about this, not only with OWC dock but Satechi hubs would be in order. Very frustrating when manufacturers point the fingers at the other guy so they don't have to deal with the issue. :-(

[@ilikemyrealname]

@@jakeman1968 Did you ever get your OWC dock issues resolved? Usually when clamshell mode doesn't turn on the monitors, it's because the computer is not also being powered (Macs will NOT work in clamshell mode while not being supplied power). But the OWC dock as power delivery, so I'm confused as to why you had this issue. Hope you were able to find a resolution!

[@jakeman1968]

@@ilikemyrealname My work around has been using the Lock Screen command from the Apple pulldown menu & also had to change in System Preferences/Battery/Power Adapter and checked the "Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off". Seems weird but it works although the computer is not asleep. 🙄

[@ilikemyrealname]

@@jakeman1968 Thank your for that bit of info. Hopefully I won’t experience the same issue as the whole purpose for ordering the OWC was to use the MBP in clamshell. Fingers crossed 🤞 Have a good one!

[@rockvox7419]

What about the Blackmagic Design ssd 4 drive bay?

[@ACDevastation]

Good video, I was just considering this Also, unrelated but why do you prefer the EV-20 over the SM7B? I think Sm7b suits my voice better because it’s not that deep, but I want to try the EV-20. Just using it for VoIP and occasional guitar recording Thanks

[@BarryJohns]

I also have an SM 7B, and it’s actually better for most voices. I’ve actually kind of got a nasally kind of voice, problematic around 1K, so the RE 20 seems to suit my voice a little bit better.

[@Bradbroproductions]

Barry what is your plan for an audio interface into your macbook, or do you not do any live tracking? I’m thinking of moving to an M1 but would have no way to use my dual Motu interfaces that currently go into a pci card. I need at least 11 inputs to track live drums, even more for tracking a band.

[@BarryJohns]

Your MOTU Interfaces were great back in the past, but by todays standards you can get a lot better conversion, even many of the newer entry level units today, are better than expensive units made 10 or more years ago. I would by a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 interface, that has 4-8 mic pre amps built in, and add a Audient ASP880 8 channel mic pre that can connect via ADAT. I can recommend even higher grade gear, if you have the budget.

[@funkyboogiee]

will their 14 port OWC thunderbolt dock work with my M1 Max 16" that is arriving soon, or should i just get the 11 port OWC dock (the one you are using)? the 14 port one is only 30$ more and has mini SD and Spdif, etc..

[@BarryJohns]

This is currently the best one I know of for Thunderbolt 3. eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3DK14PSG/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA9OiPBhCOARIsAI0y71D4f9iulYE0Yu80FjONTJS7jtpguNoGvAAl8JP9TTOVkF35wKZgPoQaAo3QEALw_wcB

[@EHall-yx9xy]

Hey Barry. How will these TB docks work with my Apollo X6 connected to it?

[@BarryJohns]

You don’t want to connect your interface through a dock, that is best connected directly to the computer.

[@FacuPuig]

Hey Barry, can you connect your computer from the one of the 3 Thunderbolt ports in the back? I have a MacMini and I want to have all the connections done from behind, Thank you

[@BarryJohns]

You just need to use one of your thunderbolt connections to go to the dock. You can continue to use the other two thunderbolt connections off your Mac mini, as well as the additional ports on the dock. Does that make sense?

[@FacuPuig]

@@BarryJohns Yes, What I mean is, the 3 ports behind the dock, can I use one of those to connect my Mac mini?, because the front port is labeled with a computer icon so that means they want us to use that front port to connect the computer, but it make more sense to me to use one of the 3 back ports from the dock to the computer so there are no cables laying around the desk if I can make connections all in the back of the devices. Thank you for your time and greetings from Argentina!

[@GeekOfAudio]

Helpful video, thanks! Does anybody know if it's possible to run a UAD Apollo through a docking station?

[@BarryJohns]

Not advised, you should run interfaces directly with the computer.

[@GeekOfAudio]

@@BarryJohns Bummer. Thanks for the reply!

[@jigilous]

My OWC doc is screaming at a high pitch and the front ports connect and disconnect every few seconds. This is common with the OWC docks.

[@BarryJohns]

I’ve never experienced that.

[@ilikemyrealname]

This is the first time I've seen this noise issue mentioned about the OWC dock. I've only seen this mentioned about the CalDigit which is why I went with the OWC. It'll be here in a few days, fingers crossed it's silent. Did you ever figure out what the issue is? Is it still screaming at you nearly 2 weeks after your post?

[@jigilous]

@@ilikemyrealname yes it still screams, and I’ve read others having the same problem. It’s said the sound is the hallmark of dying capacitors. I’ve moved the dock to be further away from me so I notice it less. Otherwise it’s a great box. I’ll add I’ve had mine for around 3 yrs though

[@ilikemyrealname]

@@jigilous Ah I see, I assumed it was a nearer unit. Still though, 3 years isn’t all that long. My OWC comes in a few days, but guess my 3 year countdown starts then lol. Thanks for the reply and added info. Good luck with your music!

[@brandonh6838]

Just got a new M1 max. Thinking PT Carbon may assist in my workflow. Can the ethernet connection of this dock work with the carbon AVB? Or, do you have to do the recommended daisy chain/multi dongles? "Adapter: Daisy chain of Apple TB 3 (USB-C) to TB 2 Adapter to Apple TB to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter"

[@BarryJohns]

If it’s a laptop, then yes you have to use the TB3-2, then the TB2 to Ethernet. If a Mac studio, then you plug the Ethernet directly into the computer.

[@brandonh6838]

@@BarryJohns awesome! And thanks 🙏

[@bigdap100]

16:30 You guessed it Barry, more ports coming to the MacBook. Question: what external SSDs do you like or currently using?

[@BarryJohns]

I use a Samsung T5, transfer finished projects to a USB 12TB Drive that is backed up to a second identical drive.

[@bigdap100]

@@BarryJohns cool. I use the T5’s also (2 x 500gb). I was thinking about upgrading and wondered what your thoughts were. Thanks man, love the channel, and thanks for sticking up for the end users.

[@BarryJohns]

@@bigdap100 I’ve not had any issues, I also use them for video editing which is demanding. That said, I don’t do a lot of VI’s. Thanks for the encouragement!

[@rudyonthego]

How can I apply the eject feature on the top bar?

[@BarryJohns]

You have to install the driver. Make sure it’s the most recent version.

[@rockvox7419]

Is the M1 compatible with Carbon and the hybrid Protools software?

[@BarryJohns]

Yes, in Rosetta mode, I’ve had no issues so far.

[@mixedbyv]

Great videos? Do you by chance know if this will run Apollo interfaces?

[@BarryJohns]

My RME will only work with a direct connection.

[@jaludwick]

Do you always keep it on? Does it get hot?

[@BarryJohns]

It’s always on and never gets hot. It’s close to perfect.

[@ninjalightning2631]

Bluetooth

[@StreetsOfVancouverChannel]

Your image needs more red... ;)

[@587583922]

Your understanding of RAM is flawed. EVERYTHING has used virtual memory for a really long time. In the UNIX world, virtual memory was introduced with BSD version 3 in 1979. In WIndows, NT had it in 1992. Apple had it at least since System 7 on their own, and OS X is based on Mach, which had virtual memory in 1985. I think it's safe to say that you have never used a DAW computer without virtual memory. The reason it seems faster now is just because NVMe SSDs are pretty fast....still not fast compared to RAM, but very fast compared to SATA, SAS, SCSI, IDE, etc.. I'm not saying that Apple Silicon isn't awesome. It is. But, that isn't the reason.

[@BarryJohns]

Oh dear here we go. So my friend how many computers have you used where Ram and GPU are all done on the CPU? Hum, look a 10 second google search will get you all the info you need. I’m sorry, but no pun intended, but you have not stayed up to date on technology! You’ve been left behind. Things have changed my brother in a huge way! And for the record, I never said anything about how the ram is used virtually or not. How in the world you took that from my video I have no idea. I’m pretty sure what I said was RAM doesn’t work the same way with Apple Silicon that it does in the past. But if you think you need 64, you really only need 32. My brother I’ll put my computer chops against yours any day of the week.

[@BarryJohns]

www.xda-developers.com/apple-silicon-unified-memory/amp/

[@stupendousmusic4190]

Periphial ? Do you mean peripheral ?

[@JDFloyd]

Amazing how much of the English language, and simple facts you butchered in this video.