I bought the M2 MacBook Air for Beatmaking and Sound design! First Thoughts

I bought the M2 MacBook Air for Beatmaking and Sound design. I wanted see if the M2 Air could handle music production. Here are some of my first thoughts and recommendations for the M2 MacBook Air for music production and content creation.
Let me know what you’d want to see and how I should put this to the test in a future video. In the meantime the M2 Air runs BandLab so smoothly!
Check it out here:
get-bandlab.app.link/brandon-...
#BANDLAB #MUSICPRODUCTION #AD #Sponsored

[@BrandonRico]

📢 M2 MacBook Air Update (After 2 Months) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zqe2n4h3oNl1qpo

[@ejsalazar]

So true about how the tech community has skewed to more negative content. Appreciate this video! Got this for music production and loving it so far.

[@jt3013]

Best M2 review yet - you hit all the points I was looking for. Thank you!

[@9bridges]

Don’t forget this device is SILENT

[@BrandonRico]

One of my favorite things about it. My 2015 Pro sounds like a small drone Everytime I open it up 😅

[@Tigerex966]

Which is a good and bad thing, because there is no fan when push it will throttle, in some tests that are extended it is slower than the m1 air as the m2 heats up faster and throttles sooner, not to mention the base models ssd is slower than the m1, it also lacks the fast charging of the 13 pro model, it’s extra gou core , it’s fan for extended performance, and it’s larger battery for two more hours and better speaker, and no notch, both use the same screen tech minus 60 pixels and a notch. If you know you will be pushing it and need extra battery life better speakers and are okay with the touchbar over MagSafe and thin bezels, the 13 pro model makes better sense when equipped the same, gpu count and fast charger, the machines cost the same as well. Yet the 13 pro will always be faster and last longer And it’s almost always silent as well, even when the fans come on it’s quiet,

[@erix1971]

But for a „simple“ task like voice recording then heat shouldn’t be an issue (I hope) The fact that the MB Air M1/2 doesn’t have a fan is what is key for me (looking for a mobile VO solution)

[@audaciouslybeat]

Great breakdown glad to see someone trying in a space where folks are not willing to explore.

[@markslima1557]

Legit - I had a 2013 13" MacBook Pro that has served me really well for years. Getting the M2 Air is a fantastic upgrade and will also last me years and years.

[@joej5081]

Review I was looking for 🔥

[@JustusTams]

Thank you for your straight forward review

[@slenap5305]

Just the video I was looking for!!! And band lab……WOW👌Keep up the good work ✨

[@sheilasimpson7092]

Now you are talking my language. Great review of the M2 MacBook Air. Well done!

[@laks6299]

I just got my M2 MacBook Air and I'm lovin' it. I love how articulate you are in this video, you earned my sub!

[@SlimeHut555]

Regarding plugins, regardless of what DAW you use there will be some processor lag between opening 3rd party plugins and playback, how smooth is the M2? Especially with plugins such as ozone 9 and kontakt?

[@prodjackwilson]

just bought the m2 16/1tb, so hyped!!!

[@BrandonRico]

Beats mode!

[@djwalkerfemaledj]

Got it for my DJING JULY 2022 LOVE THE MACBOOK AIR M2 GOOD BATTERY 18 HOURS 16 GB AND 1TP AND GOOD QUALITY LOVE IT MAN MY FIRST MACBOOK AIR M2❤

[@HorizonOdyssey]

this was just the video i needed. I am currently looking at the 512gb SSD MB air with 16 gigs of RAM for my music production in Logic. I was wondering if it was gonna hold up but you really convinced me of how beautiful this machine is

[@paperoutep]

Should I get the 16 ram for recording and mixing

[@anthonychestnut4013]

Good info sir Rico.

[@humblebeastmode4655]

This video was very informative. Thank you 🙏🏿 I’m a beginner. Today is day 1

[@expatcanuck2087]

Many thanks for the heads up re: the 512GB being faster -- VERY helpful.

[@namede6210]

I've seen too many people talk about how it's not worth to upgrade the MBA M2 to 16/512, and that made me hesitate to pull my trigger. I wanted a machine to record and mix music on the go (mostly acoustic songs), and edit some vlogs, and considering I spend most of my time outside almost everyday, I find MBA to be much convenient and comfortable to bring out with, yet still offer a good amount of power. But I'm so confused right now lol.

[@BrandonRico]

Don’t let the clout chasers confuse you fam. Don’t believe the hype. The M2 air has proven more than capable for what we do. If you value battery life and portability and you need more storage space at a lower cost the go for it. It is the best in it’s class right now. If you need to prioritize power for heavier intensive work (Beatmaking will not make this M2 sweat by the way) go for the M1 PRO. Highly doubt you’ll ever get a chance to use such power for what we do unless you’re multitasking music and large films at once. So overpaying for overkill gear won’t make you a better creator. You know what you need 💪🏾 you got this fam.

[@theophilusphasha5600]

​m😮😮

[@hollywoodthedj1673]

@@BrandonRico I was looking at this to use for djing and running serato dj pro I know someone selling a base model one for like $500 right now but for djing I would definitely want the 16gb model with at least the 512 hard drive even tho I’d be using an portable ssd drive for all the music

[@benji_tunez]

I finally found the person with the same thought process I have. If I end up buying the m2, this will be my first macbook my whole life and everyone has been telling me to get the Macbook Pro since the higher spec MacBook Air is the same price as the base model Pro. But I want to be able to bring my MB wherever and use logic wherever, something that even my older laptop struggled to do with FL Studio (I needed to use it plugged everytime I wanted to work)

[@BrandonRico]

Yeah even the owners of the pro mostly acknowledged how thick the Pros are even without comparing it to the Air. I just didn’t like that. Plus for around the same price maybe $200 more for the base model 14 inch Pro, you still only have 512gb. Literally half the storage here.

[@jmula1963]

my lil bro has the 14in m1 max for video editing and its actually a great size and not too heavy or anything, rly good for mobile work. but i jus copped the m2 air cuz i wanted to save about $500-600 and i don need hella gpu cores for audio eng and coding . i copped the 10-core 1tb w/ 24gb ram tho

[@benji_tunez]

@@jmula1963 I might not need 24gb but 1 tb space is a must for me, so I’ll save the extra 200 for getting the education bundle with logic final cut and all the other content creation stuff

[@heffe4257]

You can bring the pro wherever too lmao. And you get an sd card input and way more io. No brainer guy.

[@benji_tunez]

@@heffe4257 Tbh I am weird and don’t actually use most of those ports. I made sure that before I get it I had all software and everything I need virtually so All I would need is only a usb drive or an adapter

[@CaptainTodger69]

Nice video! The model you got is basically the one i am thinking about getting. What’s the benefit for the upgraded GPU, though? Or is that more for content creation that music production work?

[@BrandonRico]

Thanks fam. I love this color! But beware of the “fingerprint issue”. It’s not a big deal for me but if you care more about the external aesthetic of your device then I’d recommend at least the space gray color way. As far as the upgrade, the extra two cores gives me a bit of headroom when using some audio unit plugins that are known to be taxing on CPU and GPU. I knew that I would be installing heavier VSTs like Kontakt libraries and Arturia plug-ins so I knew I would want that there for more intense sound design sessions on the go.

[@CaptainTodger69]

@@BrandonRico okay, that makes sense. I use kontakt and arturia stuff, too. Thanks for the help and the quick reply. Much appreciated!

[@margaretannmickelberg1080]

please do a tutorial!!! I'm brand new and got Logic Pro for fun and have no idea what to do

[@jamesjross]

I am so caught here. I have enough for the m1 pro 14. But I dont want to waste money. If I get the Air I can get all the software optimized for M I need. If I stretch for the 14 inch pro I'm paying off 400 for the next year and will be struggling for plugins. I've been trying to make my mind up for ages. Also my 2012 15 inch pro lasted me nearly 10 years.

[@LukeLine]

If you don’t want to waste money, need to save or are worried about paying anything off, just get what you can afford. I’m debating the M2 air and a m1pro 14 but will get what I can. 🙏🏽

[@jerryheritage]

Greeting from Malaysia~ Newly sub! Thank you for the video!

[@adrianolesnyckyj]

Dope vid, my guy. Quick question (forgive if already answered): I also have a 7+ year-old computer (iMac 27" Late 2015). I notice that once I start using third-party plugins like FabFilter MB / L2 or God Particle, the processor usage skyrockets. I'm wondering how the m2 Air performs with respect to AU's like Omnisphere and plugins like iZotope Ozone. Thanks!

[@adrianolesnyckyj]

I'm on Logic, btw

[@fernandochapa1433]

I saw the M2 on Sale and I made the shop. The power of recording with a silent laptop is very underrated. Also I think producers have been spoiled and lack some of cpu power management skills of the past. This laptop looks great for remote working and on the go mixing, time to say goodbye to my 10 year old MacBook Pro lol

[@fernandochapa1433]

It was $999 shipping included, hard to pass on tbh

[@Byronic19134]

@@fernandochapa1433 My problem is that I will never in my life pay $1000 for something that only has 8gb ram and 256 gb drive so base model is not an option.

[@zaescorin]

@@Byronic19134 dude just update the ram

[@songsalon7868]

​@@zaescorinSorry, I guess you can, if you switch out the hard drive, Good Luck!!!

[@tng_abu3201]

Honesty the top searches are wilding out. This my first time considering buying a MacBook. I want it to write novels on , content consumption, and maybe in the future some editing for KZbin videos. Nothing too crazy but they make it seem like it’s not worth it. Mind you this my first time considering a laptop never owned one before

[@SakarApte]

I'm planning on getting an M2 macbook air. Please guide me on this. I'm thinking of upgrading just the ram to 16 gb and using an external 1tb samsung ssd which i already have. Would that be sufficient for music production in logic pro x? Or would you still recommend 512gb internal ssd cuz it gets hella expensive after all those upgrades

[@corvo458]

True. I've got the same idea

[@Lil2toxic]

Truth

[@toflybj]

they be hatein saying it to easy why its not jumping but imma still use It cam good at it!!

[@JaKrish]

Wouldn’t storing photos and files to The Cloud free up a lot of space? Plus external SSD drives are waaay cheaper than what Apple charges. A Samsung terabyte is about $100. The Logic Pro sound library can sit on an external drive. Most important for the M2 would be the 16 Gig RAM. Plenty of performance tests show it’s really the only thing that makes any noticeable difference.

[@Khordmaster]

1:42 good things are getting cheap and the cheap things are getting good 💎

[@manuelseromx]

What do you think is better for music production? Air M2 16Gb 512Gb or Pro M2 8Gb 512 Gb?

[@nicholasripamonti4678]

256gbs for me is good 'caus i have an external ssd with 2tb, i can spend less and have same performance as buy the 1 tb from apple lol

[@ZETSUEN26]

Bro some of us just want a laptop, I feel yuh with the other KZbinrs n shit

[@yandan9499]

I want to see what happens when you load 30 plugins on a real project. All this talk is nice but also everyone else says the same, you need to showcase music production process, how it trottles, how hot it gets after 1-2 hours of making solid tracks.

[@BrandonRico]

Hey man I have quite a few M2 air Beatmaking videos uploaded already. But stay tuned. I’ll be making a dedicated video for this and showing a more intense workflow and process and how M2 air handles it.

[@deecron1]

Could someone please tell me what vst plugins are compatible with the new m2 chip?? I need more instruments and more sounds?

[@BrandonRico]

M2 MacBook Air Update (After 2 Months) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zqe2n4h3oNl1qpo

[@deecron1]

@@BrandonRico Got you, thank you so much brother you don't know how much your vids helped me! God bless!

[@BrandonRico]

No doubt fam. Thanks for the support 🙏🏾🤞🏾

[@Lazaraki]

Does pro tools work on MacBook Air m2?

[@BrandonRico]

I don’t see why not. Check out my update video

[@superstarmagic3]

Which screen size have you bought? I am planning to buy a MacBook in a few days and still can’t decide what to buy, MacBook Pro M1 Pro or MacBook Pro M2, or maybe even Air because of the price! I need it for serious music production with Logic Pro! Looking forward to your answer!

[@iPaTOuT96]

What you got?

[@sam_ed]

Base model?

[@BrandonRico]

Not this one. I’ve upgraded this one to the mid specs but the base model could be just as capable with a few handicaps

[@nowaysanta]

It took 2 and a half minutes for the video to actually start doing what it said on the title

[@Lil2toxic]

Aye

[@Tigerex966]

But the 13 pro has better battery life better performance when stress stays cooler, comes with more gpu cores no notch, has faster charging, gives you the touch bar instead of MagSafe. Yes it has thicker bezels so. That makes it more durable, and means no notch. The screen tech is identical, minus 60 pixels and a notch. The speakers are better, headphones the same. All that for just $100 more. You do get a slightly better webcam on the air, but that hard to notice and more colors that attract fingerprints. But by almost all objective measurements including battery life performance durability, gpu, speakers, the 13 MacBook Pro is superior and what counts without a notch. Basically magsafe thin bezels colors a few more pixels and better style are the only thing the air bring to the table, but you compromise the performance battery life heat and long term durability for that $100 savings. Is style over function worth it. Almost all you tubers give the 13 pro no respect if they even mention it and it is the superior product because the fan allows the m2 chip to shine instead of throttle and the extra gpu help in many areas and two hours extra battery life is nothing to sneeze at.

[@BrandonRico]

Hey fam thanks for tuning in and the feedback. I agree the 13 inch Pro is no slouch by any means. However I wanted to prioritize the the form fact as well as maximizing the specs for the price. I do believe the form factor, color and newer updated design will be important to ALOT of us. I don’t use the touch bar for my workflow as I have found it glitchy and unreliable on my wife’s M1 machine and I have the updated MagSafe 67watt fast charger. Leaving me with Both my usb c ports wide open for my musical peripherals. This just fits MY current workflow for Beatmaking and film scoring. Check out my M2 MacBook Air Update (After 2 Months) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zqe2n4h3oNl1qpo

[@codenamegrs9278]

Us customers gotta teach Apple a few lessons. They've been soldering the SSDs onto the motherboard since 2016 and overcharging like 3x - 4x the price per TeraByte compared to nice Samsung 980 PRO Ssd s for example. I would ve paid that price but if the ssd breaks you can't replace it. You gotta go back to apple and they'll also overcharge you for the repair cause they'll replace the whole motherboard =))).. Money Hungry Apes. I hope Meteors fall on their HQ :)

[@Soul_of_]

They are paying you 😂 see 😝 get your money homie

[@miguelinspirado]

What interface are you using on this MacBook air M2?

[@BrandonRico]

I either use the Audient iD14 or the Arturia MiniFuse