M2 MacBook Air Update (After 2 Months)

[@hmmty]

Hey man, I just wanted to compliment you on your presentation style, really engaging, nice pace, great diction and intonation and this all coming from a Brit. Content is great and well-researched and you speak from a great personal perspective. Kudos.

[@BrandonRico]

Thank you. That really means a lot. ESPECIALLY coming from a Brit. I’ve gotten some very unfavorable feedback from people in the past on my presentation so I’ve tried to make my content more digestible for everyone.

[@GStunna6]

@@BrandonRico I'm moving from windows laptops can you use the side car as a full touchscreen in your daw? Everyone has been saying the ipad sidecar doesn't support touchscreen with normal use But what about using a daw? I wanna use fl studio & put the piano on the ipad & beat pads Please help

[@marcospastrana1]

That MacBook Air flip was so smooth

[@songsalon7868]

Yaaas, That was Snazzy

[@FireMunki63]

Love your real world no nonsense style. You gave me the answers I couldn't find anywhere else where everything seemed to be style over substance. Great work.

[@lassesuurmunne8340]

Man, this was the most helpful video I’ve found on the m2 MacBook Air! Thank you. I was also thinking that 16gb with 1TB ssd is the way to go for a musician and you put my mind at ease. My last laptop was the 2017 MacBook Pro. But every time I go to a store I’m just in love with the feel, the look, the size and weight of the new MacBook Air. It’s amazing how far the Air has come and it sorta feels like I’ll be home again since my very first MacBook was an Air. Awesome video! I’ll be checking out more of your content 🎶✌️

[@Numanoid69]

Really enjoyed the video update. It's now convinced me to go for the air option and save myself a few hundred pounds. Thank you.

[@phillipgnau]

I have the midnight m2 air as well and I love it! I also tried to use the 12.9” iPad Pro as my only “computer” but there are so many weird limitations that make no sense. For example, just yesterday I was trying to copy and paste a rubric while I was grading and it wouldn’t work on my ipad. It wouldn’t let me across and copy at the same time. So strange. I’ve also had several websites on my iPad not work properly. Very happy with my Mac. Better battery life, so fast, camera in the correct position…so happy with this purchase.

[@BrandonRico]

I agree. I also believe that Apple intended for users to use them all together. The MacBook Air is perfect device for people like us that love the portable power of the iPads but need MacOS workflows. But I am really enjoying using the entire Apple ecosystem in the same workflow. It is extremely convenient how they all work together. I’m stuck here but I love it 😅

[@GStunna6]

@@BrandonRico I'm moving from windows laptops can you use the side car as a full touchscreen in your daw? Everyone has been saying the ipad sidecar doesn't support touchscreen with normal use But what about using a daw? I wanna use fl studio & put the piano on the ipad & beat pads Please help

[@djerikfox]

..just bought air m3 with 512 and 16g ram, omg its amazing, runs logic and cubase 13 with all of my plugins, no problem!! regards

[@lukebogacik2793]

You answered many questions halfway through video,, been using 2012 MacBook Pro with self installed 16gb ram and a Samsung 1Tb solid state drive.. no issues with Maschine software… I cannot upgrade my OS now so I’m shopping… thanks man ✌🏼🙏🏻

[@trapbeatproducer]

100% yes! I had an M1 MacBook Pro 256GB SSD with 16GB RAM. I found I never went over 7-8GB when making beats. When the M2 Air came out I fell in love with it 😂, but recently sold the MacBook and downgraded to a Surface Pro 5 so I could travel to America with less equipment. I need Windows to run my business so had to put my vst's on the smaller device. The Surface Pro works 100% without fans and does get warmer but it's cool! I've not suffered thermal throttling yet! The M2 Air speakers to back to the 2015 Air and I preferred making beats on them as opposed to the M1 Pro speakers that were too bright at higher volume. Generally I start all my melodies using the internal speakers on any device. I'm glad to see the M2 working well for you man it's a good thing, and proves we can make beats on devices without a fan. Ahh one more thing in case anybody is interested, the Surface Pro I downgraded to is a 2017 model with 256 GB SSD with just 8GB RAM. It cost 400€ and processor use in Waveform Pro is identical to using the old MacBook.. 12-15% CPU when creating, which drops to 1-2% after mixing and bouncing my tracks to audio. The only downside is I've lost bluetooth to my keyboard, but i've been testing the internal keyboard for MIDI input and made a beat on the flight from Germany to Atlanta two days ago 🔊 Great video! God bless you man - I hope you're good. I'll try to find some of your music now 💪🏽

[@spectruum]

did 256gb feel limited for you or was using an external storage enough?

[@AmbivalentMind]

This is a good review and I'm glad you focused on usability and not performance numbers

[@Beautyoutofruin]

Exactly what I plan to do, you confirmed my decision. I had a 2012 MacBook Pro 2.2ghz quad, 16gb ram it preformed well enough to meet my demands, it died recently (last year), used the iPad Pro (before the M1 chips) it’s great, but missing (depending the app your using) a tone of workflow friendly stuff. But have come to the realisation I need macOS and associated apps (I use Ableton mainly) allow me to do what I need it to do. So I’m going for the M2 Air with 16gb ram SSD I haven’t decided yet, not sure on CPU Core yet either. It’s just gotta match or better the old MacBook Pro I had mainly 🤙

[@RLeeWII]

Thanks!

[@BrandonRico]

Thank you fam. I appreciate it 🙏🏾💪🏾

[@elbambinomaloso189]

How tf you donate 😂 i didnt know you can do that

[@bitburg40]

Awesome video. I’ve been on an Imac since 2012 and it’s still going strong,(no windows computer for me has lasted a quarter as long😂) but because of it’s age I’m not able to get updates so I’m considering my options. I was thinking it would be big bucks for another imac or desktop set-up. Now I’m thinking taking your route for a smaller and more portable option. I use Logic pro x, with a Korg Kronos, Ominsphere 2, Superior Drummer 3, plus Neural Dsp plug-ins. Do you think your set-up could handle that?

[@cerebrumexcrement]

thanks for ur review. u covered some things that arent discussed in other videos and that helped a lot!

[@sheilasimpson7092]

Really great content, especially how you use accessories! Very informative.

[@BrandonRico]

THANK YOU

[@SOPM2007]

I'm looking for a Laptop to run Ableton Live 11 and I recently tried a DELL convertible with an i5 CPU (13. Gen), 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD storage. Honestly, this was a pain... I got horrible performance as I wasn't able to flawlessly use any of the ASIO drivers. Later on I read many people had similar experiences and some say it's because of the Realtek sound chip, DELL uses in their laptops. Only thing I believe to know is, Apple uses completely different architecture, but wondering if you really have to use Apple products if you want a great experience of mobile music production.

[@85tolife25]

Perfect. I was looking for someone that uses Arturia and Native Instruments like me. I guess I'll be getting the M2 Air Pro. I'll probably go with the 24GB or memory though. I have a 2014 MacBook pro, so yea, it's about that time. It's still going strong, but gets hot. I feel like I got my money's worth with it too. Thanks

[@familymovie5799]

great vid! still rockin it into 2024, no throttle, no slowdowns, no major heat issues?

[@oldrainbeats]

Great Video! It's one year on, are you still using the Air? is it still working as intended?

[@kevinsturges6957]

Nice review. Subscribed!

[@bobbytsunami3085]

I’m hoping I’ll be able to find the midnight m2 @ 1tb and 16gb ram otherwise it’s the m1 16” for me

[@ricwin9027]

Hi, great content! 🔥 I am considering to upgrade from a MacBook Pro 2018 to the MacBook Air M2 (16Gb). Can I ask you if you are still happy with it? I usually work with 20-30 tracks (3-4 Omnisphere, 3-4 Serum etc...). You think it would handle it? Thank you!

[@yosoymichaelmyers]

So you think I could run fl studio on it? I really dont want spend 4k on a laptop

[@Mill-on-da-track]

Im opting for the base model because I wont be doing major production on it. I just need something to take with me to work that has a much better battery life than my old 2012 macbook pro that i can crank out quick beats when i have a break the base will do me fine even with the lowesr specs. My main gaming desktop i built is for my heavy projects

[@bxndz8917]

I’ve been running on a olddd MacBook Pro mid 2010 , base model with 4GB ram and 256 GB I’ve been looking around and everyone is usually already running 8-16+ GB ram . I was wondering if even just doubling my storage for my future device is good enough , I’ve been looking at a 8Gb ram / 512 GB MacBook Air (m2) My Main uses are vocal recording/ audio mixing (not much production) Occasional browsing I feel the pro model is a bit overkill and honestly bulky also I know this video is a bit aged , appreciated if you reply❕

[@JSBM517]

I'm about to dip into the laptop game and I really like this one. I don't know very much about computers. I'm wondering what will be good for what I plan to use this computer for. There's not much more I would do with this computer other than normal web browsing movie watching stuff like that but my primary use for this will be voice recording for voice overs using a good quality audio interface to connect a good quality microphone to. I was looking at getting the 16GB ram 1TB drive, maybe splurge and get 2TB. I know I probably don't need 2 TB but why the hell not. Would this suffice or is it overkill and could I get away with just the base model 8GB RAM upgraded to 1 TB storage? Whoever answers this appreciate the help in advanced.

[@sparksilence]

Do you think you will upgrade to the 15” ? I’m on the fence about the 13 and the 15. Is the 13” screen big enough for using Logic, Ableton? The 13” seems so much more compact. That 15” looks huge.

[@familymovie5799]

what did you end up with and how is it?

[@Nilsje]

Me2, any updates? 😃

[@RickTuttle]

Thank you so much for the update. I am really interested that you are using Komplete 14 with the M2 since native instruments says they do not support it. I am about to buy a new M2 Mac and wanted to use Komplete 14 but now I am rethinking it. Were you able to get it to run OK using Rosetta 2?

[@Papi.Labouche]

Hey did you ever figure it out cause I’m looking at switching to an M2 from PC and I have Komplete ultimate 12

[@RickTuttle]

@@Papi.Labouche I got an M2 Mac and love it but I am waiting for summer sale to possibly get Komplete. I use other plugins fine with Logic: XLN, UAD, IK

[@nathanksimpson]

Pigments is great. Also great videos!

[@happysinha]

M looking for system......Mac Book air m2 chip is good for music production Looking for your honest feedback 😔 M on Ableton Live My go-to vata analog lab kontakt omnishphrre ozone fabfilter Should I go with MacBook Air m2

[@Katkattarotandparanormal]

Trying to finish a song on an iPad and it keeps saying I have to many lines even if they are merged

[@MaxCalca]

Nice vid man

[@ChemIngs90]

Big question. Do you think the new MacBook M3 air is enough for logic and Komplete 14 ultimate .. is it quick ? Or do it need loats of time to load ? Best regards

[@sm0nk420]

Damn dude I was only considering an m2 air, but I have to admit that you totally sold me the ipad and the dock too. I thought at least the dock's price would protect me, but it's way less than I thought. Btw, how is the performance when you're using ipad as a second screen? I last tried this with my ipad 3 that still used the 30pin connector, and there was no built in feature at the time so you had to use 3rd party apps, but the performance wasn't very good, the ipad screen was obviously lagging and framerate wasn't very good either, but that was a really long time ago :D

[@cedricseeuws3419]

Hi Brandon, I'm in French, so be indulgent with the translator 😁 I would have liked your opinion, I don't know what to take between an Air M2 15' with 16GB RAM and 512 SSD and a Pro M3 with also 16/512. I have a leisure use. I use GarageBand and Logic and I tend to put 15 to 20 guitar/bass tracks with amp simulation + slap simulation + 5 effects on each of the tracks. The tracks are sometimes all played at the same time. Would the Air M2 in 16/512 be enough or would I need a fan and therefore go through the Pro model? I do sessions of 2-3 hours in a row in general. Thanks

[@mediatrix1111]

Sir, am buying a new Macbook, and am deciding between these 2 options.... 1). 15" M2 Macbook air [16Gb-512GB], or 2). 16" M1 Macbook Pro [16Gb-512Gb]. Currently the MBP is on sale and going for $1559 (512GB). Buying it mainly for music production (Logic Pro, Abelton live) and video (Davinci Resolve studio). Which one should I buy? Plz guide me. Also how much disk space is required to store sounds for music production. Will the 512Gb suffice? I plan on using an external SSD for video editing. But for audio, I suppose it would be better to store sounds, etc on the internal SSD for live performance. Will buying a 1TB SSD model be necessary for music production? Because there is a 1TB MBP going for $1650/- on sale. Though it is a good bargain I dont want to go in for the 1TB model unless necessary. Because I will be buying an external SSD anyway. What is your take on this. Thks a lot.

[@benkutta6328]

Great video! Thank’s a lot. Do you use Rosetta 2 to open Kontakt as a plugin on your Mac Book air? I want to buy one as well but I‘m afraid that Kontakt will not work well as a plugin on a Mac.

[@bigsean6045]

Is your macbook getting hot and throtling during heavy production? Thank you!

[@EricSkyeMusic]

Thanks so much for this

[@FreshTooDef247]

Its a no brainer that with your workload.. The MacBook Pro would have been a solid choice rather then the air

[@Nottsoaverage_]

Hi Brandon thank you for this video it helped me alot with my decision to buy a the m2 Air. First i wanted to buy the Macbook pro m1 max because of all the negative things ive heard about the M2 pro but after wachting this video and your previous video im defenitly gonna go for the m2 air i also really like the midnight blue color. I work alot in fl studio with almost the same vsts you showed in this vid. I own a gaming pc which i build myself for my home studio. But in the new year i wanna travel more and visit different studios so i need a great machine. Is there a possability you can show us a video of you using fl studio or another daw.

[@Roberto_Narvaez]

Hi! Dig finally get it? I am also thinking of grabbing a a MacBook Air for music production. I hate the noise of the fans and need portability. My music needs are not too demanding: no more than 25 tracks in Logic Pro X although with many plugins on each track for the mixing phase (Let’s say an average of 6 plugins on every track). What’s your experience when spending a few hours mixing without breaks? Is the performance of the CPU reduced too much? Do you think it will be enough for my needs? Thank you!

[@jerzboybeats]

Man always a good video. I’ve had a 2019 16 inch MacBook Pro right before the M1 came out. The thing is a tank. I’m thinking about the Mac Mini but the Air along with I have could be a better deal.

[@BrandonRico]

Yeah man you can’t go wrong with these new M Series chips.

[@jerzboybeats]

@@BrandonRico I went on the website and I’m gonna upgrade next year. By that time I won’t need Rosetta to run software. The new ones out the gate have Monterey.

[@thewizrdofoz1]

Great video bro 🔥

[@MikeOMearaChicago]

Good insight thanks!

[@rudybertazzo]

Nice video, thanks!

[@simonfosseprez9369]

Hi, what buffer size are you working with ? I have the same kind of expectations for my usage (kontakt mainly) but I was wondering if that MacBook Air M2 could constantly be used with 128 buffer size on Logic Pro or even Ableton ? I’m a singer/keyboard player and need to work with 128 Max. 256 is not confortable when recording on my old MacBook. 🙏🙏

[@pesopeso510]

I was looking for that candy love song you wrote n produced. Couldn't find it nowhere, you should rerelease that joint or something lol. I feel like if more ppl heard it, it would go up.

[@petehuda7457]

How many tracks with serum?

[@amd5471]

Hi! Just wondering how you manage with only two USB ports. I have an intel MBP with 4 ports, kinda concerned about overloading if I buy an Air with only two ports. Also, what was that Omnisphere thing you had plugged into the dongle?

[@Ambitiouz_mindset]

I mostly use kontakt instruments around 10 channels would this run on a low buffer rate? For less Latancy ?

[@jazzyjase123]

Great video. Could you test with serato pro 3.0 with stems and see how the Air preforms?

[@berkantcnar6542]

How many inches is your macbook?

[@ceedub5640]

Thanks for the video bro, i was about to drop big $$$ on a spec'd out M3 Macbook Pro . .LOVE

[@AlistFameMusic]

Have you tried any of the newer FL studio updates on this M2?

[@Roberto_Narvaez]

Thank you! Great video! am thinking of grabbing a a MacBook Air for music production. I hate the noise of the fans and need portability. My music needs are not too demanding: no more than 25 tracks in Logic Pro X although with many plugins on each track for the mixing phase (Let’s say an average of 6 plugins on every track). What’s your experience when spending a few hours mixing without breaks? Is the performance of the CPU reduced too much? Do you think it will be enough for my needs? Thank you!

[@muscatti]

Idk if i would get an answer here, but i want to ask if is it necessary to learn how to piano before learning on music production

[@BrandonRico]

I’d say if you want to go further than just dragging and dropping someone else’s loops then it would be a good idea to learn atleast ONE instrument. Don’t even have to master it. Just basic music theory and skill could develop you own unique way in music production. It’s a part of the process.

[@muscatti]

Thanks so much man, really appreciate it 😇 Extra Note: I was given an Arturia Minilab 3, so (maybe) i can learn piano with this. This was the reason why I wanted to see if I should rather invest on an iPad Pro M2 or Macbook Air M2. And fsr so many college students are using iPads nowadays and they usually say that it's "portable, light and productive"

[@thiagopinheiromusic]

What hub do you use?

[@Kuba-ld9hf]

Yo bro, what macbook pro would you suggest for me in quite warm enviroment, i want mostly use it for logic pro and fl studio hobby music production (not heavy yet) M2 air will be better option with bigger ssd and 16gb ram than entry new 14' with no upgrade (slower speed) also i wanna try to do some computer graphic course and start working in industry

[@bg357wg]

Or maybe hunt for a base M1 Pro (refurbished or still in stock), and that way you get more GPU cores. The slower SSD speed only applies to the base model of any M2 series laptop, as Apple makes it so that there’s only 1 instead of 2 SSDs on those. With the M1 they didn’t skimp out that way if that’s the only thing holding you back from a pro

[@JulianFernandez]

thanks!

[@ChapChee]

Im curious if the thermal throttling would be an issue at all for a 2-hour live show playing tracks from logic. Anyone has experience?

[@familymovie5799]

how did it go, what did you get and did it throttle and break down hhaha?

[@ChapChee]

it didn't haha. @@familymovie5799

[@GJoseeph]

How big do you think (GBs) is the real Logic musician's library? I'm new to free Kontak library and I'm surprised the software can reach 1TB in sound plug-ins and samples, By the way, what other music libraries do you suggest for pop/electro/hip-hop?

[@ExplorerOfTheGalaxy]

Bro I have 1.2 Tb of Kontakt plugins :) (external SSD of course)

[@malm1231]

hey man thanks for the vid - I think im going to hold out for the M2 macbook pro at this point. (not sure if m2 max or not yet) -any thoughts on futureproof specs? can an M1 / M2 last 10 years if specs are mostly maxed out? -does that KB have a light guide for key ? do you find it helps or is a gimmick? XD thank you keep it up

[@Hi-xs7wm]

Great video ,and nice person

[@Elias.gtr20]

Hey nice vid bro. But one question. Is 10gb enough or should i get 16gb?

[@StudioFourHundred]

Do you know if the latency is low enough to use the AirPods Pro for music production?

[@BrandonRico]

Not at all. We’re just not there yet.. plus Bluetooth is at its current stage degrades mixing quality so much I wouldn’t trust it for live mixing.

[@BOBEMUSIC]

should I buy M2 air 8 gb ram 512 Ssd?

[@BrandonRico]

Absolutely not for music production. You will be disappointed and frustrated with 8gb ram. I’ve always found that 16gb is the sweet spot for creating on Mac OS

[@elijahthc]

Great video and inspiring to see someone using my ideal laptop for music! I'm wondering if you ever connect an external monitor, external SSD, along with an audio interface, midi controllers, etc. all at the same time? I want to upgrade from my M1 Mac Mini to the M2 Air but afraid the port situation won't work... I already know the power of the basic m1/m2 chips. It's plenty for me. It's just the ports... (I tried running my external monitor off of a USB hub but the resolution tanked... Maybe I just need a better one/powered one)

[@Matt-jk8bt]

Great video, but you should show more usage/laptop footage

[@BrandonRico]

NOTED 🙏🏾 thanks. My intention was to get feedback from the community on what specific usages you’d like to see. I’ll be posting a lot more on this in the very near future.

[@mootsym]

Great video man. I appreciate the details you gave regarding what you’re using. I go back and forth between 16 and 24gb ram. I’m assuming the M2 pro chips will have a 24gb option like the base M2. I’d hope to use the laptop for close to 10 years so I’m thinking of future-proofing. I’ve been out of the vst game for a few years but want to get v collection, pigments and omnisphere to use with Logic. I get concerned I may be using a lot of swap memory if I’m pushing 30 tracks with various plugins. What do you think?

[@mayankkaushik6868]

how about testing fl studio????

[@BrandonRico]

Sure let me see if I can arrange that.

[@mayankkaushik6868]

@@BrandonRico i guess you can download demo version and duplicate the demo project to check it's performance

[@luuski33]

Can anyone tell me if the M2 is better for music producing than the M1? And if yes, is there a big difference?

[@Deadly123ify]

No big diff. Just your preference

[@luuski33]

@@Deadly123ify Really? Even If I’m getting the base model m2?

[@Deadly123ify]

@@luuski33 yessir I have the M1 MacBook Pro & M2 MacBook Air I use both for music production. I can truly say if you don’t have a bunch of things your running in your music you should see no diff. The MacBook Pro def holds more storage since I have like 64 gb of ram or something on it but the MacBook Air with only 8 gigs of ram runs as of it has 64 gigs. I was surprised. So if you want something for personal use, speed, comfortably, and ease with similar power to a pro computer. I recommend the MacBook Air m2. If your extremely busy and you need a professional laptop that holds more information than necessary go for the M1 Pro, regardless they are pretty similar

[@luuski33]

@@Deadly123ify I cant really afford the M1 Pro haha, but do you know anything about the M1 Air? (base or 16gb)

[@Deadly123ify]

@@luuski33 tbh bro I don’t have an m1 air to really speak on it I really went and got the pro first than went and got the air m2 but my older brother still has his M1 air mainly for school and just everyday regular people tasks , I ran presonus & Logic Pro on the m1 to make music and it ran pretty well. So personally I don’t really see a difference but battery life & certain things make the m2 air stand out which is why I chose it. But m1-m2 air there isn’t really a diff. Just diff processors and screen sizes

[@chessforfunonly1586]

1TB of RAM? wow, cool device!!

[@BrandonRico]

I wish it was 1TB of ram 😅 I have 16gb of ram with 1TB SSD storage.

[@njpme]

700GB apps? Geez 🥴

[@BrandonRico]

Mann 😩😅 it worth it tho. Didn’t end up installing the entire library onboard

[@ed_ms]

@@BrandonRico lol, I was already thinking something like that because Komplete is almost 3/4 of the disk space you got. Omnisphere also is about 70GB...