OT: (maybe??) So, am I mad or not? - this is a topic about adding an M1 mac mini

[miden]

So, I already have an intel NUC box running the audio setup. It has a dedicated graphics card so it will be ok for games (well, the ones I want to play).

 

Been pondering this for a while, and that is to buy a new M1 mac Mini (with 16g Ram/512 SSD) and use it exclusively for all my audio stuff, live and studio, and consign the NUC to internet and games only.

 

So is that a daft idea?

And would I be better to put the $'s elsewhere?

[EscapeRocks]

Well you know me and my Mac Mini.....   so there's a vote for that

 

It is ONLY for music.   I have other computer(s) for regular day to day, gaming, and internet stuff

[miden]

6 minutes ago, EscapeRocks said:

Well you know me and my Mac Mini.....   so there's a vote for that

 

It is ONLY for music.   I have other computer(s) for regular day to day, gaming, and internet stuff

 

Thanks David, yes the same usage operation I was planning...I've come into a small amount of $'s (not a lot but enough to cover it, they are around $1700 Oz) so it is why I was re-considering it after looking at a Mac system for a long time now but never been able to afford it.

[David Emm]

Not so daft, depending on how much "stuff" you're describing. I have that one as well. Its not even breaking a sweat under high track counts. I'm no VSO type, but as I add various orchestral components, its nice to see things load PDQ. CPU load is laughably low.

 

The one vital caveat: get some outboard memory. I'm looking at Thunderbolt drives, but also SanDisk's 500 GB SSD at $89. I still save to a few spinning disks, too. He who laughs last has backups.

 

I also refer you to Craig's warning about SSDs being sensitive to "brown" power. Most UPS units apply a square wave, whereas a sine wave is smoother and much more protective. I took on a CyberPower UPS that offers a sine wave and I'm sleeping better. How you approach that within a live rig is a different thing from a home or studio rig, of course. I advise doing the power-math, especially since you're going to depend on it heavily. 

 

Once in a while, I feel a bit paranoid and want a backup Mini I can wear in a backpack at all times in case (or for *when*) the zombies come.

[miden]

Just now, David Emm said:

Not so daft, depending on how much "stuff" you're describing. I have that one as well. Its not even breaking a sweat under high track counts. I'm no VSO type, but as I add various orchestral components, its nice to see things load PDQ. CPU load is laughably low.

 

The one vital caveat: get some outboard memory. I'm looking at Thunderbolt drives, but also SanDisk's 500 GB SSD at $89. I still save to a few spinning disks, too. He who laughs last has backups.

 

I also refer you to Craig's warning about SSDs being sensitive to "brown" power. Most UPS units apply a square wave, whereas a sine wave is smoother and much more protective. I took on a CyberPower UPS that offers a sine wave and I'm sleeping better. How you approach that within a live rig is a different thing from a home or studio rig, of course. I advise doing the power-math, especially since you're going to depend on it heavily. 

 

Once in a while, I feel a bit paranoid and want a backup Mini I can wear in a backpack at all times in case (or for *when*) the zombies come.

 

Thanks David - yes one thing I do like is the compactness. Now the NUC is roughly the same size,. but has a HUGE power brick to go with it. The Mini has the internal supply....although I have read no headphone jack, so that's something to consider. Having the H/P jack gives comfort that you have at least a passable audio out, if anything should happen to an interface at a show!

[KuruPrionz]

I got the Mac Mini you describe as an Apple Refurbished - 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. 

I've got it dedicated to audio but recording, not live. For live, I plug a guitar into an amp, I don't need no stinking RAM... 😁

 

It's fast and it has a nice bank of ports on the back so it's easy to hook it up. 

It came with Big Sur and I've kept it there, Monterey is too new still for me to want to update. Eventually...

 

I like it, would get one again. 

[skipeb3]

I'm also thinking about getting a Mac Mini to replace a 10 year old Mac Pro.

Does anyone have any thoughts or insights about running ProTools with the M1 chip?

Thanks...

[miden]

Yes, the more I look at this the more appealing it gets...I have since learned that it does indeed have a headphone jack, so maybe the reports I read were fore an upcoming model? Or maybe this one is a newer one that Apple decided to put the jack back. Either way it's there so I am nearly there in making the decision. The Flow 8 digital mixer would even sit quite nicely on top making it a neat little setup for stage use.

 

I have a touchscreen monitor (via USB-C) so that side is covered as well.

 

And I am warming to the idea of a totally separate machine for music and internet/games!

 

AND, I love the look of Apple gear, always have

[KuruPrionz]

56 minutes ago, miden said:

Yes, the more I look at this the more appealing it gets...I have since learned that it does indeed have a headphone jack, so maybe the reports I read were fore an upcoming model? Or maybe this one is a newer one that Apple decided to put the jack back. Either way it's there so I am nearly there in making the decision. The Flow 8 digital mixer would even sit quite nicely on top making it a neat little setup for stage use.

 

I have a touchscreen monitor (via USB-C) so that side is covered as well.

 

And I am warming to the idea of a totally separate machine for music and internet/games!

 

AND, I love the look of Apple gear, always have

Mine is a 2020 M1 Mac Mini refurbished and it has a headphone jack. 

Also 2 USB 3 (same jack as USB 2 and 1), 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports that accept Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapters, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port.

The headphone jack is underneath the USB 3 ports so it's hard to see. 

I can just connect everything I need to run my recording studio, including the internet (for updates only) and go. 

I run an Anker 7 port USB hub on one of my two USB ports. Works peachy for keyboard, mouse and various goodies. 

Depending, I run a Steinberg USB 2 interface straight into the other USB port or I run an Presonus Quantum TB2 into one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports and a Thunderbolt 2 hard drive (spinner) into the other port. 

 

It's just enough connectivity and not too much. 

Fast, fast, fast!

[RudyS]

I have a Mac mini 2020 i7 (so not M1), but with 32GB. I am personally waiting for a Mac mini M1 with more Ram, as I am starting to get into sample libraries. So sign my up for the Mac mini M1 64GB. (no idea if/when it comes though). 

[Docbop]

5 minutes ago, RudyS said:

I have a Mac mini 2020 i7 (so not M1), but with 32GB. I am personally waiting for a Mac mini M1 with more Ram, as I am starting to get into sample libraries. So sign my up for the Mac mini M1 64GB. (no idea if/when it comes though). 

 

Rumours say it will be in the Spring Apple release.   

[Ken Beaumont]

I recently bought the M1 Mac mini with 16GB and 512GB for recording and some video editing. I added a thunderbolt dock with another 2TB SSD in it.

This thing rocks, I replaced a windows machine with 32GB of memory and smaller drive. The M1 out performs the windows machine by a substantial amount.

I can have more plugins loaded than the old machine struggled with and it does it with ease and no fan noise. On the laptop DaVinci Resolve would regularly crash editing 4k video files. The M1 flies through them without issue. 

[miden]

Just been checking out Mainstage - I am gobsmacked, really! I thought it was just some thing like the Setlist thing on a Kronos, or mebbe like a hosting system, Cantabile, Camelot et al. But this also gives you a ton of software instruments and efx, and all for $40 (AUD) .

 

This Mac Mini is looking better all the time!

[Adam Burgess]

I'm going all MainStage with a base model M1 MacBook Air this weekend.
All setup and tested on my base model M1 Mac Mini all week. 

Got Arturia 88 and 61 Keylab mkIIs ready to go. It's a lovely easy rig.
Interface and power in a little rack, two USB cables to the keyboards.

Love my Kronos, but I love programming on a 36" screen. 

[stoken6]

Nice rig - good luck.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[RABid]

I will mention something that I have mentioned is similar threads. The main thing you have to consider is buying a M1 Mac means moving to the latest OS. Make sure your hardware and software will run on it. I went with an M1 Air and love it, except for the last of ports which I resolved with a port. The real issue is the items that still do not really work well or at all on the new system. From various VSTi's to the Elektron Overhub. My final thought on it was "I will make music with what works and wait for the rest to eventually return to the process." It is a workable solution for me. I have an overabundance of music tools. If I was performing live on a DAWless setup using Elektron boxes, the issues withe Overhub on the latest Mac's would be much more of an issue.

[miden]

1 hour ago, RABid said:

I will mention something that I have mentioned is similar threads. The main thing you have to consider is buying a M1 Mac means moving to the latest OS. Make sure your hardware and software will run on it. I went with an M1 Air and love it, except for the last of ports which I resolved with a port. The real issue is the items that still do not really work well or at all on the new system. From various VSTi's to the Elektron Overhub. My final thought on it was "I will make music with what works and wait for the rest to eventually return to the process." It is a workable solution for me. I have an overabundance of music tools. If I was performing live on a DAWless setup using Elektron boxes, the issues withe Overhub on the latest Mac's would be much more of an issue.

 

Yes, thanks for that. I have been reading similar in other places. Mainly that MIDI hardware stops working as the class compliant drivers have been altered somehow by Apple.

[BluMunk]

On 2/4/2022 at 11:55 AM, miden said:

Just been checking out Mainstage - I am gobsmacked, really! I thought it was just some thing like the Setlist thing on a Kronos, or mebbe like a hosting system, Cantabile, Camelot et al. But this also gives you a ton of software instruments and efx, and all for $40 (AUD) .

 

This Mac Mini is looking better all the time!

I've got an older (2013 I think) Macbook Pro that I bought used specifically because of Mainstage. I continue to be cranky about hardware that has limited lifespan because of software updates or I/O standard abandonment, but until something comes around for Windows-based systems with the power, reliability, ease-of-use, and built-in tools that Mainstage has (and at that low low price), I'll be sticking with Apple computers for music.

[Lady Gaia]

16 hours ago, miden said:

Yes, thanks for that. I have been reading similar in other places. Mainly that MIDI hardware stops working as the class compliant drivers have been altered somehow by Apple.

 

Curious.  I'm not aware of anything along those lines and haven't had any issues with any of my gear that is class compliant.  What Apple did change is the operating system's driver model for increased security.  Essentially anything that used the previous "kext" style kernel extensions needs to migrate to the new "dext" style driver extension model, because drivers are the one thing that there's no Rosetta support for.  They must be Apple Silicon native to work with the new hardware ... but what that means is that anything that isn't class compliant is where you'll run into problems.  If you had to install a driver to get it to work with a Mac before, then it was never class compliant in the first place.

 

If you know of any counter-examples of truly class-compliant gear that no longer works, I'd be interested in the specific device to better understand what the problem is.

[miden]

11 hours ago, Lady Gaia said:

 

Curious.  I'm not aware of anything along those lines and haven't had any issues with any of my gear that is class compliant.  What Apple did change is the operating system's driver model for increased security.  Essentially anything that used the previous "kext" style kernel extensions needs to migrate to the new "dext" style driver extension model, because drivers are the one thing that there's no Rosetta support for.  They must be Apple Silicon native to work with the new hardware ... but what that means is that anything that isn't class compliant is where you'll run into problems.  If you had to install a driver to get it to work with a Mac before, then it was never class compliant in the first place.

 

If you know of any counter-examples of truly class-compliant gear that no longer works, I'd be interested in the specific device to better understand what the problem is.

 

This is the sort of info I have come across:

 

"the DAC is class compliant. all the macOS’s for over a decade have been class compliant for audio. i can still use my FireWire Duet with converters on my USB-C MBP.

it’s the MIDI protocols that have been an issue. which some manufacturers like Allen&Heath have chosen not to update in older products.

any new device not usable on M1/Monterey is DOA"

 

and...

 

"macOS changed a lotof MIDI implementation from Mojave to Montereyas they were adding support for M1.

This broke that plug and play functionality until developers updated their drivers for (Catalina, Big Sur) Monterey.

i personally experienced this."

[Lady Gaia]

11 hours ago, miden said:

This is the sort of info I have come across

 

Yes, that makes sense.  It sounds like the device in question is audio class-compliant, but not MIDI class-compliant.  That means you'd need a compatible driver to use the MIDI features, and it's the device manufacturer's responsibility to provide and maintain them.  It's unfortunate that some devices from major manufacturers still have core functionality that isn't class-compliant, which makes them ticking time bombs in one manner or another.

[miden]

So, one final thought before I get this, been also looking at the new iPad (not the Pro -just the standard) I have been using an iPad Mini (5th gen) for a while and it's been pretty good, so I was thinking maybe an iPad might be better than the Mac Mini, in that it already has the screen and associated benefits and can also double for other duties if/when required.

 

BUT would this be losing too much over the Mac Mini? IE just put up with needing an external screen (touch)....OTOH, I have read that the Mac Mini can use an iPad as it's HID (human interface device) with an app, cannot recall the name at the mo....

[Reezekeys]

15 hours ago, miden said:

OTOH, I have read that the Mac Mini can use an iPad as it's HID (human interface device) with an app, cannot recall the name at the mo....

 

This? https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/

[Michael W]

I bought a Mac Mini M1 a few weeks ago.

 

The only glitch I had was getting my Steinberg UR44 audio interface up and running.  I had to boot the mini in recovery mode and go in and change some security setting so that the Steinberg driver could be installed.  Not sure what that was about, but everything of mine works just great.

 

[miden]

2 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

 

This? https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/

 

Cool, thanks for the link - it wasn't the one, I don't think, well, at least the name didn't ring a bell, but good to know there are more

[Reezekeys]

I use this, but I'm not sure it works if the iPad is the only monitor and there's no monitor plugged into the mini:

 

https://www.yamdisplay.com/about/

 

They also have a version that connects wirelessly, I haven't tried that. But the wired version works well to extend my MacBook Pro's screen to my old iPad Air 2.

[Docbop]

1 hour ago, Reezekeys said:

I use this, but I'm not sure it works if the iPad is the only monitor and there's no monitor plugged into the mini:

 

https://www.yamdisplay.com/about/

 

They also have a version that connects wirelessly, I haven't tried that. But the wired version works well to extend my MacBook Pro's screen to my old iPad Air 2.

If no display on the Mini you can tell the OSX to startup YAM automatically on bootup.  For an app like that they probably have a way to run on a headless Mac.