Apple’s $600 Laptop Is Ridiculously Good for Music Production & More… | MacBook Neo Review

In this video, I test the MacBook Neo with a real mixing and mastering REAPER project with 100 tracks and 140+ plugins and a Logic Pro 12 project with sample libraries for an entire orchestra. I also discuss why I think the MacBook Neo gives you incredible value for the money, especially when you consider the price of Apple Creator Studio. MY LINKS: https://www.james-zhan.com WHAT I’M CURRENTLY UP TO: https://journal.james-zhan.com/now/ My 6K Noisy Gradient Wallpapers: https://bit.ly/miragewallpapers (Free option included) Apologue (metal band from Hong Kong): https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CNRF... ⏰ Timestamps: 0:00 Start 0:32 Music Production Tests Overview 1:17 MacBook Neo Build Quality: Incredible for the Price 1:58 Mechanical Trackpad Issue 2:26 A Different Testing Approach Than My Previous Videos 3:09 MacBook Neo Audio Processing Benchmarked Against M-Series Chips 3:25 Efficiency Core vs Performance Core Usage on MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) 3:51 My Goal for This Video 4:08 MacBook Neo Tested with a Real Mixing & Mastering Project in REAPER 8:08 MacBook Neo Tested with a Real Mixing & Mastering Project in Logic Pro 12 9:14 MacBook Neo vs M1 Max: Render Speed Test 9:53 Addressing MacBook Neo’s 8GB of RAM (unified memory) 10:17 Brief Explanation of RAM’s Role in Music Production 10:43 MacBook Neo’s 8GB RAM Tested: Full Orchestral Project 11:48 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Logic Pro Orchestral Project + REAPER Mixing Project 12:31 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Audio Projects + 4K Video Timeline with Colour Grade 13:29 Heavy Multitasking on MacBook Neo: Audio Projects, Video Project & RAW Photo Editing 15:02 James’ Take: Why MacBook Neo Is the Best Laptop for Audio/Photo/Video Work for the Price 15:29 Neo’s Advantage #1: Portability + Good Performance 16:18 Neo’s Advantage #2: Colour-Accurate Display (Compared Against Apple Studio Display) 17:08 Neo’s Advantage #3: MacOS Means Access to Apple Creator Studio 18:28 James’ Thoughts on Creator Studio Being a Subscription 19:10 Should You Get MacBook Air Instead? No generative Al is used at any point during the production of any videos on this channel. // MY SETUP FOR YOUTUBE // 🪑 Ergonomic Chair: Anthros Chair ↳ https://bit.ly/jzanthros ($200 OFF at checkout) 📷 Camera: Sony Alpha A7 III ↳ https://amzn.to/3E7i0Du 📷 Lens 1: Tamron 17-28 F2.8 Di III RXD ↳ https://amzn.to/3YNL9et 📷 Lens 2: Samyang 35mm f1.8 ↳ https://amzn.to/47ozjuI 🎙️ Microphones: ↳ sE V7: https://amzn.to/3Cjs8d6 ↳ Comica CVM-VM10II: https://amzn.to/3Naxni8 🎛️ Audio Interface: RME Babyface Pro ↳ https://amzn.to/3BY9hRi 💡 Key Light: SmallRig RC120D ↳ https://amzn.to/3tAWeoP 💡 Key Light Softbox: SmallRig RA-D85 ↳ https://amzn.to/3RMNK5V 💡 Background Lights: ↳ Aputure LED Panel: https://amzn.to/3BOUbxa ↳ Mini LED light tubes: https://amzn.to/4a1qIAB 🖥️ 4K Computer display: BenQ EW2780U ↳ https://amzn.to/3UbIUOJ ⌨️ Keyboard: Keychron Q12 Max ↳ https://bit.ly/q12max 🔄 YouTube sub counter: Ulanzi Smart Pixel Clock ↳ https://amzn.to/3RqiWJ4 ⬆️ What I use to back up all my projects: Backblaze ↳ https://secure.backblaze.com/r/044bw2 (1 month free) // MAC APPS I USE TO RUN MY STUDIO & CHANNEL // Dropover: https://dropoverapp.com Loopback: https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/ Rectangle Pro: https://rectangleapp.com/pro BetterZip: https://setapp.sjv.io/betterzip Trickster: https://setapp.sjv.io/trickster Dato: https://setapp.sjv.io/5g0kE2 Bartender: https://setapp.sjv.io/xk6JKk Paste: https://setapp.sjv.io/QydY9Y CleanShot X: https://setapp.sjv.io/9gdV6e ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ ▂ DISCLOSURE: Some links might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you of course! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with awesome music production content each month!