Thanks!
Yep, interface issues seem to be resolved. No issues with full screen Apple TV and audio either. Actually, it’s incredible how smooth this transition goes compared to the one from PowerPC to Intel.
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FINALLY upgraded from my wonderful mid-2012 15" MBP to a 13" 2020 MacBook Air (MBA?) with 8gb RAM and a 512gb SSD. As I run Ableton Live 10 (haven’t upgraded to 11 yet) the speed isn’t too different but it’s a lot faster opening Massive X, plus I have noticed rendering audio is way faster. Plus I’m running OBS and DaVinci Resolve and it’s much, much smoother.
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well, i’ve just traded in my 16" i9 in to Apple…
for gift card credit that I used on a well spec’d M1 Air (1TB/16GB) from their refurb store online, that will arrive tomorrow. Pretty much even trade, which isn’t bad considering how long I’ve had the i9, and how much use I got from it
I hadnt been using the i9 for music much lately(i have a 2015 i7 27" Mojave iMac as my studio machine) and wanted to check out apple silicon and a newer OS on a portable before considering a full transition. Wanted to wait for the M2 Air to drop but it looks like that’s more of a summer drop, and the i9 would lose more trade in value than I am comfortable with, by then.
Looking forward to the fanless operation, increased battery life, and everything else. 
I have a good USB-C hub that allows power pass through, for times I may need more ports, but I doubt I’ll need it much.
Nice to see my UL MK4 getting full support through Monterey.
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I’ve been using my Mini every day since the new MOTU drivers were released. I think you are going to be very pleased.
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I’m still debating weather to jump ship or not. I’m rather accustomed to the AVB part now, but the software mixer/matrix/etc is just awful imho.
Since I unconsciously started gutting my studio, now’s probably the time to pull that trigger if I am.
Wasnt that your kids mini? 
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Nope, it was a Christmas gift from him. He bought himself a MacBook Pro… 
Why didn’t anyone tell me earlier that kids buy you presents?!?!??
I would have had like 18 by now…
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so I had been holding off for a few years to upgrade my OS cuz of the whole 64bit fiasco. then that turned into holding out for a new M1 desktop. I hate laptops.
but I recently…like two days ago, had to update my OS to use Unreal Engine for a project a buddy of mine and I want to werk on. I could only go as far as Big Sur because of the age of my machine. and my shit is semi jacked. at first I was complete boned, but ive sorted out those issues. but there are performance issues. not huge, but enough to kinda of frustrate me.
as I said I cant get a laptop…want a desktop, am broke. would you say the Mini M1 would be good enough? needing drive space and graphics performance. OR…tuff it out a little longer till the desktops come out and I get a job [considering post office or fucking hauling trash. looks like im not getting hired as an animator again 
]
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Well, there’s no way to know what the desktops will offer… chances are there will be plenty of powerful options. However, this little inexpensive M1 Mini is wildly powerful. I am flabbergasted by how much better it performs than my “art” computer, a 3.5 GhZ 6-core Xeon E5 Trashcan Mac Pro w/dual D700 graphics cards. That computer set me back nearly $5k in 2014. I can’t decide if I overpaid then or underpaid now… 
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Hmmm. I have the same Mac Pro (Trashcan), same specs, purchased in late 2013. I can’t believe how incredibly well it continues to perform today in comparison to my 2021 M1 Max 16" MacBook Pro. I hope to keep the Trashcan Mac for as long as possible as my studio workhorse. Has never, ever failed me. I currently have 24 peripherals connected to it, and it runs flawlessly.
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Yup, that ac Pro is a great machine, which is why it was so shocking that the budget M1 compared so favorably to it. Of course, the Mac Pro has its advantages, not least being the number of ports around back.
Adam, did you try out the MacBook air yet?
I think what impresses me the most about the Trashcan Mac Pro is its rock-solid stability in the face of all the complexity I have thrown at it. Aside from that, I have been fortunate to own a machine for more than 8 years that is still fully supported by Apple and likely to be supported for at least the next couple of years.
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I was just coming here to post about it!
I did, and I’ve been doing some testing of Ableton Live 11 with and without Rosetta on. Using some plugins that are M1 native (Audio Damage/Kontakt), and some that aren’t (iZotope), testing every which way. Also testing projects against Live 10 performance.
On the MacBook Air M1 (16GB1TB/7core GPU), it looks like M1 native DAW and plug-ins gives about a 10% overall processing advantage, plus the opportunity to work at lower buffer settings with more stability. Not a huge advantage, and more of a testament to how well Rosetta 2 performs.
I wonder if the M1 native performance advantage is hampered some by the Air’s fanless design.
But overall I’m happy with it. The battery life for non-music making tasks is amazing. And I do appreciate the small size, as I haven’t had a laptop this small since my G4 12". Though I do miss my 16"s excellent on-board speakers. And my other software seems to work fine. Myriad, the various plugin installation managers, etc.
Using the Live 11 trial, I don’t know that I’ll jump to 11 from my 10 Suite license just yet. Might wait for 12. Going to mess with it more and see if the new features are worth it, because the M1 native performance gains aren’t so massive to make that the deciding factor, at least not on a fanless Air.
final thought - Monterey (and perhaps Big Sur) is rounded corners hell! lol. My iMac is still on Mojave and my old 16" was on Catalina. The rounded corners everywhere gives the OS a very iOS vibe. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, though.
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I have had no significant issues with mine either, and I bought it for the very reason you state: I expected it to be a powerful machine that I could use for art and animation for many years, and it lived up to that expectation. That machine did not serve as my main studio machine (I have no need for such extravagance in my studio), but rather as my daily workhorse for art, writing, animation, video. It’s still doing the job.
That’s what you pay for when you get a flagship. That thing has beef!
I imagine the new flagships will be as relatively beefy in relation to current boxes.
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See what the 8th brings, but its really hard every morning not plucking one off the refurb page (before they disappear every morning again).
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Thanks. My current MBP (15", 2.2 i7, 16 Gb RAM, 1 Tb SSD) is from 2011 and, while it still functions reasonably well, the constant fan noise drives me nuts. It’s also running High Sierra which is starting to become obsolete (looking at you Ableton 11). I’m looking for a new laptop that runs Ableton and I can use on the sofa, hence the interest in the M1 air.
Also, what model is the USB C hub you’re using?