16GB or 32 GB unified memory for Pro Tools?

[alldayjay]

I am currently using Pro Tools for recording and mixing on a mid-2012 MacBook pro with 8GB of memory.

It works but I constantly get CPU errors and some larger sessions are basically impossible to run through smoothly. I am looking to upgrade to a 14-inch MacBook pro with the M2 chip but I have questions about the specs I need.

Do I need 32GB of unified memory or will I be fine with 16GB? Whatever option I choose needs to be good for a minimum of 5 years. I use a lot of third-party plug-ins but my sessions typically don't exceed 50 tracks. That includes audio tracks, Aux tracks, etc.

Do I need 10 core or 12 core CPU? 12 core is more expensive but I don't want to spend the extra money if that isn't relevant to what I doing.

Any answers or insight anyone can provide would be extremely helpful.

[JFreak]

Hi, welcome to the community.

Memory on Mac cannot be upgraded so buy as much as you can afford.

[sw rec]

64

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by alldayjay

Any answers or insight anyone can provide would be extremely helpful.

More information will yield better answers.

What sort of plugins? Some chew virtually no CPU. Others are hogs.

Are you using VIs? If so, what type? Sampled based or synths?

16Gb will easily work assuming you’re NOT intending on using large samples based VIs. That’s where your memory bottleneck will occur. Even then, one can argue that streaming from modern disks is probably fine unless you want every patch to switch instantly.

If you want the machine to last a minimum of 5 years, I’d opt for more RAM. Computers are the centre piece of your studio. Stretch your budget as far as you can.


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