Mac Studio _ Ultra OR MAX For Pro Tools/ plugins/VI’s ?

[jepmus]

Hello, I am trying to get real world info on performance differences between the MI Max and MI Ultra chips in the Mac Studio (2022) -

I have an HDX system and Avid HD interface. My CPU is a Mac Pro Trashcan (2013) with 64 gigs of RAM. The HDX card is housed in a
Sonnet chassis.

I routinely run multiple VI's, with 10 - 50 audio tracks. I write music for picture and generally have a video window open on one my of displays. My go-to plugins/vi's include Native Instruments, Waves, McDsp, Arturia, & Izotope bundles.

The advancements in software have necessitated the “retirement” of my (2013) Mac Pro (with 64 gigs of RAM!).

I have active Avid ultimate subscriptions for Pro Tools + Sibelius.

With all that said … some questions re the MacStudio vis-a-vis DAW/plugin/VI performance:
1. What specific performance differences would be noticeable between the Ultra and Max chips in MacStudios with 64 gigs of RAM each ?
2) How would the previous configurations quantitatively compare to the Ultra in a MacStudio with 128 gigs of RAM ?

Any relevant guidance would be greatly appreciated !

Thanks,

jep


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[massivekerry]

I can't speak to the Max, but I replaced my MP 5,1 with a Studio Ultra with 128GB of Memory, and have had no problems since. I probably run a similar setup/type of work. I had 64GB of RAM in my old machine and occasionally ran into issues when I had a big virtual-orchestra session going. That's why I went for 128 in the new one. It may be overkill with "the way that the SOC architecture handles memory and storage" but I don't think I've hit a ceiling yet, and don't expect to now. That's a good feeling.

Beyond that, the Ultra is silent. Given that it's 3 feet away from seat, that matters. The Max has a different cooling solution (different material on the heat sink) and I have heard a few complaints about fan noise.

Those were the deciding factors for me.

[noah330]

I have the base-level Mac Studio and haven't had any performance issues. Before this, I was running an M1 Mini, which worked ok but needed high buffers for mixing.

The Studio just works no matter what I throw at it. Like anything else I would say get the best you can afford.

[RobertDorn]

I had a stock model Studio Ultra with 64GB ram for some weeks but I returned it because I couldn't live with only 1TB internal storage. After that I switched to a MBP M1 Max with 64GB ram and a bigger SSD. (I'll never look back, now having a MacBook as my main computer for over a year, plug it in at my thunderbolt 4 hub at home and everything 's connected with 1 cable. When doing writing sessions or location recordings, I take my MacBook and instantly have my whole studio computer with me without the need to do mix downs first for location work, love it)

Where the Ultra gave realllyyyy plenty of headroom left in big sessions, the M1 Max MacBook never failed to playback one session I did, and I'm quite a heave VI user.

Also factor in that meanwhile the porting to everything Silicon Native is well on its way, which also brings an increase of performance / efficiency for the M1 processors. I'd say you can use both machines to use for quite some years of music production without having to worry about the power of your CPU

[jepmus]

Thanks for all the helpful replies!
I see that you have Carbon, hardware, Kerry.
What hardware did you use prior, and how has Carbon changed your ability to run more intensive sessions?
Thanks again,
Jep


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[massivekerry]

Originally Posted by jepmus

Thanks for all the helpful replies!
I see that you have Carbon, hardware, Kerry.
What hardware did you use prior, and how has Carbon changed your ability to run more intensive sessions?
Thanks again,
Jep

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Oh I've had a lot of PT hardware over the years. The most recent was HD Native + HD I/O. I had looked at putting that in a PCI-e chassis, but there's still a nasty bug with that configuration and the Mac Studios, so I upgraded to a Carbon.

I don't know if the Carbon has helped run more intense sessions (I bought it with/for the Mac Studio, so I don't have a "before" reference except with my old 5,1 rig). Big sessions run plenty well. The big thing about the Carbon is that when I grab a guitar or bass, or need to record using a mic after tracking a bunch of VIs, the latency is pretty much zero thanks to the Hybrid engine, and my timing is noticeably better as a result. The mic pres and outputs also sound really good, and it's been awhile since I've used my outboard preamps as a result. I do have the Carbon going in direct to the Mac, and have the Sonnet AVB adapter connecting Ethernet to my LAN. Wi-Fi is off, and I have most of my USB-2 devices are on a hub, as I've heard dicey things about the USB-2 ports (cue glassing). Keyboard, Trackpad and Mouse are Bluetooth.

[redmount]

Originally Posted by massivekerry

I have most of my USB-2 devices are on a hub, as I've heard dicey things about the USB-2 ports (cue glassing). Keyboard, Trackpad and Mouse are Bluetooth.

hub ?... connected to one USB-C port ? then ?
you woudn't even connect an iLok to the USB2 ports ?

[massivekerry]

Originally Posted by redmount

hub ?... connected to one USB-C port ? then ?
you woudn't even connect an iLok to the USB2 ports ?

I don't recall the exact thinking. I ordered in early November, and some posts from @glasswing that led me on a search for corroborating stories were informative on that decision. You can probably look them up. Something about the USB2 ports and peripherals disappearing. I decided not to take any chances, since I was re-tooling everything anyway, and paying a little extra to avoid what seem to be documented (if not acknowledged) bugs seemed like a worthy investment. (There is also an issue where the Mac Studio's 10GB Ethernet port really doesn't like the slower 100MB connection on the old Avid Artist Controllers that you wouldn't know unless you were looking for it)

What I do now is I have a Sonnet Echo Dual NVMe that I have for some external storage (it's like loose samples, iTunes library, Dropbox, installer, archives, etc. Nothing super critical). That's connected to the Mac Studio via TB 3/4, and then I have a USB2 hub in a compartment in the back of my desk that has my iLok and connections to some controllers on my desk (I've had that setup for years). I switched to Bluetooth for my mouse, keyboard and trackpad, and I'm pretty glad I did. It's reliable and I hadn't considered how much better things look and feel without those extra cables bumping around my desk. But that's my thing. I also don't have my Avid Control tablet mounted on my S1 (where it's supposed to be) because it screwed up the ergonomics of my workflow.

[redmount]

Ok, thanks.
I'll check the stories about USB2.
Do you confirm your Hub is USB2 to USB2 though ? (not USB-C to USB2)

[massivekerry]

Originally Posted by redmount

Ok, thanks.
I'll check the stories about USB2.
Do you confirm your Hub is USB2 to USB2 though ? (not USB-C to USB2)

It was somwhere around this. https://duc.avid.com/showpost.php?p=...5&postcount=30

I don't know if it was a Monterey issue, as he thought. My machine shipped with Ventura, and I know some others on Monterey still. I just decided not to take chances. (esp because my computer is in a rack next to my desk, and the cable run to it's back would be even longer than with my 5,1)

My hub is a powered Amazon Basics USB2 hub that I've had for years. It is connected to a USB-A port on the back of the Sonnet. My iLok has been in there as long as I've had it, because I wanted it out of the way.