Monitor suggestions?

[itsjustmeee123]

I'm going to trade in my 2019 intel iMac and get an M2 Studio soon. I'd love some monitor suggestions. Smaller print is a bit harder for me these days and I do love a lot of real estate. I'm thinking a 34 inch UltraWide might be a good choice, or something along those lines. I currently have my 5K 27 Inch iMac with another 27 side by side but I tend to use one as my main monitor the most.

Any suggestions?

[inspire]

Two large (wide) monitors - on one you put the Windows -> Mix menu
and on the other the Windows -> Edit menu. This setup is used in most places where having two monitors is possible. This way, you have these two important screens in front of you at all times.

[JFreak]

Just a suggestion.

Have the wide aspect ratio monitor for (horizontal) mix window, but set the 2nd (normal aspect ratio) monitor on vertical orientation for edit window

[uptheoctave]

Originally Posted by itsjustmeee123

I'm going to trade in my 2019 intel iMac and get an M2 Studio soon. I'd love some monitor suggestions. Smaller print is a bit harder for me these days and I do love a lot of real estate. I'm thinking a 34 inch UltraWide might be a good choice, or something along those lines. I currently have my 5K 27 Inch iMac with another 27 side by side but I tend to use one as my main monitor the most.

Any suggestions?

I have an alternate suggestion.

I have a 32" monitor and two 15" mini displays either side.



Switching from Edit to Mix is easy, I don't need to have them on separate screens.

I like having the right display as Dadman and the left display for master bus plugins and apps that I don't need to use very often (Spotify, Apple Music etc).

Two screens is annoying because you spend your time looking at the middle bezels or turning your head to look at each screen.

I don't like a horizontal and vertical screen as the lack of symmetry bothers me.

The 15" displays were cheap- about $100.
They are 'Uperfect' brand, they are 1080p and have a VESA mount.
They can be powered over USBC too.

[inspire]

Something to keep in mind:
UHD / 4K monitors - you might want to avoid these, as they don't add any benefit when using Pro Tools. I have a UHD monitor on my laptop, but it is still set to 1080p so that everything works at a normal size.
With Reaper, there was a solution, but as far as I know, not with Pro Tools!?

[JFreak]

It's just a Windows thing. You can scale UI on macOS no matter what software.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by itsjustmeee123

I'm going to trade in my 2019 intel iMac and get an M2 Studio soon. I'd love some monitor suggestions. Smaller print is a bit harder for me these days and I do love a lot of real estate. I'm thinking a 34 inch UltraWide might be a good choice, or something along those lines. I currently have my 5K 27 Inch iMac with another 27 side by side but I tend to use one as my main monitor the most.

Any suggestions?

I have virtually the same set up a 27 iMac and a 27 Cinema Display Me I always use both with Edit window on one and mix window on the other

That said what I would do is get a Asus 27 inch and keep your other 27" display

If I was also doing video editing and or Photo work I would get this one
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ProArt-D...76&sr=8-1&th=1

If I would not be doing any video or photo you could get this
one
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PA278QV-...76&sr=8-4&th=1

[uptheoctave]

Originally Posted by JFreak

It's just a Windows thing. You can scale UI on macOS no matter what software.

Yep.

I have mine at 1440p for audio work even though it does 4K.
I switch to 4K for editing 4K video.

[massivekerry]

Ohhhh. I have thoughts. Let me see if I can keep this from getting too long.

I recently had to replace my LG UltraWide 34” 3400x1440 display a couple of months ago because the internal power rails died. I had mixed feelings about the Ultrawide format ever since I got it. On the upside, that model was very crisp and I liked the color. On the (very) downside, the Ultrawide was a problem because: 1) I could not see the entire screen at once. The sides were effectively storage areas for the Event Operations Memory Locations windows, and to see them I had to turn my head, which was more of a nuisance than I expected. 2) I often run a lot of tracks, and I felt like I was up-down scrolling a lot when using the edit window, and not easily fitting all of the vertical information in the Mix Window. I very much wished I had a “taller” display.

So when I was looking for replacements, I had a hard time. I wasn’t feeling up to springing a grand for a new display, and below that I wasn’t sure what was available that fit my wishlist. Reviews were mixed.

In the end, I ended up with a Dell 32-inch 16:9 4k display. It is a good size. It takes up slightly less L-R width than my prior one, but I don’t feel like I’m losing anything. Plus, I have gained extra height, and that has really been useful for me.

But…. Because of the way that Mac OS and the new Silicon Macs work… I was having a hard time getting the text and detail to look clear at (what I consider) a useful resolution. Mac OS either wanted to do the max native resolution (3840 x 2160), where things looked too small to be useful, or the next native resolution, which is just regular HD (1920 x1080), where everything was cartoonishly large. If I chose one of the other available resolutions in-between, the detail got fuzzy. I was ready to return the display and begin my search again.

Until…. I discovered the utility app BetterDisplay (Pro version). Using this app, I am able to scale the display to a useful resolution for me (3200 x 1800), everything is crisp, clear, and I can even keep NightShift on (I prefer a slightly warmer color balance). It has a menu bar app, which you can quickly use to tweak things, including brightness.

So I’ll suggest that combo, based on my experience. Based on my purchase price, you’d only be out $270 USD total (edit: looks like the price went back up from $250 to $315. Might go back on sale for Amazon Days/July 4th weekend?), unless you need a different cord. I don’t remember if it came with one that I use (Thunderbolt 4/USB-C to DisplayPort), but I think I am currently using the cable I had from before.

[itsjustmeee123]

Originally Posted by massivekerry

Ohhhh. I have thoughts. Let me see if I can keep this from getting too long.

I recently had to replace my LG UltraWide 34” 3400x1440 display a couple of months ago because the internal power rails died. I had mixed feelings about the Ultrawide format ever since I got it. On the upside, that model was very crisp and I liked the color. On the (very) downside, the Ultrawide was a problem because: 1) I could not see the entire screen at once. The sides were effectively storage areas for the Event Operations Memory Locations windows, and to see them I had to turn my head, which was more of a nuisance than I expected. 2) I often run a lot of tracks, and I felt like I was up-down scrolling a lot when using the edit window, and not easily fitting all of the vertical information in the Mix Window. I very much wished I had a “taller” display.

So when I was looking for replacements, I had a hard time. I wasn’t feeling up to springing a grand for a new display, and below that I wasn’t sure what was available that fit my wishlist. Reviews were mixed.

In the end, I ended up with a Dell 32-inch 16:9 4k display. It is a good size. It takes up slightly less L-R width than my prior one, but I don’t feel like I’m losing anything. Plus, I have gained extra height, and that has really been useful for me.

But…. Because of the way that Mac OS and the new Silicon Macs work… I was having a hard time getting the text and detail to look clear at (what I consider) a useful resolution. Mac OS either wanted to do the max native resolution (3840 x 2160), where things looked too small to be useful, or the next native resolution, which is just regular HD (1920 x1080), where everything was cartoonishly large. If I chose one of the other available resolutions in-between, the detail got fuzzy. I was ready to return the display and begin my search again.

Until…. I discovered the utility app BetterDisplay (Pro version). Using this app, I am able to scale the display to a useful resolution for me (3200 x 1800), everything is crisp, clear, and I can even keep NightShift on (I prefer a slightly warmer color balance). It has a menu bar app, which you can quickly use to tweak things, including brightness.

So I’ll suggest that combo, based on my experience. Based on my purchase price, you’d only be out $270 USD total (edit: looks like the price went back up from $250 to $315. Might go back on sale for Amazon Days/July 4th weekend?), unless you need a different cord. I don’t remember if it came with one that I use (Thunderbolt 4/USB-C to DisplayPort), but I think I am currently using the cable I had from before.

Great suggestions. You answered my question about an UtraWide. The Dell you recommended looks really good. I noticed that the 34 inch is only $5 more at this time. The extra couple of inches might be a nice addition. Also, I'll check out BetterDisplay. Sounds like a very useful app. Thanks for the tips!