New "Mac Studio" from Apple

[off the wall]

The just announced Mac Studio computer looks killer. Essentially a Max Mini. M1 Ultra CPU (two M1 Max's) up to 128GB unified RAM. Performance better than the 28 core Mac Pro.

PT compatibility Q4 of 2025.

[Eric Lambert]

As a 2013-era Trashcan owner, this new Mac is exciting. Small, powerful and with a (believe it or not) *fair* price tag. Shipping soon.

The question for ProTools users is: how soon will we be able to use these? It will undoubtedly ship with Monterey, which is one wrinkle, but it also employs a version of the M1 chip, which is, potentially, another issue.

I'm certain we'll see people diving in from Day 1, trying PT and all their plugins. As an owner of a Mac that's quite long in the tooth, I'd love to be one of those people. But I won't be. Not right away. So I'll be watching for those reports.

Still, it's VERY exciting news. Finally filling the gap between the Mini and the desktop MacPros, which are insanely priced.

What're your thoughts about this new machine?

[junkgear]

Really nice to see this addition to the Mac lineup. I too always thought the mini was not enough and the Pro was too much. I do wish the entry level Studio had more options than just the two. A model with 32GB RAM and the Ultra processor would be nice.

As far as software, as soon as everyone releases native M1 support, it will work on these too. Will be interesting to see how they do in the wild.

[Tweakhead]

the major issue I see is the TB4 cable length spec of 2m max.
how are people supposed to hook up displays, CPU, and audio interface in anything other than a desktop situation ?
there doesn't even seem to be a 3rd-party solution.
are people with this need of racked audio interface/computer with a remote display/keyboard simply just gonna ignore the TB4 displays and go with HDMI instead ?
it seems to defeat the whole point of getting an integrated Apple CPU/Display system.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

the major issue I see is the TB4 cable length spec of 2m max.
how are people supposed to hook up displays, CPU, and audio interface in anything other than a desktop situation ?
there doesn't even seem to be a 3rd-party solution.
are people with this need of racked audio interface/computer with a remote display/keyboard simply just gonna ignore the TB4 displays and go with HDMI instead ?
it seems to defeat the whole point of getting an integrated Apple CPU/Display system.

I guess I didn't catch that. Are you saying that TB4 lengths beyond 2 meters won't work in any capacity? Or that they simply won't work at their maximum specs? I have a 4K monitor, currently using a mini displayport, which in no way requires the maximum bandwidth from its connection, and I never thought I'd be limited to 2 meters.

As far as the location where this Mac is intended to be placed, it seems to be akin to a MacMini in that it's designed to be on or near the monitor -- *not* being called a Pro model -- so perhaps they feel that 2 meters is enough for this application. Though, again, I don't know the details of the 2 meter TB4 limitation(s).

[Tweakhead]

well, I must admit that I'm no expert in this. I'm still in 5,1 Mac Pro land, with a DVI monitor (easily extendable) and USB extension for the keyboard (again, easily extendable).
I've been trying to think thru the logistics of upgrading my entire system, and this TB4 length limitation is something that still keeps me from jumping into an entire new computer/audio interface/display ecosystem. It's simply not designed for the pro world where people have machine rooms/racks/patchbays/workstations.
I was really wanting to go dual displays too. (I've been a "Command"+"=" person for so long that it's faster than glancing at another screen, along with my palette of screen configs)
I'm kinda hoping this thread turns into a serious shared-information tip resource for everyone in the same situation - especially since this Mac Studio machine looks like a reasonable contender for new powerful Pro Tools systems.
Here's one interesting read:
https://plugable.com/blogs/news/what...olt-4-and-usb4

and then this (which confuses me more than ever) :
https://nascompares.com/answer/maxim...-to-extend-it/

are we all gonna need endless active docking stations ?

[BScout]

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

the major issue I see is the TB4 cable length spec of 2m max.
how are people supposed to hook up displays, CPU, and audio interface in anything other than a desktop situation ?
there doesn't even seem to be a 3rd-party solution.
are people with this need of racked audio interface/computer with a remote display/keyboard simply just gonna ignore the TB4 displays and go with HDMI instead ?
it seems to defeat the whole point of getting an integrated Apple CPU/Display system.

TB4 is backwards compatible.
Long distance TB3 works just fine.

[DRC Music]

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

the major issue I see is the TB4 cable length spec of 2m max.
how are people supposed to hook up displays, CPU, and audio interface in anything other than a desktop situation ?
there doesn't even seem to be a 3rd-party solution.
are people with this need of racked audio interface/computer with a remote display/keyboard simply just gonna ignore the TB4 displays and go with HDMI instead ?
it seems to defeat the whole point of getting an integrated Apple CPU/Display system.

Well it seems we have a 3 meter incoming soon… but is pricey!

https://9to5mac.com/2022/03/08/apple...-in-the-works/

[glasswing]

Well that's good news. Right now I have three monitors. With the new setup two would suffice. Thanks for the info

[Tweakhead]

Originally Posted by DRC Music

Well it seems we have a 3 meter incoming soon… but is pricey!

https://9to5mac.com/2022/03/08/apple...-in-the-works/

yeah, interesting.
In fact while researching for some definitive info as to why this seemingly violates the current rules I just found this tidbit on Wikipedia:
"At some unspecified time in the future, optical Thunderbolt 4 cables are targeting lengths between ~5 m (20 ft) to 50 m (160 ft)"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunde...#Thunderbolt_4