What mac should I get?

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  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,050 Expert

    @hadas

    What about trying different Win computer. There is probably something wrong with HW or SW on your one. The troubles you have are not because of Win, it is because of your computer or SW installed.

    Have a look at Microsoft Surface Pro 7, i5, 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. I guess MS does not make bigger. One can get them secondhand for about 400 EUR. It is passively cooled and runs Traktor well. (models with i7 are not passively cooled...)

    Even better would be Microsoft Surface Pro 7+, which has exchangable internal SSD. It is the last passively cooled Surface Pro. And also last with "normal" CPU (not using big.little that may cause problems).

  • shiveringgoat
    shiveringgoat Member Posts: 12 Member
    edited January 23

    I would go for a MacBook Pro the latest if you can afford.

    I've had 9 glorious years with the MacBook I'm writing this on, MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014, 2.8 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3)

    I've not had 1 single problem in 9 years (I keep it up to date and use Time Machine to an external SSD for back up) When I purchase it I paid extra for 500GB harddrive and 16GB of Ram in 2014.

    I've done loads of gigs with it never failed once. The only thing I've done is wipe it and set up as a new machine about 3 years ago. Ok it will only run Big Sur but that's fine till I upgrade

    I am ready to upgrade after 9 years but am furious that new basic MacBook models are only standard 8GB RAM this is the same as 2014! I'm going to hold off until next new Macbooks as there is huge complaints about this on many Mac forums.

    I also don't want external discs attached unless its for Time Machine so I need a 1TB internal this pushed price up too.

  • Ed M
    Ed M Member Posts: 151 Advisor
    Answer ✓

    Any M series Mac is suitable for DJ-ing and/or making music. Just get at least 16 gb of ram. 8 gb might cut it for simple tasks, but when running slightly more heavy projects not enough ram will cripple you. Newer versions (M1 to M2 to M3) are incrementally more performant, but come at a higher price.

    Storage is depending on your preferences/needs/budget, just stay away from the lowest tier of internal storage, because you will be amazed how fast it will max out. Also remember, what you buy is what you get, adding internal storage or extra ram is not possible. Better to buy a bit more now, and save regrets in the future.

    The change from Win to MacOs is a thing, but nothing to worry about. If you are somewhat handy with computers and do some research on the differences, you will be up and running rather quickly. Just accept and adapt to the way things work on a Mac.

    Most problems regarding M-series compatibility of software and plugins are a thing of the past. For NI music making products this is the case as well. However, NI hasn't been a top performer in this department (compared to loads of other plugins and DAWs I use). I don't use Traktor, so I can't give any feedback on that.

  • hadas
    hadas Member Posts: 6 Member

    Hi everybody!

    Thank you all for your help.

    Somehow I found a great bargain of a Mac (2019, i7, 16gb, 512 ssd) so I bought it, and it works well!

    Really appreciate your comments and support!

  • 999653537
    999653537 Member Posts: 5 Newcomer

    Hallo

    funkt der midi traktor condroller s4 mit der softw. traktor 3 oder

    4 ich bitte um kurze antwort danke !

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 3,488 Expert
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/174980#Comment_174980

    Why not create your own thread?

    In any case, yes, the s4 mk1, mk2 and mk3 work with Traktor 3 and 4.

    But the s4 mk1 does not work on modern mac os any more. It would work on windows. Mk2 and up should work fine with modern mac os.

  • 999653537
    999653537 Member Posts: 5 Newcomer

    Ich habe vor mir einen modernen MC Air zu kaufen und mein s4 mk1 läuft nicht mehr das heißt jetzt ich schmeisse meinen Traktor mk1 in den Müll. So wurde es geschrieben!!! oder habe ich was falsch verstanden !

  • bobbyduracel
    bobbyduracel Member Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 28
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/21702/what-mac-should-i-get

    Used $1,000ish M1 MacBook Pro. Done.

  • RockyD
    RockyD Member Posts: 27 Member

    I'm using the original S2 with a 2024 Macbook Air M3 with 8GB RAM. It seems bulletproof in my experience so far, handling FX, key lock, etc.

    I was even confident enough to risk kicking off a stems separation task while playing live last week.

  • shiveringgoat
    shiveringgoat Member Posts: 12 Member

    The updates this week to the MacBook Pro line is the best for many years. You now get 16GB of RAM and the price dropped to £1599 for the 14" MacBook Pro M4. I'm going to get one and bump up the SSD to 1TB and maybe that coating to help less reflection in bright light on the display.

  • Lionzinio
    Lionzinio Member Posts: 119 Advisor

    Also when buying stuff to work with existing hardware (or software) it's worth checking NI's compatibility statements here

    https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014900358-Compatibility-of-Native-Instruments-Products-on-macOS

    You don't want to buy the latest gear just to find it doesn't work with your existing stuff. NI has a poor track record of supporting older hardware. Once they've sold it, they're not really that fussed about it.

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