Best laptops for music production
Want to get serious about music production or podcasting? You will need a good laptop that can handle anything you throw at it.
Chances are you will have many programmes and tabs open at the same time, and you will need the ability to add at least 1 extra screen (many people use 2 or 3). These usage requirements use a lot of RAM and graphics power respectively. I recommend having at least 16GB of RAM, if possible.
The most important for audio processing is a CPU with fast single-core performance. This will allow you to get your mixes into a single file much faster and process effects and chains without the CPU having to wait, among many other advantages. Eighth-generation Intel i7 processors are the best, followed by Intel i5. The 7th generation processors are also excellent.
We will only focus on the best laptops for music production and podcasting. There are many other options for desktop and all-in-one computers that work well for audio recording and podcasting, but the flexibility and portability of a laptop make it a must-have.
The other big thing to consider is Apple versus Windows (Mac versus PC). This choice usually comes down to which recording software (DAW) you are going to use and what you are used to using. Personally, I am an Apple fan, but I started with Windows - and I use both on a daily basis. The Mac operating system is usually more stable, which can be critical when recording, although there are tons of big-name manufacturers who swear by both systems.
If you want to use Logic Pro, it is made by Apple and only works with their computers. If you want to use GarageBand (a great choice for podcast production), it is included free with Apple computers. Avid Pro Tools is another popular industry-leading software that works on both systems.
Many of these popular tools have minimum and recommended requirements. Performance will be much better if you get a laptop with at least the recommended requirements, so I will only recommend laptops for music production that meet or exceed the recommended specifications.
You will usually have a much longer lifespan if you get a computer towards the higher end of the specification list, because it will not be obsolete as quickly, which means it will cost you less over time. It is just something to consider.