Do you dream of becoming a music producer or DJ? In this case, when choosing a laptop to implement creative ideas, you need to take certain points into account. You need to choose a product with a good combination of memory and processor to ensure your digital audio workstation (DAW) performs well.
What other points are important to consider? Find the top 10 laptops for music production on anout.ru.
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Brief information
Equipment for recording music
When choosing a laptop that will be used for recording music, storage is a must (files with good transfer speeds take up a lot of space on a laptop). It's also a good idea to have multiple storage options for attachments and peripherals.
Let's take a look at the best laptops that are designed for music production and professional DJs. The top is arranged by price range.
Question to the expert
Which option does a DJ need?
Keyboard backlight.
Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5
Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5
The Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5 laptop is one of the best budget laptops you can buy for music production.
- In the latest version, the gadget is offered with a new quad-core Ryzen 5 2500U processor (clock frequency is 3.6 GHz).
- Featuring a 15.6" Full HD widescreen IPS display (1920 x 1080 resolution) and LED-backlit Corning Gorilla Glass, the laptop not only looks beautiful, but also has a long service life.
- Swift 3 includes 8GB of DDR4 RAM so the user can tackle serious tasks.
- Although the memory storage capacity is limited to 256 GB, you can use it in SSD format, which significantly increases storage speed.
- The Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5 laptop has a USB 3.1 Type C Gen 1 port, two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port.
- Acer battery life reaches 8 hours.
Whether your plans are rendering or production, you can work on the road.
Are laptops with a “branded” sound system worth it?
One thing to keep in mind is that there are quite a few manufacturers who integrate name-brand audio products into their laptops as a sales incentive; We are thinking, for example, of laptops with built-in speakers signed by Bang & Olufsen, Bose or Harman Kardon , sound systems of undoubted quality, but which do not actually guarantee the best sound quality or the best acoustic experience.
In most cases, you have to remember that hiring speakers from these firms is more for pure marketing than anything else. While they are actually speakers from these brands, they are usually the lowest-end ones that aren't too different from the "regular" speakers you'd find in any laptop, and unless they're accompanied by a better quality sound card or DAC, we won't really notice any - any noticeable difference.
Therefore, we mean that you are not just being fooled by brands; Just because a laptop has a Bang & Olufsen speaker system (for example) doesn't guarantee that the sound quality it outputs will be better than another laptop that may have larger, more powerful speakers. To be sure, you need to pay attention to all the features, not just the brand, especially if you are an enthusiast.
Dell 5000 Series
Dell 5000 Series
The new Dell Inspiron series offers quality equipment at competitive prices.
- For $749, you can purchase a laptop with an Intel Core i5-8250 U processor, 6 MB cache (clocked at up to 3.40 GHz). Such an ultra-fast processor, together with 8 gigabytes of DDR4-2400 MHz RAM, is an excellent option for recording music.
- Storage Dell Inspiron 5000, 256GB SSD, optional 1TB HDD storage. The user can place production files on the SSD for high-quality rendering, then transfer the project files to the hard drive.
- The laptop has two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and one USB 2.0 port.
- The Dell laptop is also offered with Bluetooth 4.2 and Waves MaxxAudio Pro, so the sound quality is not satisfactory.
Many Dell laptops have poor displays, but the Dell 5000's 15.6-inch Full HD IPS TrueLife LED-backlit screen can handle any demanding music production task.
FAQ
Laptop vs desktop for music production?
Desktop computers are much better suited for professional music production when it comes to speed and processing power. However, laptops may be a better choice for your needs when it comes to portability and cost-effectiveness.
What computer specifications are needed to produce music?
If you're looking for a PC for music production, your specifications should be at least the following:
- 8 GB memory
- AMD Ryzen Multi-Core or Intel Core i-Series
- Integrated graphics card
- Monitor size 15″+
Should I overclock for music production?
Overclocking for music production is not necessary and may make your session more unstable. Since overclocking can cause your hardware to overheat, if you plan on overclocking, you need to provide cooling. Otherwise you risk killing your thread.
Does the GPU play any role in music production?
Graphics cards don't really matter for music production, and an integrated graphics card installed on the motherboard will most likely get the job done. Of course, if you use a lot of high-end plugins, having a GPU that can handle visually-intensive graphics can be helpful.
Are gaming laptops good for music production?
Gaming laptops are great for music production because they can handle heavy loads. Compared to most laptops, gaming laptops typically have better RAM, processing power, and faster SSDs.
What's the best gaming laptop for music production?
The 15-inch Razer Blade is one of the best gaming laptops available on the market today, thanks to its combination of 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 6-core Intel i7 processor.
What is more important for music production - processor or RAM?
The processor is more important than RAM when it comes to making music. The advantage of RAM is that it can usually be upgraded later, which is not possible with a processor.
Is 32GB RAM overkill for music production?
If you work with large sample libraries that require a lot of processing power, you may need 16 or 32 GB of RAM to run smoothly. However, for most music projects, 8GB is usually sufficient.
Can you get by with 4GB of RAM for music production?
If you are looking for the best laptop for music production, we highly recommend purchasing a laptop with at least 8GB RAM if you want maximum speed and performance.
Do I need an SSD for music production?
Solid State Drives are a much better choice for modern music production than HDDs as they offer much better reliability and performance. With an SSD, you won't have to deal with incredibly long loading times, clicks, or bursts that can ruin your stream.
Lenovo Ideapad 710S Plus
Lenovo Ideapad 710S Plus
Lenovo occupies one of the leading positions in the segment of budget laptop models designed for recording music. The Lenovo Ideapad 710S Plus is one of the most inexpensive laptops that has excellent technical characteristics.
- The laptop has a 13.3-inch FHD IPS screen with 5mm narrow bezels on all four sides of the brilliant display (it feels half as thin as similar laptops).
- The user receives a product with a 7th generation Intel Core i5-7200U together with Intel HD Graphics 620.
- The storage capacity is 256 GB PCIe SSD (the product has the fastest writing and reading speeds, so all music tracks will be displayed almost instantly).
- Battery backup is promising. Lenovo guarantees seven-hour battery life for the Ideapad 710S Plus laptop.
Among the additional useful options, we note always-on charging ports and charging of peripherals on the go. A fingerprint sensor is a useful option for protecting personal data (all source files will be under reliable protection, completely safe from competitors).
Audio brand and laptop. Which laptop is more melodic?
A laptop is a universal device. Someone is looking for an “assistant” in daily affairs, someone needs a gaming “monster”, and for others, a laptop is just a replacement for an outdated desktop computer. When choosing a mobile PC, pay attention to the size, case materials, processor and video card power, hard drive capacity and RAM capacity, battery life and the presence of certain interfaces. Actually, there are a lot of such criteria. Now there is such an abundance of laptops on the market that you can easily choose a device “for yourself”. There is an opinion that you should not expect high-quality sound from laptops. On the one hand, there is a rational grain in such a judgment, because it is difficult to fit decent acoustics into a thin, often plastic case. However, trying to dispel this myth, computer equipment manufacturers began to enlist the support of famous audio brands. By collaborating with global companies that specialize in the development of audio equipment, the concerns Dell, ASUS, MSI, Toshiba, Lenovo and others have managed to create mobile computers whose audio systems can compete with inexpensive external speakers. So, we will try to find out which laptop is more melodic? It’s worth noting right away that you have to “pay” for good sound. That is, you should not expect that an economy class laptop will have “super sound”. Often, high-quality speakers are installed in gaming or multimedia laptops. So, let's begin.
And we'll start, perhaps, with Dynaudio. This is a Danish concern founded in 1977. This brand is primarily known for the fact that the company’s solutions are found in Volvo, Volkswagen and Bugatti cars.
Relatively recently, in 2010, Dynaudio began working closely with Micro-Star International (MSI). The “Sound by Dynaudio” label appeared on MSI GT660 and GX660 laptops. Specialists from the Danish company were directly involved in the creation of the audio components of laptops, thanks to which MSI devices can delight fans not only with amazing power, but also with amazing sound. Dynaudio sound solutions are installed in MSI laptops to this day. So, for example, the modern MSI GT783 and GT685 have an improved Dynaudio system. With Dynaudio Premium Sound technology, thoughtful speaker design and placement, thousands of hours of testing and fine-tuning of highs, mids and lows, MSI laptops with Dynaudio sound are among the best sounding in the gaming and multimedia segment. mobile PCs.
Next we will talk about the cooperation between ASUS and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. At CES 2010, ASUSTeK Computer presented the first N series laptop with the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speaker system. This is a Danish company that specializes in the production of high-quality acoustics. The thing is that ASUS works closely with David Lewis. This is the famous designer who is responsible for most of the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower system designs. The precise structure of the audio system allows you to achieve excellent spatial sound. In addition, the ICEpower division has developed SonicMaster technology, which includes a set of hardware and software tools for improving sound quality. ASUS laptops with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speakers have an audio system capable of reproducing a wide range of frequencies. Special drivers, optimized codecs, increased volume resonators - these are not all the acoustic features in ASUS N-series multimedia laptops. Vivid examples of mobile PCs with such an audio system: ASUS NX90 and ASUS N73. The first has speakers located on the sides of the display (involuntarily evokes associations with a Cheburashka), while the second has them hidden under a perforated cover above the keyboard. The speakers sound so loud that they can easily outshine small external speakers.
It is worth remembering that, unlike ASUS multimedia mobile computers, gaming series devices use Creative EAX Advanced HD 4.0, CMSS and Altec Lansing stereo speakers with a subwoofer. Altec Lansing is an American company founded back in 1936. This concern works on the creation of acoustic equipment and works closely not only with ASUS, but also with Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other computer brands.
If you look at the history of the formation of the concern, you can stumble upon one very interesting fact. One of the founders of this company was James B. Lansing. As you'll notice, his last name is in the company name. However, it is noteworthy that this same James B. Lansing, having left his post at Altec Lansing, founded another world-famous concern, JBL. Oddly enough, JBL acoustics, just like Altec Lansing, are actively installed in modern laptops. But more on that a little later.
The Altec Lansing audio system is often used in ASUS laptops of the K, X, UL, G, A series. As you can see, it is found much more often in laptops than Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. There is nothing surprising in such prevalence and popularity, because it is cheaper, and as a result, the sound is inferior to the above-mentioned acoustic system. Altec Lansing is often used in conjunction with SRS Premium Sound technology. I dare to suggest that the Altec Lansing speakers, although they sound better than standard ones, clearly do not qualify for the title of “Most Melodic”.
Now let's take a closer look at the JBL speaker system. As mentioned above, it was founded by James Lansing after leaving the previously organized one. This happened in 1946. However, three years later, in 1949, due to deterioration of affairs in the corporation, James Bullough Lansing hanged himself. Fortunately, then-vice president of the company Bill Thomas saved the concern from bankruptcy, which allowed JBL to subsequently become a national brand. The company is now a leading supplier of loudspeaker systems to the audio industry. JBL speakers are actively installed in leading car brands. We are more interested in cooperation with computer brands.
Now the American company JBL is collaborating with another American concern Dell. As a result, XPS series laptops (for example, Dell XPS L501X) have JBL speakers and a subwoofer. They sound absolutely amazing. The deep, clean, rich sound is striking in its clarity. Speaker power in XPS laptops can reach up to 22 W (including a 12 W subwoofer), eliminating the need for external speakers.
JBL speakers are also installed in Lenovo Y series laptops. For example, the fairly popular Lenovo IdeaPad Y570 laptop has a JBL 2.0 speaker system with SRS Premium Surround Sound (surround sound).
With such speakers you can fully enjoy both watching movies and listening to music. However, to be honest, true audio connoisseurs will not appreciate JBL acoustics. I would like to add that JBL is now a subsidiary of Harman International Industries. Just like the American company Harman/Kardon, which we will now discuss.
Harman/Kardon is an audio technology company founded by scientist-enthusiasts Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon in 1953. You already guessed where the name of the company came from.
Today this brand is the main supplier of equipment for BMW, Land Rover, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Harley-Davidson and Subaru. As for cooperation with computer corporations, Harman/Kardon is working on creating high-quality “sound” with Toshiba. It is Toshiba laptops that are equipped with American-made speakers.
Vivid examples of such devices: Toshiba Satellite P745 and Toshiba Qosmio X770. The latter, by the way, also has a subwoofer. However, in this case it is incorrect to compare laptops from different lines (Satellite and Qosmio). The gaming X770 is superior to its opponent in literally everything, including sound. The Toshiba Qosmio X770 with Harman/Kardon sound system boasts stunning crystal clear sound, deep bass and unparalleled clarity. Perhaps, Qosmio with such acoustics can compete for the palm in the title of “The most melodic laptop.”
The next computer concern that has established a relationship with another audio brand is HP. Thus, some HP laptop models are equipped with a Beats Audio audio system. This technology was developed jointly with musician Dr. Dre and Beats studio.
For example, the HP Pavilion dv7-6150er laptop is equipped with acoustics with four speakers (two located on the front edge, and two more above the keyboard) and a subwoofer (hidden on the bottom). The sound of the Pavilion dv7 is really cool, however, you can’t call it the best. The volume is plenty, the clarity is “excellent”, but, oddly enough, the bass is not enough. The situation is better in the HP Envy 17 laptop. It has 6 high-quality speakers and a subwoofer. Listening to music on such a mobile PC, you can involuntarily forget that this is a built-in system and not external acoustics. But does she claim first place?
You can talk about which laptop is more melodic for a very long time. After all, at some point, determining sound quality comes down to subjective preferences. However, we can highlight several general provisions that are inherent in absolutely all laptops. Firstly, laptops with good acoustics are usually quite expensive, since a decent audio system is installed in gaming and multimedia models. So, for Acer this is the Ethos line. Mobile PCs of this particular series can boast the best (for Acer) audio system. To improve sound quality, various technologies are supported: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Natural Bass and Dolby Sound Space Expander. Hewlett-Packard's top series is the Envy, ASUS has the NX line, and Sony has the Z and F series (laptops are equipped with 5.1 or 7.1 systems with support for Dolby Home Theater v4). However, perhaps the biggest advances in laptop audio have come from Toshiba and Dell. Both concerns have installed the best audio systems in gaming series laptops, respectively, the Qosmio and Alienware lines.
Frankly speaking, it is extremely difficult to determine the winner in this category, but I would venture to suggest that Toshiba Qosmio and Dell Alienware are on the same level in terms of “acoustic abilities”. We've already talked about the Qosmio audio system. Now a few words about Alienware. Thus, the Alienware M18x can be equipped with a high-definition 5.1 Performance Audio system (standard with WavesMAXX Audio software, optional with SoundBlaster MB software) or acoustics with a 2.1 speaker configuration from Klipsch (an American company that develops acoustic equipment). The sound is simply brilliant, the sound at low, mid and high frequencies pleases with its depth and lack of distortion. In other words, ordinary external acoustics will be inferior to it in all respects.
Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude: only those who are not greedy for several thousand dollars on a mobile PC can experience all the charm and beauty of sounds on a laptop.
For the same money, you will also get powerful hardware, a stylish modern body, and, most likely, a Full HD display. In a few words it sounds like this: “Do you want to enjoy high-quality and deep sound? Get Qosmio or Alienware! You will be satisfied with the laptop!” Author: Dmitry Krylov
Date: 01/31/2012
ASUS VivoBook F510UF-ES71
ASUS VivoBook F510UF-ES71
The ASUS VivoBook F510UF-ES71 laptop is offered with the latest 8th generation processors, so it has excellent performance and a sophisticated appearance.
- The VivoBook F510UF-ES71 ultrabook is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8550U processor with a clock frequency of up to 4.0 GHz, DDR4 RAM is 8 GB.
- The user receives 1 TB of hard drive, which is enough to accommodate any music files.
- If your DAW requires some GPU power, the VivoBook F510UF-ES71 has a dedicated MX130 graphics card (2GB VRAM).
- ASUS VivoBook F510UF-ES71 has a 15.6-inch FHD WideView display with a 0.3-inch bezel (due to this, ASUS Nano Edge has an ideal screen-to-body ratio of 80%, making it an excellent tool for video editing).
- ASUS VivoBook F510UF-ES71 comes with USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen1), USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.
The manufacturer offers the Asus VivoBook F510UF-ES71 for $749, given its good technical performance, this model is suitable for any DJ or music producer.
MSI GL63 8RD-067
MSI GL63 8RD-067
For those who are looking for a new laptop option, we recommend choosing the MSI GL63 laptop. This product is considered by professionals to be the best mid-class laptop designed for the aspiring music producer.
The owner of the MSI GL63 8RD-067 gets an excellent performance package with a good appearance, a huge number of options for additional connectivity.
- MSI GL63 is equipped with the latest Hexa-Core i7-8750H with a frequency of up to 4.1 GHz.
- It can support two 8GB DDR4-2400MHz RAM options, giving 16GB of RAM in a dual-channel setup.
- Manufacturers offer the user the Nvidia GTX 1050 ti graphics editor with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.
- The laptop has a 128GB SSD on a SATA M.2 port for fast media playback, and a 1TB hard drive for all samples and project files.
- The Steelseries red backlit keyboard is easy to use in the dark.
The laptop has separate ports for speakers and microphone, so you can configure your output and input peripherals.
Asus ROG Strix
Asus ROG Strix
For those users who are looking for a light and thin laptop for music production, but are limited on a budget, we recommend paying attention to the Asus ROG Strix model. The laptop is capable of quickly solving problems related to DJing and music production.
- The product is equipped with a 7th generation quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor with a clock frequency of up to 3.8 GHz. In its segment, ROG Strix is one of the most efficient laptops.
- It has 16 GB of DDR4 memory, so you can easily edit and listen to multiple music tracks at the same time.
- The user receives 256 GB of SSD disk space, as well as an additional 1 TB of hard drive (this is quite enough for novice music producers).
- The ROG Strix model is offered with an Nvidia GeForce 1050 with 4 GB of video memory.
- The laptop has a good set of input and output ports: 3 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.1 (type C), 1 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 Mini DisplayPort, as well as a headphone (microphone) jack.
- The ROG Strix features Asus' original RGB keyboard backlighting from Aura.
All the hardware is housed in a thin 0.9-inch profile and lightweight body. Weighing in at 5.6 pounds, the Asus ROG Strix is a mobile device.
Best Laptops for Music Production - Alternatives to Consider
Connections
When choosing a laptop for music production, there are some connections you should pay attention to:
- USB ports
- Thunderbolt ports
- Headphone jack
- HDMI port
Selecting a DAW
What DAW do you use? Is it compatible with Mac and Windows or just one operating system? Most DAWs are compatible, although some work better on certain operating systems than others. Some types of recording software have cleaner layouts that are easier to manage on smaller screens, while some require more real estate. It should also be noted that there are DAWs that require more memory or CPU when using plugins.
Home studio size
Do you work in a large, professional-grade home studio or bedroom? You may want to consider purchasing a larger laptop if you have the space for such equipment. Of course, if you plan to take your laptop with you on the go, then portability should be a priority.
Plugins
Do you have CPU-intensive plugins or VST files that need to be used across many tracks? There's a big difference between recording a few audio tracks at home and making a movie using the latest orchestral VSTs. If you work with plugins that require a ton of processing power, or you work on multiple tasks at once, you will need more power and performance from your computer. You might also want to think about how you do mixing and mastering, or what you're going to do with your music in the future. You don't want to feel limited as you develop as a music producer.
Speakers
While built-in speakers aren't critical since you'll likely be using alternative speakers or monitors for your songs and mixes, they're nice to have when you're recording or mixing on the go. Additionally, being able to test your recording or mixing decisions on a smaller set of speakers can be helpful. At a minimum, you'll need a headphone jack.
Apple MacBook Air
Apple MacBook Air
Features a lightweight 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of PCIe-based flash storage. MacBook Air is lightweight (2.96 pounds) and has a battery life of 12 hours.
FAQ
What should you look for when choosing a laptop for music production?
On the technical characteristics of the gadget.
Final Thoughts – Finding the Best Laptops for Music Production
A laptop for music production is like a tool. Just like with musical instruments, there are many things to consider when purchasing a laptop for music production.
As you can see, there are plenty of great laptops for music production, many of which are surprisingly affordable. Of course, there are a lot of things to keep in mind when buying a laptop for music production, especially if you, like most artists, don't have an unlimited budget. If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to stay away from cheap budget options like MacBook Air models or Chromebooks. These types of laptops have low performance and are more suitable for writing essays and browsing the internet. For serious hobbyists and professionals, the performance limitation can be a major hindrance. I wish you the best of luck in your journey as a music producer, and I hope this list helps you narrow down your options and find the best value music production laptop.
Razer Blade 2022
Razer Blade 2018
For $2,000, the user gets an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q graphics processor, 256 GB SSD, keyboard backlight.
FAQ
What are the distinctive features of laptops designed for music production?
They have extensive storage.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501
Great gaming laptop and media creation tool:
- ultra-thin GX501 case (0.7 inches);
- weight 4.9 lbs;
- Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor;
- RAM 16 GB DDR4-2400 HMz;
- storage capacity is 512 GB;
- widescreen display with a resolution of 120 Hz and NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, M.2 SSD.
8 GB GDDR5 video memory.
