@zedmond 2 TB ssd here. Storing your 5GB sample library on the SSD is fine. That’s a very small size. I have large libraries on an external 2 tb ssd but I might move the ones I use the most onto my internal ssd to save from having to carry around an external drive.
@luke7020 What is your Kontakt Preload Buffer Size set to? If this is reduced for 60kb (default) it will use less memory but use more CPU, which doesn’t seem to be an issue on these new M1’s. So I could possibly get a 32GB version since currently my setting is sitting at 60kb.
@luke7020 I’m sorry, these are 5 TB …
And btw thank you very much for sharing your experience with this machine!
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Yeah the 256 core cpu will be expensive and cutting edge but eventually it will be common. Its heading that way.
I’m picking up my Intel 12900k next week with ddr5 etc… I’m really curious to see how well Cubase performs from an Intel i7 8700. Still half the price of a mac pro and upgradable.
I’ll get an M1 pro eventually for live shows. But for a work station nothing beats a proper desktop with 32" 4k monitor.
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I am sure you will be very happy with your new PC. I have recently purchased an i9 18 core (36 threads) and I am thrilled with it. I have never experienced such ease of use and speed of work.
I can’t personally see 256 cores become the norm though tbh. Even for a PC that’s hugely expensive to buy. Only specialised sectors like film CG rendering facilities will ever need this kind of power.
Same here, I jumped from an i7 extreme edition (6 core) which by the end of the PC’s life was tough to work with, with all the latest stuff flying in like, new libraries and plugins(I had it for 10 years).
Enjoy your new PC!!
10 years ago dual core was mind bending. I don’t think people buy less than 6 anymore. You’re up to 18.
You can safely assume your car will have 100 cores in ten years, your desktop will have 100 and your phone will have 100. These would be the cheap electric cars the machines you use around the house for browsing recipes. Composers will spend a little extra to get 250 cores. You can write this down in bronze as a prediction. Soon they won’t be able to make them any smaller so they are going to pack cores in to larger dies and integrate everything in 3 dimensions. It’s going to get pretty crazy.
Same experience here. M1 mac surpasses Intel macs, including a MacPro, for music production performance, even when using Rosetta.
The bottom line is the performance/price/energy trajectory for M1 far surpasses x86. It would be hard to justify investing in an Intel/AMD-based computer for music production right now.
Time will tell buddy. I surely hope so. I went from tearing my hair out at times, to be working with ease and making creating music a real pleasure. It’s exciting times.
I removed some off topic posts.
The thread is about the new-ish Apple M1 series chip performance.
Hi Steve just for clarity as it seems you may not be aware but the M1 Pro Max is not newish, but brand new as of a few weeks. This thread is a general discussion on how well the computer as a whole is running cubase, for any users that might be considering a purchase.
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I got the M1 Pro since the only difference I could find between the Pro and Max was the GPU cores. Been using Cubase on it since release day and I’m still blown away by how it’s performing.
The only drawback I’ve come across so far is multitasking, which honestly MacOS has never excelled at (which is why I still much prefer windows after 24+ years of working cross-platform). But hearing a hiccup if I check my email while working in Cubase is a small price to pay.
I have to concur that, for audio work at least, x86 feels like second rate tech compared to ARM, and that’s just in 1 generation plus a performance refresh. Cubase on my M1pro is performing within at least 3/4 capacity as my main Ryzen rig and that’s running translated via Rosetta 2. I imagine the performance and efficiency gains of a native Cubase build (and native plugins) will close that gap a fair bit.
Also I got the M1pro so I could do SOME of my lighter work while watching my new baby and not have to charge it as often (dont want cables around), but after using it a few days I ended up docking it in one of my racks and now it’s acting as my main workstation on a 40" 4K display and all that.
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How do you mean the multitasking is no good?
Update: I ran this gulfoss test across the M1 pro max and the desktop Mac Pro 16 core. I could run 50 tracks on the M1 before drop outs compared to 65 on the 16 core. However the M1 was using 80 percent cpu with 17 idle while the Mac Pro was using only 50 per cent cpu and 47 idle.
So clearly the Mac Pro 16 core still outshines the M1 max but then again it’s running under Rosetta. So I imagine the gains may possibly be closer once cubase is native. Even at its present cpu range it’s really nice having the almost power of the 16 core in a portable form being able to use a workstation wherever I prefer even if it’s just in different rooms in the house.
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What settings are you running that allow you to get 50 tracks with 5 instances on Gullfoss on each? I just tried on my M1 Max and was able to get 43 tracks to play, each with 5 instances of Gullfoss. Buffer size was set to 2048. Also will note that while doing this, TG Pro reported 95 degree celcius. That’s the highest I’ve ever seen it report.
I mean like keeping playback in cubase going while I open a browser to make posts complaining about the new Steinberg Licensing scheme, Cubase will experience huge dropouts and spikes in audio playback. MacOS has always been a bit lacking in these types of multitasking scenarios compared to windows but M1 now really seems to take a hit (I assume a lot of it is due to Rosetta2 having to translate cubase in real time).
Also to get optimal performance I had to disable “Enable Record on Selected MIDI Track”. I was getting abysmal performance before that.
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Same settings but using inbuilt audio. No sound card. Asío set to high. 64 bit processing. Was on my lap and just slightly warm. That was as techy as I got with the temp check 
. I have 64 unified ram. Maybe that contributes? Not sure
Weird, I’ve never experienced that behaviour with macs at all 
My machine also has 64gb ram. Strange.
That is super weird that I got 7 more tracks / 35 more gulfosses. I used the default settings on them. And it was a stereo channel. No other background apps of any significance. Latest cubase 11 pro.