Best Laptops For Music Production In 2022
In this article, I am listing out the best music production laptops that you can buy. All the laptops listed are a beast when it comes to performance. All the laptops are high end and are going to cost you money.
If you are looking to buy a budget laptop for music production, check out my other post. To learn about computer and laptop specifications required for music production, check out this article here.
Best Laptops For Music Production and Recording in 2022
Here is a list of the best laptops for music production and recording: -
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MacBook Pro M1 2021— Fast Processor, Silent Operations, Reliable, User Friendly, Added Advantage Of Logic Pro X For Music Production
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ROG Zephyrus Duo Series - Powerful, Upgradable and Offers The Most Intuitive Workflow For Music Production In A Laptop.
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MSI GS76 Stealth - Incredible Performance, Upgradable, Incredible Battery Life.
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DELL XPS 15 - Sleek and Aesthetic Windows Laptop With High-End Performance For Music Production
- Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition - Great Value For Money With High-End Specifications For Music Production.
1. MacBook Pro M1 2021
MacBook Pros with M1 processors are among the most powerful and fast performing laptops you can buy for music production.
MacBooks are considered more stable machines when compared to Windows machines and provide better user continuity. MacBook also offers Logic Pro X and GarageBand. GarageBand is a free user-friendly built-in DAW for music production. Logic Pro X is a user-friendly and favourite DAW of many music producers.
With the reintroduction of peripherals like HDMI ports, SD card reader, headphone jack(finally) in the MacBook Pro M1(14" and 16" Models). MacBook Pro is going to be a choice for many studio workflows for years to come.
MacBook Pros will also act as a great workhorse for video production purposes and other day-to-day tasks.
Music Production Essential Specs Table For MacBook Pro M1 2021
| Component | Specification |
| CPU | Apple M1 Pro Or Apple M1 Max. Up To 10 Cores. |
| RAM | Up To 64 GB |
| Storage | Up To 8 TB SSD Storage |
| Screen Size | Up To 41.05 cm (16.2-inch) Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Graphics | Up To 32-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine |
| Connectivity | Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port |
Pros Of Apple MacBook Pro M1 For Music Production
- Incredible Performance
- Lightweight and Portable
- Logic Pro X DAW
- User-friendly Workflow
- Maximum Compatibility With Music Production Hardware
- No Fan Noise
- Amazing Battery Life
- User Continuity Within The Apple Ecosystem
Cons Of Apple MacBook Pro M1 For Music Production
- A few Older plugins and DAWs might not be compatible with the M1 chip.
- Not Upgradable.
Who Should Buy Apple MacBook Pro M1 For Music Production
If you are a beginner or an experienced music producer who requires a powerful machine that can be used for studio work as well as live sessions and gigs. MacBook M1 is your go-to machine. MacBook M1 Pros are the new industry standard and go-to machines for music production. These machines are powerful, silent and serve their purpose brilliantly.
If you have the budget, no other laptop will beat a MacBook Pro M1 2021 for music production and engineering. Also, if you love to use Logic Pro DAW, mac is the way to go.
2. ROG Zephyrus Duo 15
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 laptop by ASUS completely revolutionised the music production workflow, with no dual screens required. With a built-in dual-screen, editing mixing and mastering was never easier. The second screen can be used for MIDI Editing, level monitoring, mixing, using VST etc.
Boost your productivity with the first laptop to feature a built-in Screen Pad Plus Tilted 13° for comfortable viewing, the innovative secondary display makes multitasking easy, and features optimised apps that enhance your workflow.
Cutting-edge cooling, up to Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK Processor 2.4 GHz (16M Cache, up to 5.3 GHz, 8 cores) or AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX Mobile Processor (8-core/16-thread, 20MB cache, up to 4.6 GHz max boost) and Up to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 GPU. ROG Zephyrus is an unbeatable workhorse.
ROG Zephyrus also provides a clockable CPU and GPU, making it more versatile for the situation you need to overclock.
This laptop is my personal favourite and only behind MacBook M1 because it is not silent like MacBook. Also, most third-party audio gear and equipment manufacturers optimise their hardware for use with MacBook and macOS acts as an industry standard.
Music Production Essential Specs Table For ROG Zephyrus Duo 15
| Component | Specification |
| CPU | Up to 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor/ AMD Ryzen 9 |
| RAM |
On Board and SO-DIMM Slots Max Capacity: 64GB |
| Storage | 1TB + 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 Performance RAID0 SSD |
| Screen Size | Up To 17.3” UHD (3840×2160) |
| Graphics | GeForce RTX™ Laptop GPU 8GB/16GB GDDR6 |
| i/O Ports and Connectivity |
1x Headphone-out, 1x MIC in |
Pros Of ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 For Music Production
- Incredible Performance
- Dual Screen
- Revolutionary Workflow Capabilities
- Upgradable Memory and Storage
- Clockable CPU and GPU
- Max I/O Ports
- RTX Graphic Card, 100%SRGB, Makes It A Great A Machine For Video Editing And Other Graphic Purposes.
Cons Of ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 For Music Production
None. A complete, revolutionary laptop for music production.
Who Should Buy ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 For Music Production
If you are an experienced music producer who is open to new workflow possibilities, this machine is for you. It is powerful, upgradable and a beast.
3. MSI GS76 Stealth
MSI GS76 Stealth is a performance monster for music production studios and live performances.
Equipped with the latest 11th Gen. Intel® Core™ i9 processor and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 graphics, the GS76 Stealth is ultra-thin and lightest while paired with the world's highest 99.9WHr battery capacity and latest Wi-Fi 6E.
G76 uses the latest PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD, the reading speed goes beyond 5 GB/s. This massively accelerates multimedia loading speed and can decrease latency during sessions.
G76 also uses slots for RAM and storage, making them upgradeable.
Music Production Essential Specs Table For MSI GS76 Stealth
| Component | Specification |
| CPU | Up to 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor |
| RAM | 2 Slots Number of SO-DIMM Slot Max 64 GB Max Capacity |
| Storage | 1x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3) 1x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen4) |
| Screen Size | Up To 17.3” UHD (3840×2160) |
| Graphics | GeForce RTX™ Laptop GPU 8GB/16GB GDDR6 |
| i/O Ports and Connectivity |
1x Type-C (USB / DP / Thunderbolt™ 4) with PD charging |
Pros Of MSI GS76 Stealth For Music Production
- Incredible Performance
- Upgradable Memory and Storage
- Max I/O Ports
- Amazing Battery Life
- RTX Graphic Card Makes It A Great A Machine For Video Editing And Other Graphic Purposes.
Cons Of MSI GS76 Stealth For Music Production
None. This machine is a workhorse with a great built.
Who Should Buy MSI GS76 Stealth For Music Production
If you are an experienced music producer who requires a powerful machine that can be used for studio work that also offers upgradability and amazing video editing compatibility.
4. DELL XPS 13
DELL XPS 13 is one of the best high-end laptops that are not overpriced and meet the requirements of experienced music producers.
XPS 13 comes equipped with 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1195G7 Processor (12MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz), 16GB RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD. Dell XPS is a mark of quality built and performance.
Music Production Essential Specs Table For DELL XPS 13
| Component | Specification |
| CPU | 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1195G7 Processor (12MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz) |
| RAM | 16 GB, LPDDR4x, 4267 MHz, integrated, dual-channel |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive |
| Screen Size | 13.4" OLED 3.5K (3456x2160) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 400-Nit Display |
| Graphics | Intel® Iris Xe Graphics |
| i/O Ports and Connectivity |
1. Thunderbolt™ 4 [(DisplayPort / Power Delivery) (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) 2. 3.5 mm Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack 3. Thunderbolt™ 4 [(DisplayPort / power delivery) (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) 4. MicroSD card reader |
Pros Of DELL XPS 13 For Music Production
- Incredible Performance
- Value For Money
- Upgradable Memory and Storage
- Great built Quality
- Light and Portable
- Amazing Battery Life
Cons Of DELL XPS 13 For Music Production
- Less I/O Ports
- Integrated Graphic Card is not a huge concern for music production but is still a downside at this price point.
Who Should Buy DELL XPS 13 For Music Production
If you are an experienced music producer who is looking for a well-built, dependable, light and portable windows' laptop—go for Dell XPS. Dell XPS series has been around for a decade and continuously evolved. XPS laptops are well-built and have withstood the test of time. A great, reliable machine for music production.
5. Razer Blade Stealth 13
Razer Blade Stealth 13 can be your go-to performance laptop for music production and recording on a limited budget.
Most of us do not need a GPU for music production, still, we are not left with a choice when it comes to buying a high-end laptop. We have to pay the additional money for the high-end GPU as well. Enter Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition. For those who just need a decent graphic card and a laptop with all the high-end capabilities for a music production studio without the additional high-end GPU cost.
With 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 Processors, 13.3” OLED Touch Display, 16GB Ram, NVIDIA GT 1650Ti Graphics, all starts at a cost of USD1799.
This laptop provides you with a sleek, affordable workhorse that will fulfil your most music production needs on a budget.
Music Production Essential Specs Table For Razer Blade Stealth 13
| Component | Specification |
| CPU | 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Quad-Core Processor |
| RAM | 16GB dual-channel (fixed) |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Screen Size | 13.3" Full HD Matte 120Hz |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q (4GB GDDR6 VRAM) |
| i/O Ports and Connectivity |
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB-A) x 2 |
Pros Of Razer Blade Stealth 13 For Music Production
- Great Value For Money
- Amazing Battery Life
- Portable and Lightweight
- NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1650 saves money and can be used for easy-going video editing and production purposes like YouTube Videos.
Cons Of Razer Blade Stealth 13 For Music Production
- Fixed Memory And Storage
- Only 4 Cores CPU
Who Should Buy Razer Blade Stealth 13 For Music Production
If you are an experienced music producer on a budget in need of a powerful and portable laptop for Music Production, Razer Blade Stealth 13 could be your solution.
I hope this list helped you decide the laptop according to your specific music production needs. If you have any comments, please do share them below.
If you are on a budget, I highly recommend you check out the best laptops Under USD1000 for Music Production.
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