Hey DJTT, so as the thread title mentions, do you think that a laptop with a 13" screen size would be fine for music production?
The reason I ask is that I’m thinking of downsizing from my current 15" MBP to a 13" MBP. I use my laptop primarily for DJ’ing, and daily use including music production, but I thought that getting a 13" laptop would be more practical, and convenient for daily use and commuting, and for portability when DJ’ing. Do you think that 13" screen would be sufficient for production, or would I be better off sticking to a 15"?
Do any of you have any experience with a 13"? Thanks.
I find my 13" screen to be way to small and inconvenient when I’m in the final stages of creating a track. It’s definitely doable, but will slow down your workflow.
Ditto, might be fine for sketching ideas on the road or something, but even a minimalist like me would find that pretty constraining for detailed work.
What you could do is have a monitor at home to hook up to. Lets say a 24" monitor or even a 27, then you can still have the great portability of the 13" and have all the room you can ask for once you hook up to your monitor.
yeah i dual monitor with my laptop and an external monitor, theres no way i wouldn’t find producing on a single laptop screen annoying now. I just love the ability to drag things on to that second screen and have everything i need always in view.
I feel so spoiled with my (no longer manufactured) 17" MBP (beefed up with all the upgrades it can handle).
Depending on what you do DJ-ing, you’ll want to decide if 13" is enough or not. If it was me, I’d probably get the most juiced 15" MBP available. I’m only saying this because you don’t want to be held back when producing. Everyone hits a wall eventually when producing, so it’s worth it to make sure it takes quite some serious processing to get there.
My recommendation would be to run your MBP in clamshell mode and utilize a wireless keyboard + mouse. It actually taxes the computer less when you do this, and you still get a bigger screen out of it.
Now off the record, I wouldn’t really suggest buying a new MBP right now unless you’re in a pinch.
I always check this website before considering buying apple products.
I don’t think having a 13" laptop would affect me really. I guess the extra real estate is cool, but in a long run to me. I would use my 13" with a second monitor (As stated above).
For me personally, I would perfer a 13" laptop. As long as the specs in it could hold out for a few years then I would probably use that all the time as a studio computer and a live performance computer. I don’t need much screen real estate when I’m DJing anyway.
I have an old (2011) Macbook with a 13" screen. I have never used a laptop with a larger screen (although an external monitor would be nice, I just don’t have the cash). I guess it all comes down to what you’re used to. I’m perfectly comfortable with the 13 inch screen, but I can understand how others who have become accustomed to a larger monitor would be inhibited by the smaller size.
I actually changed from 42" Full HD TV to 13" MBP. I used to use Ableton Live, and still use when producing with my desktop. I used to produce at home, but nowdays I really enjoy being able to carry my work around and produce anywhere. I use my MBP (with i7, works like dream) for DJing too, and just recently I decided to give music production a go. As said above, it’s all about what you are used to produce with.
i love taking my 13" MBA to the next Café, ordering a Latte and sitting there for a few hours producing. I traveled quite some places now (still all in europe) and started in every country and city a new track. I finish mostly at home but its still an experience i dont want to miss. Would my Macbook be bigger i couldnt walk hours with it to find a nice place. But portability isn’t something everbody cares about.
Hey, I’ve use either 27’’ and 22’’ monitors for my work. But I find perfectly fine to work on HQ 13’’ especially when I’m on the move. No problem at all. Depends on your individual preferences.
Hey, I’ve been using my 27’’ and 22’’ monitors for ever and I could assume it is the best setup for me. But when using my 13’’ laptop I’m feeling fairly ok so I don’t mind it not uncomfortable at all
I use to use my 21.5 inch iMac to Produce and I thought that was awesome, I actually used it to DJ it as well and man it made life easy. I recently had to sell it to start DJing at a club where I needed a MBP. Now I produce on my 13 inch MBP and DJ on it. Not bad for DJing(obviously) , but to produce, its much harder. Not a fan.
What I will be doing myself is actually getting a 32 inch tv and running my laptop to that when I produce, Run the mixer on the MBP screen. Much easier.
Also remember that in Macbook Pro’s, the 13"'s are dual-core, the 15" are quad-core. You could be stepping down in speed, depending on what you are using now.
I have a 15" and a 13" (both late-2011, I got them before the retinas were available). I used to use the 15" specifically for DJ’ing, and had the 13" for my desktop, running clamshell with a 27" thunderbolt display.
I ended up swapping the laptops, mainly because my DJ 15" was super expensive, and sat there not being used quite a bit. Plus it was much faster than my 13". Now the 15" sits in clamshell mode. I do kind of miss the 15" screen for Traktor, but the 13" works fine if you have your Traktor set up with multiple views.
