Just yesterday, Apple held a special event where they revealed an assortment of new products, but their biggest announcement really caught our eye. They unveiled their latest desktop computer, as well as their new 27-inch Studio Display. Many people have been waiting a while for the next MAC, and this announcement didn’t disappoint, especially when considering the new chipsets packed within its system. The M1 Ultra specifically aims to be one of the most powerful chips for personal computers available, with its 20 core CPU, up to 64 core CPU, and 128 GB of unified memory.
The MAC Studio As A Production Machine
MAC computers have been a favorite for many audio producers over the years. With the MAC Studio, Apple is hoping to directly target music producers/sound engineers by delivering a system that can easily meet the demands of any digital audio workstation. Knowing what the M1 Ultra chip is said to be capable of, this rings true. DAWs benefit greatly from a good amount of processing power, and the MAC Studio looks be a monster in that department. The 64 GB of unified memory will also be necessary for reading plug-in information and sound libraries. Surround sound mixing can be especially demanding, and with spatial audio making it to the mainstream, you’re going to need a lot of power in order to sustain a smooth workflow. You’re also given four thunderbolt and USB-A ports, so connecting outboard gear shouldn’t be an issue, whether you’re using an audio interface of a MIDI controller.
The MAC Studio For Audiophiles
There’s a specification on the MAC Studio that will stick out to you if you’re a headphone lover. On the physical unit is a single 3.5mm headphone jack, which is nice to see after many Apple products have phased it out. According to Apple, this headphone jack will actually be able to power high-impedance headphones, a feature carried over from the latest MacBook Pros. Does this mean you can ditch your headphone amplifier and just use your 600 Ohm Beyerdynamics or 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD 800s by plugging directly into your MAC Studio? Probably not, but it’s also not impossible to get a good level of gain from direct input. The same goes for speakers as well.
You can find more from Apple and the new MAC Studio on their website here.
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