For the past couple of weeks I’ve been using three new MacBook Pros: A 13-inch entry level model; a 13-inch with Touch Bar; and my favorite, a 15-inch with Touch Bar. As with all of my reviews, I’ll give you an idea of how I use the MacBook Pros in my daily life, but I’ll also give you a look at how it performed while working on some pro music projects.

First off, I have to say that I really don’t care about specs. I care more about how a machine or device performs when I use it. I know there has been a lot written about the new computers and how they aren’t good enough, but from my use, I just don’t agree.

It’s tough for me to understand how people who have never touched a new MacBook Pro can be so positive that they won’t work.

I know that having 16GB RAM is a concern for some people, but you could never put more than 16GB RAM in a MacBook Pro, so I don’t get the problem. Pros and other customers have been successfully using these computers for years. Just because it takes more RAM to use a Windows machine effectively, that doesn’t mean the same thing for a Mac. You have to look at the entire picture, hardware, software, system software, and memory optimizations.

Let’s talk about the ports for just a minute. Apple took away all of the traditional USB ports and SD card slot, replacing everything with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports.

When I look at that change, I asked myself if I really cared, and the answer is, no. I’ve had an SD card slot in my previous MacBook Pros for years and I used it exactly zero times. Now, I understand that some people, especially photographers, do use it and it is important to them. However, It’s not like Apple left users high and dry. There are adapters that will allow you to plug in everything you need.

I know that’s another source of frustration for users, but it will only be a frustration until the devices we use come with USB-C by default. In six months or so, the ports won’t be the issue that is now for most people.

In the meantime, we have to buy adapters to use our current gear. I’m in the same position as everyone else in this regard. The adapter that I need for my music gear is a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2, which costs $29, after the recent price cut Apple made to most of its adapters.

Pro Music

For most music pros, the MacBook Pro is not going to be their main machine. It will be one of tools they use, but not the only one. There are times when mixing or recording may have to be done away from the main studio, so having a powerful, portable system is important.

I use a Universal Audio Apollo Twin so I can record with top quality gear no matter where I am. I also plug my headphones and Ear Monitors into the Apollo to monitor while mixing and editing files.

To see how the new 15-inch MacBook Pro would do with audio, I opened a 40-track Logic Pro project. The song had a mix of loops, drums, and live recorded instruments. I played back the track, recorded some more guitars, added effects and did everything I would normally do with a music project.

When I looked at the memory usage for Logic Pro, it was using 1GB RAM. The MacBook Pro has 16GB, so I have a lot of room before I ever have to worry about running out of memory.

I tried everything to make the computer stutter or glitch while playing and recording audio, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

I’ve been using Macs to record large music projects for 15 years. I couldn’t ask for anything more than what the MacBook Pro offers.

The rest of the MacBook Pro

I’ll be honest, my main concern with the MacBook Pro was if it could handle music creation—it did and passed with flying colors, but there’s more to this new computer than just pure power, so let’s take a look at some of those features.

I had one of the last generation MacBook Pros, but I choose to use a 12-inch MacBook as my main computer for one simple reason: the keyboard. I absolutely love this new keyboard. It’s the most comfortable typing keyboard I’ve ever used. The keys depress evenly, and with the MacBook Pro revision, there is just enough key travel to make it a pleasant experience.

One of the features that everyone is wondering about is the Touch Bar. Logic Pro¹ hasn’t been updated to support Touch Bar yet, so I wasn’t able to try it while creating music.

I really like the idea of Touch Bar, especially since it changes based on what you’re doing on the screen. It’s going to be a very handy feature. The main thing with Touch Bar is getting used to using it instead of just doing things the way I always did.

Most of us are so engrained in our workflow that we do things without even thinking about. However, when you do think to check the Touch Bar, you can see how things can be done simpler and easier.

Here’s a small example. Have you ever opened the calculator app and had to choose to type in the numbers or click with the mouse? No matter what you do, it’s a pain just because of the type of app it is. With Touch Bar, all of the calculator functions are in the Touch Bar, directly above the numbers on the keyboard. This is clearly so much easier.

There are a lot of examples like this with Apple’s apps and there will be many more when third-party developers add support for Touch Bar in the next few months. I will need more time to see how I’m going to use it with music. A lot of that will depend on the implementation.

One of the things we rely on Apple to do with all of its products is make things easier. Touch ID did that for me. Of course, you can use Touch ID to login to the computer, but it was the other situations that made me appreciate Touch ID.

For instance, when the system wants your password to make changes, or delete an app, you can just place your finger on the Touch ID sensor and you’re done. The same can be done in System Preferences when making changes. It’s so much quicker than typing in your password. It’s a small thing, but it all matters.

Bottom Line

If you are looking at the MacBook Pro for everyday work, you will not be disappointed. This is a powerful, versatile computer that can handle whatever you can throw at it.

If you are a pro wondering if you should buy a MacBook Pro, I can tell you from my tests, the MacBook Pro performed incredibly well. In fact, I didn’t have a single problem, no matter what I tried.

Every pro category has different wants and needs. Perhaps buying an adapter will be more of a hassle for you than it was for me in the short term, but it won’t be like that forever. Thunderbolt 3 accessories will be coming and then this whole conversation won’t matter. A $10-$30 adapter is not going to stop me from having the best computer I can get to create music.

We expect Apple to move its products and the industry forward. Sometimes those changes can be difficult, but we can’t tell Apple to move forward, but not change anything.

The MacBook Pro is a great computer. Only you can decide if it’s the right computer for your needs. I’ve done my daily work with it, created music with it and I love it.