9+ Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording 2021 | Reviews & Guide

How lucky are we today?

Until a few decades ago, in order to produce and record music, one had to turn to professional studios which, due to the cost of the equipment and the enormous amount of work, were asking for figures that were not really affordable.

Today, technology allows you to create and record your own music at home with very affordable investment in equipment.

The computer thus becomes one of the fundamental elements for music production: it must be powerful enough to be able to carry the required workload.

Usually, a fixed is preferred, but for various reasons and for its practicality, some prefer to buy the Best Laptop for Music Production and Recording.

Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording

Undoubtedly with certain models and brands, we can “play it safe”, but the truth is that often much less is enough to be able to work on your own music.

There are laptops with different features and it is important to know which ones interest us for our purpose.

This ensures a suitable product, which can be different according to personal needs.

If you just need to compose in MIDI format and use sounds and plug-ins, you will have different needs than those who want to record multiple live instruments.

In this article, we will learn how to read a laptop datasheet and understand how the various components will affect our productions.

Below we introduce you to the best laptops for music production and Recording :

Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording | Comparison Table 2021

Prices and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording | 2021 Reviews

How to Pick The Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording | Ultimate Guide 2021

Portative Computers VS Desktop (Stationary) Computers For Home Audio Production

Each model has its pros and cons: a fixed can be assembled with the components that best suit our needs and can be implemented as needs change.

In addition to being able to build a computer for ad hoc music production, we can choose larger screens, have very comfortable and specially designed mice for greater practicality, as well as larger and more complete keyboards.

In the case of a laptop, we undoubtedly have the advantage of portability and being able to use it anywhere without restrictions.

Therefore? What is the best?

It depends: if you have an equipped area in the house and you always record and produce there, you can take advantage of all the advantages of a landline, if instead, you have to record or dial often away from home, a laptop is definitely more convenient.

For example, it can be very convenient for DJs to use their laptops on which they have their own remixes during their evenings!

Even those who have to record instruments in other places, such as the drums that need spaces and places of a certain type, can move in a more practical way: all the equipment for musical recordings, such as microphones, the audio card, …

Having your whole laptop in one handy, light, and slim bag saves a lot of tedious work and pounds to carry.

Even those who use the computer for their podcasting will be able to move and carry out services and interviews even outside the home.

Should I Worry About The Sound Card?

Absolutely not.

We assume that anyone who wants to produce and record music will use an external sound card, so the computer’s internal one doesn’t matter.

This is already a detail to take into consideration: it is better to spend a few more bucks for an excellent sound card and choose a laptop with a mediocre integrated sound card but which offers other features much more useful for our purposes.

Should You Buy A MacBook Or Windows Laptop For Music Production?

When it comes to buying a computer for music production, the first question many people ask is: is Mac or PC Better for music production?

MacBooks are from a brand known for their stability, but also for their not-so-easy cost.

If in the case of desktop computers, PCs have the enormous advantage of being able to be modified, in the case of laptops this option is not there.

With the latest generation MacBook Pro we can say that “play it safe”, but there are also some Windows notebooks with excellent features at a lower price.

For this reason, knowing how to read a technical data sheet is essential.

Surely for your needs, you will not be able to rely on the cheapest model, but you can learn to evaluate and choose a device at a low price, or rather, low compared to other similar ones.

Don’t forget to evaluate all the external programs and devices you use!

Does your favorite DAW only work on Windows? Or just on Mac products?

What about your sound card? And the midi keyboard?

Do you already have these products? If yes you have to make your own assessments, otherwise you will have to pay attention to the music equipment/software you will buy and always check compatibility with your computer and operating system.

Important Features For A Portable DJ Or Audio Production

Knowing how to choose the right hardware is the first step in creating the ideal setup for good music production.

If you already know which DAW you will be using, try to get a laptop with suitable features, preferably higher than the basic required ones, so that you can use the device for longer.

Let’s see the main features that allow you to identify a laptop suitable for any DAW, so that you may be able to form your own opinion by reading the datasheets of the various products on sale online or on the traditional shopping market.

Multi-core processor

More cores correspond to a higher speed.

If you buy a new laptop, choose one with a processor quad-core or Hexa-core and remember the best music is an i5 quad-core i7 that a dual-core!

The current top of the range? Intel’s new i7-core, but since we’re all on a budget, if it’s too expensive you can opt for Intel’s quad-core i5 processor, which isn’t top-notch, but still decent.

And what about AMD? The new AMD Ryzen Mobile processor looks very promising, but you may have trouble finding the drivers for your external devices.

More than 8GB of RAM (16GB Recommended)

A RAM of 8GB may be sufficient for some simple productions and recordings which include a few tracks, but if you use a lot of plug-ins and your sessions are composed of many simultaneous tracks, better to choose 16 or 32 GB.

Some laptops have the option of adding slots in the future!

Solid-State Memory Drive

This type of hard disk, known by the acronym SSD, is highly recommended: it is silent and faster in both reading and writing.

Which capacity is recommended? 512 GB, but if your budget doesn’t allow it you can go down to 256 or 128 GB, but using an external hard drive for data storage.

The Cost / Performance Ratio

When you compare the cost of different hard drives/disk capacities, you will notice that a larger capacity SATA drive costs less than a smaller SSD.

Remember that SSDs have higher quality and much higher performance, so the relationship is between cost and performance, not cost and capacity.

Mediocre GPU

Of course, it is about music, listening, but remember that you also work with sight.

You don’t need an excellent graphics card, but it is enough to have a decent one that allows you to work easily with your DAW, to edit, insert plug-ins, modify the eq.

If you will use the computer only for music production, an entry-level dedicated graphics card will suffice, but if you foresee other uses (eg Video editing, …) then it is better to choose a higher quality one.

Record, Produce / Compose, Or Live Performance?

A live performance setup is certainly different from one for recording in the studio or for producing and composing.

If you are a singer or songwriter and you only need to record a couple of tracks, such as vocals and guitar, you definitely don’t need a high-performance device like someone who has to produce a band and record numerous instruments, or as someone who uses a lot of plug-ins.

Everything is relative: even in live performances, you may have to record an acoustic duo and therefore two different sources, or a complete orchestra!

Screen Size

Sure, when you are at home you can conveniently connect your computer to an external display of the size you want, but the laptop screen must still be large enough to allow you to work effortlessly.

Also in this case you have to find the right compromise between portability and convenience in viewing.

Mobility

In addition to size, other mobility factors need to be considered. Like the battery life.

If you have to work on a train ride, or in an open place with no power outlets, you need to have a device with excellent battery life and replace it when performance starts to drop.

If you find yourself working in very dark discos and clubs, better choose devices with a backlit keyboard!

Connectivity:

Now all (or almost) external peripherals are connected via a USB.

Make sure you have enough for use “away from home”, while when you are at your desk you can use a hub and multiply the number of ports at your disposal, to connect the sound card, midi keyboard, and other devices at the same time.

Inputs For Audio Speakers And Headphones

By using an external sound card, your headphones or speakers will be connected through it.

The sound quality of the integrated cards is definitely not suitable for music production, but you can use it to listen to the audio of a video that interests you while you are out and about without a sound card or anything else.

Brief History of Audio Production

There are debates on everything, even on the musical recording: better analog or digital?

The right answer may not exist, but what interests us is thanks to digital today you can produce your music at home with a small investment in suitable equipment.

Even going to a  professional music recording studio may now be feasible, whereas years ago only those with a large budget could have this privilege.

Technology and progress are double-edged weapons: recording is cheaper, but sales in the music industry have dropped significantly.

But let’s take the beauty of this technological age and dedicate ourselves to our passion: music, which we can create and record independently!