Laptops for Music Production

Laptops are portable and quiet

For many years now artists prefer a big screen for their music production. Indeed, many brands are now making laptops with large screens suitable for any creative production, not just music. Many artists prefer however portability over convenience and therefore laptops play a major role in the music production. We shouldn't forget that there are solutions that can cater for both. Docking stations, or in some other laptops USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapters can combine the best of both worlds: portability and professional user experience by connecting a small laptop to an external large monitor (or two), keyboard, mouse, headphones and studio monitors for audio recording and final mastering.

Sound production requires power

To get us a good of measurement for the hardware requirements we look into the most popular music software and its “minimum requirements” to run smoothly. Pro Tools requires Intel® Core i5 processor with 16GB RAM and 15GB disk space for installation. This should give you an indication that sound production requires a really good components and there is no other way around this.

What else to consider?

For storing none music-related files like videos, or photos we recommend to use an external HDD, that provides additional space and convenience. You should also refrain from installing many additional applications (games, large none audio recording programs) that would clog-up your laptop and cause it to work slow. This is happening because most of the programs and games while installing will add some information to the system register (Windows), or system files (Mac) and also run mini-programs in the background for updates called ghost. After a while you will notice that your system works slower and needs more time to start. To avoid that from happening keep it clean and only install software that you will really need.

What we need to also mention is that your laptop will need a good battery life, not as much for recording, but for every day applications. While recording you may need a power supply, because most of the recording programs are very "power hungry".

Music Recording laptops

Our experience and expertise in music recording and music production provided us with many opportunities to be able to test many laptops. When it comes to laptops you get what you pay for, so it's always good to get the best you can afford, rather than regretting your purchase later.

To save your time and hours (sometimes days) on research online we have prepared for the list of best possible and affordable music recording laptops below. Take your time and look at the options below. Perhaps you will find this ideal laptop you were thinking of getting for a while.

Please find below the best deals online and the best music recording laptops.

Laptops for Music Production for 2020

(from the best to most affordable)

1st. Place

Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage, 2.3GHz Intel Core i9) - LARGE SCREEN, BEST PERFORMANCE!

The 16 inch Apple MacBook Pro has enjoyed a reputation as being one of the best Macs to date. We think this is the best choice for the professional, who would like to not just record, but edit and produce music on one singe unit. With the right software this laptop can easily replace a professional music studio. Its greatest trick is that the software is specifically tuned to this hardware ensuring 100% compatibility. This laptop is also suitable to listen music without the need of external speakers, as it has 6 speakers dual force-cancelling woofers. Amazing for any multi-media, audio, or video editing.

Our comment

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch is a winner in every category. Big top quality retina screen will enable you to see clearly all audio tracks when you zoom in/out and edit them effortlessly. Two graphic cards will ensure quiet and low temperature operation in less graphically demanding sound processing applications. Large RAM memory is a must and in this case you get top of the range 16GB DDR4. 1TB storage from the start is an amazing investment as you can just start recording without worrying about the disk size. When it comes to power 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 is world's fastest consumer processor yet, so no need to worry for years to come. With this laptop your audio editing will take seconds leaving you with the spare time to unleash your creativity! If you are not planning to connect it to the bigger monitor (you still can if you want to) and portability is not an issue this is in our opinion the best affordable laptop for music production you can get. For portability with similar performance see second and third option.

2nd. Place

Apple MacBook Pro (15.4-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage, 2.3GHz Intel Core i9) - GOOD SIZE SCREEN, BEST PERFORMANCE!

The 15.4 inch Apple MacBook Pro has enjoyed a reputation as being one of the best Macs to date. This time 15.4 inch (very popular wide screen) with very similar specification. We think this is the second best choice for the professional, who would like to not just record, but edit and produce music on one singe unit. With the right software this laptop can easily replace a professional music studio. Its greatest trick is that the software is specifically tuned to this hardware ensuring 100% compatibility. We think that this laptop is as good as the first one with only personal choice when it comes to the screen size.

Our comment

Apple MacBook Pro 15.4-inch is our second recommend laptop. Large top quality retina screen will enable you to see clearly all audio tracks when you zoom in/out and edit them effortlessly. Two graphic cards will ensure quiet and low temperature operation in less graphically demanding sound processing applications. Large RAM memory is a must and in this case you get top of the range 16GB DDR4. 512GB storage from the start is a great investment as you can just start recording without worrying about the disk size. When it comes to power 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 is world's fastest consumer processor yet, so no need to worry for years to come. With this laptop your audio editing will take seconds leaving you with the spare time to unleash your creativity! If you are not planning to connect it to the bigger monitor (you still can if you want to) and portability is not an issue this is in our opinion second best affordable laptop for music production you can get. For even more portability with similar performance see the third option.

3rd. Place

Apple MacBook Pro (13.3-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage, Magic Keyboard) - PORTABLE, VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE!

The 13.3 inch Apple MacBook Pro has enjoyed a reputation as being one of the best and portable Macs to date. This time 13 inch (very popular wide screen) with very good specification. We think this is the third best choice for the professional, who would like to not just record, but edit and produce music. With the right software this laptop can easily make a home recording studio (especially with the external monitor). Its greatest trick is that the software is specifically tuned to this hardware ensuring 100% compatibility. We think that this laptop is a very good choice, as it is powerful and incredibly portable at the same time.

Our comment

Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch is our third recommend laptop. Top quality retina screen will enable you to see clearly all audio tracks when you zoom in/out and edit them effortlessly (you can connect bigger external monitor for better experience). Integrated graphics processor will ensure quiet and low temperature operation in less graphically demanding sound processing applications. Large RAM memory 16GB DDR4 will ensure smooth audio effects processing. 512GB storage from the start is a great investment as you can just start recording without worrying about the disk size. Tenth-generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with four cores will be sufficient for audio recording and audio editing for many years. With this laptop your audio editing will take seconds leaving you with the spare time to unleash your creativity! We think that thanks to its portability and performance this particular laptop deserves to be listed as a third option for music production.

4rd. Place

HP OMEN 15-dh1010na (15.6-inch, 16GB Ram, 144 Hz Screen, 1TB SSD Storage) - ALSO FOR GAMING, AMAZING PERFORMANCE!

The 15.6 inch HP OMEN 15-dh1010na has got all the important gaming features including a high refresh rate, Nvidia G-Sync and an efficient cooling system. If you're looking for the best value stay-at-home (always connected to power supply) Full HD gaming and recording laptop with a top-notch performance this is the one you were looking for.

Our comment

15.6 inch HP OMEN 15-dh1010na laptop is durable and has enjoyed a reputation as being one of the best "value for money" gaming machines to date. This time we have decided to test it as a recording laptop and we weren't disappointed. Its amazing CPU and 16GB Ram memory with advanced thermal cooling ensures quiet operation in music recording tasks. We think this is the third best choice for the gamer, who would like to play favourite games, but also record, edit and produce music. With the suitable software this laptop can easily make a home recording monster (no need for external monitor). Its best feature is performance - Intel® Core™ i7-10750H 2.6 GHz base frequency, up to 5 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB L3 cache, 6 cores and connectivity. With its super fast wifi and ethernet cards you can transfer your music to e.g. local backup server, external storage much faster than in any other laptop. We think that this laptop is a very good choice, but only if you are looking for a gaming and recording machine, that will be stationary rather than portable.

5th. Place

Dell G5 15.6 inch (15.6-inch, 16GB Ram, 144 Hz Screen, 512GB SSD Storage) - ALSO FOR GAMING, SUPERB PERFORMANCE!

Dell G5 15.6 inch ash the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, so you can use most demanding sound processing software without interrupting your other activities, streaming or else. The G5 15 is a gaming laptop that will support you in your music recording studio.

Our comment

Dell G5 15.6 inch features a dual-fan cooling system to help spread out heat without one noisy and annoying fan, has 3D sound and gives a turbo-boost of power when needed with a simple press of a button. If you decide to enjoy your graphically demanding games you can activate a Game Shift, that triggers a dynamic performance mode within the Alienware Command Centre by maximizing the fans' speed to keep your system cool while the processors work harder. This laptop has got all the important gaming features including a high refresh rate, Nvidia G-Sync and thanks to its 16GB Ram memory and rather large screen will make a perfect sound recording and editing laptop. If you're looking for the quality for both worlds (gaming and music production) this laptop is our next recommendation. A bit pricey and needs to stay connected (unless you will get Dell XRGXX,1F22N battery 90Wh 8h), but screen and the performance are simply amazing.

6th. Place

Lenovo Thinkpad X280 (12.5-inch, 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD Storage) - VERY PORTABLE, AMAZING PERFORMANCE!

7th. Place

Asus A509 (15.6-inch, 20GB Ram, 2TBGB SSD Storage) - SUPERB PERFORMANCE, QUIET, AMAZING STORAGE!

8th. Place

ASUS TUF FA506IV (15.6-inch, 16GB Ram, 1TBGB SSD Storage) - SUPERB GAMING PERFORMANCE, AMAZING STORAGE!

9th. Place

Lenovo ThinkBook (15.6-inch, 20GB Ram, 2TBGB SSD Storage) - DOLBY AUDIO SPEAKERS, AMAZING STORAGE!

10th. Place

HP 255 G7 R3 (15.6-inch, 16GB Ram, 2TBGB SSD Storage) - SUPERB PERFORMANCE, AMAZING STORAGE!

GOOD VALUE MUSIC PRODUCTION LAPTOPS

(from the best to most affordable)

1st. Place

HoMei (15.6-inch, 32GB Ram, 1TBGB SSD Storage) - SUPERB GAMING PERFORMANCE, GREAT STORAGE, SUPERB RECORDING LAPTOP!

HoMei 15.6-inch is a total surprise. Outstanding quality, excessive amount of ram memory and 15.6-inch screen makes this perfect "best value" gaming and recording laptop. Good NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphic card is enough to play most games effortlessly and very efficient cooling system allows comfortable usage. This laptop has two HDD with combine power to ensure storage and speed. It also has Sound BLASTER CINEMA 5 Audio Enhancer to produce captivating sound in all multimedia.

Our comment

HoMei 15.6 inch features two hard drives (256 GB M.2 SATA Solid State Drive (SSD) and 1 TB 2.5" SATA Hard Drive HDD) to store all needed audio files and run operating system with audio software. Its Exclusive Audio Boost Technology - Sound BLASTER CINEMA 5 Audio Enhancer will ensure amazing sound in any multimedia and HD Webcam is more than enough for online meetings. With IPS Full HD screen you will be able to play games and see all details of any sound editing program.