Wednesday January 24th was a very special day, an important day. The Mac turned 40. The backbone of my operation, the computer that I wrote this blog post on, the machine that helps me day to day as I navigate my work, fun and play.
A moment for both reflection and celebration. The Mac connects us all. The Mac helps us be human?
1984 Apple’s Macintosh Commercial (HD)
To start some insights into my Mac usage:
First Mac I ever bought:
Intel i7 Mac mini (2018) 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM – Space Gray
Macs I Currently Use:
Daily Driver: M1 Max MacBook Pro 16 (2021) 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM – Space Gray
Backup/Test Rig: Intel i7 Mac mini (2018) 512GB SSD, 64GB RAM (Upgraded RAM via OWC) – Space Gray
Past Macs (In Reverse Chronological Order)
M1 MacBook Air 13 (2020) 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM – Space Gray
Intel i7 MacBook Pro 15 (2018) 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM – Silver
Inspired by some of the fun post and podcasts I’ve listened to and read throughout the last week. I decided it would be fun to share some resources about the history of the Mac and to share some of my own insights into how I’ve used one or two or there over the years. In short the Mac is backbone of the music industry and entertainment industry in many ways. Macs are omnipresent in writers rooms, music production studios, production offices and entertainment office spaces enabling both creatives and managers of those creatives to sit down or stand at their desks and create art, commerce and conduct business. Mac enables them to try new ideas and push the boundaries of what is possible.
First, a brief history of my own personal use of the Mac platform and operating systems.
The very first Mac I interacted with was probably some ancient unit that I used in either third or fourth grade to play Oregon Trail. I have no idea which model of Mac these were but maybe they were one of the following, A Macintosh Quadra 630, Macintosh LC 630, or Macintosh LC 580? Definitely something on the cheaper end that would have been in rotation for education purposes? I really wish I knew but it was something that would have likely been released in the 90’s and in use through the 2000’s when I was making my way through Elementary School. Thank you George Bush for slashing public education funding and especially Arts Education funding. Enabling me to have access to near 10 year old Macs in the early to mid 2000s.
The next Mac I ever came into contact with was a friends white MacBook, most likely a MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2007) or a MacBook (13-inch, Late 2007), where I got my first taste of GarageBand during the peak iPod era. I was hooked and amazed by the sound of recording my Squire Bullet Strat electric guitar into the MacBook via its built in microphone. I really had no idea how any of it was working but I was enthralled at the sound of hearing 4 of me back at once. Watching the meters flick into the red as I’m sure I was distorting everything. Watching the guitars audio waveforms render in real time within the original GarageBand GUI of macOS Tiger or Leopard was magical. I’m sure the music wasn’t all that great, but that planted a seed in the back of my mind. How can I get a computer to record on? How can I be in control of my own musical destiny? No bandmates, no labels, no middlemen.
John Mayer at Macworld SF 2004 – GarageBand Introduction with Steve Jobs Ft. John Mayer
As a family we never owned any Macs. So back to the world of PCs for a bit. A great way to learn how a computer works and functions. Drivers for everything on Windows, ugly GUIS, C: drives, B: drives, blue screens, recovery disks, noisy fans and ugly cases abounded. A great way to learn the fundamentals of computing, troubleshooting, backups and the dangers of upgrading to hastily for the latest and greatest.
Moving on in high school I was reintroduced to the Mac via the iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) or iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) models through Culver City High Schools Academy Of Visual And Performing Arts organization, I’m not sure of the exact year of those iMac models. But I sure did love those machines. I would show up early and stay late to work in Logic Pro 9 and dabbled a bit in Pro Tools 8. But Logic Pro 9 was my happy place. Mind bending, thought provoking and exciting. Learning to use Logic Pro 9 in high school played a key role in helping me transform my dreams of playing in a touring metal band to becoming a composer and music producer for media and the arts. Marrying music to images, my passion, what I get out of bed for in the morning today as I did back then. I still use Logic Pro nearly everyday working as a composer, music producer, additional music composer, score technical engineer, sample developer, mixer, archivists, and workflow consultant among a variety of other music department roles.
I am a very vocal critic of many of Logic Pros many shortcomings, more on that in future articles. Nonetheless it’s the DAW I know the best and can work the fastest in. Hopefully Apple will take note of what some of it’s competitors are doing over at Steinberg Cubase and AVID Pro Tools to refine the next generation of Logic Pro into the industry leader it should and deserves to be. Apple has the resources and talent to make this happen, so do it, please. Make it a subscription, another line item on the ever expanding Apple Services Revenue reports, I’m game.
See photo below me using Logic Pro 9 on one of those early 21.5 inch iMacs at Culver City High School. My happy place.
Back to my journey with computers, after high school I shifted back to PC’s for a bit longer using Cubase as my main DAW. Loved it a great way to learn the basics of computing and if you can run a studio on a Windows PC you can on Mac. This era between 2011 – 2019 was a dark era for the Mac. Let’s call it the Thermal Corner Era. Jony Ive and co. had become obsessed with thinness and aesthetic beauty over functionality and performance. See the outrage over the butterfly keyboard. The Mac Pro 2013 was released and was over priced, under performed, and kicked off the era of limited repairability for Apple products that sadly lives with us through this day. So I proudly swore off all Apple products while they appeared to treating the iPad like it was the future of computing. I wanted a machine I could modify, customize and support for years to come. Also, I was an upstart musician who had started college in 2011 and graduated in 2016 and was starting my “career” in a post Great Recession economy and knew full well that I could not afford a Mac Pro as powerful as my home made Windows PCs. With the amount of money it would have cost have gotten a similarly spec’d Mac Pro I was able to build out my Windows PC based “studio” adding in external speakers, an audio interface, sample libraries, monitors, hard drives etc.
Fast forward to 2019, I was jamming along working a multiple gigs and outputting as many indie scores and library tracks as I could. Probably not sleeping enough, a lifestyle I do not recommend for anyone. I get a text asking if I wanted to interview with composer and music producer Germaine Franco. Sure I’ll try I responded.
“This studio is all Mac, just so you know, Logic, Pro Tools, Sibelius.”
Oh boy, time to relearn the Mac stat!
The day I got the gig I bought my first Mac a 2018 Mac mini from my pals at B&H. My 2018 Mac mini was used on many projects and still lives below my current workstation as a trusty backup and test device. Keeping one toe in the land of intel lakes so I can continue to support and collaborate with intel creatives when needed. One thing I will miss about my 2018 Mac mini is the upgradable RAM. But that rant is for a future post. I also suspect Apple will end macOS development for intel based machines sometime in 2026. With security updates lingering for a few more years after that till lets say 2030 or so?
To wrap up I love the Mac and what it allows me to do on a daily basis, helping me run my business, supporting clients and serving as a musical whiteboard for ideas of all kinds. After my first Mac purchase the mini, I bought a used 2018 MacBook Pro base spec model in silver. A great first Mac laptop despite the shortcomings of the 2016-2019 MacBook Pro design language. It ran hot, the fans whirled up often, but it gave me my freedom as an independent contractor. I used this machine heavily both pre pandemic, during and post pandemic as my daily driver outside of my home studio. Using it to coordinate meetings, setup sessions, write music for clients on the go etc. The limited and non upgradeable storage capped at 256 GBs was really killer in a bad way. I essentially always had to have an external Samsung T5 plugged in at all times to do any meaningful work or file management. Not very aesthetically pleasing to have an SSD hanging off the side of one’s Mac at all times is it Jony? However, despite that I really fell in love with laptop life so to speak, despite the obvious power and performance advantages of the 2018 Mac mini. Then the keyboard broke or at least the return key did and so did maybe the A key, I can’t remember so I bought a used M1 MacBook Air off eBay while I shipped off the 2018 MacBook Pro to be repaired, fortunately it was still covered under Apple Care + at the time and the repair was done in a timely manner despite them telling me it could be 3-4 weeks turnaround, it actually took less than 5 days maybe even 3 days including shipping and handling. The machine returned in flawless condition, even better shape than when I initially purchased it. This machine was soon passed on to a family member needing an upgrade.
I was fully converted to Apple Silicon, the M1 Air was awesome, and so powerful in such a small footprint. I used that machine for everything and started favoring it over my 2018 Mac mini, using it at my desk for most types of work that didn’t require loading up a large session or composing template. Final Cut Pro was especially fast. The battery life was and still is amazing going out into the field and rarely having to plug into the wall to charge up in between tasks. A helpful companion on many a project.
Then in 2021 the MacBook Pro M1 Pro and Max models were released, I had to have it. I watched the launch video salivating at the specs and the idea of completely getting rid of my desktop setup and saying good by to this frankenstein combo of Windows server PCs and the Mac mini.
I hunted for one on eBay and found one in December 2021, the model I am currently typing this post on. It’s been my main work horse ever since. Simplifying my entire operation. My “studio” goes wherever I go. Plenty of power and punch to handle everything I’ve thrown at it so far. The only thing I wish it had was more RAM. Which will probably be the only reason I upgrade to either a refurbished M3 Max and/or M4 or M5 Max MacBook Pro in the future as these models can now be configured with up to 128 GB of RAM. For now it’s solid and helping do everything I need to get done in a day, week and month.
The Mac is back and here to stay. I’m here for it, Insanely Great: The Apple Mac at 40.
Mac on!
Read more about the history of the Mac via the links listed below:
- Mac 40th anniversary: Here’s every single Mac from ’84 to now
- Apple is bringing side-loading and alternate app stores to the iPhone
- Mac (computer) – Wikipedia
- The best Mac ever | Macworld
- The iMac G3 Project — 512 Pixels
- How the iMac saved Apple – The Verge
- A Tour of Apple’s External (LCD) Displays — 512 Pixels
- PowerBook 5300, a Compromised Mac | Low End Mac
- Some of Apple’s lemons — 512 Pixels
- 20 Macs for 2020: #17 — PowerBook 500 & 5300 — Six Colors
- The Macintosh TV was a cul de sac off the road to converged video | Ars Technica
- 20 Macs for 2020 #9: Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (#12) – Relay FM
I plan to write more about my love affair with the Mac in the coming weeks. Next I plan to do a write up on the Mac apps I use day in and day out.
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Written on MacBook Pro and iPad Pro using Drafts Pro in Markdown.
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