The 9 Best Laptops For Music Production
This wiki has been updated 25 times since it was first published in December of 2018. Whether you're an independent artist tracking songs in your home or an established music producer spending days on end in the studio, a good laptop will enable you to take your work with you wherever you go. The models on our list boast fast processors, lots of storage and RAM for memory-intensive programs, and ports for connecting all your interfaces and digital-analog converters. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Asus ROG Zepyrus G14
2. Apple MacBook Pro
3. HP Omen 15
Editor's Notes
December 28, 2020:
You'll notice at least one trend in this selection, and that is a heavy preference for AMD Ryzen CPUs, which significantly outperform Intel offerings, especially in multi-threaded applications that go along with music production. The Asus ROG Zepyrus G14 offers just about the best performance and upgradeability you'll find, while the Apple MacBook Air and Apple MacBook Pro are well-known in the music industry. We also want to mention the Dell Inspiron 7000, which is one of the nicest 17-inch models around. And if you're on a budget, the MSI Modern 14 is hard to beat, although you may eventually need to upgrade the RAM and SSD for best results.
December 18, 2018:
While Apple has among the smoothest performing machines for music production, their latest models all lack a USB-A port, and instead employ exclusively USB-C. Adapters are available, as noted, but that pushed them back a few spots on the list. Offerings from Lenovo, MSI, and Acer rounded out the top options.
4. Dell Inspiron 7000
5. HP Envy x360
6. MSI Modern 14
7. Asus VivoBook F513
8. Apple MacBook Air
9. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.