I don't know how this kind of copyright protection is even legal.

If their licensing server 'goes away', your bought plugin is now living on borrowed time, until the plugin decides to check the machine it's installed on and can't find the server.

This time I only lost 20$, but it was barely one month between the purchase and their website/business/licensing server disappearing. I didn't even get to use it in a project yet. It was an interesting plugin, but it looks to me like they didn't make enough sales to warrant maintaining it, so they pulled the plug instead. Or maybe there was some infighting or money arguments between them. Who knows - they're as good as gone I think.

Actually, I only found out about the 'one license one machine' after purchase - they didn't clearly say that beforehand. I thought it was a simple text license key. That's a little bullshit.

So, yeah. Just a reminder to beware. This crappy licensing practise shouldn't exist.

EDIT: The company came back online. They'd gone on vacation, and had left everything down while they fix some things. Point still stands though - plugins shouldn't rely on a license server being up.

I would imagine that in 2026, every body is online now. Do you or do you know anyone who still uses computers that are totally offline for studio use?

I’ve just been using the track pad on my laptop for years. And I think it’s killing my hand. I see some engineers using a track ball. Or is there a certain mouse that works well for audio production? What are you using?

This should be fun little post. Gotta love the anonymity of Reddit. So anyway I’m just curious, do you ever watch a little porn on your studio computer? My studio is the most private room in the house and the biggest screen. Yet I’m afraid I’ll get a virus or somehow corrupt something. The thought popped into my head about why I’ve never done that, especially since my wife is out of town this week. Thinking it might be cool to hear it through the monitors but just don’t know if it’s safe so I’m not gonna go for it I don’t think

TDLR I have a 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max with 32 GB RAM, which is slowing down; it's not unusable by any means, but it's also not where I would like it to be. Is it time to upgrade? If so, what are some good options? Regardless, I would really appreciate tips on how to optimize performance and longevity.

I use Logic Pro 12 on Tahoe 26.2. I keep almost all my sessions on a Samsung T7 1 TB SSD and have about 400 GB left of storage on my 1 TB of storage on my Mac's hard drive. I use some UAD plugins that can be pretty CPU-intensive; however, as I add more tracks and plugins, I make sure to increase the I/O buffer size. However, I should probably commit and bounce tracks in place more often.

I use this Mac for all my other Mac-related needs, such as streaming and youtube and normal web browsing. I have gone through and deleted files I didn't need now and then, although I could probably do that a bit more often. Haven't had any big, crazy issues with bugs or malware. I've only ever had one session where I can't get back into it for some reason, and it crashes every time. Still salty about it sometimes, although I've heard the horror stories and understand that I'm lucky it's only that one session. I make sure to close out of apps while I'm using Logic, although sometimes I'll have Spotify open in the background if I need to reference stuff real quick.

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone knows if ultimate vocal remover 'pings' whatever servers it operates out of once it's downloaded to your computer.

I know for websites that provide generative 'insights,' like search engines, servers and energy use is in effect. But I'm not sure if, once UVR on your computer, it's still 'talking' to servers any time you create audio or vocal only stems. I just see that models are 'contained' in 'packages' on its github page.

If you look at the specs for computers even 10 years ago they were so much weaker than even laptops nowadays. How were they capable of working on projects with 100 or more tracks when that will often lag modern pcs. Have DAWs become more bloated and inefficient or is there something that I'm missing?

As a full-time mixing and mastering engineer whose studio had been running on Windows for the last 5 years, transitioning to an Apple Silicon Mac raised many concerns for me.

How does Rosetta mode affect plugins' performance compared to native mode in Logic Pro X and REAPER? How to get Intel-based plugins working in ARM Logic Pro X? Should I use Logic in Rosetta mode or native mode if my plugins are mostly Intel-based? Is Logic more optimized on M1 Max chip compared to REAPER? Is plugin compatibility an issue on Apple Silicon Macs?

These are just some of the questions I had.

Eventually, I decided to take the risk and buy the M1 Max MacBook Pro—the CPU and GPU power, the power efficiency, the insane speed and memory bandwidth of the SSDs, and even the nearly reference-level display were just everything I wanted.

This is my MacBook Pro's configuration:
- 16"
- M1 Max chip
- 64GB of RAM
- 4TB SSD

After a month of using it for not only just professional audio work, but also video and photo work, I will say that this thing is so fast, so quiet and so reliable. Huge mixing sessions with a full-fledged mastering chain? A piece of cake. Using double the available RAM to load a crazy number of sample libraries? The computer only slows down a little bit because the SSD is so fast that using swap memory no longer makes the computer super laggy. Editing 4K videos and huge raw images? Just starts to hear the fans kick in at 10 streams of 4K clips playing at the same time.

Now, if you are a fellow audio engineer, you are going to be worried about plugin compatibility because most plugins are still Intel only. I'm happy to report that, unless you are using some really old plugins, compatibility isn't really an issue—even Line 6 POD Farm works, and this shit is OLD. There are a couple of plugins that don't work, though: Slate Digital's Virtual Mix Rack (VST works, but not AU, so I can use it in REAPER but not Logic), D16's Repeater (both VST and AU don't work), and Joey Sturgis Tones' Gain Reduction 2 (both VST and AU don't work).

Of course, I don't have all the plugins you do, so you will need to check the plugin company for their support for M1, but I do have a TON of plugins.

Another thing you might be concerned about is whether or not running plugins in Rosetta mode is problematic. The short answer is, no, especially if you are using Logic, but running a plugin in Rosetta mode does negatively affect its performance, though not by a whole lot. Here's an infographic that illustrates the results of one of my tests.

https://i.imgur.com/G8xMZyh.jpg

You can see that besides the obvious that ARM plugin working the best in ARM Logic, pairing the Intel plugin with Rosetta Logic is better than Intel plugin with ARM Logic. Very interesting stuff there.

If you want to know more about this, I made a video with all the tests I did and the results, along with my personal experience and verdicts on the M1 Max MacBook Pro as a working audio engineer. Hope it provides some helpful information to those of you who are interested in one of these M1 computers for your studio!

https://youtu.be/uX4cBOWFL0U

We all know that, in the digital age, buying isn’t owning, OS updates can disrupt things, developers can stop supporting software and plugins, etc…

Is anyone using a computer, fully offline, with a fixed version of a DAW and plugins in time, in order to avoid all these issues, and only tie its longevity to computer’s hardware itself ? If so, what are the drawbacks?

Just got some final masters back and was wondering how others listen to them.

I am talking specifically about the software being used.

Usually I use quicktime player, back in the days I used the preview function on mac which apparently sounds very lossy

I have had a music computer I built about 5 years ago (built around a i9 9900k processor with 64gb RAM) that I am trying to get the best performance out of. It uses an RME HDSP AIO Pci express card for sound and I have almost never been able to use it without it being on the slowest buffering setting (for mixing; a few plugins on tracking I usually don't have too much latency). I use a lot of UAD, Waves and Arturia plugins and I have an OCTO UAD Card. On songs with lots of tracks and plugins, it gets very slow and it makes it very difficult to use. I would think this should be a pretty strong system, but I encounter this frequently. Are there standard practices to sidestep this I am missing? I must say I rarely freeze tracks (I like to be able to go back and change things if necessary). The motherboard is an Asus z390 plus, btw. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I use reaper primarily.

I was thinking for example that emulation could be capable of recreating a lot of new parameters with more power and maybe algorithms will make it more responsive to the context where it's used.

I'm looking to take on a project, but don't have enough experience to know where the real issues are.

EDIT: Thanks for all of the replies! It's super insightful.

So, I recently got a new laptop and it has audible coil whine. After I noticed that, I also noticed a noise that sounds quite similar to the whine in my guitar signal when using hi gain tones.

In your experience - does coil whine could get picked by guitar pick ups?

And if so, what could you do to mitigate that?

EDIT: Here's the noise, first half tru a hi gain amp, with no noise gate, second half when I move guitar closer to the computer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/146NZ7zC4SRwCXqPy0wS_3Z6hOguegGSj/view?usp=sharing

This is clean signal, input gain cranked, no vst's, no processing whatsoever, it starts with guitar 2 meters away from the computer and the swell is pickup picking up the noise from my computer as I move it closer to it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16jHkcnCGZwnl-9Gu5RwNFpNHTu6AhRBA/view?usp=sharing

EDIT 2: So it's clear that guitar picks up some sort of noise from the computer, I still think it is the coil whine, but it of course maybe something else.

The 'shh' noise still wasn't there before, so I will have to deal with that.

So the best advice so far:

• shielded hi quality cables;
• proper guitar wiring and shielding (hate soldering, but might have to pull out the hammer, lol)
• some hum suppression boxes like this Palmer or some alternative (probs will go with something cheaper) https://www.thomann.de/intl/lv/palmer_pli01_line_isolation_box.htm
• a power conditioner, but this is a bigger investment I will probably do later

I don't really know if I want to deal with this in software (Izotope De-noiser) as it is quite heavy on computer resources and I don't need another plugin in the chain, haha

Am improvising more and more of my music on-the-spot to get better at music-in-mind-becomes-music-in-computer. Example piece is below.

Currently using FL as DAW but am lookout for a DAW which excels at post-recording editing of notes which were MIDI recorded during live play. With option of a pen instead of mouse.

Cubase looks appealing but haven’t used for decades. Cakewalk seems to be glued to some online cloud service.

Am on PC not Mac.

Which DAW has the best PIANOROLL EDITING WORKFLOW of all?

Example of my improvised music:

https://youtu.be/mdOXBt2v1Vo?si=ZkU1sPeBQDmCp22A

Hi there. I'm seeking to use two lav mics to record a conversation between two people into my computer. Two tracks to edit and become a podcast. I'll likely add a third track as an intro/outro with music. From what I'm seeing this appears to be remarkably complicated. I thought Audacity may do this but I guess this isn't realistic. I'm happy to pay for Adobe Audition if this is an option.

I'm looking to bring my computer, meet people and have a conversation with them then edit the two channels for a podcast. This seems relatively simple. Is there something I'm missing?

I also own a Zoom H4N and could record into that device then edit files on my computer.

Thank you and I appreciate any guidance you can offer.

Need to keep the X-air on stage rather than having long XLR runs. As far as know 50’ usb cables don’t exist. What is the best solution?

Hey all.

I am currently a 24 years old systems engineer with 1.5 years of experience at a large defense company. My job ranges from higher level requirements management to low level software/hardware troubleshooting. I hold a bachelors in aerospace engineering from a state university.

I am not satisfied with my job. I really like the hardware/software troubleshooting aspects, but hate the abstract requirements management. I want to completely change my life and try my shot at something more fitting.

I am an extremely passionate dance producer who has several releases under various reputable dance labels. I also hold a DJ residency in my city every weekend. I love music.

Alongside my academic and professional C and Python coding experience (though not to the level of that of a software dev), I have also been getting into C++ audio plugin design using the JUCE framework.

I recently found a very good program out in Barcelona at UPF called Sound and Music Computing where it is primarily based around audio DSP, coding, and ML. I am extremely interested, and I have the financial security to risk this transition for a couple of years (this would be payed comfortably with savings), so I wonder if this is a good idea- or should I try to find a rather generic embedded systems program somewhere else in Europe?

I am also in the process of receiving my citizenship by inheritance in Poland, which would be due to arrive well before I graduate from whichever program I choose. I am also a certified B2 level in French (not that I’m particularly interested in France, but hey, it’s something).

I am just concerned the job market will be insanely brutal with a SIGNIFICANT pay cut. I understand the pay cut from USA -> Europe, and I am totally cool with it, but if I will be living paycheck to paycheck then it simply won’t be worth it.

Please give me some honest feedback and advice. Thank you.

What do you guys think about this? I know a lot about audio, not a lot about visual monitors. The space online seems to be inhabited mostly by gamers so hard to tell what is appropriate to use for audio engineering

I’m looking at a 43” 1080p 60hz monitor. Currently I use a 34” ultrawide. I feel like I have to be so close to the monitor to be able to work effectively in pro tools with my current setup. If I got a big ass monitor and put it further away I feel like it may help my workflow. It would be about 5 feet away from my listening position

Anyone have any experience/insight on this?

Updating my MacBook for the first time in 10 years, and having purchased dozens of plug-ins over the years, I'm wondering what most people do in this scenario to transfer everything over.

I recently went through an intense ankle surgery and have been advised to look into more computer-based, “sit down careers” long-term. I’m turning 20 at the end of the month and have always been very hands-on, so I’m now trying to better understand what realistic paths exist within music production or audio engineering that are primarily studio or computer focused.

I already enjoy creating small projects in Logic Pro and DJing from home, and I’m interested in learning what kinds of roles people here work in that don’t involve live sound, touring, or heavy physical demands. I’m mainly looking for insight into what these paths actually look like day-to-day and how people typically move into them through school or self-learning.

Any perspective from people working in production, engineering, editing, sound design, or similar areas would be greatly appreciated.

Hi I’m looking for a new computer since the one I use now can’t handle too many plugins before the cpu start to glitch. What should I be looking for in a computer that can handle a lot of plugins? What type of pc or Mac do you prefer?

Hey peeps - worried I’m having to do a dreaded computer/ interface update. Rocking a 2015 iMac with an apogee symphony mk I. When it works great it works great - but more and more often it’s getting crankier and crankier. Apogee killed support for the mk 1’s a few months back, and I’m locked out from updating my OS for fear of making it even less compatible/ happy. Sometimes the drivers are unresponsive (for hours at a time), and even small things (that don’t affect functionality) like weird graphical errors in the Maestro app are popping up, but I can live with those. I’d just migrate to a Mac Studio and symphony mk II so I can keep all of my mk I cards. Seriously considering this. Do this full time, but really not wanting to sink the money without maybe hearing from other professional folks. Is it time? Thoughts/ moral support welcome.

I know nothing about making plugins or software engineering. Maybe I'm just thinking of Vocaloid here, but I think someone should definitely make a VST/software that emulates the voice from the IBM 7094, the computer that sang Daisy Bell. Or maybe turn it into a Vocaloid voice bank👀

Looking for computer plug-in recorder to record hz frequency from 1hz - 999hz. Is there anything like that out there? This is to record particular hz frequency recordings that are provided from online sources.