8 Best Laptops for Music Production (October 2023)

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If you have just begun your music production career and looking for the best laptop for music production, this list is just for you. We will give you some of the best laptops you can use to produce really dope music.

We tried to add laptops in every price spectrum so that you can get the best in your budget. Here you will also find some of the best budget laptops for music production and premium laptops for better music production.

These laptops are capable of handling DAWs like Ableton LIVE, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Reaper, Reason, Studio One and other popular DAWs that you might want to use. DPC latency is also low on these laptops, making them ideal for music production.

Also See: Best Gaming Laptop under $2000

8 Best Laptops for Music Production in 2023

Before curating this list of best music production laptops, we made sure that you get a smooth experience while working on DAWs or playing any MIDI instruments like MIDI guitar or MIDI keyboard. Usually, things get hard when a music producer tries to record multiple tracks or try to add plugins, and effects at once.

To overcome that and for smooth working, get the highest processor, RAM and storage variant that you can afford.

Sound libraries, plugins, and samples take a lot of storage and that is the reason why you need more storage like 1TB. To record music, add effects and work on multiple tracks, a good amount of RAM is required to keep everything running. Most of the DAW suggest 8GB RAM but more RAM would be better.

To manage everything properly, a good processor is all we need. Do not go less than the Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor. Prefer getting an i7 or Ryzen 7 processor for a smooth, responsive experience. Also, give preference to multi-core processors like 8-core, 12-core or even 16-core processors.

Apple M1 and M2 Chipset Macbooks are also powerful laptops for music production. Its unmatched synchronization of hardware and software is ready for a smooth music production experience.

If you are looking for a monitor, here we have the best monitor for music production for better visuals.

So without any further ado, let’s start our list of best Laptops for music production in 2023 and drop some music albums:

1. Apple MacBook Pro 2023

Whenever we talk about music production, content creation, video editing, photo editing, etc. MacBook Pro is something that strikes in mind first. MacBook Pro is a top-of-the-line laptop that is made for sheer performance. Take any DAW you want to use for music production, this Macbook Pro will give you the experience people dream of.

Under the hood, it runs on Apple’s very own M2 Pro chipset which not only gives you performance but also gives you long battery life that is not possible on any other laptop right now. The 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU are optimized to give you a fluid experience. Along with that, we also have 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. You can also upgrade the specification up to 32GB RAM and 8TB SSD.

With this machine, you can run any DAW like Ableton LIVE, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and FL Studio to their full capacity. You can also ask Apple to install Logic Pro if you don’t have one already. We all know that music production software has gorgeous but heavy animations, spectrum graphs, colors, and other graphic-oriented interfaces.

So to process everything smoothly, the Macbook Pro comes with a 19-Core GPU that handles all the graphics on the screen.

To display all those gorgeous interfaces, we have a massive 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display that looks absolutely gorgeous. It has the best dynamic range, contrast, and brightness up to 1000 nits XDR Peak Brightness and 1600 nits HDR peak brightness. Every music production software gives you top of a line user interface on this display.

You can also get a 14-inch display but the big screen is preferred for music production as there are a lot of knobs, and options that we want to see clearly and the small screen tightened up the whole interface. Talking about the big screen, you can also check these best 17 inch laptops with bigger displays but if you are specifically inclined toward a Macbook, this is the biggest Macbook you can get.

While producing music, a lot of gears and instruments are required and to connect them to your music production laptop, Macbook Pro offers you a 3x USB Type-C port, 1 HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SDXC card slot. The RJ-45 Ethernet port is missing but if you really want to connect the ethernet LAN cable to your MacBook, you should see this guide to connect Ethernet cable without RJ-45 LAN port.

If you want to connect a MIDI keyboard or MIDI guitar with a USB Type-A port, you need to use an adapter which is totally okay considering the kind of powerful machine we are getting. The battery backup you are going to get is ~21 hours which is just amazing for a laptop.

Also See: Best Audiophile Headphones for Gaming

The six speakers system on Macbook Pro is, no doubt, the best speaker setup with woofers but most music producers use Audiophile headphones or studio headphones to master the music which helps them to give an accurate idea about the sound, pitch, tone, velocity, transitions, effects etc. With portable monitors for Macbook Pro, you can extend the display and get more display areas for producing music.

Overall, if you have the budget and looking for a professional or high-end music production laptop, this MacBook Pro is just the best laptop for music production. You can even edit professional-looking 4K music videos on it.

Buy Now: Amazon

2. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo

For almost the same pricing, Asus is giving you something that is just perfect for music production. With dual OLED touchscreens, Asus ZenBook Pro Duo looks like a laptop from the future but it makes perfect sense when it comes to music production.

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo runs on 12th Gen Intel Core i7 14 Core (6P + 8E) processor, coupled with 16GB RAM & 1TB SSD. This specification can brilliantly handle all the music production software and MIDI instruments. You don’t need to worry while working on the multiple tracks with effects and plugins installed. Every DAW gives you a smooth, responsive user experience without any compromises. For graphics, we also have a 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU for handling all the graphics parts.

See Also: Best Gaming Monitor for RTX 4090

Now let’s talk about the displays which are the main attraction of this laptop. The main display of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is a 15.6 inches OLED touchscreen display with 4K 3840 x 2160p resolution.

You can turn all kinds of knobs, set reverb, delay, play drums, piano, tune the mixer using your own hand. The touchscreen display is just perfect for music production. It is kind of an instrument itself. You can connect a vertical monitor for extended visuals of effects, FX, and more.

Along with that gorgeous 4K OLED main display, we have another 14-inch 4K display with a matte finish over it. Asus calls it ScreenPad Plus. ScreenPad Plus acts as an extension to the main display and you can also split screens. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production and video editing, Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is just for you. The music production on Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is the dream of many budding music producers.

Check out this Asus Zenbook Pro Duo demo video with Bitwig Studio which is another popular DAW available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Apart from all that, we have a couple of connectivity ports that let you connect to MIDI instruments, guitar amplifiers, mic, and whatnot. The port includes USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C, HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm Headphone/mic combo jack and a DCI-in port. You will also get ASUS active stylus pen that you can use to draw sound patterns, play with graphs, and much more.

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If you are looking for the best music production laptop, Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is just the epitome of music production laptops. Running on Windows 11, the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is the best laptop for music production one can get.

Buy Now: Amazon

3. MSI Creator M16

MSI never fails to impress me and MSI Creator M16 is another reason why. As the name suggests, MSI Creator M16 is a laptop made for content creators. Be it music production, video editing, LIVE streaming, gaming or anything you can imagine. It is a fully loaded laptop that is also brilliant for music production.

Under the hood, MSI Creator 16 runs on the 12th Intel Core i7, 8 Core processor coupled with a whopping 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. If you still have questions about the performance of this laptop, you need a new perspective on how you think about laptops. It is just perfect for professional-grade music production and other creator work.

Every music production software, plugin, and effects run buttery smooth without any sort of jitter, lag, or whatsoever. Since it is a creator laptop, you also get to see 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU which will majorly improve the graphics on the display. You can also connect the monitor for RTX 3060 for an even better viewing experience.

Whether animations or video rendering, this GPU is powerful enough to give you gorgeous on-screen graphics. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production and video editing, there is nothing better than MSI Creator M16.

Moving forward to the display of this laptop. MSI Creator M16 comes with a massive 16-inch display with a 16:10 Aspect ratio. Usually, you will see a 16:9 aspect ratio in laptops but this laptop is made for more screen area. Along with that, we also have better screen resolution. While other laptops come with Full HD resolution, this laptop comes with QHD+ 2560*1600p resolution covering 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. Accurate, bright colors are what you can expect with this laptop.

To keep the laptop running smoothly while you are recording multi-tracks, the MSI Creator M16 comes with Cooler Boost 5 which is equipped with 2 fans and 4 heat pipes that make sure that the CPU and GPU remain cool.

MSI Creator M16 is also rich in ports & connectivity options. We have 2x USB 3.2 Type-A ports, 1x USB Type-C port, an HDMI port, a 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack & RJ-45 LAN port. With these wide arrays of connectivity options, you will be able to connect mic, MIDI instruments, Mixers and other gear and equipment at once which is a little convenient when you are playing with multiple pieces of equipment.

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Running on Windows 11, MSI Creator M16 is one of the best Windows laptop for music production. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production, video editing & gaming, there is nothing better than this powerful Windows laptop. If you are looking for more laptops in this price spectrum, you should these best gaming laptops under $1500 which are also suitable for music production.

Buy Now: Amazon

4. ASUS VivoBook 15

The above-mentioned laptops are top-of-the-line laptops for music production but if you are looking for the best laptop for music production under $800, Asus Vivobook 15 is something you can consider. It comes with a decent specs sheet which is enough for beginners. This laptop is not powerful enough to handle multi-tracks and that is something you should know. Here are more gaming laptops under $800 that come with similar specs required for music production.

Under the hood, Vivobook is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. Intel Core i5 processor fulfills the minimum requirement to run DAWs like FL Studio, Ableton Live and other popular DAWs. Along with that, we have 12GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB M.2 SSD. Everything on Vivobook is satisfactory and this laptop checks everything you need for music production. Asus laptops are also known for low DPC Latency which is definitely a good thing for music production.

The storage is very limited on this laptop but as an alternative, you can easily connect a 1TB external SSD for backup and storage. For installing DAWs, 128GB is good enough.

The display of Asus Vivobook 15 comes with a 15.6-inch display with Full HD 1920x1080p resolution. The display looks absolutely gorgeous and bright. Every option in DAW is clearly visible on this display and there is nothing you are missing.

For connectivity, it comes with a wide range of ports like USB 3.2 Type-A, USB Type-C port, HDMI, Card Reader, and 3.5mm headphone mic combo jack. You will also see a fingerprint reader on the Vivobook just for the sake of security. Asus also added a backlit keyboard which is definitely a good add-on especially if you like to produce music on a low-lit room.

Overall, Asus Vivobook 15 is a well-balanced laptop that gives you great value for money. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production under 300, Asus Vivobook 15 is something worth considering.

Buy Now: Amazon

5. HP Pavilion 15

Moving forward to another budget laptop for music production and here we have HP Pavilion 15 which comes with everything you need to produce high-quality music. If you are specifically looking for a laptop with an Intel i7 processor at an affordable price, HP Pavillion 15 is for you.

It runs on the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7, a 10-core processor coupled with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. HP Pavillion 15 is offering you 10 core processor, which is any day better than Quad-core or 4-core processor in Asus Vivobook 15 mentioned above. I would highly recommend you go with the processor with more cores as you will see a significant difference in both processors. Also, there are no huge differences in the pricing.

This laptop also checks everything you need to smoothly run music production software. The 512GB SSD is something that might bother you in the future but an external SSD can solve the problem. Considering the price point, the i7 10-core processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, Pavllion 15 is a value-for-money laptop.

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Talking about the display, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD 1920x1080p resolution IPS display that looks pretty good to the eyes. The bezels are thin which also gives you a sense of widescreen and an immersive viewing experience. The 15.6-inch size is also suitable for music production. The colors and viewing angles of the display are satisfying. The whole user interface of DAW looks pretty slick on the display.

The battery backup of the HP Pavillion 15 is just brilliant. You can get battery backup of up to 7 hours on a single charge and with fast charging, you get 0-50% battery with just 45 minutes of charge. That is pretty good for those who produce music on the go while traveling.

For connectivity, we have 2x USB ports, 1x USB Type-C port, an HDMI port, an SDCard slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. With these ports, you will be able to connect all sorts of MIDI instruments, mics and other gears, and equipment. Unfortunately, this laptop doesn’t have an ethernet port but you can still connect LAN cable without an ethernet port if it is important to you.

Overall, HP Pavillion 15 is a good laptop for music production. For its price, we are getting a pretty good package. If you are looking for the best budget laptop for music production, this is good to go.

Buy Now: Amazon

6. Apple MacBook Air

Now if you don’t want to spend much on Macbook Pro but want to use Logic Pro or Garageband in the macOS ecosystem, Macbook Air is here for you. This Macbook Air is good for everyone who wants a super portable yet extremely powerful laptop for music production.

MacBook Air runs on Apple’s very own M2 chip which is an 8-core processor, ready to give you a fluid, high-quality music production experience. To make things run smoothly, we have 8GB RAM and for storage, it comes with 512GB SSD. There is another $300 cheaper variant of the Macbook Air that comes with 256GB SSD.

If that makes sense, you can consider that one. If you want my thoughts on that, I will say, go for 512GB SSD if you are looking forward to adding more sound samples, plugins and other add-ons. As mentioned by Apple, 72GB of space is required if you want to install the full sound library of Logic Pro. So, act accordingly.

The specs on this Macbook Air fulfill the minimum requirement of all the popular music production software. If you only use Logic Pro and Garageband, you don’t need to worry as Macbook is fully compatible.

Apart from that, the 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display looks absolutely gorgeous. For graphics, we also have a 10-Core GPU that gives all the gorgeous colors and smoothens the animations. With a peak brightness of 500nits, the display is never an issue on a Macbook.

For connectivity, we have a MagSafe charging port, 2x Thunderbolt USB Type-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, there are no USB Type-A ports and if you have a MIDI keyboard (like Akai MPK25) that works with USB Type-A, you need to buy a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter or cable.

MacBook Air is the most affordable Apple laptop for music production that also comes with a powerful M2 Chip with 8GB RAM. There are no audio latency issues on Macbooks and works smoothly with Logic Pro, GarageBand as well other DAWs. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production, Macbook Air is an easy recommendation.

Buy Now: Amazon

7. ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2023)

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Here we have the best Windows laptop for music production that is loaded with the latest & powerful hardware. It also got a wide array of connectivity ports and gorgeous-looking designs.

This laptop is powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13650HX 14 core Processor. It is the latest i7 processor which also comes with a multi-core processor which is most suited for music production. With 32GB DDR5 RAM and 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, things get even better. Every DAW runs buttery smooth on this laptop. The whole multi-track recording experience is just brilliant. Whether it is Abelton LIVE, FL Studio or any other DAW you might be using, everything runs smoothly on Strix G16.

For bigger visuals which generally is preferred for music production, it comes with 16 inches Full HD 1920x1080p resolution anti-glare display which also comes with Dolby Vision. The 165hz refresh rate is another add-on of this laptop which also makes it suitable for gaming. Another impressive thing about this display is the 90% screen-to-body ratio which also helps in giving an immersive viewing experience.

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We also have an 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU which is an additional feature for better graphic processing. The animations on the DAWs like spectrum graphs and other sound patterns animations look clean and smooth on G16.

Connectivity-wise, G16 has a wide range of ports to offer. You will see USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Type-C that also supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack in the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16. Whether it is a MIDI instrument, guitar pedals, sound mixer, or an external monitor, you can connect everything with this powerful laptop.

For its price, ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is a gorgeous yet powerful laptop that gives you great value for money. The music production experience on ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is smooth and feels professional. If you are looking for the best Windows laptop for music production, go for it.

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8. Alienware M15 R6

Alienware is a popular gaming laptop brand from Dell. It has powerful hardware that can easily run all sorts of music production software, DAWs, and Plugins and gives you a great user experience. Dell promotes it as a gaming laptop but it got all the hardware you need for high-end music production, video editing, photo editing and whatnot.

Alienware M15 runs on 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H, 8-core processor coupled with huge 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD. This is a very powerful specs sheet that is ready for all the music you want to make. It fulfills the recommended system requirement of popular DAWs like Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Abelton LIVE, FL Studio and any other DAW you want to use.

Along with all that, we also have an 8GB Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU that gives you high-end graphics, and animations on the screen. Graphics and processing is a never an issue on this Alienware M15.

Talking about the display, it comes with a 15.6-inch QHD display that looks beautiful on the 15.6-inch screen. The picture quality looks sharp and crispy. You can check 4K monitors here for a crispier, sharper display. Although we don’t need response time and refresh rate for music production but if you are looking for a laptop for music production as well as for gaming, it got a 1ms response time and 240hz refresh rate for smooth gaming performance.

Connectivity-wise, we have ample ports for connecting MIDI instruments, microphones, guitar pedals, and amplifiers. We got USB 3.2 Type-A ports, USB Type-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI 2.1, Killer E2600 1Gbps rated RJ-45 Ethernet port & DCI-IN power port.

Running on Windows 11, the Alienware M15 R6 is a solid laptop that fulfills all the requirements for running music production software and gives you a smooth working experience. If you have a good budget and want the best laptop for music production, the Alienware M15 R6 is just a brilliant choice to with.

Buy Now: Amazon

Best Laptop for Music Production: Buying Tips & Advice

It is quite overwhelming seeing so many laptops for music production. If you are still confused about whether you should pick a Macbook or a Windows laptop, how much RAM is required, and how much storage is enough, well, everything is answered below.

How Much Storage Do You Need For Music Production?

Storage plays a crucial role in music production especially if you are someone who uses massive loops library, and sampling packs for producing new music. These sampling packs, loops, and plugins occupy a lot of storage. On top of that, the Raw uncompressed files also required a lot of storage. This is one side of the story.

On the other side, the reading speed of storage also matters a lot when you juggle between samples and different sound libraries. Sometimes, a fleeting thought can give a whole new melody idea and in all that, if your laptop started doing tantrums of loading the sound library, how could someone implement the idea? In order to get rapid response and easy access, it is crucial to go for storage with rapid reading speed.

So, for more storage and much better reading speed, SSD is always preferred over HDD. SSD has all the components on a single chip while HDD has physical hardware that reads the data and leads to delay in the action. For instantaneous access to the sound library and better storage options, get at least 1TB SSD on your music production laptop. In case, you require more storage, you can always use an external SSD accessible via USB Type-C port.

How Much RAM Do You Need in a Music Production Laptop?

RAM is a temporary memory that ensures the smooth functioning of a laptop or even PC. Your CPU doesn’t need to go to storage again and again to access the basic programs required to run the laptop. More RAM means more temporary storage for the CPU to access, hence faster and smoother speed.

For music production, the DAW initiates a lot of files, programs, and plugins in the background which is required to run the DAW smoothly while playing an instrument, recording the sample, recording vocals and even rendering the final output. Any delay or lag in the action can ruin the music production as well as other programs that are running in the laptop’s background.

In order to keep the music production laptop smooth while you are working, get at least 16GB DDR5 RAM. You can also opt for DDR4 RAM but if you are getting an option, give first preference to DDR5 RAM. The 16GB RAM is a sweet spot for music production that also fulfills the recommended hardware required to run almost every DAW.

If you are inclined towards Windows laptops like Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell etc., you can upgrade the RAM to 32GB or even 64GB but if you are going for Macbooks, make sure you ask Apple for the RAM upgrade because there is no option to open the back cover of Macbook and to upgrade the RAM afterward.

Should I Get Windows or Mac for Music Production?

Almost every popular DAW out there is compatible with both Windows and Mac and both are robust operating systems on their own but which is better is still a never-ending debate.

Choosing between Mac and Windows is not a complex task, to be honest, if you already know what you need to do on your laptop. If you are someone who needs a laptop not just for music production but for gaming as well, there is no point in looking at Macbooks.

On the other hand, if you need a powerful laptop just for music production and there are no budget bars, Apple’s Macbook lineup is just good to go. Apple already has a track record of providing an ecosystem and sheer high-quality user experience and interface in terms of content creation.

Be it video editing, music production, or any other creative task. Apple’s new M1 and M2 chipset are the cherry on top that not only give the ultimate processing speed but also improve the battery life to a much more significant level.

The DAW manufacturers are also optimizing their program for M1 and M2 chipsets for an even better experience. The hardware, CPU (M1 & M2) and DAW (Ableton LIVE, Logic Pro) when optimized together for one single task (that is music production) the whole user experience will definitely get better.

Windows laptops, on the other hand, are flexible, cheaper, easy-to-repair laptops that can be used for gaming as well. We have already mentioned some of the best Windows laptops for music production in every price spectrum. You can choose any of them that checks your requirements and fits your budget.

So, in a nutshell, if budget is not an issue, you are working only on Logic Pro and you need a robust, reliable, easy-to-carry machine for music production, prefer Macbooks but if your purpose is music production, gaming, and working with other DAW (other than Logic Pro) and you don’t want to spend much on a laptop yet, Windows laptops have a huge range of laptops to consider in different specs, price, and size.

Best Laptop for Music Production: Final Verdict

Here we are with all the best laptops you can buy for producing music. These laptops not only fulfill minimum system requirements for popular DAWs like FL Studio, Logic Pro, Abelton LIVE, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, Reason, Garageband, etc. but are equipped with the latest processors, the highest RAM, and large SSDs. With the above-mentioned laptops, you will be able to produce professional-grade music.

If you want to remain in the Apple Ecosystem and want to use LogicPro, there is no other choice than Apple Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. MacBook Pro is a powerpack, high-performance laptop for producing music on the other hand Macbook Air is an extremely portable, lightweight, laptop that gives smooth performance but in terms of performance, it is not as great as Macbook Pro which is quite obvious. Similarly, if you want the best cheap Apple laptop for Music production, Macbook Air is an easy recommendation.

On the contrary, if you want the best Windows laptop for music production, we have some really great choices. If budget is not an issue, simply go for MSI Creator M16, Dell Alienware M15 or Asus Zenbook Pro Duo, a super intuitive laptop for music production.

If you are looking for the best Windows laptop for music production, we have ASUS ROG Strix G16 which is an outstanding laptop suitable for music production. It has the latest i7 14 Core Processor with 32GB DDR5 RAM and RTX 4080 GPU.

On the other hand, if you are looking for the best affordable music production laptop, the Asus Vivobook 15 is something you can consider. HP Pavilion 15 is also an ideal laptop for those who have an extremely limited budget and no room for budget expansion. You will be able to use all the popular DAWs on these laptops but compared to high-end laptops, performance will lack somewhere.

Now if you are asking which is the best laptop for music production, you have some great laptop options to go with. Consider any laptop in this list that fits in your budget and fulfills your purpose of producing music.

Frequently Asked Questions