MikeyDJ
Hi all,
I am soon to be purchasing a new macbook.
I'm aware that I would need the M2 chip as a minimum to be able to use Stems 2.0 without pre saving them. My main question is: Is there a huge/noticeable difference between using the M2,M3,M4 chip i.e will an M2 put the laptop under strain where as an M3/M4 will run stems effortlessly?
Also will Memory and GPU etc play a big part in the performance whilst using VDJ?
I guess what I am really trying to say is: Is it worth going for the better specs or will it be wasted on just using VDJ?
Cheers
I am soon to be purchasing a new macbook.
I'm aware that I would need the M2 chip as a minimum to be able to use Stems 2.0 without pre saving them. My main question is: Is there a huge/noticeable difference between using the M2,M3,M4 chip i.e will an M2 put the laptop under strain where as an M3/M4 will run stems effortlessly?
Also will Memory and GPU etc play a big part in the performance whilst using VDJ?
I guess what I am really trying to say is: Is it worth going for the better specs or will it be wasted on just using VDJ?
Cheers
Posted Thu 13 Feb 25 @ 4:48 pm
groovindj
I would say that in general it's always better to go for something better than you may actually need right now, as it will last you longer.
Posted Thu 13 Feb 25 @ 5:05 pm
DJ VinylTouch
MikeyDJ wrote :
I'm aware that I would need the M2 chip as a minimum to be able to use Stems 2.0 without pre saving them.
I'm aware that I would need the M2 chip as a minimum to be able to use Stems 2.0 without pre saving them.
This is not true - it's supported from M1 up.
MikeyDJ wrote :
My main question is: Is there a huge/noticeable difference between using the M2,M3,M4 chip i.e will an M2 put the laptop under strain where as an M3/M4 will run stems effortlessly?
Also will Memory and GPU etc play a big part in the performance whilst using VDJ?
I guess what I am really trying to say is: Is it worth going for the better specs or will it be wasted on just using VDJ?
Cheers
My main question is: Is there a huge/noticeable difference between using the M2,M3,M4 chip i.e will an M2 put the laptop under strain where as an M3/M4 will run stems effortlessly?
Also will Memory and GPU etc play a big part in the performance whilst using VDJ?
I guess what I am really trying to say is: Is it worth going for the better specs or will it be wasted on just using VDJ?
Cheers
For usage with VirtualDJ, you're probably not going to notice a major difference in performance with the smallest spec'ed machine.
I have a base M1 MacBook Pro (13", 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) and a M4 Pro MacBook Pro (48 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 16") and they both run VirtualDJ with realtime stem separation, video output playback at 720p, and broadcasting to a shoutcast server or to Twitch without issue, with a DJM S11 and Phase Connected.
I've not noticed a huge difference in terms of stem separation time (however I didn't actually time it), maybe the better spec'ed on can handle a higher video output resolution, but still, you can use a base M1 MacBook pro with no issues with reasonable specs and VirtualDJ settings - that should tell you what you need to know.
Summary:
Any arm based Mac meeting minimum specs would do the job (I prefer Pros because they have active cooling but I heard of persons doing well with Airs). RAM and to a lesser extent, CPU cores matter more than GPU cores here (I would think realtime stem separation goes to the neural engine cores, not the GPU in the Mac world, but devs could confirm that). Do not waste your money on any Max version of the processor for GPU cores - I doubt VirtualDJ would use the majority of them even under the most demanding use cases.
Posted Thu 13 Feb 25 @ 5:21 pm
MikeyDJ
Appreciate the replies guys, thanks!
I am a complete novice and really have no idea about comptuter specs. All i understand is disk space and generally a higher ram device will perform better.
To clarify, i currently run a windows 10 pc with an 'okay' spec. But ive had to pre save the stems which for me is a PITA.
I also run soundswitch lighting and a Rane One if that makes any difference.
Thanks for clarifying that a pro has cooling ability. I really struggle to understand/find the differences between Airs and Pros.
I am a complete novice and really have no idea about comptuter specs. All i understand is disk space and generally a higher ram device will perform better.
To clarify, i currently run a windows 10 pc with an 'okay' spec. But ive had to pre save the stems which for me is a PITA.
I also run soundswitch lighting and a Rane One if that makes any difference.
Thanks for clarifying that a pro has cooling ability. I really struggle to understand/find the differences between Airs and Pros.
Posted Thu 13 Feb 25 @ 6:42 pm
DJ VinylTouch
MikeyDJ wrote :
I also run soundswitch lighting and a Rane One if that makes any difference.
I also run soundswitch lighting and a Rane One if that makes any difference.
For a mobile setup, I run a DDJ-1000 with VirtualDJ and SoundSwitch with a Control One connected, all running on the same machine (that base M1 MacBook Pro I mentioned), with no issues (with realtime stem separation with video playback, although I've not used the video playback when out).
Posted 4 days ago @ 2:36 pm
MikeyDJ
Thanks for this information. I assume ill need some usb cable converter/connectors to connect the Rane (normally a usb to usb b) and the soundswitch dongle (normally a usb).
Posted 11 hours ago
kradcliffe
Or get a thunderbolt hub with USB A ports and plug your stuff in to that.
Posted 11 hours ago
PANOSV
i have a m1 air with 8gb of ram... runs vdj , record and streams realtime with stems separation 2.0 with absolutely no problem at all at all times... but since you are buying it now i would suggest buy whatever fits your pocket with m series chip but add 16gb of ram just for future aspects.
Posted 10 hours ago